Yorkshire’s first bean-to-bar chocolate company, Bullion, is a masterclass in the power of a business story. Founded by Max Scotford in 2016 as a side hustle inspired by a Saturday morning TV segment, Bullion officially launched in 2017. Within a year, the Sheffield-based brand had moved from Max’s kitchen to a full-scale factory, expanding to multiple sites with a café, bakery, and thriving team by mid-2025.

Elevating a business from startup to scaleup is something research widely suggests will only be achieved by around one in 200. That means, of the 900,000 companies which launched in 2023, only 4,500 will reach that next level of success.