Do the Opposite: Jeff Dewing building to £70m

Doing the Opposite: How Jeff Dewing Rebuilt from Rock Bottom to a £70m Culture-First Success

If you’ve ever walked into a business and felt the energy dip, you’ll get the problem Jeff Dewing set out to fix.

In this episode of Made in Essex, Jill Willis meets Jeff Dewing, CEO of Cloud, the Colchester-based FM disruptor that grew from a garden shed to a £70m turnover business by flipping the rulebook on leadership and culture.

Jeff’s story isn’t a straight line. It’s about early ambition, big setbacks, and rebuilding with intention.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation here.

From collapse to clarity

Jeff built his first business, EAC, to £5m. He even bought Clacton FC. But when growth stalled and distraction crept in, the business collapsed, and Jeff hit rock bottom.

“I was hiding at home. If I was ever going to suffer depression, that was it.”

What followed was eight years back in employment, learning what really drives success: culture. “I saw great people behaving badly, because the environment made it necessary. It was fear-led.”

Jeff Dewing – CloudFM. Made in Essex Podcast

Cloud: The £7.60 restart

With just £7.60 to his name, Jeff started again, this time with one goal: create a company built on trust and transparency. Cloudfm launched from a garden shed and struggled for months to get traction. The idea was radical, too radical for some. But persistence paid off. One client led to another. Culture attracted the right people. Trust grew. Today, Cloudfm is a £70m business, ranked 9th in the Essex Limited Fast Growth list, and known nationally for putting people first.

Jeff’s superpower? Vulnerability. “When you admit you don’t know something, you give others permission to grow.”

That approach filters through the entire business. No fear. No blame. Just shared ownership and problem-solving. Jeff didn’t rebuild Cloudfm by chasing money. He built it by solving a broken system, replacing fear with honesty, pressure with purpose. His mindset shift, from ego to impact, is what sets Cloudfm apart.

Lessons Every Business Leader Can Use

Speak goals out loud

It creates clarity and commitment.

Culture is your foundation

Psychological safety builds high-performing teams.

Resilience is non-negotiable

Setbacks shape you. Don’t avoid them.

Lead with honesty

Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s strength.

Solve real problems

Success follows value, not the other way around.

Cloud’s journey shows that it’s possible to rebuild stronger, if you lead differently.

From collapse to reinvention, Jeff Dewing’s story is a masterclass in culture-first growth. And the kind of thinking we back every day at Attract & Engage.

🎧 Catch the full episode here or listen wherever you get your podcasts.👇

And if you enjoy it, follow Made in Essex and share it with someone who’s building something bold.

About Made in Essex
Produced by Attract & Engage, Made in Essex shines a light on the county’s most ambitious business leaders. Each episode is hosted by our co-founder, Jill Willis, and shares candid conversations that celebrate resilience, leadership and growth – the kind that doesn’t always make headlines, but should.

🎧 New episodes drop monthly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Keep your eyes peeled for more episodes as Jill invites the county’s most tenacious and successful business leaders to lift the bonnet on their entrepreneurial stories.

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