"The Ferrari Is A Lie": Pret A Manger Founder Julian Metcalf

What this episode is about

Julian Metcalf, founder of Pret A Manger, shares insights on entrepreneurship, emphasizing that success lies not in personal accolades like owning a Ferrari, but in fostering the growth and confidence of team members. He outlines the importance of the "four itsu IQs"—caring, pride, trust, and praise—as foundational elements that contribute to building a successful and impactful business.

Key takeaways

• Ferrari dreams fade; founders thrive on problem-solving and nurturing talent, not luxury rides.
• Success is about growing others, not just building an empire; leaders create leaders.
• Ownership is overrated; true impact comes from empowering teams beyond your reach.
• Founding is fueled by passion, not possessions; focus on value, not vanity.
• Behind every successful founder lies relentless commitment, not a desire for flashy toys.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Julian Metcalf (Host) · 23 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Ferrari, Julian Metcalfe
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Ferrari, NetJets
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Dyson
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Vietnam, Philippines, ITSU, Japan
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Korea, Vietnam
6. 25:00 – 28:26: Vietnam

Notable quotes from ""The Ferrari Is A Lie": Pret A Manger Founder Julian Metcalf"

• Our company's been completely built by what we call the four itsu IQ's. I care.

  about ITSU · at 0:35

• I appreciate the answer, by the way. I love that and I love your honesty. So, It's important the people listening to this realize the truth which is it.

  about Julian Metcalfe · at 2:54

• So, what did you ever buy in your life that was satisfying? And the reason why I asked this question too is I was just listening to the another founder of NetJets and he was…

  about NetJets · at 6:14

• They make a better pencil or a better soup or a better bowl or a better cup or a better phone like that guy. You know that we have an Englishman called Dyson.

  about Dyson · at 13:19

• Preservatives, without additives. We miso soup were number one. Seaweed were number one. I first went to Korea years ago and I ate their toasted seaweed.

  about Korea · at 16:23

• Not a single chemical in this. It's the secret has been to develop with the Japanese. The great miso master of Japan and I have worked together for three or four years to…

  about Japan · at 17:35

• Ever had. It's amazing, isn't it? And many countries in East Asia, you're in the Philippines, right? So, I ate some mango 10 years ago, the best dried mangard I'd ever had in my life.

  about Philippines · at 18:49

• No, that's the noodles. These are handfolded. Everyone is folded by hand.

  about Vietnam · at 27:10

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Julian Metcalfe — Person · Main guest · 1 mention · first at 0:52
  Interview subject sharing founder lessons from building food brands (Pret A Manger, itsu) and discussing motivation, customer obsession, and his internal culture framework (“four itsu IQs”).

Companies & orgs

• ITSU — Company · Business focus · 1 mention · first at 16:00
  Primary company discussed by the guest, focusing on affordable East Asian food and its global expansion.
• Dyson — Company · Referenced company · 1 mention · first at 13:23
  Cited as an example of passionate product development and innovation.
• NetJets — Company · Referenced company · 1 mention · first at 6:25
  Mentioned in passing as an example of a founder's milestone achievement.

Products & tech

• Ferrari — Product · Referenced product · 6 mentions · first at 0:08
  Mentioned as a symbol of success and luxury, but downplayed as a motivator for business founders.
  Shop and I'm going to make it great and everyone will come and then I'll buy a Ferrari. The dream of the Ferrari is pretty freaking low on your list of priorities. Anyone can be a founder.

