Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs

#399 Your Intellectual Property: How to Protect, Lever and Value it with Liz Ward

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 02:00:00 +0100

How can you protect your intellectual property and uncover the invisible wealth within your knowledge?

What are the most common mistakes when it comes to protecting intellectual property?

Liz Ward is an intellectual property specialist. The former chemist retrained as a lawyer and has been running her firm, Virtuoso Legal, since 2007. She takes us through some critically important "need to knows" when it comes to protecting your intellectual property (IP) and what to do if you accidentally infringe somebody else's.

How do you value your IP? What is one of the essential ingredients of a patent? How can you uncover the invisible wealth within your knowledge? Should you use AI-generated legal agreements, and what are the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on IP and the creative industries?

Liz also covers interesting developments in cyber-squatting and Companies House tightening up its due diligence. Plus ownership of IP you create with partners and suppliers.

This episode includes many actionable insights from Liz and you can learn more from her in her book, "If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? 10 Ways to Take Your IP to the Bank", her podcast, and at www.virtuosolegal.com

Also on the show: my round up of funding opportunities and events

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund Low Carbon Project: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/business/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-low-carbon-project
The Yorkshire Content Fund: https://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/content-funding
The Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious public engagement grants: https://raeng.org.uk/programmes-and-prizes/programmes/uk-grants-and-prizes/ingenious-public-engagement-grants-scheme/
The British Business Bank's Business Finance Week: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/news-and-events/events/business-finance-week
Sheffield Live! at 25 – Birthday Celebration and Fundraiser: https://web.sheffieldlive.org/sheffield-live-at-25-celebration-and-fundraiser/

What next?

Listen to the episode and let me know what you think
Visit Liz's website, www.virtuosolegal.com
Contact me to nominate yourself or someone else as a potential guest for this show, telling me why there's a good fit (our audience: curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs running businesses which make a positive impact for people, places or planet. Our priorities: inspiration and practical, actionable tips).

This is episode 399 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Alex Cousins, Wolven Crafts and Ed's Workshop: gamer on a roll with startup support

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Alex Cousins makes dice trays from reclaimed materials. Every one is different, they can be engraved or embossed and feature bespoke materials and finishing.

I popped down to Ed’s Workshop, a wonderful workplace and community of makers in Sheffield to meet Alex and learn more about his new business, Wolven Crafts.

He tells me how, when playing Dungeons and Dragons, dice often fall off the table – so a dice tray is invaluable. He's used a £500 grant to help bring his business vision to life.

Alex successfully applied for funding from the SWEF Enterprise Fund at South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF). This enabled him to use the fantastic facilities at Ed's Workshop, which includes embedded support and is a family business.

Alex is joined in this interview by his mentor Gayle Brogan from Opportunity Sheffield. Gayle has been working with Alex, who is autistic, since November 2023 in her role as a senior project support officer.

Kim of Ed's Workshop joins us too. I was blown away by the wonderful atmosphere and facilities there.

Alex also covers his prototyping and how a local gaming shop, Patriot Games Sheffield, has been so supportive and helpful to him in testing his dice trays.

What next?

Listen to the episode and let me know what you think
Visit the South Yorkshire Community Foundation website, https://www.sycf.org.uk/
Learn more about Opportunity Sheffield, the employment and skills service in Sheffield City Council, https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/campaigns/opportunity-sheffield
Visit the Ed's Workshop website, https://edsworkshop.co.uk/
Contact me to nominate yourself or someone else as a potential guest for this show, telling me why there's a good fit (our audience: curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs running businesses which make a positive impact for people, places or planet. Our priorities: inspiration and practical, actionable tips).

This is episode 398 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Turning streets into power stations with Barry James, Green Streets Club

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 02:00:00 +0100

Many households want to install renewable energy technology – but the market doesn''t serve them well, says serial innovator Barry James.

But his "Green Streets Club" has already enabled homes on his own residential street in Sheffield to halve the cost of adoption of solar and battery.

Barry explains how they've done it – and other households can too.

He also covers his plans for a UK-wide network of Green Streets Hubs, social enterprises (community interest companies) that he says would support the transition to green energy, and revitalise high streets, support small businesses and empower tradespeople.

Barry explains his financial model for Green Streets Club and covers his panel of advisors which includes the economist and author, Ann Pettifor, and Professor Andrew Crossland of the Durham Energy Institute.

Plus a call for a small business to pilot a new iteration of Green Streets Club to support its employees.

What next?

Listen to the episode and let me know what you think
Visit Barry's Green Streets Club website, https://greenstreets.club
Contact me to nominate yourself or someone else as a potential guest for this show, telling me why there's a good fit (our audience: curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs running businesses which make a positive impact for people, places or planet. Our priorities: inspiration and practical, actionable tips).

This is episode 397 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Storytelling for small business owners and social entrepreneurs with Rebecca Collins

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Rebecca Collins is the Brand Coach at The Conscious Communication School, which she launched after becoming burnt out from 10 years in the mainstream media.

Now she helps business owners and social entrepreneurs craft powerful brand strategies and learn how to tell powerful stories which resonate with their target audience.

In today's episode Rebecca walks through exercises to help you find your big bang moment, covering her Breakthrough Brand Story Method and "five Cs" of mapping out your story.

She explains how this can build deep connections and strengthen relationships with your ideal audience, supporting your business development and growth.

It also means "no more panic posting" and gets rid of fake authenticity on social media.

We cover how building your story doesn't mean a "me, me, me" approach, folks' biggest problems when trying to embed storytelling in business, and as a special bonus, some insights about pitching your story to broadcast television.

This episode is crammed with practical tips you can use today. Links:

Take Rebecca's free, 60 second brand audit quiz or download resources from her website, https://consciouscommunicationschool.com
Rebecca's FREE event on 4 October 2024 in partnership with Union St: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/authentic-selling-through-storytelling-tickets-1012966338587
The book Rebecca mentioned, Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Who_Run_with_the_Wolves

This is episode 396 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Dr Susy Ridout, Lotus Collaborations – a vision where Autistic and Neurodivergent Victim-Survivors of Sexual Violence are believed and supported

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Lotus Collaborations is a Community Interest Company, set up to address the needs of autistic survivors of sexual violence and sexual abuse.

Its directors are Neurodivergent Survivors and allies with experience in accessing and providing specialist support and mentoring to victim-survivors of sexual violence.

"There's big gap in understanding among service providers and the general public," says director, Dr Susy Ridout, “and our needs very often don't get addressed. The autistic voice isn't heard at all, and our needs are very different to those of the predominant neurotype, the predominant public. We need to have services who do understand that."

Susy covers:

• The impacts on people if their communication preferences, sensory and other needs are not properly understood
• How Lotus' team and beneficiaries are developing its services and resources to meet the requirements of individuals and services
• How health practitioners are responding to or addressing survivors: poor and good practices
• Practices which make people feel validated
• The value of support from Sheffield Social Enterprise Network, Social Enterprise Exchange and the SEGA / SSEN peer mentoring and action learning programme
• Securing contracts or funding
• Engaging with your beneficiaries

Lotus Collaborations is currently recruiting volunteers: https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/org/lotus-collaborations-uk-cic

Also on this episode: new funding opportunities: The PPL Momentum Music Fund (grants of £5 to £15,000); Feasibility studies for Artificial Intelligence solutions (grants between £25,000 and £50,000).

This is episode 395 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio. Podcast image features: Lotus Collaborations' logo.

How to be an HR hero, create social value and LOVE your volunteers with Diane Offers, YWCA Yorkshire

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

YWCA Yorkshire supports over 250 young women, children and families to build better futures. They may be homeless, escaping abuse, or in financial or other difficulties. It runs programmes to assist them in living happy, fulfilled and independent lives.

A charity, it has operated locally since the 1940s. This Valentine's Day it launched a campaign to "spread the love and word" about volunteering. So I invited Diane Offers, YWCA's HR Manager, on air.. She covers:

YWCA Yorkshire's range of accommodation, support, empowerment and advocacy services
The crucial and varied roles its diverse volunteers play and how the charity nurtures them
How businesses already work with YWCA Yorkshire, and what you can do to help create real long-lasting change the life of someone in financial or relationship difficulties and having no family or friends to fall back on
YWCA Yorkshire earns some of its operating income by providing services which are commissioned by local authorities, so we discuss social value in procurement, public services and commissioning
Diane's day-to-day work in HR, her own career history, and her advice for others developing HR careers in purpose-driven organisations

Also in this episode after the interview with Diane: new funding opportunities of between £10,000 and £120,000 for businesses and social enterprises. Timings:

0:00 to 23:50 Interview with Diane Offers – get involved with YWCA Yorkshire as a volunteer via www.ywcayorkshire.org.uk/volunteer and/or learn more about becoming a corporate supporter at www.ywcayorkshire.org.uk/corporate-partnerships
23:50 Forthcoming events from Business Sheffield: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/business-sheffield-17338011423
25:01 Funding opportunities: 1) for UK industry via the Science and Technology Facilities Council / Innovate UK Industry Impact Fund (£10,000 - £100,000 to help companies overcome difficult product, manufacturing or process performance issues; focus includes health, net zero, energy, defence; deadline 14 March 2024; details at https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/industry-impact-fund/ ) and for social enterprises / asset-locked organisations via the Esmée Fairbairn Youth-Led Creativity programme (up to £120,000 over 3 years; to support work led by and for young people who have less access to creative programmes or who are underrepresented in arts and culture; deadline 15 March 2024; details at https://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/latest-news/youth-led-creativity-funding )
27:19 Ends.

This is episode #394 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Nurturing community assets into sustainable and impactful enterprises with Helen Allen, Community Catalysts and Harry Clarkson, Speakup

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to episode 393 of Business Live, for purpose-driven entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. When Rotherham wanted to transform its adult social care offer for people with learning disabilities and autistic people and offer personalised services that people wanted, local social and micro-enterprises proved crucial. Helen Allen and Harry Clarkson tell me how.

Community Catalysts (www.communitycatalysts.co.uk) is a thriving community interest company, running since 2010 and operating across the UK. Speakup (www.speakup.org.uk) is a Self Advocacy Group run by and for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Employment is for Everyone ( (www.employmentisforeveryone.org.uk) is a social movement that aims to improve the employment rates for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

Also on today's show:

• New CAF Venturesome funding for charities and social enterprises operating across the UK, including those with international projects. https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/caf-venturesome
• Funding for starting up up to £8,000) and scaling up (up to £18,000) social enterprises from UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs: https://www.unltd.org.uk/awards/
• Event: 19 January, Refugee Entrepreneurship Network and Centre for Entrepreneurs Corporate Roundtable: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/refugee-entrepreneurship-network-corporate-roundtable-tickets-759765548207
• Sheffield City Council has commissioned the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network to create the Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator (SEGA), providing specialist business support and advice for social enterprises in Sheffield. More details: www.ssen.org.uk/sega and www.scci.org.uk
• Book recommendation: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Profitable, Productive and Pioneering: why Social Enterprise is 'Mission Critical' with Dean Hochlaf PLUS lots of new funding

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Social enterprises ploughed over a billion pounds into their social and environmental objectives last year. They make a vital contribution to the UK's economy, society and natural environment, as Dean Hochlaf describes today.

An estimated 131,000 social enterprises in the UK collectively turn over £78 billion, representing over 3% of GDP. Many operate in the most deprived areas of the UK. They employ around 2.3 million people and made £1.2 billion in profit in the last financial year, reinvesting over a billion pounds of that into their environmental and social missions.

The figures come from Social Enterprise UK's 'Mission Critical – State of Social Enterprise Survey 2023' and Dean also covers access to appropriate, patient, long-term funding; procurement and ensuring social enterprises' social value is well-recognised; and visibility among consumers and in private sector supply chains.

Also in this episode: new funding opportunities for businesses, social enterprises, charities, universities and arts organisations. Timings:

0-1:40 Introduction
1:40 Interview with Dean Hochlaf, Social Enterprise UK. Read SEUK's full report here: https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/seuk-report/mission-critical-state-of-social-enterprise-survey-2023/
12:03 The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) are developing a joint VCSE action plan; they say it will identify and seek to address the barriers facing VCSE organisations in bidding and winning government contracts and grants. If you are from a voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisation and have comments on this please take part in their short survey.
14:25 Events in Sheffield including Christmas makers' markets; the Millennium Gallery's Handmade for Christmas shop.
15:33 The City of Rivers exhibition at Weston Park museum showcasing Sheffield's relationship with its rivers (there was a super article in the Sheffield Tribune this week too)
16:38 Grants and funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises:
For small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in South Yorkshire: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant Scheme – Digital Innovation Grants of between between £2,500 and £5,000 and Productivity Grants of between £2,500 and £12,499 . Applications will be approved on a first come, first served basis until no more grants or support are available. Details: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/business/business-productivity-and-digitisation-grant-scheme
The Sheffield Creative Communities Fund is offering Sheffield-based arts, cultural and heritage organisations to deliver creative programmes of outreach, engagement and participation . Grants can be between a minimum of £10,000 and maximum £30,000. Deadline for applications Tuesday 9 January 2024, midday. Details: https://www.sitegallery.org/creativecommunities
Electric vehicle infrastructure grant for staff and fleets. This one is for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and gives you money off the cost of wider building and installation work that’s needed to install multiple chargepoint sockets (eg wiring and posts). The grant covers 75% of the cost of the work, up to a maximum of £15,000. Open for applications now; details https://find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/electric-vehicle-infrastructure-grant-for-staff-and-fleets-1#summary
The Youth Music NextGen Fund, which offers grants of up to £2,500 for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives; aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals. It's

Open Access Factory is Makers' Paradise: Arnaud Nichols and Al Parra, BLOQS

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000

When I heard about the UK's first open-access factory, offering "pay-as-you go accessibility" so entrepreneurs and makers can access state-of-the-art light industrial equipment I was intrigued.

Originally established in 2012, its co-founders call it the "missing link for solopreneurs and SMEs seeking to bridge the gap between start-up and producing at scale."

And when I learned it was a social enterprise, with sustainability "designed in" – well, we had to get its co-founders in for a radio interview. They've gone from strength to strength, moving to a brilliant, award-winning facility, the UK’s largest open-access factory which they say is "crafted by makers for makers."

In this episode, Arnaud Nichols and Al Parra, BLOQS co-founders, cover:

• What they mean by a pay-as-you-go, open access factory
• Who uses it (there are currently 700 active members and they're really diverse) and what people create
• How collaboration and access to shared facilities means makers and small businesses can use equipment at a much lower cost, and with a lower individual and collective environmental footprint
• How BLOQS has both contributed to regeneration n the London Borough of Enfield, and benefited from regeneration match funding investment
• Why being a social enterprise enables purpose and mission alignment, with everyone sharing common goals
• Their own backgrounds and transferable skills
• Plans for the future with big ambition to build more BLOQS

It was a pleasure hearing from Al and Arnaud and I hope you'll find the interview as fascinating as I did. Do check out the BLOQS website here: https://bloqslondon.com

This is episode #391 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

How to power-up your video content with Joe Palmer – plus new funding for businesses, social enterprises and universities and a new LGBTQIA+ networking event

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Many businesses make the same basic mistake when they want to make video content, says today's guest Joseph Palmer of Open House Pictures. His simple tip will help anyone wanting to use films to communicate, whether you want to work with a professional filmmaker, a local freelancer or even try to shoot them yourself.

It's been a few years since Joe was last on the programme and Open House has achieved significant growth since then, creating jobs and taking on multiple creative and commercial projects. Joe explains – and tells us about:

the value of finding mentors
a new networking event in Sheffield which supports LGBTQ+ businesses – Out2Meet: LGBTQIA+ Business Networking – on 29 November in the city centre ( https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/out2meet-lgbtqia-business-networking-sheffield-tickets-700504005337 )
a couple of books which have made a lasting impact
Joe's tips for anyone running a business, social enterprise or other organisation who wants to use video effectively
Find Open House Pictures here https://www.openhousepictures.co.uk and Joe on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephdpalmer/

Also in today's programme – a run through of several funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises, including

Grants of up to £45,000 to businesses, universities and research organisations through the Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) competition – which covers decarbonisation, connectivity and other "challenge areas." Details of this Department for Transport and Connected Places Catapult programme: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/opportunity/transport-research-and-innovation-grants-2023/ Closing date: 27 November.
The Youth Music NextGen Fund, which offers young creatives grants of up to £2,500 to make their ideas happen. It's for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives; and aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals.
It's open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf or Disabled). Details https://youthmusic.org.uk/nextgen/nextgen-fund Closing date: 19 January 2024.
Community Interest Companies, charities and universities are invited to apply to the Armed Forces Families Fund: Supporting Partners programme to fund "projects that will improve support for Service partners and spouses regarding the skills and experiences they bring to the workplace." Grants of £30,000 to £80,000 available. Closing date: 25 January 2024.
Grants of up to £2,000 are available to young people who need support with business start up costs that they would otherwise not be able to afford, through the SWEF Grants Programme. Applicants need to be between 18 - 30, living in South Yorkshire and from a low income household or facing other challenges that prevent developing the business. Details https://www.sycf.org.uk/apply/search-our-grants/swef

This is episode #390 of the show. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

How to get a job in the games industry with Eva Kioseoglou and Ruth Dickens

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0100

"I ended up being offered a permanent role as a junior programmer which is a dream come true – and I worked on an awesome game which is actually my favourite of all the current projects at Sumo."

Many people would love to work in the games industry but don't know where to start. Today's guests Eva Kioseoglou and Ruth Dickens have both secured full-time roles as junior programmers, having graduated from a games industry apprenticeship programme on which previous game programming experience is not required.

Ruth and Eva have some brilliant advice for aspiring programmers in today's episode.

They discuss their experiences in the Sumo Digital Academy, a talent development programme that "creates new pathways into the games industry," offering opportunities to graduates aged 18 or above looking to make their first career move, those skilled in different industries, and those seeking a career change.

Eva and Ruth are the first two people to graduate from the Academy's Game Programming Apprenticeship Programme. It gave them C++ training, practical application through project work, Unreal Engine training and then placement experience.

They discuss why they applied to the programme. Applicants must demonstrate "their learning potential as game programmers" – Ruth and Eva explain how they did so.

We cover the programme content, the products and projects they worked on, the mist challenging and most valuable parts of the apprenticeship programme too – and Eva and Ruth both give their top tips for anyone thinking of applying this year.

Also on the show today: a new retail opening in Sheffield, some events and some funding opportunities.

Timings and further details:

0 - 1:41 Introduction
1:41 Interview with Eva Kioseoglou and Ruth Dickens. Applications for the 2024-25 Game Programmer Apprenticeship Programme will open on 4th September 2023 (and will close on the 29th September). Details will be available via https://www.sumo-academy.com/game-programmer-apprenticeship
During the interview we mentioned the Sumo Digital Academy's Diversity Internship Training Programme, which gives people from under-represented groups the opportunity to receive training and mentoring in game programming to see what it would be like as a career. Details: https://www.sumo-academy.com/diversity-internship-training-programme
20:58 A new opening in Sheffield city centre: Atelier Japan, the brainchild of Johnny Pawlik (who's been on the show a few times) brings traditional and hand-made arts and crafts to Sheffield. It sounds wonderful.
22:42 Events including an International Youth Day celebration in Sheffield today (11 August); Sheffield By The Seaside until 29 August; Jurassic Week at Graves Park Animal Farm. See the Welcome to Sheffield website.
23:27 Sheffield City Council has re-opened its books for the Electric Van Trial. 15 vans are available to book – register your interest here: https://forms.sheffield.gov.uk/form/auto/apply_electric_van_trial
24:01 Grants of £10,000 to £75,000 are available to community organisations tackling the cost of living crisis. Find out more at https://locality.org.uk/news/community-organisations-cost-of-living-fund

Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Leadership and culture lessons from status-quo smashing CEO Naomi Hulston

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 16:00:00 +0100

Naomi Hulston has experienced "pretty much every role" in her 21 years working for Catch22.

The social business has been around for 200 years. It delivers more than 120 public services that meet local needs and support individuals within our communities. "We consider ourselves a business with the heart of a charity and a business' mindset." Those services include justice, education services, support for vulnerable children and families and many more.

Naomi started her career at Catch22 as a volunteer before progressing in many different roles across the organisation, so when Naomi became chief executive she brought valuable insights and understanding as a leader..

And in this interview she gives candid, thoughtful and powerful tips about how to foster an "intentional" culture; accountability, transparency and communication.

Anyone running a social enterprise, purpose-led business or charity should listen to Naomi's advice.

She also covers changing ways of working, making the "impossible" possible and collaboration.

And we learn about the positive impact of a "people-centred" culture – with practical and implementable tips about how to galvanize this. "People feel included, engaged, enabled, able to express their wishes."

Plus there's even a remarkable story about the Rolling Stones.

What next?

Visit the Catch22 website: https://www.catch-22.org.uk
Rachel has written a chapter for the new book, Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services, published this week by E3M, which I have co-written.
A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book, which I have written is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )

A criminal career with Rebecca Collins and Adrian Hobart, Hobeck Books

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 08:00:00 +0100

Today's guests have bumped off nearly 300 people through their business.

But they're not career criminals. Adrian Hobart and Rebecca Collins run Hobeck Books, a leading family-run independent publisher of award-winning crime, thriller, mystery and suspense books.

What better business to get on air in National Crime Reading Month?

Rebecca and Adrian launched Hobeck Books in the middle of the pandemic. Rebecca brought expertise from over two decades working in the publishing industry, with clients such as Bloomsbury, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. She is also a published non-fiction author and poet. Adrian has been a broadcaster and journalist with the BBC for twenty-five years, and is an audiobook narrator, filmmaker and a writer.

This episode is a super business case study in itself, giving an insight into how Rebecca and Adrian launched the business, choose which books to publish, what works best to promote their authors, and the ever evolving world of the publishing industry.

We talk plot, character, what makes for a riveting read – and I couldn't resist asking Adrian and Rebecca for their favourite ways in which their authors have knocked off characters.

It's chock-full of tips anyone can use in their businesses too, with practical advice about branding, building an email list, giving radio interviews, and writing your own business book. And Rebecca and Adrian discuss their own work as editor and audiobook narrator too.

Today's show also includes upcoming events for entrepreneurs and some new funding opportunities after the interview.

What next?

Visit Hobeck Books: https://www.hobeck.net
Adrian and Rebecca's Hobcast Book Show has been nominated as one of twenty of the best UK Mystery Podcasts. Listen here: https://www.hobeck.net/hobcast
Rebecca worked with me and co-author Jonathan Bland on our new book, Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services, published this week by E3M. It's available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/ and from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )
Events mentioned on the show: Bagging Your First Investment, Wednesday, June 28, Electric Works, Sheffield: Details. And Fundraising for impact startups - Unrest, Friday, June 30, webinar. Details.
Plus the Welcoming Cultures Celebration in Sheffield and Alternate Realities: Sheffield DocFest at Site.
Funding; go to https://www.powertochange.org.uk/our-work/our-programmes/ and https://get-it-made.co.uk/grants/women-in-engineering for details of funding mentioned in the show.

Overcoming barriers is social enterprise's business: Rachel Law, PossAbilities CIC

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 15:00:00 +0100

PossAbilities CIC provides services for people with learning disabilities, people with dementia and young people leaving care.

Formed in 2014, PossAbilities has increased staff from 220 to more than 600, had eight consecutive years of growth and surplus, and grown its capital and reserves from zero to £6 million.

It was formerly the Adult Social Care Provider within Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) and was one of the first 100 social enterprises to be formed by ‘spinning-out’ services which had formerly been run by public sector bodies.

It has become a regional rather than local provider – and much of this, says CEO Rachel Law, is through doing ‘the opposite of what we were used to doing as part of a local authority’.

Its organisational achievements are matched by its outcomes: PossAbilities CIC has used its own surpluses to build high-quality accommodation and to run numerous community initiatives and events, becoming a catalyst in the neighbourhoods it works.

Rachel gives us an honest description of how she and her team overcame barriers and challenges to ‘push the boundaries of what is possible’ as a social entrepreneur and former local authority officer leading a successful public service spin-out.

What next?

Visit the PossAbilities CIC website: https://www.possabilities.org.uk
Rachel has written a chapter for the new book, Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services, published this week by E3M, which I have co-written.
A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book, which I have written is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )

How fair finance boosts businesses, supercharges social enterprises and helps households with Eleanor Russell

Sat, 20 May 2023 11:00:00 +0100

Do we want to live in places full of thriving businesses and social enterprises, and where people don't get trapped by exploitative lenders and loan sharks? Sounds good to me.

Eleanor Russell is policy and programmes lead at Responsible Finance, which represents the UK's social purpose lenders (community development finance institutions, CDFIs). Their work has been covered extensively by media including the Guardian, Financial Times, BBC, Mail Online and elsewhere.

I work with Responsible Finance and invited Eleanor on to discuss new figures about the social, economic and environmental impact unlocked by CDFIs, through increasing access to finance for people, businesses and social enterprises otherwise excluded from finance for a variety of reasons.

This £248m sector worked with nearly 95,000 customers in 2022 – a 22% leap on the year before – creating and supporting thousands of businesses and jobs, and helping households avoid millions in interest compared with higher-cost lenders. Eleanor gives us more details.

Also in this episode:

Events: Games Careers Week, from 19-25 June, which celebrates diverse pathways into a career in games for young people of all backgrounds; StartUp Meetup Sheffield on 30 May, and a "lunch with Claire Rimmer" event at Theatre Deli, Arley Street, Sheffield, via the Social Enterprise Exchange programme. Claire is head of Operations at Sheffield-based creative arts organisation, CADS.
Funding and support, including:
Accelerating FemTech, an initiative aiming to support innovators to boost the development of technology solutions to address current challenges in women’s health. Learn more and apply here.
The Power to Change Community Business Trade Up programme (open now, deadline 26 June, details here) and the Discovery Fund (which opens for applications on 1 June and closes on 21 July 2023, details here).
UK SMEs can apply to Innovate UK's Future Economy investor partnerships, (deadline 5 July 2023,, guidance and details here).
An interview originally broadcast in March with David Hanney, CEO of Alpkit, a business which has thrived after CDFI finance.

Timings:

0- 2:55 Introduction
2:55 New interview with Eleanor Russell
15:29 Interview with David Hanney, CEO, Alpkit (recorded in March 2023)
34:02 Events
37:03 Support and funding for SMEs and social and community businesses
40:42 Wrapping up

Understanding money and building better financial habits with Claer Barrett

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 03:00:00 +0100

For a long time Claer Barrett vowed never to write a book about money. Now the award-winning financial journalist and broadcaster, who frequently answers the public's money questions on ITV's Lorraine, LBC radio and the Financial Times' Money Clinic podcast, has published 'What They Don't Teach You about Money.'

It's a brilliant read – like having a chat with a friendly expert who wants to help you avoid pitfalls without confusing or judging you; Claer is honest about her own financial mistakes, clear and helpful.

Barrett is the FT's consumer editor and a trustee of FT-backed charity, FLIC (Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign). She joins me in this episode to discuss why she's written the book, some of the biggest emotional reactions to money, what we can all do to build better financial habits, what business leaders and social entrepreneurs can do to support employees during the cost of living crisis, her passion for financial education and literacy, the phenomenon of 'FOBSAG' (fear of being seen as greedy) and lots more.

It's a comprehensive conversation and a call for more openness, better communication and less embarrassment and shame when it comes to discussing our finances.

Also in the show: events and funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises.

Timings:

0 - 40:23 interview with Claer Barrett. Get Claer's book from Amazon here https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-They-Teach-About-Money/dp/152914633X and Penguin here and find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claerb and Twitter at https://twitter.com/claerb
40:23 Events including Sheffield Business School's Intercultural Innovation Programme for SMEs, a two-day introduction to social enterprise workshop, and Business Sheffield events
44:11 Funding opportunities including Future Economy Investor Partnerships SME round one (
46:33 Wrapping up

This is episode 382 of Business Live, broadcast on FM and DAB radio and online on Sheffield Live! and available as a podcast. Thanks to Sheffield Live for putting us out on the airwaves and thank-you for listening.

Slashing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing carbon intensity with Alpkit CEO David Hanney

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 11:00:00 +0000

We can do it if we really want to: Alpkit is a business success story which has doubled employee numbers since last appearing on this programme while dramatically reducing its absolute emissions and carbon intensity.

"It's really positive and something ALL businesses can do, from small to big" says CEO David Hanney.

The measures it is taking, Hanney adds, align with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommendations and processes which would enable the global economy to achieve the 1.5 degree limit on global warming – if everybody does them.

I last interviewed David in 2020 when he talked about how businesses must take responsibility for driving positive changes and Alpkit's environmental sustainability reporting. Since then the firm, which makes and sells outdoor equipment and bikes, has:

halved its total greenhouse gas emissions eight years ahead of a 2030 deadline set by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)
reduced carbon intensity by more than 36% in three years
set a path with its decarbonisation to achieve true net zero in line with SBTi deadlines
achieved B Corp Certification and grown from 100 to 200 employees

How has Alpkit done this, and what's next on its journey to Net Zero? What can we all do to minimise our impact? Why should we use outdoor gear as long as possible? And how does Alpkit measure and verify its Full Value Chain Carbon Footprint?

The word "inspirational" can be cheapened by over-use. But this story really shows that businesses can develop, create jobs and opportunities and do so while achieving measurable and transparent milestones on the path to decarbonisation.

Also on the programme: data about B Corporations (B Corps) in the UK; details of funding and events for businesses and social enterprises. Timings:

0 - 2:40 introduction
2:40 Interview with David Hanney, CEO, Alpkit (more about Alpkit's work on sustainability https://alpkit.com/pages/sustainability )
21:14 Gripple and Mina have recently been certified as B Corporations (B Corps) and March is 'B Corp' month –information and data about B Corps in the UK
24:00 Events: Doing business in the USA; The Business and IP Centre South Yorkshire; Business Planning for Social Enterprise; other Social Enterprise Exchange events and workshops.
27:09 The Economic Recovery Fund; Sheffield Clean Air Zone Funding. Plus Innovate UK.

From PhD to CEO with Dr Kirsty Smitten, MetalloBio, addressing one of the biggest threats to global health

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Dr Kirsty Smitten has gone from PhD Student to founder and CEO of MetalloBio Ltd: "I was writing my thesis while forming a company." Her firm is developing new compounds to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is a spin-out from the University of Sheffield, incorporated in 2021.

Already the cause of 1.2 million fatalities every year, antimicrobial resistant infections are predicted to cause 10 million by 2050, more than cancer.

In the first week of a PhD in Chemistry and Microbiology, Kirsty adapted compounds to be more readily taken-up by bacteria "and they worked." That's not a typical PhD, she adds, "it was a real shock and surprise." Kirsty describes the whirlwind progression from filing a patent in 2019, joining a market validation programme, establishing the need for the compounds, and then getting onto the Innovate UK ICURe programme – "I don't think we'd have a company if we hadn't got onto that."

She gives valuable tips about getting onto incubation and acceleration programmes, securing support from Innovate UK, raising funding and demonstrating impact. Kirsty's comments aren't only relevant to biotech firms and spin-outs: they will be useful to listeners across many sectors.

MetalloBio is developing its two lead antimicrobial compounds for two areas: to be used in drugs and treatments to combat multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria; and to be used in medical devices, and material coatings and additives.

The firm has received multiple awards and accolades: Kirsty was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science and Healthcare Europe, and named "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" by The FSB Yorkshire and the Humber. But winning The Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technologies Competition 2022 - Health is probably her favourite, and she tells us why.

She also covers:

How she secured nearly £2 million in non-diluted funding,
MetalloBio's routes to market, its new raise, and its revenue potential,
The need for appropriate laboratory space in Sheffield,
Why she used to dread pitching but now loves it – with a top tip,
Why universities should introduce modules on commercialisation and entrepreneurship for their PhD students.

"I always thought I wanted to be an academic but now I wouldn't do anything else – I love my job," says Kirsty, and finishes with more valuable advice.

What next?

MetalloBio Ltd website https://www.metallobio.com
Thanks for listening and to SheffieldLIve! for broadcasting the show.

Jumpers for goalposts, social enterprise success and disability sport with Louis Speight, Omnis Circumvado CIC

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +0000

It's three years since Louis Speight, a former men’s European record holder, was last on the programme.

His social enterprise Omnis Circumvado CIC is a specialist sports coaching company which works with children, young people and adults who have complex needs. "We are games-based" says Louis, and "our approach is to make sure everybody is having fun and they engage."

Omnis runs inclusive activities in SEN (Special Educational Needs) schools and with people in day centres. How did this social enterprise make it through the pandemic? And what are the biggest challenges in 2023?

What are the widely-held misperceptions of disability sport and how is Louis addressing these?
Is it right or wrong to think its activities can be paid for by people who use them?
What does Louis think about typical contract lengths for social enterprises? What does he have to say about social investment?
And what does he mean by "jumpers for goalposts"?

