Richard Reed is one of those entrepreneurs who got an entire market rolling with a simple idea. Together with his university friends Adam Balon and Jon Wright, he founded Innocent Drinks, a company that started out with initial recipe trials in a small kitchen and developed into a well-known brand for smoothies, children's juices and plant-based meals within a few years. After the first successful trial run at a festival stand where the three founders sold their products, they decided to quit their jobs and devote themselves to their new venture. Thanks to persistence and smart decisions, they were able to win entrepreneur Maurice Pinto as their first investor, and by the mid-2000s, the Innocent team had grown to almost a hundred employees and their products were available in several thousand shops across Europe. Coca-Cola acquired a stake in 2009, and in 2013 the founders sold their remaining shares. Reed remained closely connected to the start-up scene even after his departure. Together with his former Innocent partners, he founded JamJar Investments, a fund that helps young companies get started and enables them to grow. His work shows how closely product, brand and corporate culture are linked and how crucial it is to guide a company through unclear and challenging phases without losing sight of its own direction. Richard Reed studied at Cambridge and gained entrepreneurial experience as a schoolboy when he founded a small gardening service. His story shows how consistent work, clear thinking and a dose of composure can lead to sustainable growth. In his lectures, Reed talks about how an idea can be turned into a viable business model, the role played by courage and timing, and why a coherent culture often has more impact than grand words. His perspectives are closely linked to practical experience: from the first entrepreneurial steps to decisions that can shape a brand across Europe.