Do It Before Someone Else Does | From 500 to 16,000 with Dr. Raphael Sofoluke

In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Dr. Raphael Sofoluke, founder and CEO of the UK Black Business Show.

Raphael didn’t start with funding.

He didn’t start with a team.

He didn’t even start full-time.

He had an idea, six months, and a belief that representation mattered.

From a 500-person event at the QE2 Centre to a week-long series attracting 16,000 attendees, Raphael shares the real story behind building one of the UK’s most impactful business platforms.

We talk about speed over perfection, juggling a full-time job while building something bigger, why being audacious matters, and how the new partnership with Stephen Bartlett and Flight Story aims to drive £100 billion in economic impact over the next decade.

This conversation is about execution, ambition, and refusing to think small.

Key Takeaways

• Speed beats perfection. First to market with strong execution wins.
• Learn and earn before you leap. Industry experience compounds.
• Longevity matters more than hype. Execute with excellence consistently.
• Impact is the real metric. Revenue follows vision and representation.

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