It's a comprehensive conversation with many learning points about resilience, funding, social investment, storytelling and commissioning.

What next?

Visit the Omnis Circumvado CiC website here: https://www.omniscic.co.uk
Listen to my last conversation with Louis Speight: from zero-hours frustration to super social entrepreneurship for record-breaking athlete, here.

Thanks for listening and to SheffieldLIve! for broadcasting the show.

Super Sheffield Independent and Social Enterprise Gift Guide PLUS New Funding

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

In today's show: cost of living support and new funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises. And it's the 'season of goodwill' – can't we have goodwill all year round? – but a time when many love to give presents.

It's a horrifyingly difficult and challenging time for many. But it's also a crucial time for small businesses and social enterprises. If you are on the hunt for presents, I've rounded up a few ideas, many from businesses previously featured on this show.

I wanted to highlight thoughtful, high quality, great value gifts, which could bring joy to recipients and ideally make a positive impact in the world. This Positive Gift Guide has plenty of ideas starting from well below £5.

Timings and links:

0 - 3:20 Introduction
3:20 Positive Gift Guide featuring Vertebrate Publishing (recent interview), And Other Stories (interview here), Iain Broome's A for Angelica, Maria Popova's Figuring, Bullion Chocolate, Harry Specters Chocolate, Positive News magazine, Sheffield Tribune, The Foundry, The Climbing Works, Alpkit (listen to this interview with CEO David Hanney), Rapanui Clothing, Naked Ape, Gifted Sheffield, Record Collector (check out this interview with Mark), Printed By Us (check out this interview), The Treehouse Board Game Cafe, (check out this interview with Ruth) and Independent Sheffield.
13:50 The rising cost of living is challenging for businesses and Sheffield City Council has published new, free resource guides, and is offering free, one-to-one support. Details.
15:54 Funding: The DCMS Create Growth Fund, grants for feasibility studies that develop new approaches to improve resource efficiency, and the UKRI circular fashion programme: recycling and sorting demonstrator. Details here. These are all via Innovate UK, check out last week's show for some tips on applying.

Thanks for listening and to SheffieldLIve! for broadcasting the show.

A hotbed for tech startups: boosting investment, talent and ecosystem with Darren Balcombe, Team SY

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Can you feel it? Can you hear it? Yes, it's the blistering, crackling heat from the South Yorkshire Tech 100 – the "hottest" startups and scaleups in the region, published today in a new ecosystem report.

It lists the most successful tech companies born since the start of 2000 with headquarters in South Yorkshire and emerging startups with tremendous growth potential. Between them they employ 4,000 people.

And it shows tech startup equity funding into South Yorkshire’s early-stage tech companies has doubled in the last four years to more than £52m.

Darren Balcombe, Deputy CEO at Capital Enterprise and Team SY lead, tells us what's changed to enable such a growth in investment, why now is a critical time for the region, and how we will nurture more entrepreneurs.

He also covers why South Yorkshire is a brilliant place for a tech startup, the importance of social-purpose driven firms in the Tech 100, and has must-listen advice on applying for grants from organisations like Innovate UK.

South Yorkshire is now home to more than 3,000 tech startups; Darren wants to "turn its emerging startup scene into a strong, self-sustaining engine of innovation and growth, so that South Yorkshire can be home to many more global leaders" – he tells me how.

What next?

Team SY’s South Yorkshire Tech 100 report
Thanks for listening, to interviewee Darren of Team SY: weareteamsy.org and Capital Enterprise: capitalenterprise.org and to SheffieldLIve! for broadcasting the show.

How to reduce e-waste, address digital divides, be a better boss and adapt to new technology with Helen Milner and Stefan Stern

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000

Today's guests won't just make you make you think, I hope they'll help you to act since both offer practical and immediate action points to build a better world and better businesses.

The UK generates some of the highest amounts of e-waste (electrical waste including headphones, remotes, computer equipment and devices) in the world. Why do we hoard such devices and how can we put them to better use?

And how can we become better bosses, adapt for a hybrid-working world and plan so businesses and people can thrive amidst the digital and societal transformation underway?

Helen Milner is the Group Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation and has been named one of the most influential people in IT in the UK. Well-known for its work in digital inclusion, Good Things Foundation is building the UK's first National Device Bank. Devices will be provided to people and organisations. Helen tells us more.

She also covers social tariffs for broadband, why digital exclusion is becoming narrower but more pronounced for people affected, and her commitment to financial inclusion with MaPS (the UK’s Money and Pension Service). Listeners can put their default device to good use in the future, she tell us how.

Stefan Stern is a journalist, author and Visiting Professor of management practice at Bayes Business School, City, University of London. He is the author (with Prof Cary Cooper) of "Myths of Management - what people get wrong about being the boss" and "How To Be A Better Leader".

Stefan tells me the biggest and most surprising things people get wrong about being the boss, what we can do to be better, and how organisations and leaders can work more effectively (and supportively of their people) in a hybrid world and the future.

Stern is speaking at Zoom’s annual conference, Zoomtopia EMEA, about how the new world of work will change business and society and how to deal with it? Register for this free event here.

Timings:

0 - 2:57 introduction
2:57 Helen Milner – find Helen on twitter at @helenmilner
21:15 Stefan Stern – find Stefan on twitter at @stefanstern
38:17 Funding for businesses and social enterprises, including Innovate UK's Circular Economy for SMEs and Net zero living: Pioneer places funding competitions, the Youth Music Incubator Fund, the Time After Time E-waste Fund.
42:48 Upcoming events, including Zoomtopia EMEA virtual user conference on 17 November (details), the Social Enterprise Exchange conference on 17 November, Unlocking the Labour Market Crisis – Talent across the generations on 21 November (details), Business Sheffield's Entrepreneurs Conference.

Thanks for listening, to guests Helen and Stefan, and to SheffieldLIve! for broadcasting the show.

Printed By Us, Sheffield Credit Union and Fair Finance – social enterprise, high quality retail, job creation and financial inclusion

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Terry Murphy runs Printed By Us, a social enterprise which sells t-shirts, prints, mugs, hoodies and other products, all featuring amazing designs by notable and up-and-coming artists.

Terry was last on the show five years ago with colleague James whose candid story moved many listeners. The business works with vulnerable people and people who are or were at risk of homelessness, teaching them screen printing and other skills, and supporting them into employment. It has grown since then to 25 employees.

Now Printed By Us has opened a shop in Orchard Square in Sheffield, is in Meadowhall, and sells online. But their product is not a "pity purchase" – Terry describes why quality and excellence is at the heart of it (and what that means for example about how their t-shirts are produced).

Terry is also involved with the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network and the forthcoming Social Enterprise Exchange Conference. He's excited about both. Listen to find out why.

Also on the show: new data from Fair4All Finance shows over 180,000 people in Sheffield are in financially vulnerable circumstances. Even before the cost of living really started escalating, a report in March demonstrated that over a million people might already be borrowing from loan sharks, illegal money lenders. The consequences are horrific.

So a new campaign has been launched to help people, warn them to steer clear of loan sharks and high cost lenders, and make people aware of sources of support: community lenders, community development finance institutions and credit unions.

Jackie Hallewell, CEO at Sheffield Credit Union and Faisel Rahman, CEO at Fair Finance, join me to explain what their organisations do and why.

Both have important comments and advice about credit, saving, debt and finances, and their advice could be directly relevant to listeners or could help people you work with. Timings and links:

0 - 3:00 Introduction
2:59 Terry Murphy, Printed By Us, www.printedbyus.org and Sheffield Social Enterprise Network, www.ssen.org.uk Terry also flagged up the Social Enterprise Exchange conference on 17 November, www.socentxchange.net
20:06 Jackie Hallewell, Sheffield Credit Union, www.sheffieldcreditunion.com
36:42 Faisel Rahman, Fair Finance, www.fairfinance.org.uk – Fair Finance is a member of Responsible Finance, an organisation I work with www.responsiblefinance.org.uk
49:14 Wrapping up, check out a recent episode with Helen Barnard, and last week's show with funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises.
Upcoming events: The Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup starts today in Sheffield. The Sheffield Adventure Film Festival has lots going on.
Prospect Magazine's "What Sheffield can teach us about true levelling up" is worth a read. It mentioned several folk we have interviewed including Deborah Bullivant and

New Funding for Businesses and Social Enterprises and a High Street Hero's Evergreen Advice

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0100

Every week on this show we try to highlight new grant and funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises.

Today (28 October 2022) we have details of 10 x £40,000 grants; funding streams with £8,000 and £18,000 awards; and a new games and tech accelerator programme.

Those come after news of the shortlist announcement for the Sheffield Business Awards 2022. Several of the finalists have appeared on previous episodes of this radio show.

One is The Treehouse Board Game Café, shortlisted for the High Street Hero Award which recognises "an independent retail, hospitality or leisure business that is playing a vital role in supporting the high street experience in Sheffield."

So today you can hear an interview with Ruth Haigh of Treehouse Board Game Café which we recorded in 2019. It has aged well: Ruth described how she left a career in data analysis for the civil service to launch the business and her advice on:

testing the market and market-research when launching a new business
one critical success factor
her most useful sources of advice as a startup
how to secure business premises

After the interview with Ruth it's back to 2022 for some new funding opportunities. Timings and details:

0:00 Introduction and news – from this weekend the programme (and Sheffield Live! radio) will be available on DAB+ as well as FM radio
2:58 Interview with Ruth Haigh, first broadcast in 2019
28:12 Recap
29:40 Power to Change Community Tech: Makers & Maintainers two year programme will offer 10 x £40,000 grants for community businesses working on existing community tech solutions, not new projects. Deadline 4 Novemer 2022. See www.powertochange.org.uk
30:23 The Indielab South Yorks Games Accelerator South Yorks Investment Readiness Programme 2022 is designed for games developers, and for games technology and service providers. Indielab Games is looking for South Yorkshire’s "innovative, up-and-coming games companies to take part in this full funded programme, commencing in November 2022." Registration is open until 1pm on Monday 31 October. See www.indielabgames.co.uk
30:50 UnLtd, The foundation for social entrepreneurs, has funding streams with grants of up to £18,000 to grow existing social enterprises (1-4 years old) and up to £8,000 for new (pre-trading, and up to one year old) social enterprises. Details: https://www.unltd.org.uk/awards/
31:23 EVENTS: The Social Enterprise Exchange Conference 2022. Business Sheffield webinars. Business and IP Centre Sheffield events. And the Sheffield Forum meet-up
33:01 Recap of last week's show with Helen Barnard about creating and environment in which good businesses can thrive, and what businesses can do to address poverty and inequality; and of our recent interview with writer Akeem Balogun (I've since been along to the event he curated as part of Off the Shelf, it was excellent).

Thanks for listening and to SheffieldLIve! for broadcasting the show.

What businesses and a new Government can do about poverty and how to boost "good" business - Helen Barnard

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 08:00:00 +0100

Most people in poverty in the UK are in working families. Four million workers live in poverty: their resources are well below their minimum needs.

That means 'not being able to heat your home, pay your rent, or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty, and impossible decisions about money.'

And seven in ten children growing up in poverty live in a working family. How have we come to this? And what can we do about it?

Helen Barnard has spent her career researching poverty. She is the author of new book Want, part of Five Giants, a series published eighty years on from the original Beveridge Report in 1942 which identified five barriers to social progress and led to the creation of the modern welfare state (and NHS).

Today mass unemployment is no longer the issue it was: big factors behind poverty and insecurity are low pay, lack of progression, insecurity and underemployment as Helen explains.

She tells me about a business which trusts, empowers, and supports its workforce – as a result it has happy and engaged employees, and they and the business prosper. She contrasts this with an exploitative approach and gives a three-pronged approach to how we can support more "good" businesses and address the bad ones.

We also discuss supporting people in under-invested communities to support and grow businesses and social enterprises; unleashing the power of civil society and how to create a more level playing field for corporate taxation.

The book involves powerful and heart-rending stories about modern poverty and new,, fit-for-purpose ideas and solutions.

Listen to this interview with Helen Barnard for practical, fit-for-purpose ideas about the power of good business to address modern poverty and inequality today.

Timings and links:

0 - 3:00 introduction
3:00 interview with Helen Barnard of Pro Bono Economics and The Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Find Helen on twitter and get a copy of her book here, or there are lots of non-Amazon options to buy it here.
32:20 wrapping up and upcoming events including Off the Shelf and Celluloid Screams.

Thanks Helen for such comprehensive and thoughtful interview and thanks as ever to Sheffield Live for broadcasting the show on FM radio today, 21 October 2022 https://web.sheffieldlive.org . Thank-you for listening – please go and buy Helen's book if you can!

Writer Akeem Balogun on Words, Vision and Sound, Okapi Books and the realm of the imagination

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:00:00 +0100

It can be unfair to quote a line from a writer's work out of context. But the words 'Truths are unpopular. Lies are famous' capture the weird maelstrom of social media posturing, fake news, politicians who'll promise whatever it takes to get elected, and over-friendly corporate messaging we're bombarded by today.

The lines come from Akeem Balogun's 'Nothing too Serious,' published at Written Gallery, and written in a different context. But imaginative fiction can show us future possibilities as well as risks. Akeem's debut short story collection, The Storm, won the Somerset Maugham Award and "shows us the often questionable ways that people deal with extreme crisis and how ordinary human relationships can become distorted in severe conditions."

I met Akeem three years ago at the Hallam Enterprise Awards where his reading of a piece from The Storm met with a standing ovation, and the small press he co-founded, Okapi Books, secured a £1000 award for 'best pitch' voted by the audience.

So I was delighted to interview him and hear about an exciting event he's curated as part of Sheffield's Off The Shelf Festival – Words, Vision and Sound – on 22 October at Event Central, Fargate, Sheffield.

"Delight" and the joy of immersion in words, music and visuals will underpin the event, Akeem explains in this interview, which also covers the near-future imaginative writing he specialises in, two new, recently published stories about social care and some of Akeem's thoughts on Sheffield as a writing hub.

Enjoy the interview and get yourself tickets for Words, Vision and Sound.

0 -3:17 introduction
3:17 Akeem Balogun interview
31:26 Funding for entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs and freelancers, including the Power to Change Community Tech programme for community businesses and the PPL Momentum Music Fund (£5k to £15k grants from the PRS Foundation in partnership with PPL; deadline 26 October), and the Social Enterprise Exchange grant scheme (act fast, deadline 17 October). And events including a free Social Enterprise Exchange HR masterclass

Find Akeem at https://www.writtengallery.com/stories/ and get tickets for Words, Vision and Sound here https://offtheshelf.org.uk/event/words-vision-sound/ This show was broadcast on 14 October 2022 on Sheffield Live FM radio https://web.sheffieldlive.org

A Rant about (De)Regulation, New Funding and Events, and Air Quality Entrepreneur Kate Barnard

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0100

All this talk about "slashing red tape" and a sudden zeal for deregulation as a magic bullet for growth made me climb aboard my soapbox.

This episode starts with a rant and a reminder: regulation per se is no barrier to inclusive growth, and careless deregulation risks encouraging a race to the bottom in business and life. Do we want crappy, rubbish businesses exploiting people and planet for ever-diminishing returns on investment? I don't. Glad I've got that off my chest (and let me know what you think).

Then an interview with engineer-turned-air-quality entrepreneur, Kate Barnard, whose business helps cities and governments achieve air quality standards and show they've done so.

Air pollution contributes to around 40,000 deaths a year in the UK and more in many other parts of the world. Enjoy The Air sees cities as engineering systems. Kate explains how it catalyses behaviour and policy changes and the importance of "WIIFM" or "What's in it for me?"

Also on the show today: lots of exciting events, funding for businesses and social enterprises, and more.

Timings:

0 - 1:30 Introduction
1:30 I have a rant about de-regulation snd why fit-for-purpose regulation is a tool for sustainable growth, not a barrier
6:12 Interview with Kate Barnard, Enjoy The Air
32:32 Quick recap of last week's episode with Jon Barton, Vertebrate Publishing
34:28 Upcoming events including an exhibition at the National Videogame Museum, the Off the Shelf and No Bounds Festivals, Peddler Market, Black History Month events in partnership with the African Heritage Forum
36:30 Reminder of the Fair and Sustainable Economies Fund and Digital Innovation Grant programme (more details here)
37:06 More events including Business Sheffield's Networking event and series of free virtual business workshops
38:52 Reflections on this week's SCCCC "Winter Pressures Service" launch event – I went along and their work supporting elderly, isolated and vulnerable people and relieving pressure on the NHS is so important – CEO Mark Storey was on the show 6 years ago
40:11 How to get in touch (email jamie@sheffieldlive.org ) and wrapping up

Thanks for listening!

The Business of Beautiful Outdoor Books with Jon Barton, Vertebrate Publishing

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0100

Nearly 20 years ago Jon Barton created a mountain biking guide to the trails he loved to ride in the Peak District. Since then his firm Vertebrate Publishing has grown with its authors and the business scooping multiple accolades and awards, including Small Press of the Year at the 2022 British Book Awards.

It publishes beautiful and inspiring outdoor adventure books and guides. Jon joins me for a thoughtful conversation about:

how the publishing industry and his business has evolved over nearly two decades
what the business did to double turnover without diluting the quality of its books
collaborating with other independent publishers in Sheffield and the UK
the impact of massive increases in the cost of printing
publishing carbon neutral and carbon negative books
taking a more robust approach to commissioning and what that means
selling direct vs selling on Amazon and elsewhere
what Sheffield's "Outdoor City" campaign means for the business and Jon
new titles: "We Can't Run Away From This" by Damian Hall, "Where There's a Hill" by Sabrina Verjee and "Retirement Rebel" which comes out in October
why he loves being harangued at the crag or in the pub about his books

Vertebrate Publishing is a great Sheffield success story. What's the next chapter? Jon gives open and candid answers about the highs and lows of running a business built on passion for adventure in many forms.

Also in the show: new funding and events for businesses and social enterprises.

Timings:

0-2:45 Introduction
2:45 Jon Barton interview (Vertebrate Publishing's website: www.adventurebooks.com)
45:49 Funding for businesses and social enterprises – grants of up to £200,000 from the Friends Provident Foundation Fair and Sustainable Economy Fund; the Digital Innovation Grant (DIG) programme in South Yorkshire; the Energy Bill Relief Scheme
49:57 An upcoming event: Sheffield Forum Live #4: 12 October 2022
51:30 Wrapping up with reflections on interest rates, the power of regional radio, the late author Hilary Mantel and how to get in touch

Thanks for listening.

How to be a digital nomad and scale-up social enterprises with Malcolm McClean

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 05:00:00 +0100

Today's guest says he's the "world's oldest" digital nomad – until proven otherwise. Malcolm McClean has always loved the work he does, and when he hit 65 years of age he sold everything he owns to embark on a new adventure.

Malcolm is an author and consultant to a remarkable social enterprise, PossAbilities Community Interest Company, which has grown from 200 to 600 employees during the time he's been involved. It works with people with learning disabilities and vulnerable people so they can "live the life they choose," providing accommodation, short breaks and many other life-enhancing initiatives.

How did Malcolm's friends and family react when he announced his plans? Is it difficult or expensive to be a digital nomad? How does his lifestyle work? What can we learn about scaling-up social enterprises and purpose-driven businesses from PossAbilities? And what tips can Malcolm – who has written five books which have been published worldwide – give us about writing?

Listen to find out. Malcolm recorded this interview with me from Stockholm on Tuesday 6th September.

Also in this episode: £12,500 Business Productivity Grants, comments on energy price support for businesses and social enterprises, and research into preferences around salary and work-life balance.

Timings and links:

0 - 36:36 introduction and interview with Malcolm McClean, Bearhunt, PossAbilities, and School of Curiosity.
36:36 businesses eagerly awaiting more details of energy bill support scheme
40:36 Business Productivity Grant Programme from Sheffield City Council – up to £12,500 available – how to apply (it's easy to do so but you need to act soon).
42:20 new research into employee preferences around salary, benefits and work-life balance.
43:28 wrapping up – please get in touch!

How to outperform big high street chains and avoid a race to the bottom - Stephen Tighe, Allegro Optical

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Always treat the customer as though they're your mum, says Stephen Tighe, CEO and co-founder of Allegro Opticians.

Launched just a few years ago, Allegro now has customers from America, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and many other parts of the world, after identifying and addressing a profound need for specialist optical care for musicians and performing artists.

Stephen, who worked in financial series for 35 years, and wife and business partner Sheryl Doe are both accomplished musicians – optician Sheryl is a cornet, cello and double bass player; Stephen a conductor and brass band player.

In this episode Stephen describes how when he and Sheryl first met, at a concert, it not only led to their becoming husband and wife but immediately demonstrated the problems their business solves.

Since launching Allegro has gone from two to twenty employees. It has three branches, works with the Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain and the Royal College of Music and has been recognised with awards from the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as being named Dispensing Optician of the year in 2019 and 2021 and Arts and Entertainment Business of the Year in 2019.

Stephen covers financing the business, its customer service ethos, the value of mentoring (as mentor and meet) and the importance of giving back. He's a thoughtful guest and it's a masterclass in running a business based on thoroughly understanding your customers and giving them an exemplary experience.

Also in the show (after the interview with Stephen) – funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises.

Links:

Allegro Optical

From 'you'll never work again' to her own business despite finance roadblock – Sarah Beaumont Inspires

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Sarah Beaumont had held high-level management roles and worked all over the world. But when a chronic condition left her in constant pain she was told she'd never work again. Now she's launched and runs her own business helping other people, and tells her story in today's episode.

Diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome and Fibromyalgia – both long term chronic illnesses – Sarah became bed-bound, saying "there were times I would crawl on my hands and knees just to get to the bathroom.”

Heartbreakingly, Sarah then went through a difficult divorce and says she "gained a huge amount of weight because I was so sedentary and I couldn’t cook healthy, fresh meals so I ate a lot of junk. I lost my career and I lost my life before illness, I grieved for them for a long time.”

But told she would never work again, Sarah could not accept that as her future: “I’m not a quitter and very slowly I have rebuilt my life, one piece at a time. I have lost 100 lbs in weight and I went back to work as a weight loss consultant.”

Having fought and won her battle with her chronic illness and weight loss, Sarah felt empowered to use her own experiences to help others. She dreamed of launching her own business to encourage and support people, both with weight loss and in living with a chronic illness. And despite a roadblock on the way, which Sarah explains in this interview, she's done just that.

Also in the show today: funding opportunities and events for businesses and social enterprise.

Timings:

0 - 28:25 interview with Sarah of Sarah Beaumont Inspires.
28:25 recap; Sarah is also now volunteering for Samaritans.
Fibromyalgia Action UK, a registered charity, operates as a signpost to information and resources for people who are affected by fibromyalgia, including helplines and support groups. Ehlers-Danlos Support UK is a UK charity that represents and supports people with EDS.
30:30 Grants of up to £50,000 for micro and small businesses from Innovate UK. Details.
32:10 The Enterprise Development Programme from the Social Investment Business offers grants of up to £30k to relevant organisations. Details.
33:05 Grants for startup and growing social enterprises through the Social Enterprise Exchange programme.
34:16 Events from the Business and IP Centre South Yorkshire and from Business Sheffield.
35:30 Wrapping up.

Better onboarding for higher-performing teams plus identifying 'unfair advantages' with Ash Ali

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 04:00:00 +0100

What is 'ever-boarding' and why should you use it in your business?

Why do over half of sales people not hit their targets, and what can you do to support them better, giving you a huge return on investment if you do it right?

And what does Ash Ali mean when he talks about unfair advantages which people can identify and apply?

Imagine you spent a long time and invested a lot of money to get the best talent into your company, then gave your new starters a poor experience. In those first few weeks and days, new employees decide whether or not to stay. Their decisions and successes in their roles depend on your process when they join your business, and your ongoing support.

Ash is the co-founder of Uhubs, seeking to help sales leaders in B2B tech companies grow faster. If you recruit and employ sales people, he has lots of important advice in this episode – in fact it will be useful to most business leaders.

Uhubs itself has pivoted and Ash explains why. And it has secured investment in a couple of funding founds, including from TwinklHive in Sheffield.

Ash was the first UK marketing director of Just Eat and is author, with Hasan Kubba, of The Unfair Advantage, winner of Business Book of the Year 2021.

He is an enormous advocate of bootstrapping and launching minimum viable products and used the same process to get his book in front of initial readers then an agent and publisher.

So lots of practical advice today from Ash, including three essential elements for successful recruitment, retention and ongoing support for salespeople, the best time to seek investment and how to go about it, working with complementary co-founders and more.

Also on the programme (after the interview) – two business funding opportunities, including the ReNew Sheffield Call for Projects, and reflections on a lovely article about dry stone walling in the Peak District published by The Sheffield Tribune.

Thanks for listening today. Please rate / review / follow / subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast app and get in touch to suggest guests or topics.

Proving naysayers wrong by doing the right thing – ethical business and the Better Business Act with Hellen Stirling-Baker, Small Stuff

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 05:00:00 +0100

When Hellen Stirling-Baker launched Small Stuff in 2016, a mentor told her it would fail because she was so focussed on ethical business. Six years later she runs a thriving online and physical shop, has opened and expanded into larger retail premises, and survived the challenges of the pandemic. Turnover and profits are increasing, says Hellen – and she has not compromised her ethics and values.

Hellen is one of over 1,000 leaders of businesses large and small calling for a "Better Business Act." They want the Government to amend legislation to ensure businesses are legally responsible for benefiting workers, customers, communities and the environment while delivering shareholder and stakeholder returns.

We cover what that means and this week's Better Business Day, and discuss Hellen's multiple-award-winning, eco-conscious children's store in Crookes, Sheffield. Hellen has tips for entrepreneurs who hope to launch other sustainable (in all senses) businesses. A healthy dose of inspiration and practical advice in this, episode #366 of Business Live.

Timings and links:

0:00 - 25:48 Introduction and interview with Hellen Stirling-Baker, Small Stuff. Hellen also presents This Sustainable Business podcast.
25:48 More about The Better Business Act, the four principles and how to learn more.
29:53 Quick recap of some previous episodes with guests who demonstrate ethical business is great business, including Kresse Wesling (Elvis & Kresse), Yasin El Ashrafi (HQ Recording Studios), Jen O'Brien (Music Broth), David Hanney (Alpkit), Louisa Ziane (Toast Ale).
32:13 Funding: 15-20 projects can secure up to £1m each through The Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. Power to Change seeks partners for Community Improvement Districts.
34:38 Reflections on Positive News magazine, and a good article from economist and Times columnist Ryan Bourne about why we should allow asylum speakers to work (The Entrepreneurs Network has ling called for this too).
37:16 Upcoming events, including Record Store Day 2022 (so why not listen to last week's interview with Mark Elliott of Record Collector), Opportunity Sheffield job fairs, Sheffield Digital Festival, Sheffield Forum Live #3, The Festival of Debate.

Thanks for listening to the show! Get in touch here and please leave a rating or review so more folk can find it.

Vinyl revival and indie retail with Mark Elliott, Record Collector

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 08:00:00 +0100

It's a Sheffield institution, a fixture in the firmament of music-lovers. Record Collector opened in 1978 and sells vinyl albums and CDs from its double-fronted shop in Broomhill and worldwide from its online store.

Vinyl is "back with a bang" says Mark Elliott. He's worked at the store since 1988 give or take a couple of breaks including a stint in New Zealand. UK vinyl sales have jumped for the 14th consecutive year, according to BPI figures, and nearly a quarter of albums sold are purchased on vinyl.

That must be good news for independent record shops? What does it mean for the second-hand trade? And how did Record Collector make it through the last couple of years, an extraordinary tough time to operate any independent retail business?

Mark also discusses the phenomenon of Record Store Day, the legendary story of a Public Enemy signing at the store, and independent businesses competing with internet behemoths.

Timings:

0 - 2:34 Introduction – this is episode #365 of Business Live.
2:34 Interview with Mark Elliott, Record Collector. Its website is here and Discogs listings here.
30:08 News from former show guest, Blend Kitchen.
32:12 Upcoming events including Sheffield Forum Live #3 in May, The eBay Business Roadshow in April, two new Best of ShAFF events and an extension to ShAFF 2022 Online, Peddler Market, The Festival of Debate, Pollen Inner City Flower Market.

Enjoy the show? Follow/subscribe/rate or review it on your favourite podcast platform. We broadcast most Friday mornings at 9am on Sheffield Live 93.2FM and online, with podcasts here and on most podcast outlets. Thanks for listening!

Helping Ukrainian people and refugees and tracing her own family near Lviv with Diane Evans

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 05:00:00 +0100

Diane Evans, whose father was Ukrainian, tracked down her relatives near Lviv in Western Ukraine just two-and-a-half years ago. Since then she's met them for the first time and been in frequent contact.

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine she wanted to help the Ukrainian people and refugees fleeing the war. Over just two days her business, Evans Lee, collected over £100,000-worth of donations of medicines and bandages, bottled water, canned food, toiletries, baby milk and food, and good quality clothing.

Then with the help of volunteers and businesses which gave the use of warehouses, vehicles, staff time and more, Diane organised, boxed and packed the donations. The goods have been transported to the Polish border and distributed to Ukrainian refugees.

Diane joins me to discuss how she searched for and found her family members in Ukraine; the donation drive and being overwhelmed by the generosity of people and businesses; other ways to support the Ukrainian people, including by offering accommodation; and the Help Ukraine Emergency Appeal and The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, which is working with accredited and registered Ukrainian charities to provide medicines, food and critical services.

We also talk a little about housing and running a family business – Evans Lee has been established for 9 years – with Diane's top tips about the "small little bits that make a difference."

Also in this, episode 364 of Business Live: if you're an extraordinary business leader, creating social change, then a £10,000 award from the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize could be a game-changer for you. We have details about how to apply (deadline 8 April).

Timings and links:

0 - 29:45 Interview with Diane Evans, Evans Lee.
30:45 Good news from former Business Live show guest, Natterhub
31:35 Employment law changes from April, in brief. Frequent guest Jay Bhayani of Bhayani Law has a blog with more details.
33:08 Details of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize. Plus a shout-out for an interview with Nicole Helwig of Cambridge Social Ventures on Heidi Fisher's Make an Impact podcast (which I edit).
35:54 Wrapping up, including a signpost for Sheffield Live's interviews with journalists and people in Ukraine, and its list of ways to support Ukraine. Plus congratulations to The Sheffield Tribune as it celebrates its first anniversary of "a different kind of local journalism." And how to get in touch if you want to suggest a topic or put yourself forward to be on this radio show and podcast.

From Minimum Viable Product to worldwide impact with Caroline Allams, Natterhub

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 11:00:00 +0000

It's crucial to prioritise when you launch a Minimum Viable Product. How? And how do you progress from MVP to uptake in more than 60 countries worldwide?

Caroline Allams and Manjit Sareen launched Natterhub, an educational social media platform which prepares primary school children to thrive online, in April 2020. Their platform teaches children to be safe and kind digital citizens and is an experiential learning environment where pupils learn about their relationship with screens.

This interview with Caroline was originally recorded and broadcast in July 2021. It proved so helpful to many listeners, we included it in episode #363 of Business Live on 18 March 2022.

Caroline also covers media literacy, finding and working with a complementary co-founder (I have also interviewed Caroline's co-founder, Manjit Sareen) and building a culture where you and your team can ask questions.

Also on today's episode: Olha Peredera, a Ukrainian journalist and IT worker in Konotop, Ukraine, has spoken with Sheffield Live! about how the war has affected her and her family. Watch Sheffield Live's interview here.

Timings and links:

0 - 2:35 Introduction.
2:35 Caroline Allams, Natterhub.
42:01 Wrapping up.

Beating dating app scammers with Jessica Zeun, Fluttr

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Who are we talking with when we meet someone on a dating app or social media platform? A real person or a fantasy construct? How do we know a person's profile is genuine and what they're telling us is true?

With romance fraud rocketing, scammers and criminals are using dating apps and social media platforms to reel in their victims. But a new, British dating app uses robust ID verification to ensure users are who they say they are, and Jessica Zeun joined me today to explain how Fluttr works.

It's based on three pillars, "safety, authenticity and efficiency" and Jessica tells us the app's founders saw "so much terrible stuff happening in dating apps" which they sought to fix – but at the same time it needs to be fun.

She covers the user experience, how the founders raised their startup-costs and plans to roll-out the app beyond the UK. And as a long-term expert on social media Jessica gave her perspective on platforms – plus tips for anyone moving, like she has, from building products for other people to building their own.

Also on the show: funding opportunities and events for businesses and social enterprises. This is episode 362 of Business Live – hope you enjoy it!

0 - 25:53 Jessica Zeun, Fluttr
25:53 Funding! Act fast if you want to apply to the Digital Innovation Grant (DIG) programme which supports Small and Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Yorkshire to develop their use of digital technology. Plus travel sector and hospitality, accommodation and leisure grants (Sheffield), details here.
29:41 Events: The Sheffield Universities Managing Directors Club on 10 March covers funding to innovate and grow your business. Details and booking.
The SME Business Breakfast event on 29 March: details and booking.