Places & events

• Japan — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 17:39
  Key location influencing the guest's business model and product development.
• Vietnam — Place · Setting · 4 mentions · first at 16:37
  Key location for product development and sourcing, particularly for noodles.
• Korea — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 20:26
  Influential in product development, particularly for seaweed and other food items.
• Philippines — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 18:55
  Mentioned for its high-quality mangoes and influence on product sourcing.
• Cebu — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 19:38
  Mentioned as a source of high-quality mangoes, influencing the guest's product offerings.
  And I found out it was made on an island in the Philippines called Cebu. So, I flew to Manila. I then got a plane to Cebu. I went to the factory and I've never eaten mango that good. Never.
• Laos — Place · Setting · 2 mentions
  Mentioned for its cuisine, contributing to the guest's appreciation of East Asian food.
  The factory. And then we started selling mango. But food is food in East Asia is in just incredible. I mean the food of Laos, the food of Cambodia, the food of Vietnam. Oh my god, you could live off.
• Cambodia — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 19:27
  Mentioned for its cuisine, contributing to the guest's appreciation of East Asian food.
  The factory. And then we started selling mango. But food is food in East Asia is in just incredible. I mean the food of Laos, the food of Cambodia, the food of Vietnam. Oh my god, you could live off.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 So, I thought stupidly, but it can't be that difficult. I'm going to open a food shop and I'm going to make it great and everyone will come and then I'll buy a Ferrari. The dream of the Ferrari is pretty freaking low on your list of priorities. Anyone can be a founder. They if they want to start a service or build a product which um they handle after and believe will add value to people's lives. What actually has made you happy? You know what the answer is? It's always always watching the people I've worked with grow, build their confidence, watching them take on responsibility and become great leaders.

0:35 Our company's been completely built by what we call the four itsu IQ's. I care. I take pride. I build trust. And I want to praise those four things will make or any founder watching this successful. So Julian, I'm so excited to have you today. I mean, I've been to the restaurants that you founded for many, many years. I I've seen them all around the world. I've tried them all around the world. Uh, and just I can imagine how what it's like to be a founder of a business where you could go in many different countries around the world and you see you see that thing that you started your baby, that thing that you created. I'd love to understand because I know you're doing so many other things and we could get into all that, but Julian, what is it like when you're walking down the street and you see Pa Mer and I know there's like a thousand stores all around the world. What's that feeling like?

1:36 Okay, that is a perfectly good question. Um uh but it's a question which is uh in my I reckon of no interest to your viewers because if I wanted to be a founder and I was loyal and listening to your show, what I really want to try and understand is how do I become a founder successfully? What do I have to do and can I learn anything from this old man at all? Is he going to say anything which I can which triggers emotions and connection with for me? And I hope that's what I'll I'll do. That's the reason I want I'm very happy to do this show with you is because maybe I can teach something uh because when in my day we didn't have podcasts. So I learned I had to learn the hard way. I didn't get any help from anybody. But the feeling to answer a question when I walk down and see a pto m anywhere in the world you know what I really don't give a damn. does it. I I look at it, I judge it. Is it good? Is it bad? Do the

2:33 staff look happy? Is the food good? And then there I realize there's nothing I can do about it. So, I might as well walk away. So, I don't care. It's not connected sadly. Um, you know, I don't own any of it. I can't influence it. The people who run it have no interest in in in working with me. It would. So, so that's fine. That's their prerogative. So, I don't give a damn.

2:54 I appreciate the answer, by the way. I mean, I I love that and I love your honesty. So, It's important the people listening to this uh realize the truth which is it really doesn't bloody matter. What matters is them, your viewers and how are they going to be a successful founder rather than going to the extreme end which is it wonderful to be a founder. Is it wonderful to be a success? How does it make you feel? [ __ ] it. It it's not important. What matters is how do you make a success? What do you have to do?

3:24 I love to hear what does it feel like? So what do we have to do? What do I have to do to make a successful business today?

3:30 Well, there are lots of things because uh you know when when people talk about founders and and rich people and and they think ah they could go out and they could buy any yacht, any a helicopter or a Ferrari and it must be such a wonderful experience and it's nonsense. It's it's a founder if you're going to sell a product or make a service. It it's you you've got to um it's got it's a compelling cause for huge commitment, love, and determination into your product, into your service, or whatever it is you're doing. And I promise you this, the dream of the Ferrari is pretty friaking low on your list of priorities.

