I built a company and sold it to Just Eat. Now I help others do the same.
Not from a textbook. From experience. From scars. From doing it myself.
The Short Version
In 2006, I launched FillMyBelly — a takeaway ordering website when most people thought online food ordering was impractical. Seven years later, it was the UK's third-largest takeaway service. Then Just Eat acquired it.
That exit taught me more about business than any MBA could.
Now I run two businesses. NotLuck, a CRM and automation agency that builds human-first systems for companies from solo founders to multi-million-pound operations. And Bertiecord, where I work one-on-one with founders who are stuck, scaling, or preparing for their own exit.
30 years of building, learning, and doing.
Started at 18
Launched my first business as a teenager. No playbook. No safety net. Just the belief that the best way to learn is to do.
Founded FillMyBelly
Started a takeaway ordering website when most people thought ordering food online was mad. Built it from my bedroom with zero external funding.
Rapid Scaling
Became the UK's third-largest takeaway ordering service. Competing with companies backed by millions in VC funding — with £0 external investment.
Acquired by Just Eat
Successfully exited to Just Eat. Seven years from bedroom to acquisition. The scars and lessons from this journey are what I bring to every founder I work with.
Three Startup Incubators
500 Startups, Seedcamp, and Founder Factory. Working within these programmes — mentoring founders and seeing hundreds of businesses — reinforced what I already knew: test quickly, learn fast, execute.
Started Mentoring Founders
After years of founders asking for advice, I formalised it. Bertiecord started as one-on-one mentoring — using everything from the FillMyBelly journey and the incubator years to help other founders break through.
Founded NotLuck
Launched a CRM and automation agency to solve a problem I kept seeing: founders drowning in admin instead of growing their business. Human-first systems that do the heavy lifting.
Still in the Trenches
Running NotLuck and mentoring founders daily. 30 years in, still doing it every day. Two businesses, one philosophy: get sh*t done.
The principles that guide how I work.
Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?
Find your one thing to focus on. Question everything against it. If it doesn't move the needle, it's a distraction.
Discipline Over Motivation
Motivation fades. Discipline doesn't. The founders who win are the ones who show up and do the work, especially when they don't feel like it.
Test Quickly, Learn Fast
Tried and tested methodology from three incubators and 30 years of doing. Don't plan endlessly. Ship it. Learn. Adjust. Repeat.
North Star Focus
Your North Star metric. Your mission. Your why. These aren't fluffy exercises — they're the foundation that keeps you on track when everything else is noise.
Execution Over Ideas
I've always had the ability to separate what needs to be done from the million things going on in your head. Prioritise ruthlessly. Execute relentlessly.
Accountability Matters
Having someone to hold you accountable changes everything. Like a personal trainer for your business — someone who knows the excuses because they've used them too.
This is mentoring, not coaching.
You're getting the wealth of my experience, but you're also giving me permission to call you out.
Two businesses. One philosophy.
NotLuck
CRM & Automation Agency
Human-first automation that feels personal, not robotic. We build systems for businesses ranging from solo founders to multi-million-pound companies.
Visit NotLuckBertiecord
Strategic Advisory
Direct, practical mentoring for founders experiencing growth-related challenges. Using systems I've built and tested in real businesses.
See servicesWant to talk?
Book a free 20-minute call. No pitch. Just an honest conversation about where you are and whether I can help.
Book a conversation