Thanks for listening!

Seed funding for startups and effective altruism with Sean Donnelly, Ripples

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Remember going to shops and popping your change into a charity collection box next to the till? The problem for charities is this has become a memory, not a habit, as we move to a cashless society.

And it means an £80m shortfall in fundraising every year for charities which used to collect spare change.

But Sean Donnelly's business Ripples, a social enterprise, wants to fix this and help small acts of generosity ripple outward to make a huge impact. Ripples uses Open Banking and its own clever, flexible and secure design to make a positive difference. It seeks to enable small penny donations and ultimately raise millions for charities, schools and important causes around the world.

Sean had to "kiss a lot of frogs" on the journey to secure seed funding for Ripples (which launched as Roundups and has just refreshed its branding). So he's got lots to say which will help other entrepreneurs prepare for seed investment rounds and finding angel investors.

We also cover effective altruism, seeking to maximise the impact of money donated or invested into doing good, plus the value of networks and ecosystems for startups in tech, finding a co-founder and the lessons Sean learned from earlier businesses he launched.

Timings:

0 - 3:17 Introduction.
3:17 Interview with Sean Donnelly, co-founder, Ripples (which has secured investment from Sheffield-based business accelerator, TwinklHive).
33:30 What books have informed, inspired or challenged you, or given you tools you've found useful? Let me know. Sean and I talked a little about William MacAskill's "Doing Good Better – Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference." Worth reading. Do you have book recommendations? Get in touch.
35:28 Upcoming events including Tramlines, the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and the Outdoor City.
36:29 Funding! Travel sector and hospitality, accommodation and leisure grants (Sheffield), details here. And the Digital Innovation Grant (DIG) programme supports Small and Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Yorkshire to develop their use of digital technology.
38:09 Wrapping up.

Breaking barriers to employment with education and training - Natalie Doherty, Aneeka Zarar, Laura Else

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 08:00:00 +0000

There's a game Natalie Doherty likes to play when she meets young people on one of the Source Skills Academy's programmes.

They have this image indoctrinated into them about the type of person who is a Director of Quality, Curriculum and Innovation, she says. And they're often shocked by her career journey from dance to director – but hearing it makes the idea of a senior job more accessible to them.

Doherty, whose father wanted her to be an accountant, "wasn't the conventional student" at school, she says. After studying dance and sport she began a career as a dancer which took her all over the world. Her career developed into running major sport and cultural events before she "broke into education" and she's worked in both a formal and community context in the education sector for 15 years. Today we discuss:

Does education prepare people adequately for the workplace?
Confounding the expectations that society, schools, families often make of people.
Transferable skills from dance and sport which helped Natalie overcome brick walls and be resilient in the face of knocks on her career journey.
What those brick walls and knocks were.
How the Source's traineeship programmes help young people develop and, crucially, apply their skills.

Also on today's show: Aneeka Zarar says she has transformed her life thanks to The Source Skills Academy’s Traineeship programme. Aneeka, 18, now has a full-time job she loves at Yorkshire Accommodation Bureau Ltd in Rotherham. She and her manager Laura Else talk about how the experience worked for Aneeka and the business.

Timings and links:

0 - 3:18 introduction,
3:18 interview with Natalie Doherty, Director of Quality, Curriculum and Innovation, the Source Skills Academy,
30:40 Aneeka Zarar and Laura Else, Yorkshire Accommodation Bureau,
43:27 If you run a business in Yorkshire and the Humber which sells online, the ten free of charge Digitise Your Exports (DYE) events could help you to increase their online sales. Details.
46:01 Wrapping up.

How to support your employees' and your own mental health PLUS co-operatives explored

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000

"We're not just hashtagging, we're actually doing something about it. I hope that gives anyone listening with a mental health problem strength: you don't have to be shut down, you don't have to be defined, you can take control."

Kat Morley is the founder of Insight PR and Media. After studying journalism and winning awards for her coverage of wrestling, while living with her own mental health issues including PTSD and BPD, Kat launched the #WeGetThat Campaign on social media, hit a crowdfunding target and launched her agency.

She has made "bridging the gap between mental health and sustainable, productive employment" integral to her business. Her five-person firm has a dedicated mental health and wellbeing programme, and Kat shares the four elements of this with advice other small businesses can use. She also gives tips on crowdfunding, branding and winning attention for campaigns or businesses.

Also on today's show: co-operatives are the UK"s best-kept business secret but tick all the boxes when it comes to building a better society, says Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK. With infectious enthusiasm and a stack of examples, Rose shows how co-operatives are thriving in all sorts of sectors.

Rose has crucial advice too for new co-operatives about what to include in your governing documents and tells us about the Ownership Hub, a partnership between the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) and Co-operatives UK. It has launched its first development hub, in the Sheffield City Region.

Timings and links:

0 - 3:17 introduction
3:17 interview with Kat Morley, Insight PR and Media
33:53 interview with Rose Marley
54:06 wrapping up

Thanks for listening to the show.

Filling the local news gap and the future of journalism with David Floyd, Social Spider CIC

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000

News matters to local communities. How can we generate the most possible resource available for local news and then produce the best possible local newspaper with that resource?

This is the starting point for Social Spider, which publishes five local newspapers. David Floyd, MD of the 2003-established social enterprise, joins us to explain Social Spider's purpose-driven, sustainable approach to “fill the gap left by the retreat and decline of corporate local news."

How? David explains, covering Social Spider's social, editorial and commercial models, its approach to quality journalism and revenue generation, how its newspapers are embedded within their communities – and why local news is a brilliant opportunity for social enterprises.

With a staff team of 17 Social Spider is increasing reader membership numbers, advertising income, and impact. Having fantastic, high-quality content is only one part of making the model work, he says. David's observations on journalism and the media today, building communities, commercial and social models and initiatives like the Local Democracy Service are well worth your time.

David's also a fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab which seeks new approaches to finance and investment which works for communities – his focus has been social investment. So I asked his view on how to encourage more or better social investment into social enterprises.

Also in today's show: new funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises, upcoming events, some book recommendations, and a round-up of other episodes covering the media. Enjoy the show! Timings and links:

0 - 3:18 Introduction and some book recommendations: Iain Broome's A for Angelica, John Le Carré's Silverview.
3:18 Interview with David Floyd. More about Social Spider here (http://socialspider.com), find David on Twitter, and read his blog here https://startspreadingnews.medium.com
45:34 Reflections and summary of other episodes covering the media – eg interview with journalists Michelle Rawlins, Sam Walby and Bird Lovegod, Minreet Kaur, David Walsh. And another book recommendation, Rutger Bregman's Humankind.
49:49 Funding updates – details of grants for businesses and social enterprises including the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant, Low Carbon Business Support and Business Productivity Grants. More here. And the Cultural Recovery Fund.
51:38 Events: Sheffield Beer Week, Indie Beer Fest, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival. 'Meet the Locals', and 'Celestial Bodies', at Sheffield's Fronteer Gallery. Details and register for the Private View. Plus events from Business Sheffield and the Business & IP Centre.

How to protect yourself from burnout, isolation or hitting a festive tipping point with Mike Lawrence

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Episode 356 of Business Live features Mike Lawrence, workplace health and wellbeing consultant. This interview was originally recorded on 17 December 2020 and is re-broadcast this week.

Working from home means many entrepreneurs and employees feel isolated; others experience overwhelm and burnout, or never stop working. Mike has strategies to protect and support you and your colleagues' health and wellbeing.

Mike "could talk for a week about some of the challenges I've had to overcome." As a young man he had to move to London to access employment opportunities: covert racism in Sheffield proved an enormous barrier. Has that changed? Mike now works with many corporate firms and large organisations, enabling them to address discrimination, bias and barriers to inclusivity. He describes initiatives and action, underway and needed, to create a level playing field for all.

Mike also describes how he found mentors, how he rebuilt his own confidence after a challenging period, the impact of Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, and gives realistic, practical advice for business leaders about listening, asking questions and building trust.

Find Mike Lawrence Health and Wellbeing online. And here's the book mentioned in the interview.

How to unlock explosive growth and secure investment with Manjit Sareen, Natterhub

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Manjit Sareen is CEO and co-founder of Natterhub and a serial entrepreneur. Since her co-founder Caroline Allams was on the show earlier this year the business, which teaches children to be safe and savvy online, has announced a high-impact collaboration with Microsoft.

Manjit explains how Natterhub offers an innovative, immersive and safe environment for children and how it has developed since launching last year. Although Manjit and Caroline had been working on the product for several years the onset of the pandemic pushed them to launch earlier than originally planned in 2020 – she tells me why.

Natterhub was the first start-up company to join TwinklHive, which invested into the business too. It has won customers in more than 60 schools and is poised for explosive global growth thanks to a new integration with Microsoft means for Natterhub. Manjit describes how this came about.

For serial entrepreneur Manjit, developing, launching and growing Natterhub is an exciting and new chapter in an extraordinary business career. But the idea behind Natterhub had nearly been shelved just before she and co-founder Caroline became business partners. A serendipitously-overheard conversation led to their partnership and a world-leading business.

This week Natterhub scooped the Gold award in the Digital Education Awards, yet another accolade for the 9-person, lean firm named one of the top SaaS (software as a service) companies in the UK by TechRound earlier this year.

We also explore some of Manjit's earlier entrepreneurial experiences and she has advice for entrepreneurs on how to secure investment and the value of an experienced CFO to your team. And Manjit is running a new fundraise for the firm and always open to new partnerships; she tells folk what she's looking for and how to reach her.

Finally we return to some of Natterhub's functionality and recent initiatives such as a youth board and its Rate My YouTuber web page, which reviews the content of popular YouTubers, to help parents make informed decisions about the content their children are viewing online.

Timings:

0 - 38:27 Introduction then interview with Manjit Sareen, Natterhub.
38:27 Funding updates: the overseas trade show fund from the UK Tradeshow Programme (UKTP) – uo to 40% / £4000 grants to exhibit at approved events; the British Design Fund – £100,000 to £200,000 investments into eligible businesses.
40:30 Upcoming online events from Sheffield Adventure Film Festival ShAff Online and wrapping up.

This is episode 355 of Business Live. Love the show? Please leave a rating or review on your podcast platform of choice – thank-you!

Unleash your creativity, feel fantastic and reap personal and business rewards with Emily Moncuit

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

What holds people back from using their creativity in the workplace? Why have "closet creatives" stopped expressing their creative side in day-to-day life? And what are the impacts on health, wellbeing, problem solving and productivity when you rediscover your creative voice?

Emily Moncuit helps people find their creative voice through the art of sketching and drawing.

She's been working with global corporates, running lunchtime sessions for their employees with profound impacts on feeling good, building connections, productivity and the ability to apply their thinking to solve challenges, which we explore in this conversation.

And she's launched Emily's Notebook, her sketchbook community crammed with free resources to help people build a sketchbook habit and build their creative confidence. It also offers courses and Emily's " Sketch from Scratch Kits."

Too often we've disconnected creativity from the workplace, and suppressed it in our day to day lives because of negative experiences. "Creativity has sometimes been linked to the thing that you do as the by-product of your life," says Emily – and we discuss whether it's really the "taboo" some people think.

Last time Emily was on Business Live she worked for the CBI, now she runs a startup. Whatever the size of your business or social enterprise, I think you'll find Emily's points about the psychology of creativity fascinating.

Also in the show today: FIVE funding and grant opportunities for businesses and social enterprises, and an upcoming event where you can meet a co-founder.

Timings and links:

0 - 2:15 introduction,
2:15 Interview with Emily Moncuit. Check out www.emilysnotebook.co.uk which is packed with free tips, and Emily’s Sketch from Scratch Kits – a wonderful gift to yourself or a loved one? We also discuss Sir Ken Robinson's famous Ted Talk.
25:51 Funding and grant opportunities: New Low-Carbon Business Support Project | The Co-op Carbon Innovation Fund (for social enterprises and charities across the UK) | Grants of up to £24,999 in the South Yorkshire Business Productivity Programme | The Digital Innovation Grant programme for SMEs in South Yorkshire | The Social Enterprise Support Fund.
30:29 Startup Meetup next week – you can meet a co-founder.
31:30 What's coming up on the show, how to get in touch, and wrapping up.

The bravest social enterprises supporting Veterans with Michelle Ferguson, Royal British Legion Industries

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Royal British Legion Industries is a charity supporting the Armed Forces and its veterans, people with disabilities and people who are unemployed.

Michelle Ferguson runs its two social enterprises, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company.

The firms make road and rail signs, the RBLI's much-loved Tommy figures, and even offer ecommerce fulfilment services.

Michelle tells me more about what Britain’s and Scotland's Bravest Manufacturing Companies make, who their customers are, and how the social enterprises support injured veterans, and people with disabilities and health conditions.

We discuss why some veterans may struggle to find employment, or with other challenges; and what more we can all do to support disadvantaged groups through positive business choices.

And Michelle has some essential advice for employers – if you want support to ex-service personnel, and you recruit via a process including interviews, you must be aware of this.

Also in the show today: a funding opportunity and an event for social entrepreneurs.

Timings:

0 - 35:25 Michelle Ferguson, Royal British Legion Industries' interim director of social enterprises
35:25 Social entrepreneurs in England, take a look at the new Social Enterprise Support Fund –£16.3m is available to help rebuild trading income
36:20 Details of The Time is Now! - A Social Enterprise Exchange / Sheffield Social Enterprise Network Conference on 18 November
37:35 Wrapping up

Online communities and investment readiness with Beca Allsopp and Chris Sellars of Sheffield Forum and Bulldozer

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Social media is more than the platforms whose name changes are headline news. Sheffield Forum launched in 2002, and by last year received over 245,000 visitors per month.

People love to discuss local news, seek and give advice and recommendations, and engage in friendly or robust debate on Sheffield Forum. Some users have even met their life partner through the Forum; many have forged enduring friendships and relationships.

But when its founder announced in 2020 that, after 18 years, Sheffield Forum was for sale, many users feared the end was nigh for their much-loved community.

Chris Sellars and Beca Allsopp joined me today. The new stewards of Sheffield Forum after Chris' investment and joint venture vehicle, Bulldozer, acquired it last year, they've allayed users' fears while bringing new ideas. We discuss:

why Bulldozer took ownership of a much-loved community and their plans,
the first Sheffield Forum: Live – "bringing stories worth sharing to our Sheffield community and celebrate the talent in this city," it features talks covering music, science, art, faith, poetry and should be fascinating,
Bulldozer's mission and aims as an investment and joint venture vehicle,
practical tips for people seeking an investor or JV partner,
Beca's Psychology Masters – which proved rather timely in its subject.

Enjoy today's episode, number 352 of the show, and check out Sheffield Forum, Bulldozer, and the Sheffield Forum:Live event.

How NFTs Changed Photographer and Artist Joe Horner's Life

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0100

What are NFTs – Non-Fungible Tokens – and how can creators, creatives and artists start to sell NFTs of their work?

Earlier this year Joe Horner, the award-winning Sheffield-based photographer, hit rock bottom in his business because of the impact of Covid. But a lack of bookings gave Joe the time to investigate the burgeoning world of NFTs. It has changed his life.

NFTs boomed in 2021: Christies sold an NFT of an artwork for over $60m earlier this year, but what are they? And how can artists and creatives make and sell NFTs of their work – and even enjoy future royalties when they are sold again?

Joe gives a huge amount of practical detail in this interview about what he's learned about minting and selling his work, how to value it, finding an audience, and the effect on the rest of his day-to-day career as a photographer and acclaimed artist.

It wasn't a get-rich quick scheme, and Joe's clearly committed to his work and his art, but it has been transformative: "It's been life-changing...it's quite insane...what I made in a year last year I made in a week."

He covers cryptowallets, platforms to trade NFTs, the best time of day to share new work for sale, the importance of a dedicated Twitter account and much more. If you're an artist or creator investigating NFTs, Joe's interview (which of course is NOT investment advice) is gold.

Timings:

0:00 Introduction and what are NFTs?
2:20 Joe Horner interview – find Joe's Instagram here, LinkedIn page here and Flowerblocks Twitter account here
39:20 Forthcoming events: The Business & IP Centre Sheffield's Start-up Day 2021 and Sheffield Forum's first Sheffield Forum: Live
43:10 This week's Budget and Spending Review
45:33 Sheffield named Greenest City in UK, wrapping up

Enjoyed the show and this interview? Please leave a review or rating on your podcast platform of choice so more people can discover it – thanks!

How to become a boggart-maker and why we should conserve not preserve heritage

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 09:00:00 +0100

Fancy a career where your skills will be in huge demand? No, not driving a lorry – working in one of Yorkshire's oldest and rarest traditional crafts.

Stone masons, milliners and even boggart-makers are now sought-after more than ever. These and other heritage crafts offer health and wellbeing benefits and fantastic career opportunities, according to today's guest Richard Godley.

Richard wears several hats, including for the WEA (Workers' Educational Association) which is behind a free Heritage Skills Weekend at Sheffield’s Woodland Gallery. Richard tells us more about the weekend in this, episode 350 of Business Live. He also covers:

why we should "conserve, not preserve" heritage,
the WEA's activities and courses
the National Emergency Services Museum
what a boggart-maker actually does.

Timings:

0 - 2:16 Introduction
2:16 interview with Richard Godley
22:00 Key findings from the new State of Social Enterprise Survey 2021, available in full here
24:20 Launch of TEAM SY – Tech Ecosystem Accelereration and Market-making South Yorkshire, working to "join up" the tech ecosystem so that tech and digital entrepreneurs are embedded in a thriving environment
26:50 The SME Climate Commitment. More here.
27:27 £10,000 of match-funding available for community businesses which are crowdfunding, via Crowdfunder and Power to Change. More in their 22 October webinar.
29:07 Wrapping up, a few other updates and praise for the wonderful novel, Piranesi.

Young people achieving the unbelievable and connecting with nature with Element Society CEO Chris Hill

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Element Society is a youth-led charity with an enterprise mindset, says CEO Chris Hill.

It has run over 200 projects since launching in 2013: "young people become role models to their peers and we train them to deliver projects." Over 5,000 young people have changed their lives and their communities by working with Element.

People attending Specialist schools don't always get the same opportunities as people at other schools, so Element has been running a Learning through Nature programme. It has extensive benefits to participants, as Chris explains, and involves working with The National Trust – "they can add something pretty special to this programme" – and SEND schools.

Projects, trading, winning contracts, even selling pizza: it's all about bringing in unrestricted income and avoiding "mission drift." Has Element ever been in danger of diluting its mission to secure funding? How does it measure its impact? How did it secure a city-centre base from Yorkshire Building Society? And what are its criteria for working with partners and building relationships? Chris explains in this, episode 349 of Business Live.

Chris would love to hear from listeners if you can offer employment placements or training opportunities. Check out Element Society here.

Also in this episode:

28:33 Create Sheffield launches online programme to discuss "Why Creativity Matters NOW" Details.
30:01 Yorkshire has fastest-growing digital industry in UK.
31:08 Previous guest Yasin El Ashrafi of music social enterprise HQ CAN named joint national winner in O2 Everyday Heroes Award.
32:29 Awards: The Sheffield Business Awards are open for entries. The deadline is 1 November. Enter here. Meanwhile the Star Small Business Award winners have been revealed
34:20 Sheffield Women in Tech's next event, 19 October is "Mind the Gap: Negotiating Your Pay - the ShfWIT guide" – details.

How to break into the film industry with no money and celebrating independent film: Ben Wilkinson and Joe Palmer

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0100

What is a "micro-budget" film? Ben Wilkinson is the founder and director of the Spirit of Independence Film Festival, taking place on 2 October.

Now in its third year the festival celebrates films across genres from all over the world. It showcases talent, demonstrates excellence in film-making, entertains viewers, and is a brilliant industry get-together for grassroutes film making.

And Ben gives his definition of a micro-budget film: a maximum of £150,000 for a feature film, and £1,000 for a short. The festival will inspire others too: some incredible films are being screened this year as Ben describes.

Joe Palmer, who runs video production firm Open House Pictures, is helping to grow and publicise the festival. He tells us what he's most excited by and gives an update on how his business has developed since his last appearance on this programme.

The festival includes a talk: No Money? No Problem! How To Break Into The Industry When You Have No Money, and in this episode Ben and Joe both give their top tips and advice based on their experiences.

Also in the show: events, funding and more.

Timings:

0 - 28:35 Interview with Ben and Joe. Check out the Spirit of Independence Film Festival programme and book tickets. Take a look at Open House Pictures too.
28:35 Sheffield Business Awards are back! Entry deadline 29 October. Details here.
29:54 Update from the Business & IP Centre Sheffield.
31:18 Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards – £50,000 of funding. Details.
32:29 October is anti-slavery month and businesses are being asked to support the survivors of modern slavery in Sheffield. You can donate new items for care packages and purchase items from the online wish list, here .
34:00 Social Enterprises Futures, a month-long digital festival.
34:52 So called "environmental" companies outperform others – but I have a problem with a definition.
35:55 Business Sheffield's programme of free workshops, webinars and virtual one-to-one sessions.
37:05 Wrapping up.

Thanks for listening to the show – and thanks Ben and Joe for coming on air.

Supporting educators to welcome pupils from overseas with Leon Smith, Twinkl

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 11:00:00 +0100

Leon Smith is Chief Customer Officer at educational publisher Twinkl. The Sheffield-based firm employs over a thousand people and has produced specialist resources to support schools and educators in welcoming pupils arriving from overseas for many years.

Now, in response to growing demand, the EdTech giant has launched a curated collection of these (and new) resources, many of which are free to access, to provide guidance on how educators can support and welcome students whose first language is not English. There are also packs to help parents and educators explain current affairs and upsetting news stories to children and young people.

Leon, a former teacher, tells me more about the range of resources and the impact they are designed to have. Plus she updates us on recent developments at Twinkl – and what her role as chief customer officer involves. We delve into user experience and marketing too.

Also in this episode: details of three fantastic grant funding opportunities:

£50,000 grants and mentoring, coaching and business support in the Women in Innovation Awards. Deadline 13 October.
Grants of up to £10,000 through the South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Mayoral Community Fund – but be quick, the closing date is 9am on Monday 13 September. Details.
Innovate UK's Healthy ageing challenge – more about this on the UKRI website; closing date 17 November 2021.

And some events: a couple of years ago I visited the Megatron, part of a network of underground river tunnels and Victorian storm drains beneath Sheffield City Centre. This watery cavern is an engineering marvel. Public tours have resumed so grab your chance. Plus the free People Communities Together festival.

Timings:

0:00 - 16:39 Leon Smith, Twinkl.
16:39 New research demonstrates managers are focusing more on output than hours worked – and this improves recruitment and retention. It's from the Working Families Benchmark Report.
19:30 Grants and funding: Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards | South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Mayoral Community Fund | Innovate UK's Healthy ageing challenge.
24:41 How to visit the Megatron in Sheffield on the 12, 19 or 26 September | People Communities Together Festival

Digital growth marketing and how to 25x ecommerce sales with Amanda Perry

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 18:00:00 +0100

When shoemaker Hewlett & Co started working with Amanda Perry, the Louth-based firm made around £2,000 per month in online sales. "We knew there was something there and quite quickly took them to £150,000 months," says Amanda, founder of digital marketing agency Soup and the E-com Growth Hub.

It's a remarkable tale in an episode crammed with them – Amanda says many businesses have increased sales by a factor of 25 through working with her team, and Soup itself has grown dramatically too.

Soup specialises in results-driven performance marketing for e-commerce brands. The E-com Growth Hub is a community and learning platform for small product business owners. Both are getting dramatic results for clients and members.

"Rollercoaster" is overused in the business world, but Amanda's journey is certainly that. From indie-retail expansion to bankruptcy, baking to e-commerce and now making a big mark in growth marketing – her story is one of bounce-backability.

Amanda is frank and open in this interview about the impact of liquidating her cupcake business, Fancie, and becoming personally bankrupt back in 2014. It hurt a lot of people and she's tried hard to right a lot of wrongs, she tells me. And of course it led her to dark times – she hit absolute rock-bottom.

But she fought back and rediscovered her purpose. And in this episode (number 346!) she covers what she learned from the experience, her wilderness years, a turning point and how she came to set up Soup. This is powerful, hard-won stuff, so take note so you can avoid what Amanda describes.

Amanda gives us plenty of implementable tips too. Listen for advice about social media, influencer, SMS and email marketing, why you need to think about customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value, and lots more. It's a corker of an episode – or should I say, a rollercoaster!

Links: SOUP | The E-com Growth Hub | Amanda's website

Connecting people through sport with Justine Reilly, Sporting Heritage

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Sport connects people in unique ways. How can intangible things like memories and shared experiences of sport be collected and harnessed? How can places, memorabilia and artefacts be preserved and looked after? And how does that benefit all of us?

Dr. Justine Reilly set up Sporting Heritage CIC, a Yorkshire based organisation on a mission to look after, protect and celebrate the diverse sporting heritage across the UK's four nations.

Sometimes bigger sports, which are more often in the public domain, overshadow other and grassroots sports, and Sporting Heritage is for all sports. It helps tell stories that haven't been told, and engages with schools, museums, community groups, businesses and sports groups to share our sporting heritage.

Justine has a background in museums, culture, archeology and as a television producer. She is determined to ensure sporting heritage is diverse and inclusive. Sporting Heritage has launched the neurodiverse museum to ensure there's representation and accessibility for neurodivergent people across the museum sector.

The organisation's annual National Sporting Heritage Day, in September, will be its biggest yet and is backed by well-known ambassadors. Justine gives a preview, and covers her organisation's grants programme and the biggest challenges in getting this now-thriving social enterprise out of the starting blocks.

Also in the show today: business, social enterprise and freelance funding and events.

Timings:

0-35:30 Interview with Dr. Justine Reilly, Sporting Heritage CIC
35:30 The Community Ownership Fund, and the Freelance Fund for arts and culture workers in Sheffield
38:20 Enterprise Nation's August bootcamp about exporting and international trade with with Amazon and the Department for International Trade (free, registration required)
39:22 Wrapping up and an event reminder

Fixing diversity and inclusion with disruptive innovator, Shana Gujral

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Seven out of ten workplace diversity and inclusion programmes fail. They don't achieve meaningful change. A partner in an international accounting firm has even said "after every single unconscious bias training that has ever been done, nothing’s ever improved."

So I was fascinated to talk with Shana Gujral in this episode. She's had direct experience of diversity and inclusion programmes which don't have any effect. Shana is determined to change this and her business, Lila, is "revolutionising" diversity and inclusion.

An online platform powered by behavioural science and gamification, Lila is worlds apart from tickbox exercises. It uses bite-sized, implementable chunks of activity, backed by experts and supported with nudge theory, so participants can not only learn, but they can implement actions. Businesses and employees can build inclusive cultures "where everyone can feel seen and heard."

Shana is a serial impact entrepreneur and diversity and inclusion consultant who has also worked in global FMCG businesses. She also tells me about pivots, lessons from a side-hustle and a previous business, and the rocket-fuel effect of incubator and accelerator programmes (see links below).

Timings:

0 - 34:33 interview with Shana Gujral, Lila.
Accelerators: Shana mentions the Centre for Entrepreneurs' NEF+ programme, Bethnal Green Ventures, Antler and Founders Factory.
34:33 Event: Sheffield Social Enterprise Network's 11 August Networking event
36:29 New software training programme from EyUp Skills and iO Academy. The £11,000 programme offers fully-funded bursaries through the Diversitche Fund to people under-represented in tech. Details.
38:43 The Star Small Business Awards
39:24 Grants from The UK Space Agency's Space Technology Programme.

An entrepreneurship 101 with Caroline Allams, Natterhub

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 22:00:00 +0100

Natterhub is an educational social media platform which prepares primary school children to thrive online.

A gated, "sandbox" environment which includes more than 300 interactive lessons, it develops media literacy and is used in more than 4000 schools.

How did Caroline Allams and co-founder Manjit Sareen take Natterhub from idea to Minimum Viable Product in April 2020? And how did they scale up rapidly: Natterhub is now enjoyed by teachers and pupils in more than 60 countries around the world?

Caroline explains. This interview covers the power of understanding your strengths and weaknesses and working with a complementary co-founder, building a culture where you and your team can ask questions, and why it's crucial to really prioritise what matters to your audience in your Minimum Viable Product.

There's lots, too, on why media literacy matters and how Natterhub develops this, plus some shocking-but-not-shocking research results from polling of over 15,000 pupils across 2,500 schools, exploring their online habits and how they feel about the internet and social media.

Natterhub's website.
Natterhub has been supported with investment from TwinklHive, a business accelerator created by the online educational publisher Twinkl in 2019.
Also mentioned on the show: the Young Innovators Awards from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, details. And this (free, registration required) Inclusivity and the Psychology of Othering event from Inova Consulting on 23 July aimed at businesses, entrepreneurs and organisations interested in inclusivity.

How to make a living as an artist, avoid rip-off agents and follow your dream with Julia Brown

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Julie Brown makes a living in her dream career. The contemporary artist trained at Huddersfield University two decades ago and has returned to her full-time art practice after working as an illustrator and designer.

Julia is part of a new, major group exhibition at The Sculpture Lounge in the Holme Valley where she is a resident studio holder.

In the interview (0-34:00) we discuss:

Julia's work, how she expresses our relationship with place, and a new body of work about wind turbines
How to get your name out there as an artist
It's easier to market yourself when you're passionate about what you do
Choosing an agent who will support you and how to avoid some scams and trapdoors common in the art world
Tips and advice about submitting your work to exhibitions and awards
Getting representation at galleries
How a safety net can turn into a cage, but there's never the "perfect" time to follow your passion.
Why "every decision you make needs to relate to where you want to go."
Check out Julia's website here and The Sculpture Lounge.

Also in the show:

34:00 Funding opportunities i) the Young Innovators Awards from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, details. ii) the Fiserv UK 2021 Back2Business Grant: £10,000 grants available, details.
37:58 Forthcoming events: webinars about selling online, sustainability and SMEs and more from the Business & IP Centre Sheffield. Plus Cliffhanger – Sheffield's "inner city event celebrating outdoor adventure," the British Bouldering Championships, and Sheffield Adventure Film Festival.
39:35 If you run an online businesses selling to consumers living within the EU, you need to know about changes to E-commerce VAT.
41:09 Interesting new research about renewable energy, income inequality and energy poverty
42:39 A couple of new books: Lucy Kellaway on education and teaching and Michael Pollan on coffee
44:16 And I've been reading the new issue of Positive News magazine.

Brewing beer with bread to make the world better: Louisa Ziane, Toast Ale

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Drink beer, make the world better! This is no corporate greenwash. You can grab a delicious ale and make a direct contribution to fixing the food system and addressing the climate emergency. Consumer power creates change.

The food system is the biggest contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss, yet we waste a third of everything we produce. Nearly half of bread is never eaten.

Toast Ale uses surplus fresh bread from the bakery industry to brew its beer. Co-founder and chief operating officer Louisa Ziane explains how its beer, available from supermarkets, in restaurants and online, creates environmental and social impacts which go way beyond saving millions of slices of bread from waste.

She tells me how Toast measures and is cutting its carbon footprint, explains how it secured investment to support its growth (getting listed in supermarkets needs a lot of up-front capital) and describes how its purpose is locked into the heart of the business.

Toast is a brewery which truly does what it says on the can. I found this conversation fascinating. Also in the show today: funding for social enterprise, electric vehicles and more. Timings:

0 - 40:56 Louisa Ziane interview, including:
6:25 What being a certified B Corp means and why collaboration and open-sourcing is key to Toast's impact.
10:50 Toast has measured its carbon footprint for the past three years and this year its calculations were certified. Louisa explains how it is reducing its emissions and where to start when it comes to measuring your carbon footprint accurately.
17:40 Offsetting isn't a solution alone.
21:00 Why Toast is working with Soil Heroes and Feedback.
25:35 Equity for Good: Toast's investors have pledged that any net capital gains they get if they sell their shares in the future will be reinvested into organisations with environmental missions.
29:33 What were the biggest challenges in launching and growing Toast?
35:40 Other amazing businesses and breweries Louisa admires – pop some of these in your pantry!

Also covered on this episode:
Free trials of electric vans for businesses, social enterprises and other organisations in Sheffield. Details here.
Funding: for social enterprises operating in the environment sector, check out the Enterprise Development Programme here.
£150,000 (and up) grants from the The National Lottery Community Fund's Growing Great Ideas programme.
New ShAFF (Sheffield Adventure Film Festival) outdoor screen showing Adventure Bites films, free, in Sheffield City Centre.
Millions of people in Britain have poor or low numeracy skills. New research from social enterprise Plain Numbers about how to boost comprehension of bills and financial information.