4:08 In other words, most people who build businesses, they they really spend very very little time worrying about the Ferrari or or the yacht. That's not what what propels them. It's not what motivates them. I mean, it's nice if you can afford to go out and buy a Ferrari, I guess. I don't want a Ferrari, but don't, you know, some people do, but it's not um, you know, very often the people who show off with money, show off with expensive this and that and have huge gold watches and all this [ __ ] They're often not that successful wealthy people. So, anyone who wants to be a founder, I think that's really interesting. I I really respect people who want to work for themselves. I think you're great. So, welcome. The idea of working for yourself is wonderful and I hope maybe I can give you a couple of tips but to be a founder is wonderful.

4:56 Wonderful. So let's go back in time to the first company you founded. What problem were you solving? What was your vision at that moment?

5:05 No that's a good question because I think most people who found a business it is important that you you are trying to solve some problem. Sometimes really amazing founders are solving problems that we didn't even know we had. But in my case, my problem, the problem I was solving was really obvious, which was the food in England in 1986 was pretty disgusting. America, the food in Europe was much better. The food all over Europe was much better. So you could eat anywhere in Italy or anywhere in France, you know, with with in those days 10 bucks, five bucks, you could eat something really good. In England, it was really, really bad, really shocking.

5:43 Uh, so I thought stupidly because I was so naive, I thought, well, it can't be that difficult. Um, so I'm going to open a food shop. Um, more or less that's kind of how it happened. I was quite young. I think I was 24 and I'm I'm going to open a food shop and I'm going to uh make it great and everyone will come and then I'll buy a Ferrari.

6:04 So what you're saying to me then is that the feeling of getting the Ferrari was not satisfying.

6:11 No, of course it's not. No. So, what what did you ever buy in your life that was satisfying? And the reason why I asked this question too is I was just listening to the uh another founder of NetJets and he was talking about his watch and how his watch represented success because it was a milestone versus it being a watch. Like it could have been anything else. He just chose it to be a watch. But is there anything in your life that when you hit a certain milestone, maybe you go on a trip, maybe you buy something, maybe I don't know, maybe you listen to a song, is there something that has meaning?

6:48 It's a really good question and and it'll be a question which a lot of founders will be really interested in because they they are all we are all as founders captivated by the concept of we want to be free. We want to be able to afford uh what we need and want in life. We don't want stress and agony. We don't want to spend all our days doing something we hate for and then being paid less than we think we're worth. Um we don't want to be controlled by a wank a stupid boss who's an idiot. So being free and possibly being rich and having the freedom to buy whatever you want whenever you want it is very compelling obviously but unfortunately most of the work 90% of the work and responsibility of being a founder is your relationship with your customers. So you must not spend too much time dreaming about or thinking that the money if you make success of what it is you do will give you much joy. In my case, I'll try and

7:44 answer your question. I remember for years always having to go economy when I first could buy a business class seat. It was a huge breakthrough for me because it is more comfortable and you and the seats wider and you feel less like you're on a you know on a train. So for me, being able to buy my first business car seat was amazing. There are a few other things, you know, being able to afford a lovely home with a beautiful view, you know, that type of thing is lovely. Being able to afford a holiday home is lovely, you know, so Christmas or Easter or the holidays are are less stressful. Things like that, they're wonderful. So I'm I'm not ever going to say money is not important. Of course, it's important. And and but it's not your God. It's not your main reason.

8:27 Your main reason is I want to do a beautiful job with my service or my product. I want to build a strong team and I want to stand them myself and my customers with something which is just great. And if it gets me another watch or another Ferrari, [ __ ] it. Maybe it does. Who cares? It's certainly not the Yeah,

8:48 I could totally relate to the business class. By the way, I used to always fly economy, but my back would hurt. I'd be very tired as I'm in my 40s now. I know you're only a little bit older than me. I think you're like 45 in some,

8:59 you know, I still I still never go first class. I'll I'll go business. I mean, I could afford to go I could afford to go first class anytime I want, but I never do because, you know, all of us as founders don't waste money and never confuse status with with success. In other words, don't go and spend three times on a first class ticket because it makes you you think you you're superior. That's ridiculous. This that is don't waste money. Don't be stupid.

