{"id":1586,"title":"Why entrepreneur Rob Da Bank believes in your dream","description":"Would you believe us if we told you that rescuing Calvin Harris from an upturned portaloo wasn\u2019t the most interesting thing we chatted to Bestival co-founder Rob Da Bank about on our podcast?","content":"<p>Would you believe us if we told you that rescuing Calvin Harris from an upturned portaloo wasn\u2019t the most interesting thing we chatted to Bestival co-founder Rob Da Bank about on our podcast? What really got us excited when chatting to Rob was hearing his words of wisdom for budding Teemillers and empire builders:<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cLive it and breathe it \u2013 be prepared for hard work and sleepless nights, but the rewards are worth it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>Listen to the full podcast below, or read on to find out what else we learned about brand building from the legend that is Rob Da Bank.<\/p><p><\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3tJ2N6WH2P0CsTU1kDBcUB?utm_source=generator\" height=\"232\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><p><\/p><p>Every great brand starts as an idea. And Rob should know \u2013 his string of career accomplishments include co-founding Bestival, DJing on Radio 1 for 12 years, launching his own record label and publishing company, and even experimenting with his own Teemill store. That\u2019s right \u2013 you\u2019re in great company.<\/p><p>With such an entrepreneurial CV, Rob is a firm believer in the power of ideas. Bestival itself was something he mulled over with friends one night down the pub, having just returned from Glasto. He couldn\u2019t have predicted it\u2019d be the world-leading music event it is now, attracting visitors from all over the world.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/5ee88de9508529.03592693.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"53775614\"><\/p><p>That\u2019s a lesson he wants all Teemillers to learn: explore every idea, because you never know where it will lead. In fact, Rob\u2019s DJing career began as a hobby. And if you feel imposter syndrome creeping in? Remember:<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cMotivation and passion are more important than experience.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p><br>If you\u2019re still looking for your stroke of genius, Rob\u2019s got a top tip: \u201cLook at what\u2019s already out there and how you can stand out or solve a problem.\u201d But if you\u2019ve got your idea, and you\u2019re just not sure how to get the ball rolling, Rob\u2019s advice is to \u201clean on the people around you\u201d. In the early stages of Bestival, Rob called in a few favours from artists he\u2019d met during his time as a music journalist. But your connections don\u2019t have to be glamorous to get you to where you want to be.<br><br><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/5da46951b9a1d0.84948407.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"39195197\"><\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cGet good advisers, you need a good team around you even if that\u2019s just friends and family to get their ideas and advice. Get their feedback and thoughts. Surround yourself with people who have your back \u2013 and skill sets you might not have.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>In the early days of Bestival, that\u2019s exactly what Rob did, calling in friends to work the bar and help him set up. After all, an outsider\u2019s perspective is sometimes exactly what you need to help you move in the right direction.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/5da46a4c78f6c6.42859979.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"39195469\"><br><br>As the Teemill pros know, the early stages of any business can be full on. But Rob\u2019s advice? \u201cLive and breathe it \u2013 be prepared for hard work and sleepless nights, but the rewards are worth it.\u201d Sometimes, this might mean wearing every hat at once \u2013 merchandiser, designer, packer. At the early Bestivals, Rob was no stranger to hard graft, acting as the DJ, bar staff and ticket seller. It's an important learning experience, because when you eventually take on people to do those jobs, you\u2019ll know exactly how the role works, and what the dream candidate should look like. And once you\u2019ve embraced the hustle, the rest comes down to mindset:<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cYou\u2019re never fully ready \u2013 you\u2019ve gotta go for it and take risks, and you\u2019ll find the best decisions happen organically and naturally.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>So, what are you waiting for, Teemillers? For more useful tips, inspo and experiences, check out our other Teemill podcast blogs in <a href=\"https:\/\/teemill.com\/blog\/?search=podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Academy<\/a>.<\/p><p><\/p>","urlTitle":"rod-da-bank-podcast-festival-entrepreneur-startup","url":"\/blog\/rod-da-bank-podcast-festival-entrepreneur-startup\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/rod-da-bank-podcast-festival-entrepreneur-startup\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/teemill.com\/blog\/rod-da-bank-podcast-festival-entrepreneur-startup\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1571045537,"updatedAt":1663308050,"publishedAt":1657268496,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":12,"name":"Teemill"},"tags":[{"id":40,"code":"inspiration","name":"inspiration","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/inspiration\/"},{"id":673,"code":"podcast","name":"podcast","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/podcast\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5ee88dd678d389.62336496.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5ee88dd678d389.62336496.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5ee88dd678d389.62336496.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"On our podcast, we talked to Rob Da Bank, co-founder of Bestival about his experiences with entrepreneurship.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[{"id":12,"title":"Podcasts","description":"Listen, learn and get inspired with our Teemill podcasts","createdAt":"2020-06-16T10:27:32.000000Z","updatedAt":"2020-06-16T10:27:32.000000Z","published":0,"urlTitle":"podcasts-listen-learn-get-inspired","url":"\/blog\/series\/podcasts-listen-learn-get-inspired","editUrl":"\/blogs\/series\/edit\/podcasts-listen-learn-get-inspired\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/teemill.com\/blog\/series\/podcasts-listen-learn-get-inspired\/","division":12,"image":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5ee892cbda4a99.62982578.jpeg.jpg?w=640&h=auto","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5ee892cbda4a99.62982578.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=auto"}}],"similarReads":[{"id":35,"title":"The 12 Best Movies For Business Startups 2025 - Netflix, Disney, Prime","url":"\/blog\/netflix-startups-business\/","urlTitle":"netflix-startups-business","division":12,"description":"Instead of scrolling through an Instagram feed or studying your mate's dinner on Facebook, we like the idea that as a store owner you can flip the relationship and use tech to make time on the sofa productive and profitable for you.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9dcaa0289175.83327431.jpg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9dcaa0289175.83327431.jpg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":43,"title":"The 7 best business books everyone should read","url":"\/blog\/best-business-books\/","urlTitle":"best-business-books","division":12,"description":"In The Matrix, Neo just sits in a chair, and Morpheus uploads Kung Fu, how to fly helicopters and loads of other languages into his brain. Neo can do anything. That's basically what books are, although they do take a little longer. So we've pre-sorted some of the best business books that we've read and found useful for people building a brand online. Learn from successful entrepreneurs, read their journey to success and build an entrepreneurial mindset so you can make your brand a success.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c8e29ea58d3b2.79971756.jpg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c8e29ea58d3b2.79971756.jpg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":105,"title":"The best feminist t-shirt brands around","url":"\/blog\/feminist-t-shirt-design-ideas\/","urlTitle":"feminist-t-shirt-design-ideas","division":12,"description":"Feminism means business. Thanks to the likes of Emma, Michelle and of course Queen B, the new wave of feminism is a topic that's ingrained into our culture. We're dedicating this blog to just a few of the Teemillers who are getting behind B's vibe.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9f16b1682865.10624479.jpg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9f16b1682865.10624479.jpg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":{"monitorCheckExcluded":"1"}}