Photo of Louisa Ziane by Joanne Warren Moore. Check out other episodes of Business Live here.

The Magic of Escape Rooms, Mentors and Unspoken Moments with Hannah Duraid

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Where to go and what to do as lockdown restrictions lift? The pub, a restaurant, to the cinema? How about a locked-room where you and your team-mates must escape a horrifying, demonic or magical scenario? Yes please!

Hannah Duraid founded The Great Escape in 2015, Sheffield's first escape room experience, and was last on this show in May 2016. Since then Hannah and her team have taken on a new site in Sheffield and opened in Leeds, developed a further game with the Royal Armouries Museum and won multiple awards.

Over 300,000 players have been through their doors, and since The Great Escape reopened in May people are flocking back, looking to be locked-up once more. But also to choose their own immersive and cinematic adventure, as Hannah tells us.

Hannah is about to launch an exciting new game too, and during lockdown she came up with a fantastic and very different idea – The Unspoken Playing Card Experience – which stimulates deep insights and discussion. She describes why she created theses cards and people's reaction to them in this episode too.

The interview also covers the power of mentors – Hannah has always sought the advice and insights of other business leaders and mentors during her entrepreneurship journey, and has worked with different mentors at different stages. She tells me how she has found mentors and the components for effective mentorship.

Plus some books which Hannah found transformative and why: The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma and Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles.

Timings:

0 - 3:15 introduction
3:15 -47:15 Hannah Duraid
47:15 Coming soon: ShAFF – Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (watch the trailer here) and the Children's Media Conference 2021

Online reviews, better websites, good social media and the power of PR with Harvey Morton

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 10:00:00 +0100

How can you get people to leave positive reviews on online review sites? How do you deal with controversial comments on social media? And what are the biggest factors behind "checkout abandonment" on small business websites?

Harvey Morton is a website, digital and social media expert. He works with small businesses through to larger brands such as Santander and some Universities. And he solves their website, digital and social media issues, all with a focus on gaining customers.

He's also a former winner of the National Young Freelancer of the Year Award. Timely that I interviewed him on National Freelancers' Day.

Since Harvey was last on Business Live he's appeared on national and regional radio, in numerous newspapers and other media, and has launched his own well-reviewed podcast. These have all had tangible benefits to his business. Harvey kindly describes how some PR tips I gave him have unlocked a huge range of media opportunities, which I was thrilled to hear.

Also in the show: a funding opportunity, an interactive game in Sheffield, and some recommendations. Timings:

0-3:17 Introduction and updates
3:17-49:16 Interview with Harvey Morton. National Freelancers Day, how his business has evolved, why social media engagement is important, fixing issues which prevent customers from buying, preventing overwhelm (more tips from Harvey here), addressing controversial topics on social media, using online review sites, starting his own Social Sanctuary podcast, getting interviews and coverage in the media, and shocking findings from his own research. Find Harvey online here and on twitter.
49:16 Tech Nation's Net Zero programme – grant or investment funding to help businesses to scale and meet zero emissions targets
50:10 The UK Social Enterprise Awards (deadline 2 July)
50:28 The Beat the Street Game in Sheffield
51:09 I've been reading: this article in Pioneers Post magazine about Amsterdam-based social enterprise Plastic Whale's successful Online Company Cleanups – great idea
51:27 I've been listening to: Heidi Fisher's interview with Chris Roberts of the North Wales Dragons, a social enterprise and community football team which raises money for charities all over the UK and beyond (I edit and produce Heidi's podcast)
52:05 I've been watching Netflix's On Becoming a God in Central Florida, a compelling drama about a horrifying multi-level marketing pyramid scheme
52:21 And I've been drinking delicious Dark Woods Coffee and Toast Ale (beer which makes the world better)

Building a fantastic company culture and a thriving business with Holly Jenkins, Jiraffe

Fri, 28 May 2021 08:00:00 +0100

So many businesses boast about a positive culture without their actions following through. But Jenx Limited (trading as Jiraffe) has clearly invested in enabling and building a supportive culture for its people and customers – and the business is thriving, as director Holly Jenkins describes.

Jiraffe makes specialist postural support equipment and Holly was last on the show in early 2020 as the pandemic and lockdown struck. At the time she told me about an initiative to ensure vulnerable children and adults in society still had access to vital seating, standing, sleeping, and mobility support equipment. How many people benefited?

Holly gives us the details and covers how Jiraffe adapted through 2020 to support its customers and staff, why the firm is recruiting for 8 new roles, where the growth in the business has come from, and everything Jiraffe has been doing to maintain and build its positive company culture.

Also on the show (episode #338): how to enter the UK Social Enterprise Awards; how to access (for free) a range of fantastic business research and intelligence tools at the Business and IP Centre Sheffield.

Timings and links:

0-3:09 Introduction
3:09 Interview with Holly Jenkins, Jiraffe
28:19 Details of the UK Social Enterprise Awards 2021
31:34 How to book a visit to the Business & IP Centre Sheffield to get free access to business research databases

How to sell books worldwide with multi-six-figure author and entrepreneur Joanna Penn

Fri, 14 May 2021 07:00:00 +0100

At the "best time in history" to be a creator you should heed Joanna Penn's advice whether or not you're an author.

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, who also writes non-fiction for authors, has much to say about how creative entrepreneurs can protect and maximise the value of their intellectual property.

Joanna has written 17 novels and 12 books for other writers and sold them in more than 180 countries. She runs her own publishing company and has signed licensing deals with traditional publishers too. Now a multi-six-figure author entrepreneur, around a third of Joanna's income comes from book sales, with affiliate fees, course sales, sponsorship of her podcasts and donations through Patreon making up other income streams.

I fired up the rocket-fuel coffee and bombarded Joanna with questions. Want to publish fiction, non-fiction or interested in taking control of the value of your creative output? There are encyclopedias-worth of advice crammed into this episode so buckle up and listen well, Joanna is extraordinarily generous and open with her tips. We cover:

Being an independently- and traditionally-published author
Common problems with traditional publishing contracts including astonishing "rights grabs" – don't sign away your soul in blood!
Snobbery in the publishing industry and how things have changed
Joanna's income breakdown as an author-entrepreneur
Indie authors don’t just write, they manage their business: contracts, PR and publicity, ads, commissioning covers or translation and more – how does Joanna decide what to invest her time into and what to outsource?
Promotional strategies for fiction and non-fiction
An introduction to the world of new opportunities which AI and technology are unlocking for authors and other creatives
Authors Joanna admires and who inspire her
More free resources you can get from Joanna to help you in your creative and business adventures

Joanna's hundreds of articles, audio podcast episodes, videos and resources are available on her website including her free author blueprint and detailed advice about writing, publishing and marketing your book: https://www.thecreativepenn.com

Also check-out Joanna's Creative Penn Podcast about writing, publishing, book marketing, and making a living with your writing.

Super connections, stories, technology, music and saving Soho with Tim Arnold

Fri, 07 May 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Some folk talk about technology with an "emperor's new clothes" glee, as though it's a panacea for everything wrong with society. Others exhibit phobic terror, blaming technology – not how people use it – for human failings and foibles. Many see both a light and dark side, and there's increasing interest in the addictive nature of social media.

For today's curious and playful guest Tim Arnold, technology, social media and our appendage-like mobile phones allow us to be "super connected" – enabling expression, conversation and connection. But with a potentially corrosive effect too.

Tim is a singer songwriter and filmmaker who has self-released 22 albums after starting his music career leading 90’s British art rock band Jocasta.

His new feature-length film and album Super Connected includes a single of the same name, released today. Watch the video here.

Talking with Tim was fun and frank and fascinating. In this interview we cover:

whether technology has made it easier or harder to make a living as an independent musician
how a friend of Tim’s who is a mental health professional inspired Super Connected, and why Tim made his new film with Dixie McDevitt and Kate Alderton
what a "story concept album for the digital age" means
social media can have a corrosive effect on our mental health and can be a lifeline too,
Tim's a creator, collaborator, interviewer (check out his weekly Super Connected Conversations podcast and YouTube series exploring the impact of technology on human psychology and society) – how does he manage his own mental bandwidth, prioritise or focus so as not to be overwhelmed?
is Tim worried about big business and music industry behemoths muscling in where independent creators have been able to innovate?
can Artificial Intelligence (AI) come up with music which stirs the soul?
why Tim (joined by Stephen Fry) campaigned to save some of Soho's most loved community assets like Madame Jojo's and Soho Square
how to get an invitation (everyone is welcome) to see the feature-length Super Connected film and whole album (go to https://superconnected.technology )
Tim's work with the Sheffield Arts Lab – there's play and intrigue ahoy here!
How to connect with Tim (website | Bandcamp | Twitter)

This episode is a treat and a feast and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Empowering voters with Eleanor Holmshaw, WhoIsMyCouncillor

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Accountability, transparency and informed decision making are at the heart of a new website launched by today's guest Eleanor Holmshaw.

Whoismycouncillor.co.uk allows users to find the candidates standing in the council elections in their part of Sheffield. They can see candidates' answers to a set of specific questions "important to the city" and learn more about who they could vote for.

Eleanor covers why and how she and a crack team launched the site to empower voters and boost engagement with our democratic system.

Self-confessed "spreadsheet obsessive" Eleanor also gives me the lowdown on lessons learned from launching the site in record time.

Also in today's show:

business accelerator TwinklHive is offering £250,000 to young entrepreneurs looking to establish their own digital business. Details at 33:59 in the podcast and here.
lovely news from previous guest, Kresse Wesling – Elvis and Kresse, which rescues London's decommissioned fire-hose and creates beautiful goods, has just made its largest ever donation to the Fire Fighters Charity (details at 31:10 and here). Check out my 2019 interview with Kresse .
Registration open for The Children's Media Conference – details at 36:05 in the podcast and here.

Football and Business with Paul Reeves, Sheffield United Football Club

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0100

What a week to discuss the business of football with SUFC's Head of Commercial, Paul Reeves.

Paul is well known for his dealmaking skills and commercial nous. He explains how he came to join the club in 2014 after working for the city's Chamber of Commerce, and the first big sponsorship deal he scored.

We discuss:

how the club worked with its partners this year, adapting commercial opportunities because of lockdown,
how elevation to the Premiere League and changing fortunes on the pitch affect its business partnerships,
its Academy, its super-successful Women's team, and its community foundation,

And of course we address what happened this week when six other Premiere League clubs were widely accused of greed as they tried and seemingly failed to breakaway to a new European Super League.

Plus Paul gives his advice about developing commercial relationships and partnerships, and names some of the mentors and business inspirations in his own career so far.

Also in this episode (number 334): events, a campaign and more. Timings:

0 - 2:20 Introduction
2:20 Interview with Paul Reeves, Head of Commercial, SUFC
45:30 Business and social enterprise updates: businesses invited to join the Sheffield Dementia Action Alliance | Social enterprises: apply by Sunday 25th for the SE100 Index and Social Business Awards | Hundreds of businesses are calling for a "Better Business Act" – what is it and why?

No Waste Living, Website Wizardry and a Productivity Power-Up with Louise Blackburn

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 03:00:00 +0100

Roll up, roll up it's a two for one special in today's show. Guest Louise Blackburn discusses her brace of businesses: No Waste Living and Amber Couch.

Amber Couch is Louise's website design and development business, which she's been running for 15 years. Sites have certainly changed a lot in that time. Yet there are three common issues which hold many websites back, so they don't generate the results they should. Louise explains what these are and how to fix them.

No Waste Living does what it says on the proverbial tin. Born after several years of lifestyle changes Louise made, it's an online shop selling refills for household necessities alongside other sustainable products. It's also a resource crammed with useful information. And putting it all online was precipitated by lockdown, as Louise explains.

There are tips a-plenty in this episode. Louise is a systems and processes acolyte and has plenty of powerful productivity tips, alongside her website advice. And there's more...she also explains how you can realistically move to using less plastic.

It was a pleasure talking with Louise and I hope you'll enjoy the interview and find her tips and advice helpful.

Timings and links:

Introduction: Louise Blackburn runs Amber Couch
5:10 three amazingly common website issues and how to fix them
10:00 why a website theme is like a new-build house and a custom-built site is like buying land and designing and building your own home
13:00 Louise's background, how Amber Couch launched, and why Louise set up the business
16:03 Powerful productivity, systems and micro-systems advice
23:09 What is No Waste Living?
24:40 Was there a tipping point for Louise – why did she set up the shop?
26:30 How does it work in terms of the two types of product it sells? And more about issues with plastic and recycling
32:17 How customer numbers and turnover have developed
35:32 Louise's tips to support the circular economy, reduce, reuse and recycle
38:20 Louise reveals her biggest "why" today for Amber Coach, her website business
40:25 No Waste Living: small steps can be positive in your life and have a big impact
42:30 Wrapping up and a couple of other things – Sheffield’s Make Yourself at Home initiative, all about supporting local businesses and communities; the Festival of Debate; The Business and IP Centre Sheffield and Start-Up Day Reloaded

Marketing more effectively and the life changing power of apprenticeships with Dale Robinson

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Enquiries about apprenticeships are soaring for The Source Skills Academy, a leading Sheffield provider of training, according to Dale Robinson.

And it's no wonder: as the UK moves out of lockdown, apprenticeships can help businesses future-proof themselves while giving young people a head-start.

As Director of Business Development for The Source, a charity operating since 2003, Dale works with employers across the Sheffield City Region and his enthusiasm for the life-changing power of apprenticeships is evident throughout this interview.

Dale's own career journey began with an apprenticeship in a bank, and he's determined for businesses and young people alike to benefit from meaningful, fulfilling apprenticeships.

We also cover:

How The Source adapted throughout the pandemic pandemic to serve the region's businesses and local communities, getting people into training and qualifications that boost their confidence and grow their prospects
Reopening its conference facilities and creating a new community learning zone
Its traineeships which support people whose qualifications or confidence have really suffered and can lead into an apprenticeship or job
How some of Sheffield's most innovative businesses are offering placements through the Government-funded Kickstart scheme
The Source's communication and marketing methods to engage with employers and young people
Dale's own inspirations in business

Also in this episode: new funding opportunities and your chance to feature in a future show.

Timings:

0 - 2:19 introduction
2:19 Dale Robinson of The Source Skills Academy
38:55 Do you run a shop, pub, hairdresser or other business able to re-open from the 12th of April? Would you like to be on the show? How to get in touch and tell your story
40:41 Funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises from UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs and from the Steel Charitable Trust. Plus Skills Bank extension and wrapping up

Jillian Kowalchuk, Safe & the City

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Jillian Kowalchuk is an award-winning entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and the founder & CEO of Safe & The City.

She launched this app in 2017 after a Google Maps route led her into a situation where two men threatened to assault her, which she didn't report believing her experience would not be taken seriously.

Since then Safe & The City has been downloaded by tens of thousands of people who use it to report their daily experiences, give community ratings for walking and public transport routes, and learn where nearby safe sites are.

It's a tragic indictment of our society that her app exists. We have much work to do to change attitudes and behaviours, eradicate harassment and achieve gender equality. And Jillian is clear: victims of violence and of everyday harassment should not be responsible for solutions. Her app exists to crowdsource evidence and transparent data about the experiences and everyday harassment which continue to be rife for women.

We talk about how Safe & the City works and has expanded from covering London (and Berlin) to UK-wide. Jillian also covers:

how men can be better allies to gender equality
campaigning in collaboration with others for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime
her work with the Department for International Trade’s Global Entrepreneurial Programme Female Founders Advisory Board, and how to attract more international female talent to the U.K
her experience attracting investment, when VCs continue to invest into male-led teams more than those with female founders
tips for crowdfunding, having run two successful campaigns
the Female Founders Pledge

Also on this week's episode, details of five new funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises.

Timings and links mentioned:

0-33:50 Interview with Jillian Kowalchuk
Download the Safe & the City App (ios and Android) | Safe & the City website | Jillian's TEDx | UN Women UK joint report | Hollaback | SHE-EO
33:50 Reflecting on a year of lockdown, and the Sheffield Steel Spirit Stories page
36:40 Funding and grant opportunities: The Covid-19: Economic Recovery Fund | The SME Brexit Support Fund | The Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme | The University of Sheffield Careers Service: SME Funded Projects Scheme | Santander Universities Employability Scheme 2021

Bringing brilliant books to readers with Stefan Tobler, And Other Stories

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Here's a first in 330 episodes: a birdsong soundtrack. Lovely backdrop for a chat about books and publishing with Stefan Tobler of And Other Stories.

Known worldwide for publishing some of the best contemporary fiction and non-fiction, And Other Stories aims to help people discover adventurous and inspiring writing – and make the publishing industry look less like "posh freemasonry."

It connects brilliant authors, both emerging talent and established voices, with readers through a book subscription model, and is now one of the major publishers of literary fiction in translation. Some of the books it publishes have made me laugh out loud, or reel after a gut-punch, or shiver. Invigorating writing which gets under your skin.

Stefan discusses:

Favourite books (what an unfair question from me)
Why And Other Stories made Sheffield its home
Inclusivity and representation in the publishing industry
Developments in publishing such as Bookshop.org through which you can support local book stores
Why print books are thriving
The "ones that got away" – books Stefan wishes he had published
How audiobooks and self-publishing fit into the publishing ecosystem
Embedding values into the business model – And Other Stories is a social enterprise
And, of course, much more.

I was engrossed so I hope you'll enjoy this interview with Stefan. Key links mentioned:

And Other Stories – website | twitter | list of favourite reads from 2020 on Bookshop.org | Rachel Genn's What You Could Have Won | Haroldo Conti's Southeaster
Sheffield book shops La Biblioteka and Rhyme and Reason

Also on the show, a quick round-up of some of the social enterprise-related announcements from the Budget this week.

Timings:

0 - 41:40 Stefan Tobler
41:40 Budget round-up: Social Investment Tax Relief and the Community Ownership Fund

Creating workplace opportunities with Blend Kitchen and its incredible supporters

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:00:00 +0000

"There are people who've been ostracised by mainstream society and not given the opportunities we've been able to provide for them in the workplace." What a year it's been for chef and social entrepreneur Chris Hanson.

12 months ago the lease for Blend Kitchen's café in Sheffield City Centre was coming to an end. After two "amazing years" serving great food and giving training and employment opportunities to people, Blend needed help to move to a new home.

And there was more at risk than the tasty, wonderful food it serves. Blend gives training, education and employment opportunities to people including adults with learning disabilities, people diagnosed with mental health conditions, parents returning to work, people who have experienced homelessness or substance abuse, and more. Lots of traditional employers can't support people in the way Blend can, Chris explains.

What a lovely story this is. Despite the challenges of the past year, the generosity of businesses, supporters, funders and the public means Blend has been able to take on and fit out amazing new premises.

In this episode Chris describes:

his own journey to chef and social entrepreneur
who Blend works with
businesses including educational publisher Twinkl have been "absolutely incredible" helping to make this move a reality
support from UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs
a new horticultural project with the University
the amazing new facilities which will be available at Blend
Sheffield music legend Richard Hawley has become Blend Kitchen's patron
advice to other social entrepreneurs about securing business partnerships and funding

Also in this episode: a welcome return to the show for Jay Bhayani of Bhanyani HR and Employment Law. Employers and employees have numerous questions as we embark on a "roadmap" out of lockdown and restrictions ease, such as:

can an employer insist an employee takes the vaccine if they don't want to?
what should you include in a home working policy?

Jay talks through these issues, and describes her firm's expansion to Leicester.

Timings:

0 - 22:10 Interview with Chris Hanson, Blend Kitchen.
22:10 Jay Bhayani, Bhayani HR and Employment Law
36:59 What's likely to be announced in the Spring Budget next week? A few predictions about business rates relief, extensions to the furlough scheme and corporation tax changes. Plus The Resolution Foundation and ExcludedUK are calling for the Chancellor to stop ignoring the two million plus people who've "fallen through the chasms in support." What do you think? Get in touch.
43:16 Wrapping up and an obituary of a life well lived.

Gamification, onboarding, high-impact work and school food with Yinka Ewuola

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Yinka Ewuola puts a stop to the conversation that because women entrepreneurs have less time to focus on their business, they are at a disadvantage. How and why? Listen on. She runs Calla Success Systems, supporting women to build thriving and profitable businesses while living full, fabulous and nourishing lives.

Yinka explains we've been sold a lie by many people when it comes to achieving business success (whatever that means to you) and this has a huge cost, especially to women.

She covers how to create the most impact in your business from the time you have available – with tools and techniques you can use, now – and how she identifies high impact or high income generating activities for people to prioritise. What's the number one barrier to high impact work? Yinka explains.

And I was intrigued by Yinka's use of gamification in business, a powerful tool which can be used across all spheres of business. Yinka has specific examples, such as effective on-boarding to manage client expectations, for ethical persuasion and influence, and in webinars and masterclasses to massively boost participation and engagement. Her data backs this up.

Yinka is also an advocate for school food which she calls the secret weapon our education system ignores, and she is involved in another business, run on social enterprise principles, which makes food an internal part of learning and creates profit for schools themselves.

I found this entire conversation fascinating and it made me look at lots of things in a new light. It's episode number 328 of Business Live and it's packed with practical tips from Yinka too.

Timings:

5:10 Why we’ve been sold a lie about what success means and the only way to achieve it.
7:02 What drove Yinka to start her business, including a shocking statement she heard on her first day in her former life as an investment banker.
9:23 The principles behind business success may be universal but how you can apply them is different depending on circumstances.
11:10 Practical application: how to create the most impact using the 80:20 rule – and how Yinka’s business accelerator identifies high impact tasks.
18:46 Gamification and variable rewards.
20:00 On-boarding clients using gamification had a powerful effect for one of Yinka's clients.
23:22 In masterclasses and webinars gamification boosts participation and engagement.
28:47 School food and business as a force for good. How Eagle Solutions Services makes food an integral part of learning and creates profit for schools too.
40:46 What are the goals Yinka has set which terrify her?
41:24 A life changing exercise.
47:35 Embracing doing work which is hard.
51:14 Recap.
52:14 The Suit Works, which supports unemployed people trying to get into work, is seeking volunteer trustees. Details.
53:21 A couple of things I've enjoyed this week: the webinar, Can Business Be A Force for Good, from Alpkit and B Corps UK. And a feature in the Times about Nadya Tolokonnikova, activist and founder of Pussy Riot, who is supporting Alexei Navalny.

Links:

Yinka is on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Her website for Calla Success Systems will be live soon.
Women who want to receive Yinka's daily emails, please email Yinka.

Leading in uncertain times to support your team, business and resilience - Jen McCanna

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

How do you support your team and manage them effectively at a time of such uncertainty and change? How do you build their and your resilience? And what can business leaders and social entrepreneurs learn from neuroscience about dealing with stress?

Jennifer McCanna, a leadership coach, has plenty of practical ideas and solutions you can implement now – even while working remotely – so you can look after your colleagues, your business or organisation and yourself.

Jen's worked with leaders in organisations like the UN, the UK’s Department for Education, businesses and leading charities, helping them to build effective relationships based on trust, so her evidence-based strategies and ideas are well-proven.

Also on the show: lots of exciting events; lots of sources of funding for businesses and social enterprises; a consultation about extending a grey-to-green scheme in Sheffield and more.

Timings:

0 - 2:31 Introduction
2:31 Jen McCanna: Who Jen works with and what are people feeling at work, right now?
4:15 Why the brain doesn't deal well with uncertainty – and the impact of biological responses to stress on our ability to be effective at work.
7:20 How to address stress.
9:38 More ideas, applicable to remote working.
14:45 How to apply Stephen Covey's "Circles of Influence" model (control, influence and concern).
19:00 How productivity and effectiveness relate to these circles – and the importance of self-awareness.
24:00 Building trusting relationships and the ability to have difficult conversations – with honesty and without defensiveness. How?
26:45 Giving feedback with directness and care – Jen recommends Kim Scott's book, Radical Candor, and TED talk.
27:55 Details of Jen's forthcoming and free five-day programme, "5 Day Work Relationships Fast Track." What it involves and how it will work. More about this here.
31:14 Finding Jen online – website, LinkedIn and Instagram.
35:15 Plans to extend a Sheffield "Grey to Green" scheme to create a green corridor in the city. The city council wants your input – here's the consultation.
37:19 Details of an upcoming webinar, Can Business Be a Force for Good, on 11 February. Free, organised by Alpkit whose CEO was on the show last year. Register here.
38:45 The Business & IP Centre webinar, How to Be More Pirate. Free, register here.
40:01 New workshops (and grants) from the Social Enterprise Exchange for startup and early-stage social enterprises. Details here.
41:16 Innovate UK Smart Grants to deliver game-changing and commercially viable R&D innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy. Details.
43:19 Big Society Capital's call for Ideas for Impact. Details.
44:09 Sheffield City Council business support.
44:31 The Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs. Details.
45:18 Wrapping up

Fun for all with Dale Le Fevre, New Games

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Playing has been Dale Le Fevre's life's work. One of the world's best-known exponents of the New Games movement, Dale has given workshops, trained and played in 35 countries since 1975.

New Games are about fun for anyone who wants to take part. Research demonstrates a wide range of benefits for participants. Dale has also worked with businesses worldwide, helping them use new games to facilitate cooperation, build confidence, and break the ice at conferences.

We all need play more than ever before, says Dale, "it's like a breath of fresh air, a chance to relax, recharge, take a break from the news."

In this episode Dale tells me more about New Games and why he dedicated his life's work to play. He describes what he's done since times have forced us to change how we interact, and a new product which is a compilation of socially-distanced New Games, many can be played over Zoom. Sounds great – more details here.

Also in today's show: a record 772,002 new businesses launched last year; changes to the prompt payment code (good news for businesses of under 50 people which sell to corporates); business insurance ruling; rethinking town centres and funding for freelancers in the creative and arts sector who live or work in Sheffield.

Timings:

0 - 3:00 Introduction
3:00 Interview with Dale Le Fevre
33:04 A record 772,002 new businesses launched last year according to the Centre for Entrepreneurs. Their analysis is here.
35:27 An overhaul to the Prompt Payment Code.
38:08 High street shop closures and reimagining town and city centres – new report from the Social Market Foundation.
39:26 Small businesses to get business interruption insurance payouts after court ruling.
40:47 Tribepad Ventures, a new incubator and accelerator.
41:46 Big Issue Foundation launches Clever Shopping Companion.
42:43 Funding for freelancers in Sheffield
44:20 Wrapping up

How to measure and manage your social impact with Heidi Fisher

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Social enterprises exist to create impact. Not measuring it is like trying to reduce your blood pressure without checking whether your medication or lifestyle changes are having an effect, according to social enterprise and impact specialist Heidi Fisher.

Yet many social entrepreneurs are mired in a swamp when it comes to measuring, managing and understanding their impact.

Heidi Fisher joins me for episode 325 of Business Live to explain her five-stage LEAN social impact approach. Social enterprises of all sizes use it to understand, demonstrate and improve their social impact.

Heidi runs through the five stages (Define, Plan, Measure, Analyse and Learn), why each is important, how to use them, common pitfalls and how to embed impact management into day-to-day operations.

Well-known for her unflinching honesty, Heidi has run social enterprises for over two decades and worked with or supported thousands of social entrepreneurs. She was awarded the MBE for this work a year ago and is determined for social enterprise to become the default way to do business. Understanding, being realistic about and boosting your social impact is a key element.

Also in this episode: new events, grant and loan funding and an entrepreneurial community.

Timings:

0 - 2:44 introduction
2:44 interview with Heidi Fisher
30:05 new events from the Business and IP Centre Sheffield
32:05 the Digital Entrepreneurial Community, a new networking group in Sheffield
32:50 the Cultural Recovery Fund is now open for applications from eligible businesses, social enterprises and charities – details
34:26 wrapping up

Heidi's new book, Impact First: The social entrepreneur's guide to measuring, managing and growing your impact is out now.

From MVP to growth boom for local shopping tech startup 3Miles

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Do you remember supermarket shelves stripped bare when the UK went into its first national lockdown in 2020? And widespread reports of no home delivery slots?

There are many other places to buy groceries though – but lots of independent shops don't or didn't have their own online shops or delivery services. That's where this week's guest Mazen Musaeed, founder and CEO of 3Miles comes in.

His Sheffield startup helps people running locally-rooted independent grocery businesses bring their products online and offer delivery and collection services to their customers.

Mazen's last appearance on Business Live was in October 2019 as the business soft-launched as a Minimum Viable Product. In the 14 months since then it has rebranded, doubled the size of its team and enabled "hundreds of thousands of pounds" of business for its customers. Mazen describes how.

Also covered in this episode (number 324) of Business Live:

The 7th Annual #MicroBizMatters Day is today, featuring recognition, action and learning for people running micro businesses. There are 10 hours of digitally streamed learning sessions from more than 100 business owners covering all the sectors of the economy hardest hit by the pandemic. The event is organised by Tina Boden and (recent guest on the show) Tony Robinson OBE. They say more than a million freelancers, self-employed people and micro business owners will kick start 2021 by helping each other. Get involved here.
Grants/support through the Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Tech for Good programme and the Social Enterprise Exchange: Small Grants Scheme.
Sheffield has been awarded up to £15.8 million through the Future High Streets Fund.
How to get in touch to put yourself forward as a potential guest.

Building workplace wellbeing, confidence and inclusivity with Mike Lawrence

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:00:00 +0000

"It's important we can still look forward to a great future," says Mike Lawrence, workplace health and wellbeing consultant.

Working from home means many business leaders and employees feel isolated; others experience overwhelm and burnout, or never stop working. He has strategies to protect and support you and your colleagues' health and wellbeing.

Born and raised in a working-class part of Sheffield, Mike now lives in Chesterfield. But as a young man he had to move to London to access employment opportunities: covert racism in Sheffield proved an enormous barrier. Has that changed? Is the city a better place now for a young Person of Colour?

Mike "could talk for a week about some of the challenges I've had to overcome." Alongside his one-to-one practice in Sheffield, he now works with many corporate firms and large organisations, enabling them to address discrimination, bias and barriers to inclusivity. He describes initiatives and action, underway and needed, to create a level playing field for all.

It's been a year of immense stress: the pandemic, losses of family and friends, concerns for people's health, living under restrictions, businesses going under or at risk of it, and horrifying injustices. Mike supports people with depression and experiencing anxiety, so how does he protect himself and what did he do differently this year?

Mike is also frank about a period in his life when his own confidence took a battering and how he addressed this, and describes practical actions you can take to protect and build your own.

Timings:

0 - 2:06 Introduction.
2:06 How to address isolation, prevent burnout, and protect yourself from a festive "tipping point."
11:08 Because of discrimination Mike moved from Sheffield to London to develop his career. He talks about this, the impact of the world witnessing the horrific killing of George Floyd this year, Black Lives Matter, and initiatives and action to create a level playing field for all.
27:29 How Mike looked after his own health and wellbeing during 2020.
30:29 The book "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl has been transformational for many, including Mike: why does he recommend it?
33:50 Mike is a co-author of "Confidence: How to Have it and Keep it," published this year. He describes some of his own experiences.
38:10 How Mike found mentors.
39:30 Realistic advice for business leaders about listening, asking questions and building trust.
44:39 How to find Mike Lawrence Health and Wellbeing online, and the book.
46:05 Some thank-yous.
47:02 Business grants available in the Sheffield City Region.
48:37 Wrapping up.

How to get covered on television news and more ideas for thoughtful presents

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Normally on this show we get to pick the brains of business leaders and social entrepreneurs. Today's episode is a little different: it's a deferred brain-picking, if you like.

I recently joined a live call with Carol Jordan, Head of Planning at ITV News, organised by Broadcast Revolution. Responsible for three daily TV news bulletins, Carol has brilliant and valuable advice about what she's looking for when it comes to non-breaking news stories.

What makes for a great item on the news ? How can you show a producer or planner that you can deliver if you've never been on air before? And how do you pitch a TV news decision-maker effectively? There are loads of tips here you can use.

Also on today's show: more ideas for fantastic gifts from social enterprises and independent businesses; thoughtful presents which also make the world better. Mentions for Regather Sheffield's hampers, Treehouse Board Game Café's shop, The Substantial Meal IPA from Triple Point Brewery, And Other Stories, publishers of innovative contemporary writing.

Plus an opportunity to have your say about new plans to enable people to travel around Sheffield more easily on foot, by bike and public transport.

Timings:

0 - 2:34 Introduction.
2:34 Carol Jordan: what sort of stories is ITV News looking for? How do you grab her attention?
8:36 Carol's pitch bugbears and how to pitch effectively.
(I've distilled Carol's advice from a live Q&A I attended with her, organised by Broadcast Revolution – thanks Josh and team).
14:41 After last week's episode, more ideas for lovely gifts from social enterprises and independent businesses.
21:02 Want to be on this radio show? What we're looking for and how to get in touch.
22:28 Consultation about 'Connecting Sheffield' – how to get involved and have your say about the plans (deadline 7 January 2021)
24:28 Wrapping up.