9:27 I love that. So I know that you've you I I would say you have a obsession with details listening to you understand I've heard you talk about lighting, packaging, ingredients, all these things. Do you think that most founders need to have this maniacal focus on details and really like being in there with the product, the service that they have to make sure there is as much perfection as possible? Yes. Yeah. The answer is yes. Of course. Yeah. They've got to really care about it. I don't know if the word is maniacal, but they've got to passionately and really resp

10:12 your customers. If you don't just stand them, you're not going to build loyalty. They'll go somewhere else. I love that and I get that when I I've heard you talk so many times about this and that's what I really took away was you just you're so passionate. Did you ever have a night where you woke up in the middle of the night and you said, "You know what? This is a bad idea. Maybe I'll go get a job, but this whatever this being a founder, this business, this is a bad idea."

10:36 No, I've never had that ever. I've only ever had one job in my life. I've never ever ever ever ever however tough it gets ever for a single second thought of giving it up. Uh no.

10:48 How did you get through that? What kept you going in the nights when every like you said being a founder is not easy? And I don't know if it's for everybody in terms of the grit and and the mental fortitude you need. But what kept you going?

11:01 So there to involve everyone watching uh that there's two things you said there which which are interesting. Number one, anyone could be a founder. anyone. Every single one of of your listeners could be a founder. Of course, they can. It's just up to them if they if they want to start a service or build a product or which which um they they handcrafter and believe um will add value to people's lives and they've then got the guts to go around and uh and mock it up and talk to people about it and test it and and and maybe they can um be a founder.

11:35 Anyone can be a founder. I know that. Now also when you do found a business when you start a business start selling something things never turn out quite the way you feel you think I promise you never never never every day for me every day is different you have to change and accept the fact things don't work out the way you hope every single day that's fine why I love doing it because it never gets boring the mistakes and the opportunities are always there even big things when when whole markets change you move from you know renting videos to Netflix. Well, these things don't usually happen overnight. You know, you should be able to see them coming. So, if you make a product which is fantastic for today, but won't be around in 10 years, well, gives you plenty of time to pivot and and build that relationship with your customers. But most people founders, they like to find something new, don't they? Actually, most of us

12:29 never found anything. I've not done anything new. My god, I sold sandwiches. They've been around since the 18th century. It's the oldest, most boring business in the whole world. I found it. Sandwiches. My god. What's new about that? Nothing. What's new about what I do now with its su and noodles? Nothing. They've been eating and loving this food for a thousand years. Haven't done anything. What I do do is work with smart people and we work out ways of adding value to our customers. We try and astound them. We try and give them more than they expected. We try and get them to We try and give them more than they hoped, more more than they were expecting. We try and enhance their life in a way. And that's fun and it's engaging and it's creative. And that's what founders do.

13:19 They make a better pencil or a better soup or a better bowl or a better cup or a better phone like that guy. You know that we have an Englishman called Dyson. I think he made 500 uh prototypes, didn't he, to make his Hoover work. That's mad.

13:34 That's passion. I know you have so much heart in business. I I am so inspired by talking to you right now because of your heart and your passion and I want to know more about it. And I'm and I'm wondering when you started it, did people think like you're kind of crazy? Like you're saying, the earl of sandwich must be really happy because of how well you made the sandwich and now you have noodles like thousands of year old thing that people have been eating for a while. So what was this like starting over with this new restaurant?

