Simon Woodroffe on risk-taking, reinvention, and creating Yo! Sushi

Crisis What Crisis? · 2025-02-17

55:41

What does it take to turn adversity into opportunity?

Simon Woodroffe has lived many lives - he started as a stage designer for music legends like Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder, then took a leap of faith and built YO! Sushi into a global brand. But before his success, Simon faced struggles that could have derailed him entirely: a turbulent youth, including time in a young offender’s institution, and a personal crisis that left him at rock bottom.

In this episode, Simon opens up about his journey from hardship to entrepreneurial success. From pioneering conveyor belt sushi in the UK to launching the innovative Japanese hotel brand YOTEL, Simon has never shied away from reinvention. As one of the original Dragons on Dragon’s Den, he knows what it takes to take risks.

Simon shares how resilience, creativity, and an unstoppable drive helped him build a multi-million-pound empire and why he believes anyone can turn struggle into success.

We hope you find this episode inspiring and useful.

Links 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yosimonwoodroffe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yosimonwoodroffe

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosimonwoodroffe

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@yosimonwoodroffe

This podcast is brought to you by Crisis What Crisis? Productions and Coulson Partners

Host: Andy Coulson

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, and Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

Crisis What Crisis?

Crisis What Crisis? provides authentic, judgement-free and useful storytelling from those who have been at the brutal, sometimes life threatening, sharp end of crisis and who survived and thrived in the process. Host Andy Coulson’s own background as a newspaper editor, Downing Street Communications Director, one-time inmate of HMP Belmarsh and now sought-after adviser to CEOs, allows him to bring a unique perspective to these conversations.

Where can you listen?

Episodes