Cash grants for businesses and gifts which make the world better

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 14:00:00 +0000

In this episode: a round-up of support, funding and grants for businesses and social enterprises; a guide to where to buy wonderful presents which have a positive rather than negative impact in the world.

It was 'Black Friday' when this show was first broadcast on FM radio, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, perhaps followed by 'Cyber Monday.' Certainly a day when many people think about buying presents. There’s increasing understanding that every £1 or penny we spend has an impact which can be good, bad or ugly.

What I mean by that is we have enormous choice when it comes to where we buy things, online and off. We have options. And many people want to buy great quality and thoughtful gifts which also make the world better, not worse. So I've made a few recommendations. Feel free to send your own ideas and if I can, I'll mention them in a future show.

Timings:

0 - 2:25 Introduction
2:25 Gift guide covering clothing, outdoor gear, bags, luxury items, a magazine, coffee, chocolate, other social enterprises, and independent businesses in Sheffield.
11:20 Sheffield to enter Tier 3. Grants and support including lockdown support grants of up to £3,000; Restart and Recovery Fund (opening here on 2 Dec; first come, first served); supply chain support grants for businesses which supply other businesses forced to close.
18:30 Support for social enterprises: The Thriving Communities Fund.
20:55 Wrapping up and a mention for Bookshop.

Building a Green Economy and 3 Books to Change the World

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:00:00 +0000

How do you turn thoughts of a better future into reality? How can we create high-quality jobs, make places work better for people, and truly enable an inclusive and green recovery?

Paul Riley, director and network co-ordinator at Transition Liverpool CIC joined me for today's show, episode #320.

He originally got in touch after I asked social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven business leaders to nominate the books which have had the biggest impact for them.

In this episode, Paul covers three books (two of which I've read and know to be both brilliant and urgently applicable):

Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics (shortlisted for the FT/McKinsey business book of the year; named one of Forbes' best business books)
Rob Hopkins' From What Is to What If (an imaginative tour de force showing how to change societies for the better)
and Matthew Bolton's How to Resist, crammed with effective strategies for changemaking.

Plus we discuss the green economy and yesterday's comments from Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, that achieving net zero carbon emissions in the UK is likely easier than previously thought – and can be done to quickly improve the lives of millions.

Also in this episode: a new business grant scheme in Sheffield; the Reset 2020 Festival of Social Enterprise; and the British Library's Start-Up Day.

Timings:

0 - 3:10 Introduction
3:10 Paul Riley, Transition Liverpool CIC
4:15 Discussing Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
15:07 Discussing From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins
24:17 Discussing How to Resist by Matthew Bolton
30:10 Transition Liverpool CIC, its mission and actions to achieve this including sPark It Liverpool
33:19 What were the barriers to becoming a CIC?
36:00 Reaching net-zero, making lives better: are we doing enough and what should we do? How to create great green jobs
42:30 Forthcoming events including the British Library's Start-Up Day (with a Business & Intellectual Property Centre Sheffield session with Kisha Bradley)
46:46 The Reset Festival in Sheffield City Region and International Social Enterprise Day
48:25 new Business Grant scheme in Sheffield City Region
49:40 Wrapping up and a Happy Birthday to Sheffield Live on FM radio

Stopping Food Waste, Feeding Children with Rene Meijer, Food Works

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Food Works collects, upcycles and shares surplus food, preventing 7-9 tonnes from being wasted every week. CEO Rene Meijer describes how it achieves this – and what this fantastic social enterprise has been doing this half-term to ensure no child in Sheffield should go hungry.

Rene explains how Food Works operates (and has adapted), how it makes ingredients and meals accessible to people and how it earns its income.

I also asked Rene how his interest in food and sustainability has been shaped – and pressed him for leadership and management tips. His are well worth reflecting on.

Also on the show: Rachel Veitch-Straw (no relation!) of Key Fund on a new capital grants programme for social enterprises (and a brief diversion into brass band music!)

Plus I cover the local restrictions business support grant; Sheffield’s Business Response Group and its new Business Recovery Plan; an online shop selling goods from independent traders at The Moor Market and more.

Timings:

0 - 2:28 introduction
2:28 Rene Meijer
24:32 The local restrictions business support grant
27:01 Rachel Veitch-Straw
36:07 Sheffield's Business Recovery Plan; The Moor Market; Printed By Us; wrapping up

This is episode #319 of Business Live – please do leave a rating or review, which helps more people to find it and hear from our fantastic guests.

Sharing stories, addressing stigma and media advice with journalist Minreet Kaur

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Minreet Kaur is a freelance presenter, producer and reporter. She’s worked in radio and television for the BBC, Sky News and multiple other media channels.

Her father Rajinder Singh the "Skipping Sikh" has inspired people all over the world. His work to show people how to stay fit and healthy led to an MBE. Minreet used her journalistic skills and expertise to tell his story and make it go viral.

Minreet has covered sensitive stories such as how divorce has been viewed as a stigma for women in the Sikh community, alcohol abuse and vitiligo with respect and dignity.

But as a result of COVID she’s under-employed. She knows where she wants to be: presenting on The One Show, for example; sharing stories which need to be heard with warmth and compassion. She describes the stories she is most proud of, what she's doing to progress her career, and how journalism in changing in 2020.

Minreet also has tips about how to get your message heard. She is frank about the difficulties of establishing a career in journalism, bias, and the need for action on inclusivity, diversity and nurturing talent in the media.

Also in this episode (number 318 of the show): Tier 3 for Sheffield and South Yorkshire; changes to the Job Support Scheme; The CAF Resilience Fund for social enterprises and charitable organisations and more.

Timings:

0 - 42:38 Minreet Kaur interview
44:07 Tier 3 for Sheffield and South Yorkshire
45:06 Reduced employer contributions via The Jobs Support Scheme and other measures – brief details and some reaction
49:04 Details of new grant funding available from the CAF Resilience Fund and loan/grant funding from The Social Investment Business Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund
51:00 Good news for Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens

You can watch Minreet Kaur's showreel here and get in touch with her via twitter or Linkedin.

How community radio has been a pandemic lifeline and exciting plans for more choice

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0100

We're talking about radio in episode 317 of Business Live. There's been a surge in listener numbers for local and community radio stations since the pandemic, and we explore why, with guests Sangita Basudev of Sheffield Live! and Shahid Ali of Link FM.

It was Local Radio Day this week, highlighting the value of local radio to communities and celebrating the unique relationship between local broadcasting and listeners.

Local radio has helped people to reduce isolation, tell their stories, keep in touch with local and relevant news, and hear journalists put people in authority to account. And a new piece of research has found that two thirds of UK adults now appreciate and value journalism more since the global coronavirus pandemic began.

Sangita and Shahid both go into detail about how Sheffield Live! and Link FM are serving their audiences in 2020.

And Sangita reveals an ambitious plan to expand choice for radio listeners tuning to digital radio in Sheffield and Rotherham, through small scale DAB (what's that? Listen to find out). Shefcast Digital, a social enterprise, could bring over 20 new digital radio stations to the airwaves.

Timings:

0 - 3:10 Introduction
3:10 Sangita Basudev, Sheffield Live!
22:31 Shahid Ali, Link FM
36:36 Updates: Social Enterprise UK's Choose Communities and #BuySocial campaign; a CBE for Matt Smith of Sheffield-based social investor Key Fund; Sheffield Hallam named the best university for degree apprenticeship training at a national awards ceremony; a telephone patent clinic from the Business and IP Centre Sheffield.

How to be a stoic Happipreneur with Tony Robinson OBE

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Tony Robinson OBE is my guest for episode 316 of Business Live. Tony has hard won advice for anyone who runs their own business or is thinking about starting one. And he’s someone who has waled the walk and earned the right to give that advice having started and run businesses for over 30 years.

This wide ranging chat also covers bootstrapping rather than borrowing, why small is beautiful and what Tony sees as a natural progression from E.F. Schumacher's views on "economics as if people mattered."

We talk about what makes Tony so angry with business stadium speakers and scammers and why he’s using his new book The Happipreneur - Why #MicroBizMatters? written with Taryn Lee Johnston, to support a not-for-profit campaign group, #ExcludedUK, that acts as an "inclusive alliance for the excluded."

Also in this episode: Applications are open for the Community Business Trade Up Programme, run by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), in partnership with Power to Change. Up to £10,000 grants plus peer support could be available.

And almost £100m has been spent through Social Enterprise UK's "The Buy Social Corporate Challenge" according to new figures. 24 of the UK’s biggest businesses have signed up.

Sales sauce, wellbeing, and how to plan, grow and get stuff done

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 08:00:00 +0100

How do you make sales easy? What's the difference between a prospect and a suspect – and why should you treat each differently?

Steve Knapp is the author of a best-selling sales book and one of the people behind a programme called Plan.Grow.Do, which offers fully funded training here in the Sheffield City Region. He has plenty of tips about effective selling in today's show, and describes the structure and content of the Plan Grow Do programme – perhaps your business could benefit?

Andy Freeman of Space to Breathe was one of 50 business leaders who piloted Plan Grow Do earlier this year. The results for Andy were transformational - he describes how in this episode.

Also on today's show: the Chancellor's Winter Economy Plan statement included a replacement for the furlough scheme, and a number of other measures designed to support businesses and protect jobs. Will they do that? We cover what they are and some reactions.

Plus Danny Kruger's new report, Levelling up our Communities, was published this week. Commissioned by the government, it includes measures which might enable more social enterprises and small businesses to win public sector contracts. Details of those later on.

Plastic-free shop proving local retail can thrive and scale - Kelly Wright, The Refillery

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Here's a super retail success story. 20 months ago Kelly Wright launched The Refillery – now Edinburgh's largest plastic-free and ethical shop.

She left a well-paid corporate job to launch the business. Even before Covid-19 some folk might have had doubts about launching a bricks-and-mortar retail business when many high streets are struggling. It was certainly a 'huge financial risk' for Kelly, she says: 'at times I couldn't breathe...'

But The Refillery has gone from strength to strength, smashing through Kelly's first-year targets, becoming a local community hub as well as a thriving business, winning an award from an international foundation, and adapting through lockdown.

Why did Kelly leave a job she loved and was good at to launch The Refillery? How did she fund its startup costs? How did she adapt during lockdown? What have been the biggest challenges – and what is she most proud of? And what's next for the business? Kelly covers it all in this interview.

Also in this episode: social enterprise in Africa offers 'job creation on steroids' according to new British Council report.

Timings:

0-3 introduction and almost-a-rant from me
3:37 Kelly Wright interview
3:50 What The Refillery in Edinburgh sells
5:06 Kelly's previous career and why she launched the business after working on initiatives to reduce packaging and wanting to make a positive – and radical – change
8:14 Was it frightening to make this leap?
9:00 The key moment which helped Kelly when she nearly gave up her dream and continued in her job – but instead, pushed through to make The Refillery happen
11:05 How The Refillery became a lifeline in recent months
12:00 What Kelly did to adapt and protect customers' and colleagues' health as a result of Covid-19 – and how she launched a click-and-collect service
16:07 How Kelly financed the business using her own savings and support from DSL Business Finance
17:41 The challenge of finding the right premises (and another rant from me!)
20:00 How The Refillery has totally surpassed Kelly's expectations
21:36 In July The Refillery won the Environmental Sustainability category in the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards – how is Kelly using the cash prize?
22:22 Launching 'The Refillery Community' nationwide and how this will scale-up plastic-free retailing
25:00 These are UK-wide plans, including for Sheffield and other cities
28:53 Some great advice Kelly had early on
30:20 Wrapping up Kelly's interview and contact details
31:07 Have your say! Sheffield City Region LEP's strategic economic plan
32:25 'Job creation on steroids' – study finds social enterprise offers opportunity to create jobs and reboot economies (additional reporting from the Thomson Reuters Foundation)
36:32 Wrapping up this episode and how to put yourself forward as a future guest

Cash for Young Entrepreneurs and a Business Book Bonanza

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 21:00:00 +0100

Would you like a slice of £250,000 to start a business which will solve a pressing problem?

Em Scicluna joined me on the show today to tell us about a new scholarship programme for 18-22 year olds, launched by business accelerator TwinklHive.

Em is TwinklHive's Resident Growth Manager at Twinkl Educational Publishing. She outlines what’s the scholarship includes, who can apply and how to do so, and what Twinkl are looking for.

Em also covers some other entrepreneurs supported by TwinklHive before this scheme – and her own background before taking on this role.

Also on the show: a bumper bonanza of business book recommendations with excerpts from interviews with purpose-driven entrepreneurs Johnny Pawlik and Sarah David, each talking about books which made a dramatic, powerful impact on their businesses and their lives.

Why Jane Eyre helps Jane Austin in business

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 22:00:00 +0100

The word went out: tell me about a book which helped you in business. And Jane Austin of Persuasion Communications got in touch with an intriguing choice: not "Persuasion" by her near namesake Jane Austen, but Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.

Jane explains how re-reading Jane Eyre gave comfort through the difficulties of the pandemic – and how great novels like this offer lessons we can all benefit from in terms of communicating with others with more empathy and understanding.

The Brontës and Thomas Hardy are immersive and as relevant as ever, says Jane, and the characters in these books engender many values of great use at the moment: in business, in life.

Timings:

0 - 2:17 introduction,
2:17 Jane Austin,
25:46 Another chance to hear a recent interview with Mihaela Gruia,
46:00 Wrapping up.

Art, Beauty, Books, Music, Meditation and Management with Jean-Michel Ledru, Merci Maman

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:00:00 +0100

"In a world when a lot of things are hard and tough, art is leading the way to beauty and some of the best things that we can achieve in our humanity, I love art." Jean-Michel Ledru.

Much is written and said about effective management. But sometimes actions don't follow words. So it was wonderful to hear from Jean-Michel Ledru, CEO of Merci Maman, a five million-turnover personalised jewellery company.

Ledru's passion for people and mission as a manager and in business to contribute to their happiness and growth is clearly underpinned by actions.

How do you nurture a culture where people are joyful to work and empowered to try new things? A business where "magic" thrives? What does effective management mean in practice? Can it be learned? Ledru gives a thorough insight into his management and leadership philosophy in this interview.

Now 58, he has worked in more than 25 countries in Europe and Africa holding varied CEO roles, running a business selling musical instruments online, then creating the startup incubator in one of the top business schools in Europe. He took up the role at Merci Maman three months ago and I hope you'll enjoy his thoughtful and frank answers in this episode. Here are the timings:

0 - 2:36 Introduction.
2:36 Jean-Michel Ledru's career: 14 years at Burger King, traveling widely; CEO of a food business in South Africa, then CEO of a chain of seafood restaurants in France; launching his own business; then 10 years at EDHEC Business School.
6:30 How Jean-Michel became CEO of Merci Maman and why he was so excited to take up the role.
8:40 Merci Maman and the message on Ledru's own personalised jewelry.
10:40 If you want the customers to feel something magical, you need something magical in the business itself. How Ledru nurtures an environment in which magic can thrive.
12:46 Why "try" is one of Merci Maman's values, and what happens if it doesn't work.
13:30 The impact of "Analysing Performance Problems" – a management book by Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe published in 1991.
14:40 "As a manager, when people don't succeed you fail."
16:20 Jean-Michel also recommends "The Mind Illuminated" by John Yates, covering meditation (which he has practiced for 25 years) and neuroscience.
18:30 We are all different, and need to find our own paths to health and well-being: whatever makes us happy and joyful, says Jean-Michel, who runs because he likes it.
22:15 Painting, art, and all forms of creation.
23:07 How and why did Merci Maman's sales grow so much recently? Jean-Michel explains.
26:40 Working internationally: experiences and advice.
30:00 The crucial importance of diversity, listening, and letting people try things.
32:20 Why I think you should read Figuring by Maria Popova.
33:17 How to put yourself forward to be on the show.
34:01 Countdown to Art in the Gardens in Sheffield's Botanical Gardens.
36:26 Wrapping up.

Building an anti-fast-fashion business with Paul Clapham, Uskees

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 19:00:00 +0100

There's a lots of smoke and mirrors in online retail, especially when it comes to suppliers of PPC, SEO and other services necessary to build a successful ecommerce store.

But Paul Clapham knows how to choose the right partners so his business, Uskees, gets the results it needs.

There can be smoke and mirrors around the word 'sustainable' too, especially when it comes to fashion. The industry is notorious for the detrimental environmental and human impacts of fast fashion. Now, brands and labels are desperate to append the term 'sustainable' to their business, often with no clear explanation of what that means.

In this episode, Paul covers:

what he means by 'fast fashion' and how Uskees stands against this
why Uskees moved from selling other firms' clothes to launching their own clothing range
the principles of sustainability in Uskees' clothing, including materials, packaging, avoiding plastics, repair kits and more
mistakes he's made when working with SEO and PPC partners – and how he now chooses and works with people to get results and share the rewards
why he chose Shopify as the platform for online sales
the life and business-changing impacts of two books he recommends, 'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker and 'Factfulness' by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund

Also in this episode: Sheffield well-being startup, Champion Health, launched by young social entrepreneur Harry Bliss, has expanded with support and investment from education publisher Twinkl.

Make your business more inclusive with Arit Eminue PLUS supercharge your sales with Paul Durrant

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0100

The media has become notorious for its barriers to social mobility. It’s easy for a young person to gain work experience and secure paid internships if they have a parent with connections; it can be impossible for people without access to a network to gain experience.

Think that's not a problem? Even if you don't care about inequality of opportunity then the numbers should convince you: businesses which are more diverse and more inclusive perform better, according to multiple varied pieces of research.

Many businesses want to become more inclusive. What do they need to do? Listen to Arit Eminue. She runs DiVA, a recruitment and training organisation specialising in creative, business, and digital apprenticeships. She’s supported at least 1000 individuals into employment through apprenticeships and paid internships.

In this episode Arit describes how she's helped people into work; what skills are in biggest demand; how businesses can become more inclusive and her five-step framework (LATTE) to support efforts to be anti-racist.

She also covers her own journey from foster care to multi-award winning entrepreneur with clients including media brands such as All3 Media, Sony Music, the BBC, Warner Music, Endemol Shine UK, Warner Bros, the Southbank Centre, Fremantle and UK Music.

Arit also tells me about her (brilliant) YouTube channel, and the book she recommends the most. Listen to find out what it is.

Our second guest in this week's show is sales expert Paul Durrant. He responded to my call for entrepreneurs to name the books which made the most impact on their business. I was looking for practical points which people had read and implemented.

Paul made the leap from employee to business owner six years ago, catalysed by the book he recommends. His sales consultancy business is now thriving. And he's now an author himself.

Paul tells us more about the tools and learning he acquired from his recommended book, and his own book containing practical sales tips. He has a clear, succinct piece of sales advice in this episode too.

Timings:

0 - 1:58 introductions
1:58 - 28:39 Arit Eminue
28:39 - 41:01 Paul Durrant
41:01 get in touch, funding, events and wrapping up

Links mentioned in the show:

Arit's LATTE framework: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-scared-being-called-out-racist-pull-up-chair-have-arit-eminue/ and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwbKi8RaDavlQsvbCy_qE1A
Her business: https://www.divaapprenticeships.com
Find Paul's own book (on Amazon) here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Entrepreneurial-Sales-practical-entrepreneurial-sales-savvy/dp/1916230407/
Paul's business: https://pdtsalesconsultancy.co.uk/
Sheffield City Council's support for Sheffield businesses: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/your-city-council/coronavirus-support-for-business
Business Sheffield's August virtual workshop programme http://www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/business/events

3 Crucial Steps to Outsourcing Effectively and 2 Books which Changed 2 Businesses

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 21:00:00 +0100

It waits for no-one and if lost is never found again. Free yet priceless. We're talking of course about time: many business leaders wish they had more of it.

Victoria Moffatt, the founder of LexRex, knows how to get more time. Her firm specialises in helping lawyers communicate. A former lawyer herself, Victoria read The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss soon after it was published. The book "blew her mind." She describes why in this interview.

Soon after launching LexRex, Victoria needed to outsource. Effective outsourcing is a tenet of The Four Hour Workweek, and Victoria put many of its principles into action. But outsourcing well can be challenging. Many business leaders really struggle with it. Victoria covers the mistakes she made and her three crucial steps to outsourcing effectively.

Also in this episode: Tony Gibbs of Marque is an avid reader of business books. What's his top book recommendation and why? How did he put what he learned from it into action? Listen in to find out.

Some readers get inspired by business books but then move to the next one – and the one after that – without implementing what they learned. Victoria and Tony both love reading, but it's clear they changed their businesses and how they work as a result of the books they discuss in this episode. These books boosted their businesses, perhaps they can boost yours too.

How to avoid the energy sharks with Linda Spencer PLUS business and social enterprise funding

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 19:00:00 +0100

What's complicated and costly for many companies? The energy market. But in today's show, practical advice on how to navigate your energy costs from Linda Spencer of Professional Energy Purchasing Ltd.

Energy companies seem to pass wholesale price rises on to customers immediately. Yet many businesses feel there's a big delay before their supplier passes on any drops in the wholesale price. Linda explains why. Her business helps customers reduce their overall energy usage too. She tells me how.

Alongside these and other energy saving and purchasing tips Linda offers a healthy dose of Yorkshire inspiration. She set up her business in 2013. Seven years later she has several members of staff and the business' growth has been entirely self-funded.

Also on the show:

Book review: A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage
Trials of electric vans for Sheffield businesses
The Social Enterprise Support Fund
The Well Rotherham Y Accelerator Social Connectivity Challenge
Worrying GDP and employment data from the ONS
The Job Retention Bonus scheme and the Kickstart scheme
The Eat Out to Help Out initiative and the VAT cut

Hope you enjoy this episode – if so, please do leave a review or rating! Thanks for listening.

Timings:

0 – 1:47 Introduction
1:47 Interview with Linda Spencer of Professional Energy Purchasing
31:48 Electric vans for Sheffield
34:24 Business and social enterprise funding and support (Social Enterprise Support Fund; The Well Rotherham Y Accelerator Social Connectivity Challenge and more)
43:05 Book review of A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage
45:12 Wrapping up

Alpkit: the huge impact of small grants, share offer success and sustainability

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 11:00:00 +0100

An interview with David Hanney, CEO of outdoor equipment manufacturer and retailer Alpkit, plus business and social enterprise funding opportunities and two book recommendations.

David covers Alpkit's Foundation, funded by the business and making small grants with huge impacts; Alpkit's astonishing share offer success this week; the firm's commitment to sustainability and its journey to accreditation as a B Corp.

Alpkit launched in 2004 and designs, sources and sells outdoor equipment, clothing and bikes. Its Alpkit Foundation (a charity with nine trustees, funded by 1% of Alpkit sales) donates small grants to all sorts of projects across four themes: diversity and inclusion, participation, environment and health and wellbeing. "A small amount of money can build a lifelong love of the outdoors," says David.

David describes the phenomenal impact which small grants can make and how to apply to the Foundation. And he has a wonderful story of a key moment which led to formally launching the foundation.

As a business Alpkit is going from strength to strength with record sales over the last 12 weeks, where like-for-like sales were up 50 per cent to £2.3m. What's driven the growth? David explains.

And this week Alpkit launched a share offer on Crowdcube through which customers could become shareholders in Alpkit from just £10. This reached its target of £750,000 in eight minutes and went on to hit its £1.5m cap 44 minutes later.

It brought in nearly 1400 new share owners: customers and members of staff. "We've been completely overwhelmed by the support," says David, "at one point there were five people investing per second...it was like watching Glastonbury tickets sell out." He also has advice for other businesses considering making this kind of public share offer.

Alpkit itself is on the way to accreditation as a B Corporation (a business meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose).

We cover how businesses must take responsibility for driving positive changes, Alpkit's environmental sustainability reporting, and David's ambition for Alpkit to be a world-class B Corp by 2023. There's another lovely story featuring a Blue Peter annual too.

Also in this week's programme: three business funding opportunities; events; an important call for social enterprises; two book recommendations (Women of Steel by Michelle Rawlins and Figuring by Maria Popova) and more.

Timings and links to resources mentioned in the show at https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk

A Library of Musical Instruments, a Super Social Enterprise – Jen O'Brien, Music Broth

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0100

Music Broth is a magnificent social enterprise in Glasgow, making musical instruments accessible to people across Scotland.

Jen O'Brien, its co-founder, tells me how Music Broth's music instrument and equipment library works. Two and a half years ago it started with eight instruments – now there are over 1400 items available, from tin whistles to pianos, amps to drumkits, a clàrsach (harp), a double bass and more.

Jen covers where the instruments have come from; how Music Broth generates income through memberships and other revenue streams; its hardship and access fund; how it has adapted during lockdown and launched a no-contact instrument delivery service; and how and why it all began.

Jen also describes collaborations with Music Beyond All Borders, Zero Waste Scotland and more; why media coverage and exposure has been vitally important to Music Broth; its legal structure and why this was chosen; and some of the inspirational people in the music scene in Glasgow and Scotland.

I was grinning all the way through this interview – it was fantastic to hear about Music Broth's truly life changing impact, enabling so many people to experience the thrill and joy of making music.

Music: enterprise, education, excellence with Yasin El Ashrafi, HQ Recording

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 19:00:00 +0100

Yasin El Ashrafi left school aged 15 and did a series of stopgap jobs before figuring out what he wanted to do.

But when his son was born with a cord around his neck and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Yasin lost his job because he wanted to look after him and attend his medical appointments.

He decided he didn't want to go back to working for someone else – and would build his own business, allowing him to set his own hours – and based on his own passion.

Yasin piloted his first music project, which led on to him attaining a teaching qualification, starting more projects teaching music and enterprise skills, and taking on a professional recording studio.

Now Yasin is the Managing Director of HQ CAN Community Interest Company and the owner of HQ Recording Studio and HQ Familia in Leicester.

Over the last 8 years, Yasin has offered free studio space to unemployed young people to explore their talents. HQ Creative Arts Network supports vulnerable and unemployed adults, using music and spoken word creation, music studio recording, events, and performances to combat mental ill-health, addiction issues and low confidence.

The business, a social enterprise, generates its own income streams through commercial studio hire, mastering and artist development services, and gives participants a way of making an income and a sense of purpose, with their activities often leading to employment. Yasin was named Mentor of the Year by The Prince’s Trust in 2018.

In this episode Yasin covers:

how HQ supports people – and generates income
the impact of being named Mentor of the Year
generating multiple revenue streams
ambitious but realistic advice for people wanting a career in the music industry
how Covid-19 has affected the work he does
his biggest sources of inspiration, advice and support
the commitment to excellence in everything HQ does – and his longterm plans

It's a riveting chat and I hope you enjoy it.

Also in the show, updates about a green business recovery and more.

The power of apprenticeships with Tricia Smith plus representation in the media

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 21:00:00 +0100

Tricia Smith is passionate about the power of apprenticeships, having started her own career journey through a work placement.

Now the CEO of The Source Skills Academy, in this interview she discusses:

her charity's range of courses covering vitally important technical and 'soft' skills
why apprenticeships are crucial
how employers can engage with The Source and the benefits of doing so.

This episode of the programme also includes reflections on equality and representation, diversity and inclusion in business and the media, and a campaign in support of inclusive independent publishers.

Also in the episode: forthcoming events.

Full shownotes and links at https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk

Timings

0 - 1:56 Introduction
1:56 Black Lives Matter. Including in the media and how entrepreneurship is portrayed. I've written more about this here.
6:42 The power of books can create a better world by increasing understanding and respect through reading. Kids growing up can’t be what they don’t see. Details of a crowdfunding campaign for inclusive independent publishers.
7:43 Interview with Tricia Smith, The Source Skills Academy.
30:52 Update and a new guide to the flexible furlough rules from Jay Bhayani.
32:54 Business Sheffield's virtual business workshop programme.
34:49 Twinkl – the Sheffield-based global publisher – is making free books available to families across the region.
35:58 Get in touch!
36:20 Recap of last week's show with a heads-up of fundraising campaigns for The Big Issue North and The Suit Works
39:07 More details of the Inclusive Indies campaign to help diversity-led independent publishers, including Jacaranda Books and Knights Of, to tell more stories.
41:11 Wrapping up.

300th episode - Fay Selvan, Big Life group - supporting Big Issue North vendors and advice for social entrepreneurs

Fri, 29 May 2020 01:00:00 +0100

Fay Selvan is Chief Executive of the Big Life group, which employs around 500 people and turns over £20m, and joins me in this, the 300th episode of the Business Live radio show.

The Big Life Group is in the business of changing lives, creating opportunities for people who have the least. It runs schools, nurseries, children's centres and family support services.

Big Issue North and The Big Issue North Trust are also part of The Big Life Group. The Trust, a registered charity, raises funds to provide a range of support for Big Issue North vendors, including support accessing services, help getting ID, home furnishing packages and projects such as breakfast clubs.

Big Issue North is a ‘business solution to a social problem’ – a limited company employing staff to produce and distribute the weekly magazine (Big Issue North) sold by people who have limited other ways of earning an income in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

Fay describes:

The group's services and how it has adapted in current times to ensure it can still provide support to people
What happened when Big Issue North vendors had to stop selling the magazine because of the lockdown
Getting vendors who want to sell the magazine back up and running in June
Advice for other social entrepreneurs

We also cover Sheffield's Archer Project and The Suit Works.

Powerful tips to make online events and workshops better - Mihaela Gruia and Jill White

Thu, 21 May 2020 18:00:00 +0100

If you run online workshops, meetings or events this episode is a must-listen: it's crammed with practical tips to ensure your events are interactive and effective from two brilliant guests.

Mihaela Gruia is founder and chief executive of Research Retold. Her business works with researchers to help them communicate their findings in effective ways.

One of Research Retold's activities is to run workshops with Universities. Mihaela has found the experience of moving her workshops online to be positive – mainly because she did a lot of planning to ensure they continued to be highly interactive.

You can use the native functions of the technology platforms to facilitate this. Her tips cover what to do before, during and after your online workshop with lots of ideas which will really boost a workshop's effectiveness and the engagement of participants.

Jill White is an entrepreneur and business champion, well known by hundreds in the Sheffield City Region. Lately, Jill has been running a number of online events helping business leaders to stay connected, to collaborate and to identify new opportunities. There's been real impact as a result.

Again Jill has plenty of ideas about how to make online get-togethers effective. And she describes how her business, Andy Hanselman Consulting, is pivoting and helping other businesses to identify new opportunities too (plus flags up some excellent and highly subsidised online training).

Listeners are also welcome to participate in Jill's forthcoming groups, including 3DConnect, the female entrepreneurs and directors group, and the next unLTD Business Magazine online event.

In this episode I also run through some new sources of funding and support for businesses and social enterprises.

Links in the show-notes at https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/category/interviews

How to prepare for a radio interview and why it can propel your business [radio and podcast interview tips 1]

Wed, 20 May 2020 12:00:00 +0100

Why give radio or podcast interviews about your business? And how can you prepare most effectively so you will give a fantastic interview?

Many hugely accomplished business leaders and social entrepreneurs are nervous about doing radio interviews.

But there are five powerful reasons why giving a radio interview can help propel you closer to your business goals, which we cover in this programme.

And I run through the essentials about how to prepare for radio (or podcast) interviews.

Follow these tips and you'll be more confident when you are interviewed, whether live in a studio, over the phone or pre-recorded. You'll sound friendly, authoritative and approachable. And you'll be able to make clear, interesting and memorable points.

In this episode:

0 - introduction
2:30 two business leaders on the benefits of giving radio interviews
5:55 why radio presenters don't (usually) want you to be uncomfortable
7:15 five compelling reasons to seek the opportunity to give radio interviews
11:01 how to put yourself forward to be a guest on my radio show
12:24 essential preparation: practical tips on what you must think about before you give any interview – and how to practice to make your interview a huge success.
19:30 dealing with umms, ahhhs and other verbal tics
22:25 coping with nervousness and anxiety
24:40 do you need notes or a script?
25:28 how to make any statistics and data you mention memorable and relatable
31:45 what to do to promote your radio or podcast appearance in advance
34:02 wrapping up and a tale of a BBC radio interview I gave with an angry cat attached to my leg

This is the first in a series of episodes about how to give fantastic radio and podcast interviews. Subscribe to the podcast to ensure you don't miss the next one.

Slash your overheads and generate funding - Wendy Ward

Fri, 08 May 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Don't try to help everyone – it's absolutely exhausting. When Wendy Ward came to this conclusion it gave her business, Let's Save Consultancy Services an instant boost.

Wendy specialises in saving money for charities, third sector organisations and social enterprises by slashing utilities costs, phone bills and other fees. She helps them raise money too, through grant and funding applications.

Many sharks swim in the same sea as charities, especially in the telecoms and utilities industries, she says. Wendy explains common ways organisations end up overpaying and how you can reduce your 'phone and utility bills.

She covers how she's tightened up the focus of her business and why this is so important; and her work writing effective bids too.