14:05 So started it Grocery and It SU started because um Japanese anyone who's ever been to Japan will know how much they love and respect their food. Their food's incredible. Uh just breathtaking the respect and love. and I was astounded by it age 23 when I first went. I've never seen anything like it. So I came back to England and I opened a very affordable Japanese restaurant with a [ __ ] a Japanese partner. Um but I wanted it to be very very very affordable because I wanted everyone to um to be able to afford to go there. So we created a kiteen restaurant which is like a conveyor belt. We only had 16 dishes and they were beautiful and they were and it soon became the busiest restaurant I think per square foot in London. It won lots of awards. It was amazing experience. Um but after that we opened five more of those and then I I got exhausted by being in the restaurant business. I wanted to bring affordable

15:03 healthy East Asian Japanese food to many more people. So we we opened the first ISU shop and that was in a building in Hanover Square, small shop. Uh we made everything there downstairs. Beautiful relationship between the equipment, the menu and everything. There were only 14 of us in there who worked there. But I remember on the first week we sold 10 times as much as the previous occupier of this place. 10 times the volume. the boxes, the bento boxes. Everything we did was beautiful and very affordable and after that we opened another one and then another one and then we opened 10 more, 20 more, 50 and we and wherever we opened people flocked and and came and enjoyed it. Now with that comes a huge amount of challenges with people, training, management. The restaurant business is very very very tough. But you know, we on the whole, not every day, some days we we do really poorly, but on the

15:58 whole, um I'm lucky enough to work with amazing people and we will we're opening new its I think in Holland now and we opened one the other day, another one. They're beautiful, affordable East Asian food, broth, noodles, brown rice, dumplings. We're the biggest seller now of dumplings uh almost in Europe, certainly in England. We have six flavors of delicious gyoza without preservatives, without additives. We miso soup were number one. Seaweed were number one. I first went to Korea years ago and I ate their toasted seaweed.

16:34 Never eaten anything like it. It's much it's different to Japanese nori the Koreans. They do it differently and I fell in love with that. So now we're number one in in seaweed, number one in miso and and it's a grocery is filled with passionately brilliant young just l young developers, creative people and we all get together every Wednesday, every Friday, every Monday and we develop and we create and then we create products with real guts and then we take them to our supermarkets here in Europe and they buy them. It's great. is very creative and it's important because on the whole it's all affordable and it's all preservative and additive free uh and it's convenient. In other words, a lot of what we do is really quick and easy to eat. But the biggest thing I've ever done in my life, my career by far with regard to food is this latest thing we're doing with these noodles.

17:28 So instant noodles are these are instant noodles are remarkable that the noodles are completely additive free. There's not a single chemical in this. It's the secret has been to develop with the Japanese. The great miso master of Japan and I have worked together for three or four years to develop the broths. We have six flavors of of broth. It's not paste. It's real miso pa uh paste, not powder. and you mix it with the um the noodles with water and for like $3 you have a fantastic healthy delicious meal. I mean it's it's like a miracle in a way. I mean people like finders, you know, they want to believe their products a miracle because they really do need to believe in miracles and it's taken me 64 years but I think we've got a miracle.

18:18 Julian, I'm not only am I starving right now? I love Japanese food. Pretty much most most Asian food. I mean, I'm currently in Asia and I love Asian food, but I really, really love Japanese food. Some of the best steak I ever had was a Japanese restaurant. It was pouring out. We ran in because it was raining. The place was a mess. There was one employee. He did everything in the restaurant. And so, he had to clean. He I mean, it was insane. And the steak was like $6 and it was the best steak I've ever had. It's amazing, isn't it? And you know, many countries in East Asia, you're in the Philippines, right? So, I ate some mango 10 years ago, the best dried mangard I'd ever had in my life.

19:02 And I found out it was made on an island in the Philippines called Cebu. So, I flew to Manila. I then got a plane to Cebu. I went to the factory and I I've never eaten mango that that good. Never. And I was spent the two days there at the factory. And then we started selling mango. But food is uh food in East Asia is in just incredible. I mean the food of Laos, the food of Cambodia, the food of Vietnam. Oh my god, you could live off. It's incredible.

