Entrepreneurship & Growth
Meet Lewis Windle
4 February 2026 · 2 min read
When The Legacy Bench recorded its very first episode on a rooftop in Manchester, the founders at the table needed someone who could look at their ideas through a business owner's eyes. That person was Lewis Windle.
Lewis is a business owner based in the same office building as the Legacy Bench team, and he joined our host as the episode's business expert. Over the course of the conversation he gave four very different guests, from a radio presenter to a founder planning an accessible co-working space, honest and practical feedback on how to take the next step.
A business owner who has built from the ground up
Lewis spoke on the bench about his own experience of building a business. When he set up an HR software platform, he went where his customers were: HR forums and industry expos, building the brand by turning up at smaller events and telling people about the business. It is the same approach he recommended to guests who want to grow a following: start with the communities that already care about what you do, and grow out from there.
LinkedIn is a big part of his working day. Lewis explained that he spends the day reaching out to clients, potential new clients and candidates, and he encouraged guests not to be afraid of picking up the phone once they have found the right person to speak to.
His advice: treat it like a business
A theme Lewis came back to again and again was structure. If you want something to become a business, he said, you have to treat it like one: set your goals, work backwards from them, and break down what you need in capital, marketing and every other part of running the business. He suggested writing even a short, simple business plan, and pointed out that AI tools now make it easier than ever to map out a business model and revenue streams.
On funding, he encouraged founders to look locally first, from growth hubs to council schemes offering low-interest loans, and to go to investors with evidence: real conversations with potential partners, real costs and real numbers in a pitch deck, rather than just an idea.
Lewis's contribution set the tone for what The Legacy Bench has become: honest, useful advice from people who have done it themselves.
Lewis Windle joined us on The Legacy Bench for Episode 1, "4 UK Founders Pitch Their Business Ideas" — watch the full conversation.
Connect with Lewis on LinkedIn.