Wendy launched her business when her career in recruitment, with a FTSE100 firm, was foreshortened by a long-term health condition. She was even told she'd "never work again." Not an appealing prospect, so she decided she would work for herself.

Wendy is frank about the challenges of running a business while living with a health condition and the dramatic difference in skills required when you move from working for a corporate firm to being your own boss.

It's an episode to inspire with a sizeable dollop of practical advice you can use to save money or generate income. As ever, I hope you'll enjoy it and do get in touch.

Bleeding edge tech, machine learning, and taking manufacturing geniuses digital - Jamie Hinton

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 19:00:00 +0100

We often describe this as the show for 'curious entrepreneurs' a description which fits today's guest perfectly.

Jamie Hinton is CEO and co-founder of Razor, which works with businesses from start-ups to FTSE100 firms. He's also a former young musician of the year finalist, a mountain biker and an incomparable enthusiast for the brilliant manufacturing geniuses of Sheffield.

Razor - named because it works at 'the cutting edge, the bleeding edge' of new technology - is enabling more efficient manufacturing thanks to digital technology, as Jamie describes.

He tells us about an exciting project connecting digital and manufacturing industries, and lots about how Razor's work reduces risk, boosts businesses and more.

This episode also covers:

Business lessons from learning an instrument and purposeful practice
How machine learning will affect us all and why Jamie is optimistic about it
Jamie's mindset and how his parents fostered this
Building a business culture without egos and open to learning from failures
Razor's culture and how the firm adapted before the lockdown - including its recruitment processes
Jamie's 67-book year: what was his favourite and why?

it's a brilliant ride - enjoy this episode of Business Live.

Oscar winners to read stories by Yorkshire children - Deborah Bullivant, Grimm and Co

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 01:00:00 +0100

Remember those stories you wrote as a child? Imagine the feeling if something you wrote was read or performed by an Oscar-winning film star. Or a famous author or familiar face from television.

Grimm and Co is a writing charity for children and young people. It champions the writer in everyone. It's richly imaginative and a joyful hub for creative adventures. An 'apothecary to the magical.'

Founding CEO Deborah Bullivant joined me for a radio interview today to unveil details of its virtual gala - an extravaganza of stories, poems, and songs - in May.

Academy Award winning actors Gary Oldman and Olivia Colman, and other 'leading lights from across the arts' including Joanne Harris and Mark Gatiss will perform some of the incredible work produced by young people who have taken part in the charity’s free writing workshops.

Deborah and her team of staff and volunteers are inspirational, and I don't say so lightly.

The work they do with children and young people 'changes lives, one story at a time.'

In this episode Deborah covers:

Who else is involved in Grimm and Co's Here Not There gala which will showcase stories, poems and songs created by children and young people from across Yorkshire,
How Grimm & Co is continuing to give folk magical and creative adventures even amidst the challenges we face now,
Its strategies for resilience and its future plans for expansion into a magical new centre in the heart of Rotherham,
Some book recommendations.

I loved hearing from Deborah and I hope this interview warms your heart as much as it did mine.

How the Virtual Ticket Bank is reducing isolation plus face-masks for the NHS with Blatchford

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 19:00:00 +0100

In today’s show: a social enterprise which has totally overhauled its service, to improve people's mental wellbeing by allowing them access to online events and resources.

Plus an interview with Sheffield prosthetics manufacturer, Blatchford, which has converted its facilities to make face masks to help protect frontline NHS staff.

Serial social entrepreneur Steve Rimmer has been a regular guest on the programme, talking about the Abbeydale Picture House and initiatives such as Ticket Bank and Tickets for Good.

A social enterprise and certified B-Corporation, Tickets for Good has been working with hundreds of charities and an extensive range of music and theatre venue partners through its ticket bank service to 'transform empty seats into life-changing experiences.'

Now Steve and his colleagues at Tickets for Good have created a new 'Virtual Ticket Bank' service. Now more than ever, marginalised people in society are at real risk of isolation and depression. The Virtual Ticket Bank will help improve people's mental wellbeing by allowing them access to online events and resources.

Plus an interview with Blatchford, a Sheffield manufacturer of orthotic and prosthetic devices. The firm has converted its facilities to make face masks to help protect frontline NHS staff. The company are using their highly skilled technicians, supply chain and facilities to assist the Covid-19 response. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke with Blatchford operations manager, Nigel Birkett.

How 3 Businesses have Adapted and Innovated: Jiraffe, Twinkl and CC33

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:00:00 +0100

It's a triple-filled radio show sandwich today featuring three different businesses – all doing great things.

Holly Jenkins of Jiraffe is first up. Jiraffe provides postural care equipment and support to children and adults with special needs.

"The need of the children that we support is not going to go away because of the coronavirus," she says – so Jiraffe has launched two special initiatives to ensure some of the most vulnerable children and adults in society still have access to vital seating, standing, sleeping, and mobility support equipment.

Lots too in the chat with Holly about building a positive company culture and effective communication (Holly gives specific points about how Jiraffe does this).

Tim Elgar, Head of Culture and Leadership at Twinkl is next up. Twinkl is well known in Sheffield and worldwide. It offers hundreds of thousands of learning resources to people who teach. Now the firm has made these resources free to access – and it's also partnered with the S6 foodbank to distribute 500 copies of a beautiful, printed book for children. Tim tells us more.

Finally Paul Fletcher of call centre business CC33. His firm employs around 350 people across three sites. It moved rapidly to remote working, setting its people up to work from home. A gigantic logistical task.

Paul tells me how CC33 did this, and describes some positive consequences for its people and for the firm.

Timings: 0 - 2:20 introduction
2:20 Holly Jenkins, Jiraffe
29:43 Tim Elgar, Twinkl
36:29 Paul Fletcher, CC33

Using data to describe impact and tell stories

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 20:00:00 +0100

Not one but two guests in this latest Business Live radio show.

Tom French supports people to use data and evaluation better. He covers some examples of his work and how it helps to inform decisions, and has advice on what to think about when you're collecting or analysing data.

Tom is also part of Sheffield Data for Good and tells me about a recent collective effort with powerful results.

Also on the show: Daniel Stanbra of the Source Skills Academy. Would you like to boost your skills or help isolated staff boost theirs?

The Source, a registered charity, has made a variety of free-to-access training courses available online and through posted learning packs. Daniel tells me what they are and how his organisation acted rapidly to support Sheffield City Region businesses.

Resilience with Helen Williams, business and social enterprise support and a corker of a book review

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 09:00:00 +0000

A comprehensive run-through of support available to businesses, social enterprises and the self-employed. Plus a great interview with Helen Williams and a super book review.

“There is a huge spirit, particularly in Sheffield at this time. That will remain, particularly if we stick together,” says Helen Williams, a coach who helps business leaders with their mindset. In today’s challenging and terrifying times, how is she helping folk cope with anxiety and uncertainty? You can’t control what’s uncontrollable, but Helen has practical tips to apply right away.

Also on the show: a big run through of many support packages and grants now available for businesses, social enterprises and self-employed people, both from government and elsewhere. Some you will have heard about, others you probably haven't, so don't miss this.

Plus we cover several community initiatives and some specific things to support (if you are able to).

And I review a recently-published autobiography of Drayton Bird, who, it's been said, knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world. At 83 he has “lived long enough to make some ghastly mistakes.” What do I think of his autobiography? Listen to find out.

How to use online platforms to teach music and livestream performances - David Taylor

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Music teachers can use online platforms such as Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts and Skype to deliver lessons, and this episode includes practical advice about how to do it. It's a must-listen for self-employed teachers and it also covers livestreaming performances and building online businesses.

Today's guest is David Taylor, a former jobbing cellist who works with globally-known orchestras and arts organisations - and with individuals. David founded Yorkshire Young Sinfonia and is an expert in using digital technology to deliver arts and performance projects. He's been described as an arts innovator and featured in a Forbes magazine 30-under-30 list.

Which online platform should you use to teach? What are the pros and cons of each for giving music lessons? How do you teach effectively through a video-call? David is generous with his advice and tips.

We talk, too, about how to live-stream music performances and events. Again, there's lots of practical knowledge here based on David's experiences, covering platforms and techniques, from simple setups to multi-camera affairs.

The programme also includes ideas about how to generate or supplement your income through online business activities. And we cover increasing access to, and participation in, music.

Listeners will already know that the coronavirus pandemic and the disease (Covid-19) it causes is having a dreadful impact on people's lives and health.

Many people have already been asked to work from home if they can. The measures we need to (and clearly must) put into place to protect people's health, will also put jobs and livelihoods at risk.

It seems likely that music teachers will, whether voluntarily or under direction, cease teaching face-to-face for some time. But this doesn't mean they have to stop teaching altogether. Please listen to this interview with David for essential advice.

Flood risk management, rewilding and water positive developments - the business case, with Professor Ian Rotherham

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Today's guest is Professor Ian Rotherham of Sheffield Hallam University, an expert on a range of environmental issues, including urban wildlife, extreme weather, flooding and climate change.

Recent floods had an enormous human and economic impact. I met Ian at a recent "Flood Risk Management" conference, which examined integrated and natural flood management approaches and caught up with him afterwards for this short but fascinating chat.

Ian covers how his own interest in flooding and rewilding came about and how the "rules of engagement" with nature have changed.

He describes how flooding and droughts are two sides of the same coin and our actions have consequences. He offers some steps which businesses can take to support flood resilience and makes the business case for natural flood management as part of a sensible approach to flood risk management.

Ian has also long been involved in regional economic development and is an advocate for using environmental measures to trigger economic growth. All new developments must and should be "water positive" he says - and explains why.

Timings:

0 - 3:00 This week's Budget included measures to "bridge" (in the Chancellor's words) instability caused by the Coronavirus epidemic. A quick summary.
3:00 Other Budget measures relevant to businesses and social enterprises.
5:30 Professor Ian Rotherham.
16:18 The Budget: other measures announced this week.
18:50 The Budget: responses from Social Enterprise UK and the Federation for Small Businesses.

More about Ian here https://www.ukeconet.org

Period equality, menstrual health and social change: Emily Wilson and Calum Smith, Irise

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

How can we break the vicious cycle of period poverty and the shaming and stigma which so many people experience around menstruation? What’s the best way to advocate for social change and make a real impact? How do you measure what matters? And what makes an effective leader?

In this episode of Business Live we’re joined by Emily Wilson, Co-founder and CEO of Irise International, and Calum Smith, the charity’s Head of Operations.

Irise is a global leader in menstrual health programming, research, advocacy and policy development, transforming peoples’ lives through period equality. It works in the UK and East Africa and this wide ranging interview covers Irise’s mission to create a world where people can realise their potential unlimited by their periods, through its research, partnerships, advocacy and programmes.

Simple policy changes can have a big and powerful impact, as Emily describes, though there’s much work to do. She covers co-founding Irise in east Africa and how learning of the UK’s “blind-spot” in terms of menstrual health led to Irise working here too (and Emily is now working with the UK Government on their Period Poverty Task Force).

The show also covers leadership, with some powerful insights about what makes an effective leader; plus exclusion and inclusivity, whether through language* or though digital communication tools.

Emily and Calum also discuss Irise’s work setting up and catalysing community owned businesses and micro businesses, and how this has not only had a powerful economic impact, it has changed gender dynamics too. Plus there’s essential advice for anyone wanting to advocate for social change.

Louis Speight: from zero-hours frustration to super social entrepreneurship for record-breaking athlete

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 13:00:00 +0000

When Louis Speight was 15 he announced he wanted to become a wheelchair racer. Born with cerebral palsy and often told “you can’t do things” in his childhood, Louis had experienced bullying and an eating disorder.

"My own parents were sceptical, and rightly so," he says. "To look at me you'd have never said I would make an athlete." But Louis describes how his bloody-mindedness propelled him to become the men's European record holder in one of the most competitive of sports.

Sport made a profound impact in his life. "I am healthy and I can't see how I could have been healthy without the role that sport played," he says.

He understood how sport could help others, too, and after a sports science degree in which he specialised in clinical rehabilitation, started giving sports coaching on a zero-hours contract basis. Which proved frustrating: Louis "paid my dues" but felt undervalued and exploited.

So he and a colleague quit their jobs to launch Omnis Circumvado, a specialist sports coaching company which gives inclusive opportunities to people with complex needs.

The business works with children and young people in SEN (Special Educational Needs) schools and with elderly people in day centres. When launching a social enterprise "the house will set on fire," says Louis: it's not always plain sailing. But that determination along with careful planning paid off and Omnis is now thriving as Louis describes in this episode.

What next? Would growth be good? Is expansion the right thing to do? How did Louis put those fires out? And what's the story behind the name of the firm? Listen to this episode of The Business Live radio show with Louis Speight.

0 - 1:00 introduction.
1:00 Louis co-founded Omnis Circumvado CIC after competing as a wheelchair racer in the T33 classification, predominantly as a sprinter.
4:30 Wheelchair racing is highly competitive, great to watch and has its own mystique, for reasons Louis describes.
5:37 The profound difference which sport made in Louis' life.
8:15 Louis started doing some sports coaching on a zero-hours contract basis.
12:45 How a pilot project planted the seed for Louis and colleague Richard to launch their social enterprise.
19:45 The story behind the name Omnis Circumvado.
22:00 Some of the activities Louis gets participants involved in.
25:03 "I have never been so insulted," says Louis, describing one funder's response to the social enterprise's name.
27:00 "The house will set on fire. It just will." What does Louis mean?
32:45 The business is at capacity now. What are their future plans? Does this involve growth and would growth be good?
35:30 Succession planning and a fatalistic or realistic viewpoint about accidents.
37:30 Culture, values and a story of how working with Louis helped a profoundly disabled child.
42:45 Recap and Louis' training regime.
45:24 Many PTs and physiotherapists are under-trained, says Louis.
46:30 Branding around the Paralympics about "superheroes" and the idea of inspirational people isn't always helpful, says Louis, and describes why.
48:30 Why Omnis worked with Key Fund, a responsible finance provider, and how this helped the organisation.
50:30 Omnis' services are free at the point of use for children, young people, and adults with the most complex needs in school and community settings. How to get in touch.

The power of responsible journalism with Michelle Rawlins

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 12:00:00 +0000

What springs to mind when you think of the media and journalists?

The profession is dedicated to gathering, assessing, verifying, editing and presenting facts, data, news, information – and stories.

It is, I believe, crucial to a democratic society. Journalists give voices to people and communities excluded from dialogue; hold power to account; expose miscarriages of justice; present information in the public interest. They inform, engage and entertain. Yet many people don't trust them.

Sadly it's easy to find bad and ugly practices in journalism. But most journalists don't enter their profession to exploit or abuse people. Most want to make a positive difference and today's guest, award winning Michelle Rawlins, shows the power of sensitive, responsible journalism.

Michelle is proud her articles help "many who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice." A true-life story specialist, Michelle has 25 years of experience working for national newspapers, magazines and online publications. Her work has also created awareness of issues, led to changes in the law to better protect people and helped to raise thousands to support children needing surgery.

Michelle's empathy and compassion shines through every word she writes. It's loud and clear within this interview, too.

Michelle describes her motivations as a journalist: who she works with and why she does it. She has important advice for social enterprises and charities working with vulnerable people, who want to communicate their impact while protecting the dignity of their clients. And as an advocate for the reporters of tomorrow, Michelle (who also holds a journalism teaching post at The University of Sheffield) gives must-hear advice about how to create a career for the future.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with a fantastic journalist who cares deeply about the people whose stories she helps to tell.

Ethical and sustainable fashion and textiles with Nina and Adam of Kalopsia

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 15:00:00 +0000

In one of the worst-offending industries for landfill and modern slavery, Kalopsia proves you can make products more ethically and minimise environmental impact.

A batch manufacturer of textiles, apparel and accessories, Kalopsia is a social enterprise which started as an artistic collective and morphed into a textile producing community interest company.

It makes exciting products (including for brands you will have heard of), supports the textile industry and the people in it, minimises waste and environmental impact. And it demonstrates all of this is possible as a sustainable (in all ways) business.

Adam Robertson and Nina Falk join me on the programme in an interview I recorded and broadcast for both the Responsible Finance podcast and for Sheffield Live. They cover:

Kalopsia’s journey from running galleries and exhibitions to batch manufacturer
how Kalopsia has learned from other industries to develop highly efficient processes and systems
what batch manufacturing means
making the customer experience on the website as easy as possible
the widespread misinformation about ethics and sustainability in fashion and textiles.

Also in this episode:

1:40 Final day to get involved in Sheffield City Council's big conversation survey
3:25 It's Our City campaign update
4:40 Reshuffle news and Jake Berry quites role as Northern Powerhouse Minister
5:59 Presenteeism is rife and affects productivity according to new survey of business leaders
8:15 Nina Falk and Adam Robertson, Kalopsia
30:15 Would you like £10,000? Apply (if you're eligible) for the Cambridge Social Innovation Award, open now.
33:01 Would you like £20,000? There are seven grants to this value available from NatWest Social and Community Capital.
35:00 Recap of last week's show.
38:30 It's Our City campaign update.
41:02 Percy Bishton, co-owner of Sheffield climbing wall, The Climbing Works, appointed chief routesetter for bouldering at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
42:24 wrapping up.

Mike Garner - deep research and powerful copy to help your ideal client say yes

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Mike Garner escaped a career as a translator when he got sick of translating clients' bad French.

He and his business, Branding with Words, help people put together messages which resonate with their ideal customers. In this interview Mike explains:

• why you shouldn't be trying to sell to everybody
• how to build customer avatars and profiles (and why this means you can serve clients better and build a stronger business)
• the pitfalls of building a profile "so perfect it doesn't exist"
• where to start before you get to psychographics and demographics
• the power of "review mining" and how to do it
• a deep research and intelligence gathering process you can follow to gather insights into your ideal clients' and customers' problems
• how to create resonant messages
• copywriting horror stories
• where to get practical advice you can put to work in your business today, including Mike's free 6 day challenge

Crammed with value and Mike's generous, practical advice, this is a corker of an episode. Listen to it now and before you test any more marketing activity.

Ken Dunn: saving and changing lives with Wonderbags, Trees and Africa's Gift

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Smoke inhalation from cooking causes millions of deaths. Stirring cooking pots for hours and hours, and collecting firewood to cook with steals lives - preventing many people from going to school or achieving their potential.

But a simple invention, created in South Africa, is already changing this. The Wonderbag is an insulated drawstring container weighing about the same as a bag of sugar. Bring a pot of stew to the boil, pop it inside the Wonderbag and it finishes cooking all on its own. This drastically reduces the amount of wood (or kerosene!) needed to cook. Women have launched businesses, creating income in their communities, in the hours they have freed from stirring open pots. Girls can get an education instead of collecting wood.

Wonderbags are made from foam out of aeroplane seats which would otherwise have been burned. They've even been used to cook food while climbing Kilimanjaro, as my guest Ken Dunn explains in this episode.

Ken, a former geography teacher, visited Lesotho twenty years ago. He took a bunch of children from near Barnsley which ultimately catalysed a community development project and the launch of a charity, Africa's Gift.

This isn't about patronage, "saviour" tropes, or telling people what's good for them, as Ken explains in this episode. It's about listening and working together to create positive solutions to problems that do – or will – affect everyone. Other projects are addressing soil erosion and generating community wealth.

Businesses, social enterprises and people working together are making huge contributions to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, says Ken - arguably much more than Governments. This is a fascinating interview which covers Ken's own journey from teacher to founder, community partner, social entrepreneur and wonderbag advocate

From strength to strength for Claire's gym

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Another welcome return visit to the radio studio this morning.

Claire Moore is the founder of Believe and Achieve. Since her last appearance Claire's been featured in the Small Business 100, invited to the House of Lords, and accepted onto the Cambridge Social Innovation Incubator through which she is accessing 12 months of business support, mentoring and training.

Claire describes:

- her own return to fitness after a commute left her tired, unmotivated and unhealthy - and how Claire moved from teacher and civil servant to personal trainer and gym owner.
- the Believe and Achieve philosophy of building confidence, self-esteem and belief, through the combination of education with exercise to build positive mental and physical health.
- dealing with imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur.
- how Claire aims for her clients to gain understanding, knowledge, and new habits which mean they can embed fitness and health into their lives.
- the value Claire gains from her mentor - who's like a personal trainer for her business.
- creating new systems, processes, plans and procedures.
- small but effective habits which have a powerful impact on fitness and wellbeing.
- plans for the future
- how leaders can find the space to keep fit and healthy
- some of the most impactful books and sources of inspiration for Claire.

It's great to interview a return-visitor to the programme whose business is going from strength to strength (and I'm sorry for wearing that pun out).

Sneaky learning opportunities with stratospheric social entrepreneur, Kisha Bradley

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 12:00:00 +0000

A generous dollop of inspiration and practical tips in today's Business Live radio show.

Kisha Bradley was last on the programme in February 2018. So much has changed since then for her and for Bright Box Makerspace.

Bright Box creates "sneaky learning opportunities" for everyone.

Working in museums, libraries, schools, and with organisations such as Guides, Cubs, Scouts and many others, it creates playful spaces for people to explore technology, engineering and arts with the help of role models.

Since 2018 Bright Box has scaled up, moved into dedicated premises (Exchange Street, Castlegate), and taken on its first and further employees.

Kisha describes what's changed, and how, successes, biggest challenges - and how she's progressed as a leader too.

A recent, high profile national award has recognised Kisha's work, and she describes how this has unlocked opportunities and opened doors – including to The Cabinet Office

And we cover Girls with Drills - a twitter hashtag, a mission statement, and a range of clothing in which every purchase helps to make a pop-up Bright Box Makerspace happen.

Enjoy this episode which also addresses:

• a crucial piece of advice for founders of startups
• lessons learned about delegation, hiring and managing people
• doing what's right and in tune with your values even when its difficult
• you "can't be what you don't see" - the importance of visibility
• confidence, "presentation paralysis", perfectionism and imposter syndrome
• the impact of winning the "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" Award in the Precious Awards
• advice for startups and for businesses scaling up
• a quick guest appearance at the end of the show from Sheffield Live's Paul Gregory

Hedge-fund honcho and sustainable kitchen magnate prove businesses can make world better

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Two leaders of values-driven businesses joined me in the radio studio on Friday 13th December:

Gareth Roberts of Regather, a cooperative launched in 2010 whose work building a more sustainable food system for Sheffield is creating numerous positive environmental, social and economic impacts. Regather has also started a hedge fund – with a difference.

And Rob Cole's firm Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens designs and makes beautiful, bespoke kitchens with sustainability and ethics at their core.

The episode demonstrates (again!) how businesses can make the world better, can be ethical and sustainable, with environmental and social responsibility at their core.

It includes reflections on dramatic changes: to conventional business and to social enterprises – and why businesses which don't adapt will be bankrupt or simply won't exist.

And both Gareth and Rob have some extremely important advice, plus lessons learned in Regather's decade and SSK's 12 years of operation.

Timings:

0-1 introduction.
1:15 Regather's trading activities include a fruit and vegetable delivery box scheme with over 300 customers; has taken on a 14 acre site for a market garden and farm; puts on events and operates a venue with a programme of live events, a microbrewery and commercial kitchen.
2:15 What is the Sheffield Hedge Fund?
3:20 Why Rob started Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens 12 years ago, and why he and others have launched the Sheffield Sustainability Network.
5:00 Last week Regather won the Sheffield Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. And last year, Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens won this award. Gareth's delighted to have won and will maximise the opportunities from this, as he describes, and (10:18) Rob tells us about the impact of winning last year.
12:15 Rob's ethos about sustainable business and community wealth creation.
13:55 The social enterprise 'sector' is changing and conventional business is changing. How so? What still needs to happen?
16:40 Why businesses which don't adapt will be bankrupt or simply won't exist.
17:30 Confronting an elephant in the room if asserting that public opinion is changing. And what can we learn from the election result?
21:10 Paul Polman (CEO, Unilever) has described the vacuum of political leadership on environment. Businesses and social enterprises are stepping in to address challenges which politicians aren't, can't or won't.
25:00 "Multi-value" businesses effecting change.
27:30 Cambridge Social Ventures' Cambridge Social Innovation Award was featured on the radio show earlier in 2019. Regather is one of four inaugural winners. What impact has this had?
33:00 How the Sheffield Sustainability Network will support businesses to reduce their carbon footprints and improve sustainability.
40:04 Recap and Gareth's pies for Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust.
42:45 Rob's firm is now 15-strong, with significant growth plans over the next year too. Social investment could unlock this for the 12-year-old firm, which has also moved beyond kitchens to bathrooms, bedrooms and home offices.
44:20 Advice for folk wanting to work in, launch or run businesses, social enterprises and cooperatives with a purpose - generating income, mitigating risks, and learning from your mistakes.
51:00 Getting in touch with Rob and Gareth.

Great habits, great results: Carl Konadu, 2-3 Degrees

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Carl Konadu is the Co-founder and CEO of 2-3 Degrees, a personal development training company (and social enterprise) whose aim is to equip young people with practical skills for life beyond the classroom.

In Carl's second year of University, he and 2-3 Degrees co-founder Azzees Minott "began to realise that we did not have the soft skills needed to forge successful lives." But small positive actions "can be what helps you improve."

2-3 Degrees works with schools, colleges and Universities to support young people to make positive decisions through talks and workshops.

Carl told me about their work and impact in this episode of the Business Live radio show, broadcast on Sheffield Live 93.2FM on Friday 6 December and available as a podcast here.

He covers how 2-3 Degrees launched, where it works, how it supports young people, and the most important sources of support which got Carl and Azzees grounded in the "basics of business planning" - the Hatch Incubator programme, the School for Social Entrepreneurs, and the Young Foundation.

He takes my question about whether the personal development and motivation-building 'industry' just makes people feel a temporary high. Carl describes how 2-3 Degrees seeks to ensure its participants put the new skills (hard and soft) they learn into practice to effect change and development.

And he's open about 2-3 Degrees' impact, its biggest challenges faced so far, and has tips in terms of finding and working with a co-founder with complementary skills.

Cinematic Video Storytelling for Sales: Joseph Palmer and Dan Bale, Open House

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 18:00:00 +0000

Joseph Palmer and Dan Bale create cinematic and stylish promotional marketing videos and short films and joined me in the radio studio this week to discuss their business, Open House Pictures.

Dan and Joe originally met on a performance course at Sheffield Hallam University and launched the business once they graduated when they realised there was a niche for creative video content production.

Their work has included a "love letter" to the Abbeydale Picture House; a beautifully-shot story for Tramlines, Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, and Ticket Bank; promotional videos for Bhayani Law and The National Videogame Museum and more.

This episode includes:

The gap in the video / film production market Joe and Dan decided to fill
Clients and projects
How the business got started and who they asked for help
The Hallam Enterprise Awards
Advice for people who want to commission a film: what to think about, how to create a brief, how to chose a videographer or production company
The current and uncertain business climate: has this affected business' confidence in investing in marketing
Reasons to create video content
How Joe's and Dan's acting and performance backgrounds have fed into their work
Biggest challenges faced in the first year of business
A hilarious tale of filming in the crowd at Tramlines
Ensuring work/life balance: and the systems they have learned to protect this
Moving into an office at Hallam I-Labs
Ambitions for the year ahead and how they plan to grow the business

Timings

o - 1 introduction
1 - 2:50 updates including the presents with a purpose gift guide from Social Enterprise UK
2:50 Joseph and Dan
43:30 The Federation of Small Businesses comments about political parties' election manifestos
49:40 Events: a brilliant event about the magic of maps at Sheffield Central Library; Nether Edge Farmers' Market; wrapping up

How to become a software developer - Mike Jones, Sheaf Digital

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Mike Jones runs software consultancy Sheaf Digital. His new Sheffield Apprenticeships app looks set to help young people identify good quality apprenticeships. And twenty years ago, Mike made a big career switch, from schoolteacher to software developer.

Mike tells me what Sheaf Digital does, why he launched the Sheffield Apprenticeships app as a "passion project" and how it works for users (and apprenticeship providers).

And he explains his career progression, from teacher, to employee in a large tech firm, to running his own software development business, Sheaf Digital.

This episode is packed with great advice about:

- developing side projects,
- building apps and getting them accepted in the Apple app and Google Play stores,
- learning new skills,
- identifying where you want to be in your career and a pathway to get there,
- gaining appropriate, transferable skills and experience,
- business management and development advice for anyone who runs their own business or is self-employed,
- how to become a software developer without a degree in computer science!

Kresse Wesling: business shouldn't be psychopathic, sustainable luxury and an open-source solar forge

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 11:00:00 +0000

Elvis and Kresse is a remarkable business. Which is wonderful and sad at the same time.

This social enterprise, a certified B-Corp, rescues materials which would otherwise go to landfill, transforms them into beautiful new goods and donates 50% of profits to charity.

Since 2005 it has turned decommissioned and damaged firehouses into a range of luxury accessories: bags, belts, wallets, travel cases. I bought one as a prize for a listener earlier this year.

And its values inform every single business decision. Kresse is outraged that company law usually compels directors to increase shareholder value even when that means damaging the planet. But it doesn't have to be this way, as she explains during the interview.

She also covers:

- How the circular economy is embedded into Elvis and Kresse's business and all its processes and decisions.
- The firm's backwards design process: problem first, material first.
- Its apprenticeship programme and partnership with the Burberry Foundation.
- Why Elvis and Kresse has never taken on growth capital and how this has been "unbelievably liberating."
- A challenging period when a series of things went horribly wrong and she and co-founder Elvis could have abandoned the business - but how, instead, they "doubled down" on creating impact.
- Her "crazy, new and revolutionary" idea: creating local, small-scale solar forges to recycle aluminium. This is a "beautiful, noble" material which continues to end up in landfill in huge volumes. This is an open-source public project with enormous potential. Kresse describes how to get involved.
- As someone who is "relatively uncompromising," has Kresse had to make any pragmatic compromises?

There's more, much more, in this episode which demonstrates that you can make a positive environmental and social impact, running a sustainable business, even in an industry whose pace, processes and material choices are "largely destructive and exploitative." We can and should do better.

Andrea Chatten: emotional and behavioural psychologist and author

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 15:00:00 +0000

"The whole point of emotions is to keep us alive" says Andrea Chatten. And if you try to ignore, for example, feeling worried, your brain has ways to escalate how you feel. Emotions you ignore or don't understand can manifest as series problems such as anxiety.

Andrea is the MD and lead children's emotional and behavioural psychologist at Unravel, and the author of "The Blinks" series of novels supporting children's well-being.

A former teacher, Andrea was particularly interested in helping children who were presenting with emotional and behavioural issues.

She launched Unravel to pioneer a new model of psychology, sitting between educational and clinical psychology, and designed to meet children's needs (rather than expecting children to adapt to a how a service is provided).

When Andrea launched Unravel in 2014 she gained immediate validation from schools that there was a need for the services it provides. It now works in over 30 schools and has a team of 15.

Andrea's work has a profound effect and impact, enabling children to learn strategies to help understand their emotions and become happier.

She has also written The Blinks series of novels for children and young people after realising there is considerably more demand for Unravel's services than Andrea and her team can supply.

Each novel examines an emotion that impacts on wellbeing, for example Worry, which is based around anxiety. Andrea discusses this and other books (addressing, for example, self-esteem, love, and anger) in detail. Many adults find the books enable them to name, claim, understand and address emotions too.

Andrea covers her work and its impact; how the business has developed; her approach to recruitment; time management and more.

Also in the studio: Mark Farnsworth of the Showroom Workstation discusses a forthcoming breakfast networking event for folk in the creative and digital industries.

0 - 37:30 Andrea Chatten part 1.
37:30 - 43:06 Mark Farnsworth and a forthcoming Sheffield business event.
43:06 Andrea Chatten part 2.

How to Podcast Brilliantly with James Marriott

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 15:00:00 +0100

James Marriott drinks beer, watches football and discusses both on his popular podcasts.

He loves listening to other people's podcasts too.

And all this is (part of) how he makes a living.

With two decades' experience in media, including 15 in commercial radio and 4 in newspaper journalism, James now specialises in podcasting and mentors new and existing podcasters along their path to success.

In this episode James gives exceptional advice about what you must think about if you want to launch your own podcast, how to do it, and how to avoid some common mistakes and problems.

He also describes a diverse array of podcasts he loves and has tips to follow if you're being interviewed on a podcast or the radio – or if you're interviewing anyone.

Enjoy the episode: James really knows his onions and cares about making great quality content (and helping other folk do it too).

A horse and cart and a ReadyMart with Mazen Musaeed and Fran Ruiz Partida

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 12:00:00 +0100

Mazen Musaeed and Fran Ruiz Partida of ReadyMart Ltd joined me in the radio studio to discuss their startup, ReadyMart Ltd.

Their business aims to simplify the lives of independent supermarket owners, helping them bring their products online and provide pickup and delivery services to their customers.

With the big four supermarket chains "dominating" the grocery sector, Mazen and Fran say they want to give power back to independent stores.