19:34 I know those mangoes. I tell everyone that the Philippines has a the best mangoes I've ever had because I like to hang out near Cebu, same area. And then also we go to this very small island and we get they call it young coconut. So, it's like coconut from the tree. The guy climbs up the tree. It's like a dollar. He gets you the coconut. They chop it open and it's the best coconut water, coconut, whatever out of coconut juice. It's amazing. It It's unbelievable. There's nothing like like you're saying. I I love what you're doing. One day you and I have to have lunch. I I'm going to have I want to see the passion of you eating the food. I feel like

20:12 we would have enjoyed yesterday. So, we have a three about three hours every single Wednesday. We're about 16 of us. Brilliant people working together. Creative packaging product. All about the color, the texture, the food, the taste, working with our partners in in Japan or in Korea or we have one or two really very talented partners in in China now, in Vietnam and and they're amazing. I I keep going all the time on that. But we only do East Asian food at IT SU and we do it with we really like to try and keep it very authentic and a great I think we're successful because a great many people prior to us just cut corners. They're they're not really dealing with the companies at all.

20:58 They're they're it's fake as it were. Well, I can't wait to get it. And I I am curious if you could go back to the young Julian when you were early on. Maybe you're in a prep shop in London and you could give one piece of advice, but it's not about business. It's more about happiness. What would you say?

21:19 Well, I think um two things on that. Apparently, um, any W founder, any any potential founder watching your show, I've been reliably informed at least three or four times that when people get very old, if they've been successful, they all answer this question the same way, which is not, what's given you most happiness with your great success and everything you've done, what actually has made you happy? You know what the answer is? It's always always watching the people I work with grow, watching them build their confidence, watching them take on responsibility and become great leaders. In other words, like so much about humanity, it's it's the ability to watch people grow and give. Our company's been completely built by what we call the four itu IQ's. And I don't know where we ever would be without them. But they they try and reflect.

22:15 It's purely accidental. They were put together just with common sense years and years ago. But they are I want to grow. Which reflects about you as a person. I want to take on responsibility. I want to be better. I want to be accountable. I want to learn. I want to be more professional. I want to walk tall. I, you know, I want to grow. You've got to want to grow. You've got to believe you can grow as a person. Um, number two is I build trust. It is impossible to build a business, to found a business, to be successful in business unless you understand the word trust.

22:50 People have got to be able to trust you, your team, the people work for you, people you work, you trust is important. And the other one is I take pride. You've got to love your product or your service. You've got to take pride in it. You've got to believe in it. It's got to be good. You've got to be honest about it. And the last one is I care. In other words, I actually care what people think of my product. I care what they think of me. I care about my reputation. So I care. I take pride. I build trust. And I want to grow. Those four things will make all any founder watching this successful. It's all you need. Those four. The rest is that's it. Just those four.

23:28 There you go. The master class is out. Final question, Julian. And thank you for sharing those four. I love that. Um, is there anything in life, anything that you haven't done yet? I mean, it could be go to the moon, I don't know, fly to Mars, it could be whatever it is. Is there anything in life that you say, you know what, this is something I haven't done yet, but I would like to do.

23:48 So, I guess the re the honest answer to that question is everything you achieve and all your founders and the people watching this, everything you achieve in business with your product, your success and everything. Unfortunately, the truth is it kind of pales into insignificance compared to your personal relationships with people, i.e. your family and your friends, your partner maybe. That's that's the irritating truth. So, if you're a founder and you work enormously hard, you're really dedicated, it invariably does come at a cost, but the a clever person knows that early and doesn't destroy their personal relationships. stays manages to love be loved and stay close to the people who they who who are immensely valuable and that's obviously your friends your family. So that's a good bit of advice.

