Breaking Limiting Beliefs: Lessons from a $50M Founder (video)

It is the kind of story that usually belongs in a movie script, not a boardroom.

Growing up on a council estate in Oxford, UK, Andrew Hulbert was conditioned to believe that stability was the ultimate goal. His hard-working, humble parents instilled in him the idea that a “good job” paid around £30,000 a year. But Hulbert had a different trajectory in mind.

In a candid conversation with John Golden on the Sales POP! podcast, Hulbert peeled back the curtain on how he went from modest expectations to a staggering $50 million business exit. His journey isn’t just about making money; it is a masterclass in breaking limiting beliefs, building a culture that actually works, and surviving the brutal reality of entrepreneurship.

Here are the four pillars that defined his rise.

1. Breaking the “Class Ceiling.”

The most significant barrier Hulbert faced wasn’t capital or market conditions; it was his own inherited definition of success.

For many entrepreneurs, the environment you grow up in sets the “ceiling” for your ambition. Hulbert realized early on that the traditional path—job, mortgage, pension, retirement—felt like a trap. To build something massive, he had to audit his own beliefs. The lesson here is clear: Your background should be your fuel, not your anchor. Growth requires the discomfort of stepping outside the financial and social norms you were raised with.

2. Culture as a Competitive Weapon

In the facilities management industry, low wages and high staff turnover are the norms. Hulbert saw this not as a problem, but as an opportunity.

While his massive competitors treated staff like numbers, Hulbert built a “people-first” ecosystem. This wasn’t just corporate fluff; he implemented tangible initiatives, from planting forests to community parachuting events.

• The Strategy: He knew he couldn’t out-spend the giants, so he out-cared them.
• The Result: High retention rates (up to 90%) and a team that genuinely cared about the client’s success.

As Hulbert noted, in a service industry, your culture is your brand. If your people are happy, your clients are happy.

3. The “No Jerks” Hiring Policy

Scaling a business usually breaks the culture. Hulbert avoided this by hiring for values over skills.

He recognized that you can teach someone to read a P&L sheet, but you cannot teach them empathy or integrity. By bringing in leaders who were “culture custodians” early on, he ensured the company’s DNA remained intact as it grew rapidly. His advice to founders is simple: Skills are depreciating assets; attitude is a long-term investment.

4. The Brutal Cost of Success

Perhaps the most refreshing part of Hulbert’s story is his honesty about the trade-offs. He doesn’t paint a picture of effortless hustle.

Building a multi-million-dollar enterprise cost him his hobbies, social connections, and put immense strain on his marriage. The “grind” is often romanticized, but Hulbert admits that success is hollow if you destroy yourself to get there. His post-exit journey—which included a solitary train ride to Scotland to decompress—highlights the importance of mental recovery.

The Takeaway

Andrew Hulbert’s exit wasn’t luck. It was the result of a deliberate strategy to value people in an industry that didn’t, and the courage to dream bigger than his postcode suggested he should.

Whether you are just starting or preparing for your own exit, the blueprint is the same: Audit your mindset, protect your culture, and never forget the human element of business.