Their emotive message is "when people buy from a local business, they are not helping a CEO buy a 3rd holiday home, they are helping a little girl get music or language lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, and mums and dads put food on the table."

The platform is already connecting consumers with independent businesses, and Mazen and Fran have some unusual marketing plans which they reveal in the show.

They also discuss why Sheffield is a great place to launch a business – and have solid and hard-won advice about finding business partners and even co-founders.

The show also includes an excerpt from a fascinating interview with social entrepreneur, Dave Linton, whose business Madlug aims to give dignity back to children in care.

Studio Rife, Hallam Enterprise and Social Enterprise UK

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 04:00:00 +0100

Today's radio show: four art and design students from Sheffield Hallam University realised they would be "stronger together" - and created Studio Rife. a collective which won the 2019 Hallam Enterprise Award.

Plus fascinating and powerful new data from Social Enterprise UK, alongside their Buy Social campaign (you can make the world a better place by drinking beer and eating chocolate).

Andrew Bainbridge and Callum Seymour of Studio Rife joined me in the studio with Rob King, Start-Up Advisor, Sheffield Hallam University.

I was one of the judges in last week's Hallam Enterprise Awards which was a tough job - a credit to all ten of the finalists. Rob described the competition and how SHU supports students' and graduates' businesses from startup to growth. And Callum and Andrew explained their business, the work they've already won and how they secured it - and what they will do with the prize money.

Later in the programme Andrew O'Brien, Social Enterprise UK's Director of External Affairs, joined us for a live phone interview.

This week SEUK published "Capitalism in Crisis?: State of Social Enterprise Survey 2019" which is the largest, most credible, most comprehensive and most representative survey of social enterprises in the UK. It's packed with fascinating data, as Andrew describes.

Timings:

0 - 2:54 introduction - including how to make the world better with beer and chocolate,
2:54 Rob King, Sheffield Hallam University,
9:26 Andrew Bainbridge and Callum Seymour, Studio Rife,
28:10 Rob King on the runners-up and best pitch winners in the Hallam Enterprise Awards,
34:35 Andrew O'Brien, Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) - what is the Buy Social For a Better World campaign?
41:20 Andrew covers some of the new data from SEUK's research, "Capitalism in Crisis?: State of Social Enterprise Survey 2019"
47:15 Forthcoming events including Showcase Sheffield on 23rd October, and wrapping up.

How to Write a Brilliant Business Book your Readers will Love with Vicky Fraser

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:00:00 +0100

"Write a book" they say. "It'll boost your business!"

You can't move these days for experts promising you of the untold business bounties which may flow your way if you write a business book.

And, sadly, this means some folk are dashing out books without due care and attention. Or which are well-written, but make them look like an amateur thanks to some common mistakes.

Other aspiring authors, who really want to write a book which gives value to their readers, don't know where to start, get stuck with "blank pages of doom" or can't identify the best angle to cover.

But today's radio show and podcast guest, Vicky Fraser, can help.

Vicky's first book genuinely transformed her business. She's gone on to help many other business owners write and publish books they are proud of.

And in this episode she covers the many benefits of writing a book and has brilliant practical advice to help you get your words on the page and your book written.

Dame Julie Kenny: Saving Wentworth Woodhouse and an Astonishing Career in Business and Public Service

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 13:00:00 +0100

Some people said it just couldn't be done.

Wentworth Woodhouse, one of the UK's finest Georgian stately homes had fallen into such a state of disrepair many folk thought it would be impossible to restore.

But "nothing's impossible" says Julie Kenny. The house, originally built between 1725 and 1750 and once grander than Chatsworth is undergoing a remarkable restoration set to bring it back to its former glory.

It's going to be a catalyst for change for Rotherham and a cherished asset for everyone.

Dame Julie Kenny CBE DL, Chair of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, is one of hundreds of unpaid volunteers whose determination to save one of the most impressive historic buildings in England is making the dream of saving Wentworth Woodhouse a reality.

And Julie's personal story is as remarkable as that of Wentworth Woodhouse as you'll hear in this episode.

In this episode, Julie Kenny covers the work done to date to save Wentworth Woodhouse, her own fascinating career history involving business success and public service. It's a treat!

Timings

0 - 1:50 introduction.
3:36 Julie Kenny, the Dame of Wentworth Woodhouse, explains the state the building was in and how the Trust secured funding to buy the asset (which was really more of a liability) and to start the restoration work.
9:30 The house is a beautiful gem and hundreds of volunteers are getting involved to support repairs. A programme of capital works is already underway.
14:00 The Wentworth Woodhouse Wishlist covers all sorts of things needed to support the house's restoration, from tiny to enormous. Individuals, organisations and businesses can help!
16:40 Julie has described rescuing the house as one of the hardest and most inspiring challenges in her life. And what a life. Julie tells us about leaving Sheffield at the age of 18 with £45 in her purse and vowing never to come back.
19:30 Julie qualified as a lawyer, headed up a local authority's civil litigation department - then "love brought her back" to Sheffield.
20:42 When Julie sold her house - aged 28 - to raise capital for a business idea, she never considered the business would fail. "Perhaps I was naive" she says. Why did she succeed?
22:45 Julie sold Pyronix in 2016; it was turning over around £25m and she'd also been working (as a volunteer) on Wentworth Woodhouse for a couple of years. "The stars aligned."
25:00 Public Service has been central to Julie's life for decades.
26:30 Being a "woman in a man's world" as the first female chair of the British Security Industry Association – and some crucial advice.
30:30 How to secure the support of politicians and get them on your side for community and voluntary projects.
34:00 Julie was one of the commissioners asked by the Government to run Rotherham Council when the Government placed it into intervention. The town had been her home for 30 years, her business was based there, and she never had any doubt about taking up the role.
38:00 "In lots of councils we fail young people...we need to keep our young people safe."
40:30 a recap of some of Julie's other achievements and Julie introduces the track of music she chose for the radio.
44:00 there are numerous exciting events coming up at Wentworth Woodhouse, such as "As the World Tips," a dramatic, environmentally-themed aerial performance spectacular. Julie hopes this will create inspiration and ambition.
47:30 What else is on the Wentworth Woodhouse Wishlist and how can you get involved?

Shareholders' Agreements, Resilience, Influencer Marketing, Social Media and Cyberbullying

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 13:00:00 +0100

What are shareholders' agreements and why do you need one? If you're setting up a business with people you trust, surely you won't fall out?

Sadly, numerous examples prove the need for, and value of, shareholders' agreements as my guest Jo Dawson of Dawson Radford Solicitors explains. She also discussed equivalents to shareholder agreements for organisations with other legal structures. Brilliant and helpful advice here.

Also in the show, brilliant and helpful advice from Harvey Morton, national "Freelancer of the Year" in the IPSE Awards. Harvey covers social media, working with "influencers," dealing with online abuse and bullying, and how freelancers and small business owners can protect themselves from overwhelm and look after their health.

1:54 Jo Dawson set up Dawson Radford Solicitors, providing business law services to sole traders, partners, businesses large and small. She launched the firm three years ago.
2:42 Harvey Marton is a freelance social media manager, who also offers website design and works with influences. He started his business while at school – and last year won IPSE's Freelancer of the Year Award.
4:51 Jo Dawson's firm has grown to 9 people and an office dog in three years. Jo explains why she setup her own firm.
9:20 When you launch a business there are so many different roles you have to play, says Jo - on top of the professional expertise you offer. You need to be good at the work you do – and you need to learn how to run a business.
11:30 Jo appreciates her team's loyalty to one another – and it's something you can't take for granted, "there are so many places where that culture doesn't exist."
12:25 What is a Shareholders' Agreement? Jo explains.
14:20 Potential pitfalls of not having a shareholders' agreement.
18:09 Can you create a Shareholders' Agreement a few years into the lifespan of a business? Is that something people do?
20:35 Examples of what can happen if people fall out without having a shareholders' agreement.
23:01 How much would a simple shareholders' agreement cost?
24:23 Why you shouldn't relay on a template you've download.
27:06 Harvey Morton: Harvey started his business at school as a result of a competition called The Big Challenge. Some teachers encouraged him - and some told him they didn't think he had the confidence to go for it! Now he goes back to school to give talks for students.
30:48 Authenticity on social media: Harvey understands that some people create an illusion they want to present to the world, pretending they are successful when they are not. He encourages young people to be consistent and put the work in.
33:15 What's Harvey's take on social media "influencers" – and how have any influencers helped his clients?
36:00 Influencers must be transparent if they've been paid to endorse products.
37:48 Harvey says influencers and celebrities can be effective at promoting causes and issues such as awareness of mental health.
38:30 Online bullying and harassment – how to cope with abuse.
41:11 Are the platforms taking this seriously enough? An example of when Harvey had to get malicious content removed.
43:22 Which social media platforms are most important for Harvey's clients? And some social media tips and advice from Harvey.
46:11 Back to Jo Dawson. If you're setting up something with a different legal structure than a company limited by shares (such as a company limited by guarantee) is there an equivalent to a shareholders' agreement?
50:01 Harvey's advice about resilience, preventing overwhelm and looking after yourself as a freelancer or small business owner.

How Food Circle Supermarket increased revenue 10x in a year - new podcast

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 13:00:00 +0100

It was a hat-trick for Food Circle Supermarket, with James Barthorpe and Paul Simpson returning to the radio studio for their third interview.

And what incredible progression in the year since Paul and James were last on the show, with turnover increasing by a factor of 10.

If you run an ecommerce business you must listen to this episode, it's crammed with advice you can learn from and use to grow your own revenue.

Food Circle Supermarket sells surplus food and drink online to the public. They buy stock (all within use-buy dates) directly from manufacturers, which customers can buy at up to 50% less than RRP while saving food from being wasted. It specialises in protein bars and cookies, health and sports nutrition snacks – though its product range continues to evolve and develop.

In this new podcast James and Paul describe:

- what the business does and the enormous efforts they've gone to to understand their customers
- as an online ecommerce business, why they choose Shopify rather than an alternative platform for the website
- getting more favourable terms from suppliers
- how they increased revenue - and how, as founders, they've coped with such exponential growth
- what they did with the £5,000 prize they received last year for winning the Hallam Enterprise Award
- making a sustainable business with an average basket spend of £25 - £30.
- launching a business is challenging - were any points when Paul and James considered throwing in the towel?
- the social media platforms which work best for Food Circle Supermarket - and where 95% of their marketing budget goes
- email marketing and what works best for the business
- plugging into the Shopify developer community
- their approach to social media marketing, testing and learning
- the crucial importance of describing your business' unique value proposition concisely and clearly
- getting customers to leave reviews
- numerous other tips and pieces of advice - some hard-won - about growing and running an ecommerce business.

Hope you enjoy this episode (and if you do, please leave a review or rating in Apple Podcasts!)

Will Chew, Mak Tok - From Missing Mum's Cooking to Dragons' Den Delight

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

It's a wonderful story. Malaysian-born Will Chew came to Sheffield to study Music Psychology. He missed his mother's cooking so much he shipped some ingredients to the UK and experimented in his kitchen, creating the tasty chilli paste he grew up with and loved.

Now Will's business, Mak Tok, sells four tasty flavours of delicious pastes to chilli-loving food aficionados directly, online and through supermarkets. And last week Will's unusual musical appearance on BBC's Dragons' Den resulted in a £50,000 investment from newest Dragon Sara Davies.

Will joined me in the radio studio on Friday for the latest Business Live radio show.

He describes the amazing story behind the business and its recipe, the challenges involved in growth and moving to a manufacturer, why working on a market stall proved essential, the lean marketing approaches which worked for Mak Tok, and the opportunities and benefits for the business now he's working with Dragons' Den investor Sara Davies.

Here's the podcast. Timings and shownotes at https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/2019/09/will-chew-mak-tok

Knife for Life with Chef Karim Maoui

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 17:00:00 +0100

Karim Maoui is a highly-acclaimed chef and founder of Knife Life, a community project formed to address rampant knife crime in England. Knife Life aims to inform young people about the positive uses of a knife as a kitchen tool rather than as a weapon.

In this episode Karim explains the objectives of Knife Life and covers:

● 5:38 From a flash of inspiration while driving home, the concept of Knife Life quickly gained the support of local businesses in Sheffield where, like many UK cities, knife crime has become somewhat of an epidemic.
● 6:16 The long-term vision of Knife Life is to offer alternative choices to young people at risk of being introduced to drug dealing and antisocial behavior, and to give them a set of skills which will enable them to have promising careers. Karim hopes they can discover and understand that, no matter their background, they can choose their own path.
● 8:11 Looking back, Karim said he should have worked harder at school and the idea of working in kitchens was the last thing he wanted to do. But when he started training to be a chef he found his calling. Working with many different kitchen brigades over a 24-year career helped him to learn about the value of consistently turning up, doing a job, and going home. Kitchens build a family, he says, and they care for that family no matter their past and present circumstances. His career and professional relationships helped him form a framework for life.
● 9:57 Being in the hospitality industry, Karim can work anywhere in the world. He is excited to help young people see the possibilities once trained.
● 12:12 Monetary incentives from a young age can rapidly trap young people in the world of drug dealing “until it all comes crashing down”. The key is to let them know there are other ways to make money and live their lives, i.e. “These are what knives can do for you in a good way.”
● 15:20 Karim has designed two different professional chefs' knives, one of which won an award. He segues into the connections and opportunities one can come across in the hospitality industry.
● 20:27 Karim has experienced how people can be judgemental and biased. But in the kitchen, everything runs on merit, which gives anyone a sense of self-worth.
● 23:16 Karim and long-term friend and business partner Adrian are building an engaging online presence for Knife Life. This will be imperative for garnering the support and interest of other chefs, businesses, and young people.
● 25:04 Success for Knife Life’s first year would be to get at least one young person onto a new, brighter path—and for them to become independent from the community project. Anything above that is a plus.
● 27:14 The Government's (notorious) response to knife crime was to spend thousands on advertising on take-away chicken boxes. Karim wasn't impressed. Grassroots projects and community-driven initiatives have the biggest potential to make an impact, he says.
● 29:20 Karim's business runs supper clubs. He gives a taste(!) of what you might expect: there’s never a set menu.
● 33:39 Learn more about Knife Life through @ProjectKL on Instagram and Twitter. Karim’s personal Twitter handle is @KMaoui - or contact him through me: jamie@sheffieldlive.org or on Twitter @jamieveitch
● 35:53 Business Live. How to put yourself forward to be on the show.
● 37:43 Local business news: congratulations to Will Chew of Sheffield's Mak Tok, maker of fantastic chilli paste and successful on TV's Dragon's Den. Will is going to be on the show next week.
39:09 The UK Social Enterprise Awards shortlist has been published by Social Enterprise UK. Congratulations to all on the list.
● 41:16 Events: The Future of Artist Development in the region - a free networking event on Thursday 5 September in Sheffield. Sheffield Digital's AGM.
● 43:45 New opportunities for businesses to support local community organisations from Sheffield Business Togethe

Elixirs of Youth, Compostable Packaging and Family Business Without Fighting - Kathryn Danzey

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 14:00:00 +0100

Kathryn Danzey has run Rejuvenated Ltd – a business selling shots of Collagen which the firm describes as "clinically formulated functional beauty drinks to naturally support firm, youthful skin," for 15 years.

Rejuvenated has customers all over the world. It makes its products in the UK, has embarked on a journey to ensure all packaging is compostable and plastic-free, and is a family business in which Kathryn's husband, son and one of her daughters works.

In this episode she covers:

- her career in the beauty, nutrition and health industry and the personal motivation which led her to launch Rejuvenated 15 years ago,
- what the core product is, how it is designed to work, and why people buy it,
- the science behind the product? Is it robust?
- what about the industry as a whole, does it encourage unrealistic aspirations?
- Rejuvenated's journey to ensure all packaging is compostable and plastic free (great advice here for any business whatever your market),
- tips for other folks running family businesses,
- Kathryn's book, "The Youth Plan" and what it contains,
- Is Brexit a concern to this business with customers worldwide?
- Selling internationally online,
- And more! Enjoy the episode.

School Seeks Better Air Quality with Business Boost Plus Crucial Social Investment Advice

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 17:00:00 +0100

Here's the latest episode of the Business Live radio show featuring Tej Dhami, Rowan Hall and Carolynn McConnell.

This show features a new project to improve air quality in a Sheffield school AND provide a "proof-of-concept" to other schools (policymakers too).

Rowan and Carolynn cover greening-up the playground at Hunters Bar Infants School, a research partnership with The University of Sheffield – and how businesses are helping to make the project possible.

And Tej, MD of social impact investment consultancy The Change Coefficient, has crucial advice about social investment and what should you think about if you run a mission-driven organisation and are seeking an investor.

Teaching Coding, Tech Skills Gaps, Getting Investment and Favourite Apps: Ben Atha, The Developer Academy

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 17:00:00 +0100

Ben Atha founded The Developer Academy after realising other routes to getting a role as a developer exclude some people.

In today's radio show Ben covered:

- What do we mean by "coding" and what work is open to coders who have learned CSS, Python, PHP, C# or other languages?
- Why Ben learned to become a developer himself.
- The crucial importance - and demand from the industry - of soft skills.
- Why you don't have to get a computer science degree - or attend a £6000 bootcamp - to land a developer job.
- How The Developer Academy's model, fusing flexible online learning with face-to-face meetings, works around people's existing commitments.
- Ben's observations on diversity and equal opportunities in the tech industry.
- The Sheffield tech scene: is there a skills shortages of coders and data scientists? And which languages are most in demand now?
- What about the future? How will AI affect the tech industry?
- Why Ben's business is located in Kollider, which alongside co-working, office and incubation space, has an investment fund - and has invested in The Developer Academy.
- How to choose an investor and why Ben accepted a £5000 investment in return for a 15% stake in his business.
- The value of a great business advisor who ripped Ben's original business plan apart (but is now an investor in the business).
- The free project management and communication apps Ben finds most valuable to run the business, saving huge amounts of time.

The show is crammed with tech and business insights from Ben - enjoy it!

Ruth Willis is looking for Sheffield's unsung heroes

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 08:00:00 +0100

Ruth Willis is the chief executive of charity, South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF) and joined me in the radio studio for the latest episode of Business Live.

SYCF and BBC Radio Sheffield are working together to look for Sheffield' unsung heroes.
Their new Community Champions Awards celebrate the lives of "outstanding people or teams who go above and beyond to care about their community, or who consistently give up their time to help others – and they are now seeking nominations."

In this episode Ruth also talks about SYCF's priorities and work – and gives her thoughts on effective leadership.

From veteran to entrepreneur and employer plus the business benefits of working with Reservists and Veterans

Sat, 29 Jun 2019 09:00:00 +0100

28-year-old Lee Harris-Hamer is the MD of White Horse Cleaning Services, a business he launched just 3 years ago. It now has 20 full time and 8 part time employees.

Lee served for 8 years in the British Army before a medical discharge.

A driven and successful entrepreneur, Lee says specific support he received when he launched and grew his business proved crucial.

But the entrepreneurial talent of Britain’s military veterans isn’t being fully realised, according to a report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

To mark Armed Forces Day Lee joined me in the radio studio and described his business growth journey - and told me how joining the Federation for Small Businesses saved him the staggering sum of £50,000.

Also on today's programme: Phil Walton, Assistant Regional Employer Engagement Director at the RFCA (Reserve Forces' & Cadets' Association) for Yorkshire and The Humber.

Phil describes the significant benefits to businesses and organisations (such as the health service) of working with Veterans, Reservists, Cadets and Spouses.

Timings:

0 - 5:44 introduction and updates, including a reminder to enter the UK Social Enterprise Awards, an announcement about the Star Small Business Awards, and the Government won't hit its target of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020, and the forthcoming Cliffhanger festival (and British Bouldering Championships
5:44 Saturday 29 June is Armed Forces Day and 26 June was Reserves Day.
6:52 Britain's veterans need better backing to become entrepreneurs, according to a new report, A Force For Business, from the Federation for Small Businesses (FSB).
7:38 Lee Harris-Hamer. Lee talks about leaving the Armed Forces after a medical discharge and launching the business 3 years ago. It already has 28 staff.
Lee was in the 4th Regiment, Royal Artillery. He served 8 years, joining at the age of 17. "If I hadn't been discharged I would still be serving because I loved it," he says - and describes what led to his medical discharge.
10:50 How did Lee set up the company and what sort of support was available to him? Lee describes how the Army Benevolent Fund and X-Forces Enterprise helped.
13:00 The attributes that service leavers have are the attributes of a successful entrepreneur, according to the FSB's Force For Business Report. But self-employment isn't for everyone, says Lee. This is why specific support is so helpful.
16:00 More about X-Forces Enterprise and their support for service leavers, spouses and veterans.
19:31 Phil Walton: What is the RFCA? It used to run the Territorial Army.
20:58 Phil works to establish strong relationships with employers to promote the benefits of employing Reservists, Veterans, Cadets and Spouses.
22:00 There are over 36,000 Reservists in the UK.
22:45 The business benefits of working with Reservists and Veterans, Cadets and Spouses - including accessing relevant training and professional development.
24:30 The Health Service understands employing Reservists brings additional skills into their workplaces and hospitals.
25:30 The region's ERS Gold Award Winners are really going the extra mile, says Phil. And how to contact The RFCA.
27:30 Back to Lee Harris-Hamer.
28:20 Why Lee joined the FSB and how this has benefited his business (including how it saved him £50,000!)
31:15 Lee's business growth plans, and intentions to mentor other entrepreneurs.
33:00 Is Lee worried about Brexit and uncertainty in the economy? How he's building resilience.
34:45 How has Lee's business secured contracts and work? Motivation, discipline, courage and other attributes developed in the Army have proven effective. And the business thing you learn in the Army is problem solving, he says.
36:20 The most effective marketing and client attraction strategies

How to do business in Japan, build a global firm, get Government contracts and run an ethical business - Johnny Pawlik

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 15:00:00 +0100

In today's radio show: Ikigai, culture, ethics and purpose; doing business with Japan and a book recommendation. The programme was broadcast on live radio and the podcast is here.

Johnny Pawlik is global managing director of Mantra Media Ltd, "driven by ethics and guided by knowledge, operating across five continents delivering strategic communications."

He also co-founded Atelier Japan, bringing beautifully crafted and made Japanese products from Kyoto, Japan, to the UK, the rest of Europe and the USA.

0 - 2:55 introduction and updates, including reminders about the Social Enterprise UK Awards and the Sheffield Business Awards.
2:55 Who is Johnny Pawlik and what are Mantra Media's and Atelier Japan's specialities?
6:15 Creating the world's most active and engaged online community on Facebook - in a week - for Invictus Athletes in Australia.
7:08 Who are Invictus Athletes?
9:00 Post Traumatic Stress: It's PTS, not PTSD, says Johnny.
10:15 There are now 40 people in the Mantra team and the business's Sheffield base is Ikigai House, a grade II listed building. Ikigai means "reason for being" and Johnny explains why the philosophy of Ikigai fits with Mantra's values.
13:30 Mantra works with businesses large and small – and with Governments. How has Johnny secured contracts with Governments?
17:00 if you perceive that you're the cleverest person in the room - you're probably in the wrong room (or you're the wrong person!)
18:00 practical advice for anyone who wants to do business with Japan.
20:30 how Johnny and his business partner met, became great friends and began working together.
22:00 A shared philosophy of a "good life" - and is there ever any tension between business and friendship?
24:40 Why Johnny was accused of "communism" and his approach to leadership and employee empowerment, wellbeing and autonomy, including specific ways in which Mantra puts this into practice. There's a shout out here for Dave Kneeshaw.
29:30 if you create an autonomous workplace, what key features does it need?
31:50 Did Johnny always want to visit Japan when growing up? What was the spark for his fascination with the country?
33:30 Culture, community and food.
35:38 music break and how to get in touch.
36:45 What is Atelier Japan? It works with craftspeople and some businesses which have been around for 1000 years.
38:10 Not everything described as "Matcha" in the UK is the same. Johnny describes where the matcha imported by Atelier comes from – and where you can find it in Sheffield.
40:45 Where next for Mantra and Atelier?
43:00 Let's talk books. Why and what do we love?
44:08 a shout for Chloe Watmore and a recommendation: Marshall Goldsmith's "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" - why does Johnny love this book and what has he specifically implemented as a result of reading it?
45:00 "Don't hide from the truth you need to hear" - what was the truth Johnny needed to hear?
47:30 Why Johnny doesn't usually read business books
48:11 Other key takeaways from "What Got You Here Won't Get You There."
50:00 Getting in touch with Johnny.
51:30 Wrapping up.

How to test creative business adventures with Highland Bagpipe teacher, James Carnegie

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0100

James Carnegie is a highland bagpipe teacher, a business consultant - and a thoughtful and fascinating guest in this latest radio show podcast.

Many people in the corporate world yearn to run their own business or pursue a more stimulating and creative career. But the security of being an employee, fears of "failure" and concerns around status and working identity can be enormous barriers.

James, now 50, made an intentional career shift a year ago. It's gone "far better than he expected."

With the "job for life" a diminishing concept, James says we can test creative and micro-enterprise ideas. He tells me how and why he became a highland bagpipe teacher.

And he makes thoughtful observations about building a portfolio career which is creatively fulfilling and makes the financial contribution you need; experimenting with new projects; and whether the work you do defines your identify.

It's a fascinating listen for the curious business leader, founder, social entrepreneur - and anyone considering making a career shift. Timings:

0 - 4:39 introduction and updates, including £2m new Sheffield factory by employee-owned Gripple; outdoor book publisher Vertebrate secures transformative investment; launch of impact investing institute; getting in touch.
4:39 James Carnegie lives in Cambridge with his wife and three young children. How he came to be teaching the bagpipes.
8:50 There's increasing global interest in the bagpipes. James describes where and why.
11:10 James previously had a corporate career - what was he doing?
12:10 Many people are ambivalent about working in large organisations. The security can be good, but it can feel like being on a hamster wheel. James always wanted to fulfill some creative ambitions.
13:25 The opportunity to make a partial shift from the corporate world came for James last year.
15:20 James' biggest fears about making the transition.
17:10 Seeing this as an experiment was especially useful for James - as were the books Working Identity by Herminia Ibarra and two books by Lynda Gratton.
21:02 Taking a step back to look at experiments within the context of your entire life.
22:00 What are the most fulfilling parts of James' work?
23:10 How students start learning to play the bagpipes (and a live performance).
25:45 Encouraging students to practice and what works for James.
29:00 Skills DO transfer between diverse and different parts of the working world.
30:30 Do bagpipe-learners take exams, play in ensembles, play for fun?
32:25 James' bagpipe learning segments, and some frank observations on what's realistic.
36:30 The business consultancy and mentoring work James is enjoying most (and his flexible red lines).
43:00 James has always liked doing and testing new things and seeing what comes from them (but it's not always as easy as it sounds).
45:15 Advice for anyone yearning to move from a corporate role and a lesson learned from a jump James made two decades ago.
47:50 Is James optimistic about the future of music education?
49:15 Can adults return to playing musical instruments?
50:20 Getting in touch with James for bagpipe lessons - or business consultancy, mentoring and career-shifting advice.
52:09 Wrapping up this week's programme.

Enjoyed this episode? Please do leave a review in Apple Podcasts and subscribe for new episodes.

What is Open Banking, how could it support your business and is your data safe?

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 13:00:00 +0100

What is Open Banking? How could it support your business or social enterprise?

Is your data safe?

And is there a danger that Open Banking might facilitate discrimination against people who are already financially vulnerable?

Faith Reynolds is the Open Banking Consumer Representative. She’s part of a steering group responsible for delivering the technology that underpins the Open Banking initiative.

Faith describes how and why you might choose to share your data through Open Banking; how the technology works; controlling who has access to your data; how Open Banking could address late pay,ent issues, and more.

How to be a compassionate leader and why "Fit in or F-off" leads to business failure

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0100

Chris Whitehead, 60, began his career as a design engineer and has worked on multi-billion pound construction projects all over Europe.

Fascinated by the people dimension of business and how to apply neuroscience and psychology to effective, compassionate leadership, Chris says managers today have more of a healthy curiosity about what makes people tick.

Chris' new book offers tools and techniques to adopt an authentic, enabling and effective leadership style, consistent with your values. He joined me in the radio studio for this latest episode of Business Live.

Timings:

0 - introduction and updates: a no-deal warning from the head of the CBI; how to turn £20 into £25 with The Abbeydale Picture House; Changing Faces' event; applications open for the 2019 UK Social Enterprise Awards.
4:23 who is Chris Whitehead and how his career in engineering and construction led to a fascination with leadership and neuroscience.
12:10 in the new generation of managers there's more of a healthy curiosity about what makes people think. Chris gives an example from Attachment Theory.
14:00 "Fit in or F-off" - not any more, says Chris, in a world where capital is cheap and talented people are hard to find, people are the most important factor in a business' success.
15:20 how an understanding of Attachment Theory and using behaviours such as "PACE" which Chris describes can benefit managers.
16:45 "mindfulness" is a word of the day and by slowing down and asking more questions you can improve your performance as a leader at work.
17:40 people are tired of the "Apprentice" mode of management. Successful business is about creating a places where people can thrive.
19:00 Chris' book Compassionate Leadership is split into four parts. A foundational section covers neuroscience and psychology, defence mechanisms, systems thinking and more. In parts two and three, the book explores what this means when it comes to working with individuals and with teams. Part four is about self-care because how you work with people is dependent on how well you look after yourself.
22:48 "A saint Chris once knew" - Reg Davey, who taught Chris to play the euphonium - and the life-enhancing impact of music lessons when Chris grew up in Rotherham.
27:50 it's crazy for schools to downgrade music and the arts, says Chris.
29:05 music break; upcoming events from the Social Enterprise Exchange and Changing Faces.
32:30 back to Chris: trusting the top team, to whom "much is given and much is required." Employees should be able to trust boards; boards should work together effectively as a team and can't afford to be self-indulgent. "The board of Carilion were really filling their own boots," says Chris.
35:00 pivotal questions for boards to ask of themselves.
37:00 why Richer Sounds made the headlines recently.
38:22 Chris is a trustee of the City of Sheffield Rowing Club and has long been "addicted" to rowing - a "fascinating sub-culture," he says.
43:00 why Chris has launched a podcast, what it covers and some of his guests.
46:00 Where to find Chris' book and podcast and how to get in touch.
47:27 A final thought of great relevance to modern business.
48:50 - 50:37 Wrapping up; how to get in touch; event reminders.

Changing Faces and Abbeydale Picture House

Sat, 25 May 2019 14:00:00 +0100

Millions of people in the UK have a visible difference such as a mark, scar or condition that affects their appearance. Sadly many children and young people experience bullying or low confidence, and many adults are discriminated against, as a result of their visible difference.

The Face Equality Day campaign, led by charity Changing Faces, calls for everyone to be treated fairly and equally whatever the appearance of their face or body. Sam Killick and Julie Carr of Changing Faces joined me in the Sheffield Live radio studio yesterday to discuss the charity's work.

Also on the show: Dan Butlin and Kiran Antcliffe with exciting plans for the Abbeydale Picture House, why and how you can get involved and some rewards for people who do.

The programe covers:

Changing Faces has a specialist centre, funded by Children in Need and based in Sheffield, supporting children, young people and their families across the Yorkshire and Humber region.
The charity's services are free to access.
A new report, My Visible Difference, was published this week coinciding with Face Equality Day - we hear some shocking statistics.
Coming soon: a super Changing Faces creative workshop at the wonderful Grimm and Co.
There are particular "pinch points," where children and young people experience negative impacts as a result of a visible difference. The charity has a schools resources pack on its website.
Changing Faces is FCS Associates' Charity of the Year.
How to contact Changing Faces and how you can donate or support their work.
Dan and Kiran work for CADS, which has been managing the Abbeydale Picture House for two years.
It's a 100-year-old, grade II listed building which had fallen into disrepair. But over the past couple of years under CADS' stewardship it's hosted a diverse range of events, film screenings, gigs and music, community events and more - all under temporary event licenses. That means there's a limit to the number of events which can take place.
CADS has levered in grants and other funding to help pay for the building's restoration. Now they are crowdfunding for building work needed get a full premises license.
This would mean they can host events every day.
The crowdfunding campaign is off to a fantastic start, backed by lots of folk excited about the plans. There are fantastic rewards for backers too - we hear about some of them.
Dan and Kiran also cover some of the history of this amazing building.

Timings:

0 - 4:00 introduction and updates, including the Sheffield Food Festival, The Grey to Green Project transforming Castlegate, and my recent day volunteering for Bluebell Wood Hospice,
4:00 get in touch!
4:27 Sam Killick and Julie Carr,
18:24 Dan Butlin and Kiran Antcliffe,
45:40 wrapping up.

How to encourage a mentally healthy workplace with Jodie Hill, Thrive Law

Mon, 20 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Jodie Hill understands the impact mental health has on individuals and businesses.

