Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, and Elfried Samba, CEO and Co-Founder of Butterfly Effect and former Global Head of Social at Gymshark, explore the hidden blocks that slow teams down, from flawed strategies to missed cultural signals and outdated thinking.
Each episode breaks down a real challenge through the lens of behavioural science, digital strategy, and lived experience. Through conversations with industry pioneers and creative thinkers, they unpack why teams fail and reveal secrets for driving progress.
Joined by guests who’ve built, rebuilt, or reimagined entire industries, Rory and Elfried challenge assumptions, unpack failure, and explore what moves the needle.
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Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, and Elfried Samba, CEO and Co-Founder of Butterfly Effect and former Global Head of Social at Gymshark, explore the hidden blocks that slow teams down, from flawed strategies to missed cultural signals and outdated thinking.
Each episode breaks down a real challenge through the lens of behavioural science, digital strategy, and lived experience. Through conversations with industry pioneers and creative thinkers, they unpack why teams fail and reveal secrets for driving progress.
Joined by guests who’ve built, rebuilt, or reimagined entire industries, Rory and Elfried challenge assumptions, unpack failure, and explore what moves the needle.
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ama Amo-Agye scaled PlantMaid from £100 to £13m — and discovered that success changes the rules faster than founders expect.
Ama joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explore how the skills that drive early momentum can quietly become constraints as a business scales.
From building in public to recognising when the company had outgrown her original operating model, this episode examines why success can become the hardest thing to manage.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Ama:
Instagram: @amaa__official
Tiktok: @amaamoagyei
Linkedin: in/ama-amo-agyei/
A @Sassy+ original podcast series
Growth stalls when founders lose focus.Lottie Whyte, founder of MyoMaster, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack how simplifying the business, listening to real demand, and saying no to opportunity unlocked scale.From early trade-show insights and customer objections to near-failure and relentless focus, this conversation explores how clarity, not complexity, drives sustainable growth.
Follow Rory:Instagram: @rorysutherland_clipsTiktok: @RorysutherlandclipsX: @rorysutherlandLinkedin: in/rorysutherland/Follow Elfried:Instagram: elfriedsambaLinkedin: in/elfriedsamba/https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/Follow Lottie:Instagram: @lottiewhyte/Linkedin: in/lottie-whytehttps://myomaster.com/A @Sassy+ original podcast series
This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast discusses the toxic nature of modern politics. Economist Nicholas Gruen joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explain why debating now feels like a never-ending battle, where the centre ground gets drowned out by the most extreme voices and most people are trying to win arguments rather than solve problems.
They also explore why everyday communities often handle difference better than the internet does, and why GDP is a weak guide to how well a country is really doing. Education and housing, they argue, have increasingly become status bottlenecks rather than engines of shared progress, leaving us spending more without necessarily living better.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Nick:
LinkedIn: in/nicholas-gruen-783354a
X: @NGruen1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NicholasGruen
A @Sassy+ original podcast series
This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast explores what it really takes to build a billion-dollar brand. Ben Francis MBE, founder and CEO of Gymshark, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to discuss how obsessive focus, community, and self-awareness turned a side project into one of the UK’s most successful global companies.
Together they unpack the real story behind Gymshark’s rise — from sewing T-shirts at his nan’s dining table to leading a worldwide fitness brand — and reveal why staying close to the customer, thinking like a 19-year-old entrepreneur, and protecting startup energy remain at the heart of Ben’s philosophy.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Ben:
Instagram: @benfrancis
TikTok: @benfrancis
LinkedIn: in/gymshark/
YouTube: @BenFrancis
A @Sassy+ original podcast series
This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast explores how our digital world has turned attention into the ultimate commodity. Jess Butcher MBE, founder of Scroll Aware, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to discuss the hidden costs of constant connection and what it’s doing to our ability to think and focus.
Together they trace her journey from early tech pioneer to advocate for balance, reflecting on how business models built on distraction have reshaped society, and why making analogue cool again might be the next great act of rebellion.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Jess:
Instagram: @jessbutchermbe @moresoulsociety
Linkedin: in/jessbutcher/
A @Sassy+ original podcast series
This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast dives into the uneasy relationship between creativity and data in modern marketing. Max Osborne, co-founder of This That, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explore how performance metrics and short-term thinking have reshaped the industry—and why it’s time to put intuition back in the mix.
Together they unpack the origins of brand lift, the limits of benchmarking, and why true marketing success often looks like failure before it becomes a breakthrough. From influencer measurement to community-driven brands, they discuss how embracing uncertainty may be the only way to grow.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Max:
Instagram @ maxosborne/
Instagram thisthat.tt/
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/himax
https://www.youtube.com/@thisthat-tt
A Sassy+ original podcast series
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This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast explores the future of influence — who really holds it, how it’s shifting, and what that means for brands. Timothy Armoo, founder of Fanbytes, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to dissect the state of influencer marketing, the rise of niche communities, and why today’s real tastemakers might just be 16-24 year-olds on TikTok.
Together they dive into the mechanics of trust, the art of showmanship in advertising, and how brands can stop borrowing attention and start becoming influencers themselves. From perfume to Gymshark, TikTok “aura farming” to the early misfits of AI, this episode unpacks how cultural waves are created — and how smart companies can ride them.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Tim:
Instagram: @timothyarmoo
TikTok: @timarmoo
X: @timothyarmoo
Linkedin: in/timothyarmoo/
https://www.timothyarmoo.com/
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This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast explores how creators turn audiences into real businesses — and why many struggle to grow. Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager of The Sidemen, reveals how they built an empire that spans restaurants, vodka brands, and sold-out stadium shows. Together with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba, they explore the forces reshaping the creator economy, the opportunities ahead, and the funding hurdles that hold many aspiring entrepreneurs back.
Join Rory, Elfried, and Jordan for a deep dive into the business of creators and what it takes to turn cultural relevance into long-term success.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Jordan:
Instagram: @jordanschwarz/
Linkedin: jordanschwarzenberger/
tiktok: @jordanschwarzenberger
X: jordanerschwarz
https://www.jordanschwarz.com/
https://www.thinklikeacreator.com/
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Elfried and Rory tackle a defining challenge: convincing people that AI meeting software isn’t a spy in the room and that AI isn’t about replacing people. Fireflies.ai CEO Krish Ramineni reveals how his team built trust, scaled to 20 million users, and reached a $1B valuation. Along the way the trio explore privacy, the risks of over-automation, and whether dependence on AI erodes or strengthens genuine human connection.
Join Rory, Elfried, and Krish as they talk all things AI and trust.
Follow Rory:
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried:
Instagram: elfriedsamba
Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Krish
Instagram: @krishramineni/
Linkedin: in/krishramineni/
X: krishramineni
Fireflies.ai https://fireflies.ai/
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