Paul Fox on the Harsh Reality of Becoming CEO at 23 | EP48

In this episode of the Talkin’ Shop Podcast we sit down with Paul Fox of Fox Group— the man who took over his family business at just 23 and turned it into one of the UK’s fastest-growing construction and materials groups. Paul opens up about the pressure of stepping into leadership so young, the grief that shaped him, and the “sink or swim” moments that defined Fox Group’s rise. He talks candidly about the dark days no one saw, what it was really like to run a business while learning on the job, and how self-sufficiency, smart acquisitions, and the right people transformed a small local operation into a 350-truck, 1,000-machine powerhouse. Paul lifts the lid on the acquisitions they got right (and wrong), the culture he’s fought to build, and why numbers and people are the real secret to scaling.We also dive into his no-nonsense leadership style, the loneliness of being a CEO, the lessons from COVID that changed everything, and the legacy of the man who inspired him. If you want laughs, hard truths, real business talk, and the story behind one of the industry’s most resilient leaders — this episode delivers.
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Paul Fox:
https://www.instagram.com/foxbrothersltd/?hl=en
https://uk.linkedin.com/company/fox-brothers-group
https://www.facebook.com/foxbrothersltd

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https://youtu.be/phg86_iQi_Y

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YouTube videos mentioned in this podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGnJG7O70E0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUYjCvAA88&t=473s