From £0 to £9M Booked in Two Years – The Cold Call Comeback | Greg Freeman, Data Literacy Academy
On this episode of The Everyday Founder, I sat down with Greg Freeman, founder of Data Literacy Academy. From selling nightclub tickets in uni to building a 7-figure enterprise training platform, Greg’s story is packed with real, tactical advice for founders on the front line.
We break down the early days, how he signed Bentley and SSE as clients before hiring a full team, why cold calling still works, and what building an enterprise business really looks like behind the scenes.
👇 Chapters & Timestamps 👇
00:00 – Why Cold Calling Still Works
00:52 – Meet Greg Freeman, Founder of Data Literacy Academy
01:17 – Why Greg Became an Entrepreneur
04:20 – Backpacking in Peru & the Y Combinator Spark
05:54 – What Data Literacy Academy Actually Does
07:13 – Selling to Startups vs Selling to Enterprise
08:41 – Winning Bentley, SSE, and Aston Uni as First Clients
11:00 – The 0 to £1M Journey in 9 Months
13:25 – The Enterprise Go-To-Market Strategy
17:21 – How Greg Became a Data Expert Without a Data Degree
19:14 – Picking Up the Damn Phone (How Greg Closed Big Deals)
23:40 – Step-by-Step: Greg’s Cold Call Sequence
26:50 – Cold Calling Isn’t Dead. You’re Just Scared.
30:05 – Founder Loneliness, Solo vs Co-Founder Debate
34:03 – Why Your Co-Founder Might Be the Most Expensive Round
36:00 – Hiring Early: What Greg Got Right
38:38 – The “Bleeds Green” Test for Early Hires
41:01 – How They Built a High-Performance Team Culture
44:07 – Radical Candour and No Dicks Allowed
46:34 – Founder Strengths: Strategy > People Management
49:11 – Culture That Actually Drives Growth
52:18 – The Fast-Track: James’ Journey from £18k to Head of Role
55:06 – Values Over Ping-Pong Tables
58:26 – What’s Next for Data Literacy Academy
1:00:26 – Exit Strategy vs Lifestyle Business
1:03:06 – Luck vs Talent: What Actually Builds a Business
1:03:48 – Where to Find Greg Freeman Online
🔗 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregfreemandla
🎓 Learn more about Data Literacy Academy: https://dataliteracyacademy.com
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