Confessions of an Entrepreneur10 Jun 2025

From PwC to The Lakes Distillery: Entrepreneurial lessons from Nigel Mills CBE

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl chats with Nigel Mills CBE, a champion for business and entrepreneurialism in the North of England.

Like Carl, Nigel began his career as a Chartered Accountant. He qualified at PriceWaterhouseCoopers before leaving to buy an independent convenience store business, which he scaled to a portfolio of 77 stores, before selling it to Tesco PLC.

After selling, Nigel set up, developed and subsequently sold highly regarded The Lakes Distillery, which was acquired by English sparkling wine producer, Nytimber in a deal, which valued The Lakes Distillery at £71 million.

Nigel was one of the founders of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum and is a trusted advisor, Non-Executive Director, mentor and investor.

Nigel talks to Carl about how he switched from a plan to be a professional golfer to become an accountant after his grandfather passed away, before landing a place at PwC. He covers the highs and lows of his business career, the importance of sport in his life, the range of investment and mentoring opportunities he is regularly offered and how he decides which ones to pursue, and invest in.

This educational and thought-provoking episode highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with the experience and expertise of others, coupled with persistency when pursuing ambitious entrepreneurial endeavours.

Connect with Nigel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-john-mills-cbe-6a555042/

Connect with Carl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

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