24:39 Don't screw up your relationships as a founder too badly. You're bound to screw up some, but try not to screw them all up. I I've you know I could have I wish I'd done far better on that. I am I love what I do. I don't regret it, but I spend far too much energy in involved in what I do rather than going for long walks. I don't play golf. I don't have the temperament. I don't take sports, do sports. I don't look after my health. And I wish I spent far more time with my children. Although I do work with two of them and I work with one of them quite a lot. But your in that's the only advice I can give you. If you want a bit of brutal honesty, your friends, family, and relationships are probably ultimately far more important than anything you do in business.

25:27 No, I I appreciate that, Julian. We we've heard this before. Some of the other incredible people that we've had on, like yourself. Many of them have told us it came at the expense of getting divorced multiple times, came at the expense of not being able to see their children very much growing up because they were engulfed in the business. So, uh, we've heard this before and it seems to almost always be a byproduct of the business. Do you think it's possible to really scale at the same time also side?

25:59 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Of course, it's possible. Absolutely. It's possible. It's completely possible. Yeah. As long as you stick to the truth and you only stick to the truth always. Your children, for instance, will understand. your children. Your children um human beings. We want to be around people who are driven and passionate and successful. It's wonderful. Doesn't matter if you're a writer or a singer or a politician. Doesn't matter what. Your children understand, your family understand. What they don't what is unforgivable is when it your energy, your determination becomes destructive. There's a fine line. You know,

26:35 Julian Metaf, I mean, this has been amazing. I was so excited to have you on and just everything you've done before was always inspirational. I love hearing you talk just because I've never listened to anyone that is as passionate as you about the customer experience, the customer and what you're doing with its. I mean, I can't wait to try it. I I love noodles and I I'm always afraid of unhealthy noodles. So, I've been looking for an alternative and one day I'm gonna come out to you. We're gonna have lunch.

27:04 There it is. Thank you so much, by the way, uh for joining us. Thank you for giving all of this incredible knowledge. There it is.

27:10 No, that's the noodles. These are handfolded. Everyone is folded by hand. Glazed three times now in the North Vietnam. Uh, it's great product for $2. I think it'll be $3. It's the best $3 you could ever spend, I think. Anyway, don't thank me. Thank the Japanese and the Kore the Vietnamese and the genius and the hard work of the people who did it. I just I just oiled the wheels. So, I just didn't do much.

27:37 They did. Amazing. By the way, you you are amazing. Your your brutal honesty. That's why I like to talk to anyone that's from the UK. Any anyone that's from the UK, British, they always give me they're always honest. But thank you so much. By the way, I I grew up watching Monty Python. Whose line is it anyway? I grew up all watching British humor. People just did. Oh, wait. I tell every there's some lines from Life as Bri uh was it life as Brian? Yeah, it's a flesh wound.

28:06 The flesh wound is great. There's another one. I can't say it because people might be offended, but there's so many great lines that I remember and I say them and nobody has a clue what I'm talking about. Like, they don't remember it. And so, I'm glad that you do, but thank you so much for joining us today.

28:19 Wonderful. Okay. Bye-bye.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in ""The Ferrari Is A Lie": Pret A Manger Founder Julian Metcalf"?

Julian Metcalf (Host).

What is ""The Ferrari Is A Lie": Pret A Manger Founder Julian Metcalf" about?

Julian Metcalf, founder of Pret A Manger, shares insights on entrepreneurship, emphasizing that success lies not in personal accolades like owning a Ferrari, but in fostering the growth and confidence of team members. He outlines the importance of the "four itsu IQs"—caring, pride, trust, and praise—as foundational elements that contribute to building a successful and impactful business.

What is mentioned in this Founder's Story episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Julian Metcalfe, ITSU, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Ferrari. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is ""The Ferrari Is A Lie": Pret A Manger Founder Julian Metcalf"?

The episode runs 28 min; the transcript is about 5,353 words in 51 timestamped sections.

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