She’s open and frank about her own experiences: PTSD, anxiety and a breakdown. Last year she launched law firm Thrive Law and a campaign to make Mental Health Risk Assessments mandatory in the workplace.

Jodie joined me for an interview on the latest Business Live radio show, broadcast at the end of Mental Health Awareness Week. It includes advice about how to encourage a mentally healthy workplace as well as how to look after your own wellbeing as a leader.

The programme also covers Community Business Week, Sheffield Digital Festival and Bluebell Wood Hospice.

Timings:

0 Introduction and welcome,
1:22 Community Business Weekend - why community business matters and events including the Sheffield Community Business Weekend Pop-up Showcase,
4:43 Why I’m becoming a grand prix commentator - helping out at the Bluebell Wood Soapbox Derby,
7:07 Mental Health Awareness Week, some facts and figures about mental health, and an introduction to Jodie Hill
10:06 Jodie’s campaign, One Mind, has two key purposes which Jodie describes,
11:40 Responses to the campaign so far (and what you can do to help),
14:35 Jodie launched her law firm, Thrive Law, and the campaign on the 1st March 2018. Thrive Law now has a team of 10. Jodie describes their first year,
16:05 The catalyst behind the One Mind campaign and launching Thrive Law. Jodie is candid about a breakdown she suffered and her own experiences.
17:50 having a rounded perspective gave Jodie the ability to create something unique.
21:25 How can employers encourage a mentally healthy workplace?
23:55 Neurodiversity in the workplace,
28:18 Many large law firms have a demonstrable Gender Pay Gap (according the the figures they’ve published). Many women are setting up their own law firms. More women join the legal profession than men but only 16% of legal firm leaders are women - why?
30:38 Unconscious bias,
32:40 The “double-edged sword” of attention during Mental Health Awareness Week and Neurodiversity Celebration Week: Jodie implores employers to keep talking and acting.
36:00 How employers and business leaders can look after their own wellbeing and mental health.
38:58 Getting in touch with Jodie Hill and Thrive Law.
40:31 How to contact the Business Live show and put yourself forward as a possible guest.
42:11 Events: Community Business weekend, the Sheffield Digital Festival, Blueebll Wood Children’s Hospice’s Soapbox Derby.
46:51 wrapping up.

How salon boss launched skincare range; succession planning and impact measurement tips from award winning "neo-liberal stormtrooper" of social enterprise

Sun, 12 May 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Louisa Ashforth has run a beauty salon for 17 years. She's seen her clients being bombarded by miraculous claims from the beauty industry. Four years ago she became so fed-up of the hype around skincare products, she decided to launch her own range. It's now stocked in the UK and internationally.

Award-winning social enterprise consultant Adrian Ashton has been described as a "thorn in the side" of national organisations, a "neo-liberal stormtrooper" and a "social media whore." Listen to his advice about how to embed values in your start-up so they are locked-in, even if you leave; succession planning; social media and measuring your social impact and value.

0 - 1:24 introductions,
1:24 Louisa Ashforth started in the beauty industry aged 22 and by 24 owned her own salon. 4 years ago she launched her LA Skincare range of products - why?
3:10 how did Louisa get her skincare range stocked across the UK and used by celebrities?
6:10 to whom are Louisa's products marketed to and used by?
7:57 the products are vegan, fair-trade, not tested on animals and paraben free. Why is this important?
10:35 listeners may be used to hearing pseudo-scientific terms and "too good to be true" claims from the beauty industry. How does Louisa demonstrate her products do what she says they do?
13:25 how much did it cost to develop each of the 6 products in the range?
15:00 Louisa's aspirations to help other salon owners,
16:15 how systems and processes have helped Louisa to develop her salon business,
16:50 the biggest challenges in developing the LA Skincare range and how Louisa addressed them,
18:00 social media has been especially effective for Louisa. She describes which channels have generated sales,
19:00 how to get in touch and wrapping up with Louisa,
19:19 introduction to Adrian Ashton,
19:51 Adrian is a "thorn in the side" of national bodies, an award-winning social enterprise consultant, and a LinkedIn addict,
21:05 LinkedIn's new feature, reaction emojis. Is this a positive development?
24:00 "I'm a social media whore," says Adrian. Why does he use it? How does social media work for him? Does he generate work through it?
26:50 Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook: key differences in how they work,
29:40 Pubs: a catalyst for community activity,
30:10 if you're setting up a business or social enterprise when should you start thinking about succession planning?
32:05 what is "founder syndrome" and what are the risks to your business from it?
33:20 thinking through what will happen when you leave the venture you've started - what must you consider?
35:30 power, control, decision-making, and money. What needs to be locked-in? How?
36:35 amending your governing documents to embed values to endure for the long-term.
38:57 creating a "notional sweat-equity" mechanism into a social enterprise - why and how?
40:30 why grants are the riskiest type of funding and what the "clawback clause" is.
42:40 how to measure impact,
43:45 one of the earliest examples of a set of financial accounts,
44:30 we've only been doing social accounting for 150 years or so, and a jamboree has sprung up around it,
46:30 with no agreed global definitions around impact, it's all a bit like Alice in Wonderland,
48:50 start from "why" when it comes to measurement (and so much else),
49:30 Adrian publishes his own social value and impact report. Why does he do it, what does he measure, and what actions does it lead to?
51:30 accountability helps to avoid bad habits; benchmarking is a key element,
53:20 where are the priorities for Adrian to improve?
54:45 Adrian's call to action to Social Enterprise UK,
55:20 getting in touch with Adrian.

Drayton Bird: how to do better marketing and astonishing tales from a full life

Fri, 03 May 2019 13:00:00 +0100

It's been said Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world. His book on the subject has been a bestseller for decades. And he was my guest for a radio interview this morning.

If you want to sell anything to anyone or persuade folk to support your cause listen to the podcast. One nugget alone can usually improve the result of your advertising by 50%.

At 82 years of age Drayton has "lived long enough to make some ghastly mistakes." And he lives a full, rich and fascinating life.

He's also had a profound influence on modern advertising and marketing - especially for those marketers and business owners who value results above anything else.

Drayton has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands and has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. Businesses, political parties, charities have all improved the results of their marketing thanks to Drayton's expertise.

“Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world," according to legendary marketer David Ogilvy, the founder of Ogilvy & Mather.

Listen to or download the podcast here or in iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Full timings are below.

0 - 2:41 welcome and introduction,
2:41 who is Drayton? Family memories, growing up, accidents, stabbings and near-death experiences,
6:30 the Bullworker and Dave Prowse,
7:00 the first woman who tried to kill Drayton,
7:30 why Drayton lived under a false name for seven years (and what he called himself),
8:00 doing literally anything to make money,
8:30 Drayton's friendship with the most famous name in advertising, David Ogilvy,
9:20 Drayton is the author of 4 books including the heaviest tome in direct marketing and a novel,
10:30 the principles of communication don't change even if the media do. Lots of money is being made by crooks,
11:00 Drayton's great achievement relating to the 9 children he's helped to bring up,
12:25 what is direct marketing? Why all direct marketing principles apply to selling anything online,
14:10 study, study, study and the best book ever written about advertising and marketing,
17:54 the most important question in business, never mind in advertising,
18:10 what you MUST do when you're trying to communicate with people,
18:45 how to (usually) improve response to an ad by 50%,
20:10 the greatest sin in advertising and why one of the most famous direct marketing campaigns in the world worked,
22:28 astonishing and illuminating reminiscences of Drayton's mother and how Drayton's parents shaped his life,
27:45 what drives Drayton?
29:00 Drayton's terror of public speaking and what happened when Drayton's business went bust when he was 40 years old?
30:25 how to make a speech people will listen to - especially how to START,
31:15 Drayton's mail-order hairpiece disaster,
34:34 music break - and how to get in touch or to be on the radio show
35:29 how Drayton got involved with selling The Bullworker - and why it made him no money,
37:05 Drayton's most spectacular business failure (and what he said to creditors),
38:50 why Drayton spent seven years living under a false name - and how it was resolved,
39:59 how a Polish count saved Drayton's life,
41:00 The "one that got away," not a brand, but a campaign he wished a client had run,
42:22 how to do better advertising (and why you should),
43:27 Drayton's fitness regime,
44:10 how to write high-performing charity ads and the best piece of copy Drayton has ever written,
45:50 what works in political advertising,
47:15 and why Donald Trump (Drayton isn't a fan) appeals to people,
48:26 how to learn more about Drayton and why you might subscribe to his tips

Neil Ellis, Skateboard England

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 18:00:00 +0100

Over half a million people take part in skateboarding in England. The sport, whose participants are predominantly aged 11-24, is accessible, lively, vibrant and diverse according to Neil Ellis, Head of Digital Engagement at Stakeboard England.

With skateboarding's inclusion for the first time in the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo (it will also feature in the 2024 Olympics) its popularity is bound to increase.

Neil joined me to describe his role at Skateboard England, the national governing body for skateboarding.

His and Skateboard England's priorities include increasing participation in the sport; engaging with individual skaters, skateboarding clubs and skate schools; and making skateboarding accessible for all.

Skateboard England will also support and develop performance "to enable skaters to remain internationally competitive," with the aim of having home bred skaters compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

As a skater of over two decades, this role must be a dream job for Neil - and he brings valuable experience from prior marketing jobs at national charity Kings Foundation and at Ponds Forge, with the latter involving an Olympic link too.

Timings:

0 - 5:13 introduction and updates including launch of the 80,000 sq ft Barclays Eagle Lab at Kollider; new exhibition "Over the Influence" at Sidney + Matilda; getting in touch,
5:13 - 32:21 Neil Ellis,
32:21 - a milestone for Belu Water and WaterAid,
35:45 small businesses struggling to take on apprentices, according to FSB (Federation of Small Businesses),
40:13 - a preview of upcoming guests and wrapping up

Karate and board games: Ruth Haigh, Treehouse Board Game Café and Steve Hegarty, Elite Karate Centres

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Combine board games with karate and what do you get? A solution to silly arguments about Monopoly? Nope.

It's a brand new radio show featuring Ruth Haigh, co-owner of The Treehouse Board Game Café and Steve Hegarty of Elite Karate Centres.

In this episode you'll learn:

why and how Ruth and Steve each made their leaps from employees to running their own businesses,
how Ruth market-tested Treehouse before leaving her job,
the benefits of Karate to children, teenagers, adults - and business leaders,
one critical success factor Ruth says made Treehouse work as a business - and her most useful sources of advice as a startup,
whether Steve has ever "waxed on, waxed off," and painting a Sensei's fence in Okinawa,
an exceptionally important piece of advice if you're looking for business premises
Turning a passion into a business, whether that's martial arts or board games.

The Treehouse Board Game café opened in Sheffield 18 months ago and is a thriving hub where guests can "have fun sitting around a table together." You can choose from a menu of 500 games to play while enjoying delicious food and drink. Ruth left a career in data analysis for the civil service to launch the business with husband Andy.

There's been an explosion in interest in board games in the UK and worldwide. A new generation of exciting, immersive games offers massive variety. Some involve co-operation, others are competitive, some are based on hidden role-play. Some are over in minutes; others take hours to enjoy. Ruth discusses the reasons behind the resurgence in interest and particular games which are perennial favourites - plus future plans for The Treehouse.

Elite Karate Centres (EKC) was founded in 2000 by professional karate instructor Steve Hegarty. EKC teaches the Shukokai style of Karate to over 300 students from the age of 6, with no age limit. It has classes in locations around Sheffield and Rotherham.

Steve originally started karate at the age of 6, returned to it aged 13 - inspired by a film which listeners of a certain age will remember well - and has been studying karate for over 30 years. He has been a member of the Shukokai Kumite Team, with successes at British and National Level. He covers how EKC has grown, especially over the last five years; his own continual development; his interest in other martial arts and how to choose a martial arts instructor, club or dojo for you or your family.

Enjoy this episode! Timings:

0 - 2:48 welcome and introductions,
2:48 - 25:57 Steve Hegarty,
25:57- 52:00 Ruth Haigh,
52:00 - 53:31 wrapping up.

Check out The Treehouse Board Game Café and Elite Karate Centres online. Sheffield Live's website is here and my own website is here. Enjoyed the show? Please leave a review or rating on iTunes or Stitcher.

Media and social media responsibility, balance and trust - Sam Walby and Bird LoveGod

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Read the papers, watch the news, and weep. Clickbait, fake news and climate deniers given equal prominence as scientists. Turn to social media for a cat-fest-respite to find misinformation, election meddling through opaquely funded ads (allegedly), hate-filled videos and online bullying driving vulnerable young people to the brink.

Should we care about the media's responsibility and balance? If we do, then in an age in which argument and polemic have become the norm, what positive steps can we take to support media we can trust?

Today's Business Live radio show features guests Sam Walby and Bird LoveGod.

Sam is a director of Opus Independents, a Sheffield-based social enterprise. Opus has published Now Then (a free arts, culture and politics magazine) for a decade. Sam is also programmer and producer for The Festival of Debate, an annual series of political, social and economic events, film screenings and talks.

Bird has launched EthicalMuch, a new "social network for ethically-minded people." He's also a columnist for The Yorkshire Post and a freelance writer for tech businesses.

It's a wide-ranging conversation about the role of the media and social media.
Timings and show notes:

0 - 5:25 updates and introductions.
5:25 Sam Walby: at this year's Festival of Debate, "we want people to think about what they stand for, rather than what they stand against." Festival of Debate includes an extensive programme with 60+ events.
10:14 when there's lots of negativity in the press and in Parliament it's important to talk: offline and online, and with empathy.
12:20 how Now Then magazine has sustained itself over more than a decade - and the key restriction the magazine has on advertising which is as much a strength as a weakness.
15:00 Bird LoveGod: Ethical Much went live yesterday. What is it? Bird covers the site's membership and content model, and how the site facilitates and rewards "Good Deeds."
16:15 Gamifying good deeds (and whether too many good deeds will break Bird's business).
19:00 why Bird created EthicalMuch and his vision for a social media platform that has a "totally positive impact."
20:55 what is a good deed? Who defines it and how?
22:33 the psychology of behaviour change and encouraging positive behaviour.
29:17 what would Bird say to anyone worried about whether EthicalMuch has a robust business plan and can cope with scale?
31:24 executives of social media firms may be made personally liable for fines for breaches of a new "duty of care" relating to publishing harmful content online. Would that change their behaviour?
36:15 Sam: Opus, Festival of Debate and Now Then have numerous social media followers. Given their willingness to share opinionated content have they experienced abuse online? How do they react to disagreement or even trolling?
39:10 Now Then is voluntarily regulated by Impress, the only independent press regulator in the UK. What does that mean in practice? If Impress were to uphold a complaint against Now Then magazine, what would happen?
42:15 What is the media's responsibility? Is it to inform or to entertain? Is a nuanced media all very boring? If someone wants to listen to or read a polemicist is that simply fine? Should the media facilitate argument?
45:01 How does media "speak truth to power" once it becomes part of that power - and can it?
47:07 Bird's views of his responsibilities as a media founder, "It's a direct reflection of who I am and of what I would like the world to be like."
48:28 Sam on no-platforming. Should someone be given a speaking platform if they have views the organisers disagree with?
50:30 calls to action.
52:45 wrapping up.

Cash for impact, asking great questions and supporting social enterprise scholarship

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

It's a triple-decker radio sandwich today. Guests Tamzin Byrne, Mike Garner and Rory Ridley-Duff serve up a stack of tasty insights (and a recipe to grow your business or social enterprise).

Tamzin is Programme Manager at Cambridge Social Ventures (CSV), part of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. CSV helps social ventures to grow with business coaching, training, workspace.

She covers the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, a new Award of £10,000 + six months of business mentoring for up for up to four business leaders who can show they are creating "impact" - this can be environmental impact or social impact. The prize rewards achievement and ambition in social innovation.

The organisers are looking for exceptional individuals running social enterprises or businesses whose work creates social change, whether that’s in a local community or on a national level.Tamzin gives more details about the prize, who can enter, the judges and the criteria. And she describes some of Cambridge Social Ventures' other work.

Mike is a copywriter and former translator interested in human communication and targeting your ideal client. He's lived in France 20 years, and I only went and forgot to ask him for his wine recommendations. Doh.

Mike has some extremely useful advice on why you should ask more and better questions of your customers, with specific tips you can use right away from this short interview. Lots more great advice about how to look into your customers’ brains on his website too (link below).

And Rory is a Professor in the Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, and a director of Social Enterprise International and the FairShares Association. In June this year he will co-chair the EMES International Research Conference on Social Enterprise.

He gives an insight into what this conference is (the theme this year is "Sustainable development through social enterprise, cooperative and voluntary action") why it's so important - and the new EMES Conference Solidarity Fund to increase the diversity and inclusivity of the research network.

Enjoy this episode! Timings:

0 - 3:47 introduction, updates and almost-a-rant
3:47 Rory Ridley-Duff
15:33 Mike Garner
27:42 Tamzin Byrne
44:45 wrapping up and getting in touch

Mindfulness with Jane Mitchell

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Jane Mitchell is an accredited mindfulness practitioner and teacher and a registered Learning Disability Nurse.

Jane helps people to "deepen their awareness of their own experience," and was my guest on today's radio show to describe her work and how mindfulness can help business leaders and social entrepreneurs.

"Mindfulness is the opposite of autopilot" she says and involves being attentive, present in the current moment, in a non-judgemental way. She describes its benefits in the interview and runs through a simple, short exercise you can do (which I did, in the studio, during the interview).

Timings:

0 - 5:35 Introduction and updates, including a joint letter from the TUC’s general secretary, Frances O’Grady, and the CBI’s Carolyn Fairbairn, warning that the UK faces a "national emergency" and warning of the danger of a no-deal Brexit; Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and The Outdoor Festival; Phlegm's Mausoleum of the Giants; getting in touch.
5:35 Jane Mitchell part 1: Jane's route to becoming a registered mindfulness practitioner.
14:55 What is mindfulness? How does mindfulness help people who are running businesses or social enterprises, or self-employed people, and why has there been an increase in interest in mindfulness?
28:40 Break. News of a fantastic opportunity for social entrepreneurs, leaders of community enterprises, and other businesses and organisations making a demonstrable impact: The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize.
31:29 Jane Mitchell part 2: if listeners are stressed, overwhelmed, on "autopilot," feel pulled from deadline to deadline or have an "inner critic": what techniques can they use to alleviate stress and to find a place of stillness or calm?
36:00 Jane runs through the three-minute breathing exercise, live in the studio with me and with listeners - you can take part too.
39:00 how did the three-minute breathing exercise make me feel?
41:40 how Jane has developed her practice and her programmes - and what her day-to-day week looks like,
44:00 what happens if engaging in mindfulness programmes or practices makes participants more aware of challenging or difficult issues - how do they deal with this? Is this a legitimate concern?
46:53 what does the accreditation in mindfulness mean? If listeners want to find a teacher, what should they look for, and where can they find teachers meeting guidelines for good practice?
48:38 - end how to reach Jane, her events, and wrapping up

Augmented Realiity in Education Technology with Robin Williams, Twinkl (and much more too)

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Lots of people know Twinkl for its downloadable printed resources for schools. With its mandate "we help people to teach" the business is also a pioneer in digital innovation, augmented reality and apps. Twinkl is used by over 4 million people, in over 170 countries.

This week’s radio show guest, Robin Williams is Twinkl’s Head of Digital. Stream or download the podcast below or in iTunes or Stitcher. Robin covered:

Twinkl’s stratospheric growth - when Robin joined the business 6 or 7 months ago it had a team of 370, it now employs around 500 people (many ex-teachers); there are over 500,000 resources available on the website.
Its Augmented Reality (AR) resources - all free to download. These include the world's first multi-player AR educational game, Little Red Coding Club, which also teaches children to code and collaborate; ARchitect, an augmented reality game in which players can build towers, bridges and more in a world in which realistic physics apply; and its range of Twinkl Originals AR-ready books.
Twinkl’s catalogue of 3D Apple Quick Look models.
How other businesses and organisations can make use of Apple Quick Look.
Supporting existing educational curriculum in multiple countries - and helping educators meet students’ future needs.
What the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade (which was presented to Twinkl on 11 March 2019) means for the business.
The importance of “not just chasing audience numbers” but tying everything in with learning objectives.
Using Blender, the free and open source 3D creation suite.
How being Google-enabled helps Twinkl as a worldwide business.
Advice for anyone interested in developing a career in data analytics (and Robin's path to his role).
Data measurement for businesses using low cost and free tools - and how critical it is to not only consider quantitative data, but qualitative too. Robin describes Twinkl’s approach to this.

Enjoy the podcast!

Inside the Megatron with Gilly McArthur, Rhiannon Scutt, Ed Birch and Matt Heason

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Today's Business Live covers International Women's Day: all over the world millions of women, and men, are celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The programme also features new interviews recorded this week during a trip to The Megatron. Part of a network of underground river tunnels and Victorian storm drains beneath Sheffield City Centre, The Megatron is a cavernous structure and an engineering marvel.

It's normally off-limits but I got the chance to visit on Monday, and special "urban caving" trips will be a feature of this year's Sheffield Adventure Film Festival. Matt Heason, festival director, tells us more about the film festival and the wealth of exciting activities and events all around it for the March "Festival of the Outdoors."

This episode features interviews with Gilly McArthur, an open- and cold-water swimmer, extolling the health and wellbeing impacts of being outdoors, in nature, and swimming in cold water. Gilly featured in the new film, Floe State of Mind and has just raised several thousand pounds for Mind, the mental health charity.

Also on the programme: a short interview and a live performance from musician Rhiannon Scutt. Rhiannon can, it's been said, "deliver a line that can break your heart in an instant." She's an outstanding guitar player and songwriter of emotive compositions combining a deftness of touch with vivid evocations of mood, memory and feelings. She writes a great ear-worm too – compelling and captivating!

In this episode we also hear from Ed Birch, director of Salt Street Productions. This young film-making business created the viral hit film of wake-boarding in the Megatron a couple of years ago. Recently they made the Outdoor City promo film showcasing Sheffield's wealth of adventure opportunities, which is helping to attract international visitors to the city.

On the progamme we also cover this year’s International Women’s Day Campaign theme , #BalanceforBetter - how can you help forge a more gender-balanced world? The moral case for equality should be enough alone, but we run through the economic case for gender equality too.

We also feature forthcoming events: The Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and the Festival of the Outdoors of course, plus the Women in Business / Athena Awards do, and the Sheffield Classical Weekend 2019.

Timings:

0 - 5:54 introduction, International Women's Day and some statistics from PwC and McKinsey about the potential economic contribution if we were to close the gender pay gap
5:54 news from Sheffield Soup and Bee Blest, and how to get in touch
6:15 Matt Heason, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival
15:39 Gilly McArthur
20:18 a chance to explore the underground rivers and the Megatron via The Outdoor City Sheffield (their competition closes TODAY)
21:12 Rhiannon Scutt
23:47 Ed Birch
29:11 live performance of "I Swim" from Rhiannon Scutt
33:47 more about International Women's Day and a recap of some recent podcasts
38:37 forthcoming events, including "Get Up to Speed," at MAGNA later in March; The Sheffield Star Digital Awards; the Women in Business / Athena Awards do, and the Sheffield Classical Weekend 2019
46:00 - end (48:00)wrapping up and getting in touch.

Essential business advice for musicians with James Fagan and for personal trainers with Chris Mason

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

James Fagan is a multi-instrumentalist, bouzouki, guitar and mandolin player, singer and doctor.

James and partner in music and life Nancy Kerr have toured internationally as Kerr Fagan, have thousands of fans across the world, and twice been named Best Duo in the BBC Folk Awards.

James has performed with other hugely-acclaimed artists including Eliza Carthy, Spiers & Boden, Bellowhead, Cara Dillon and Martin Simpson.

And he has some of the most important business advice I've ever heard for musicians which you can hear – along with fascinating tales – in this latest episode of the Business Live radio show.

The show also features Chris Mason, owner of CMP Gyms. The fitness industry is a cut-throat, dog-eat-dog world, says Chris, who's seen first-hand the difficulties which many personal trainers face in making a living.

But now Chris, who with his 6-strong team trains 200 people at his 2000 sq foot gym, also mentors other fitness professionals and helps them avoid common business pitfalls in their industry. He too has tips you can learn from.

Fascinating insights from both of today's guests, applicable directly to music and fitness, but way beyond these industries too.

Timings:

0 - 3:17 introduction and forthcoming events including Classical Sheffield, The Outdoor City Sheffield, and more
3:17 - 27:20 Chris Mason
27:20 - 52:17 James Fagan

Economic prosperity with Emily Moncuit, Ethiopia and finding your purpose with Peter Loadman

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Unless you never engage with the news you'll have heard a lot from The CBI (The Confederation of British Industry) lately.

The organisation has been outspoken about the impacts on business of "crippling uncertainty, the stark possibility of a no-deal Brexit, and failed politics," to quote from some of its recent tweets.

So I was curious to invite The CBI's new Associate Regional Director for Yorkshire and The Humber, Emily Moncuit, onto my radio show.

Emily discussed The CBI's purpose: "economic prosperity and helping business create a more prosperous society." The organisation has a diverse membership and Emily explained the nature of this and how it provides a voice for firms at a regional, national and international level to policymakers.

She covers her role and key objectives over the coming year, and we had to discuss the B and the D words – Brexit and Devolution. CBI is calling on Government to rule out the possibility of a "no-deal" Brexit, but what can firms actually do, now, in such uncertain times?

Beyond Brexit uncertainty, Emily covered the biggest and most pressing concerns for Yorkshire firms and what The CBI does to support members. And she spilled the beans on her own background in business and regeneration. You can learn more about The CBI here: http://www.cbi.org.uk

Also in this episode: a return visit for Peter Loadman (last on the show a couple of years back).

Peter's been working extensively in Ethiopia for several years now. I found his description of the nature of his work and the challenges he helps young entrepreneurs to address to be fascinating.

The country elected a new Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed in 2018 and implemented a peace treaty with Eritrea, finally bringing the countries' devastating two-decade conflict to a close. Peter described how the changes have affected ordinary people.

Peter also covered his work with The University of Sheffield Management School's SCA-EMP Toolkit (https://sca-emp.com ), and told me about his book, Live Your Future Today. This is a practical guide using a series of exercises to help readers better understand their purpose, establish their goals and develop strategies and plans to succeed.

How to communicate your research more effectively with Mihaela Gruia

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Mihaela is a data scientist and the founder and MD of Research Retold, an award-winning research communication agency.

Her business helps researchers present their findings to stakeholders and the public in creative ways and make a positive impact in society.

In this episode Mihaela covers:

Why researchers need to communicate their work - and why should they try to do this more effectively. Several salient points here.
Specific, clear guidance and advice about how to communicate complicated research findings – or complicated policy or business messages, more effectively.
Some examples of Universities Research Retold has worked with and the results of these collaborations.
Avoiding the risks of media misrepresentation of academic research by taking control of the narrative.
Positive outcomes from policy briefings which Research Retold has helped to create.
How to plan a great policy brief, including a simple structure to follow.
The biggest challenges that Universities, researchers (and other organisations) have in communicating, based on Mihaela's experiences – and how her business helps people overcome them.
Transferable points about effective communication and dissemination, applicable to a wide variety of business and social enterprise leaders.
Her Guide to Communicating Research Beyond Academia and how to get a copy.
Mihaela's own background studying Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield, gaining work experience in public affairs in Brussels and immersing herself in the effective communication of complex information.
How Mihaela founded Research Retold after a pitch at StartUp Weekend in Sheffield; support on the journey from the New Entrepreneurs Foundation and The University of Sheffield Enterprise, and the key critical success factor behind her business.

Mindful selling with Northern Value Creators and Employment Law with Jay Bhayani

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This episode of the Business Live radio show features Amanda and Simon Cookson of Northern Value Creators and Jay Bhayani of Bhayani HR and Employment Law.

In the podcast you'll learn all about:

Amanda, Simon and their business Northern Value Creators, "canny folk who develop people and grow relationships" – what they do, why and how.
Tips and advice for anyone in a business partnership with their partner in life, too.
What is "mindful selling"?
Advice to help business leaders to feel happier, find their purpose and to develop flourishing teams.
Many leaders understand the value of relationship (rather than transactional) approaches to business, of transparency, of clarity in articulating their purpose and mission. But they can struggle to implement this. Why, and what should they do?
Comments on skills and talent (which are different) in the creative and digital industries.
Key updates in employment legislation from returning guest Jay Bhayani.
New requirements for employers around payslips and contracts.
Developments regarding "worker" status.
Employment tribunals and a forthcoming four-fold increase in the potential award for aggravated damages (from £5000 to £20,000) in the case of unfair dismissal or discrimination when an employer has behaved "particularly badly."
Brexit preparedness and contingency planning around the right-to-work in the UK for your migrant workers.
Two recent whistleblowing cases.

Independent food retail and social enterprise success: Lindsay Lonchar and Claire Dove

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 05:00:00 +0000

Here's a brand new podcast of the Business Live radio show, first broadcast on Sheffield Live FM radio on Friday 1 February, with guests Lindsay Lonchar and Claire Dove.

This episode covers:

Mountain cabins, forest retreats and the food that goes with them: Lindsay Lonchar is co-owner of legendary Sheffield brunch spot, The Cabin, and has recently opened The Wildwood cafe and artisan gift shop, just three doors away.
Lindsay and husband George wanted to re-create the authentic Canadian / North American cabin experience of super hospitality and lakes of maple syrup they had both loved.
The statistics show many high streets and their independent businesses are struggling. But The Cabin is thriving. What are the secrets of their success?
Lindsay's strategies to drive footfall to the businesses and boost word of mouth referrals.
Advice for anyone considering setting up an independent food or retail business.

Claire Dove runs a Liverpool-based social enterprise, Blackburne House. She's also taken on the role as Crown Representative for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sectors. Claire has been involved with social enterprises for around 40 years and was the chair of Social Enterprise UK for ten years.

Claire's role as VCSE Crown Representative and what it means in practice.
The barriers Claire has identified to voluntary, community and social enterprise participation in public service markets.
Claire's advice to the VCSE sector when it comes to securing contracts.
Developments and strengthening the Social Value Act, getting Government to rethink procurement in light of the collapse of Carillion, and giving more power to the Act.

Leaders’ wellbeing and the business of fitness with Claire Moore

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Claire Moore is a former schoolteacher and civil servant who moved from the classroom to the gym. Her business, Believe and Achieve, was named Best Ladies Gym in the UK at the recent National Fitness Awards.

In this latest episode of my Business Live radio show, first broadcast on Sheffield Live FM radio on 25 Jan 2019, Claire describes her journey to fitness, how that led to a part time career in the industry then making the leap to running her thriving business.

Claire also has some brilliant and realistic advice for business leaders who want to look after their health but can’t find the time to do so. If your wellbeing or fitness gets pushed down your priority list because of the demands of your business, you must listen to this – you will be able to implement Claire’s tips.

How to deal with Imposter Syndrome, overcome fears, boost confidence and transform your business

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 18:00:00 +0000

Lisa Walker runs White Apple Thinking, helping professional people to become more motivated and focused, clarify what they want, and improve results in their working and out-of-work lives.

Lisa's been in business for 6 years after a background in HR. Her first 18 months of self-employment involved "staring at a computer waiting for people to find me."

But then everything changed. Lisa realised her confidence was "at rock bottom," did something about it – and found her true calling to "help people to develop and become the best they can be."

She works with professionals such as finance directors, accountants, and other technically-minded folk. Many are outwardly highly successful but their fears, self-beliefs, inner conflicts, lack of confidence or "imposter syndrome" might be leading to self-sabotaging behaviour.

Foodhall and Tickets For Good

Sat, 22 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Foodhall is an award winning community centre, dining room and kitchen in Sheffield city centre with an aim to bring people together.

An accessible public space where people can come along and share, Foodhall, which is open daily, has been running for three years. Anyone who comes along can get involved - everyone interacts with everyone else on an equal basis.

Foodhall is open on Christmas Day for the third year running and Isaac Tendler told me what will be going on.

He also went into detail about Foodhall's community, how and why he became involved, some of the diverse benefits this has given, the variety of activities taking place at Foodhall, how the project secures funding and "doing a lot, with not very much" thanks to donations and a community network.

Also on the show: a return visit from Steve Rimmer, telling us more about developments with Tickets For Good, Ticket Bank and the Gig Buddies Sheffield project.

Tickets For Good now has over 10,000 people on its platform, is growing its team, and pushing forward on its mission to make events more charitable through ticketing. Steve described how this is evolving, its impact, and some significant milestones. 10% of revenues are automatically donated to charities (often more).

In 2018 the team launched a secure-chain-of-custody system for event organisers wanting to donate tickets to people through its Ticket Bank. This free service ensures donated tickets do reach the people they are intended for - rather then being sold off on secondary markets.

Steve also described the Gig Buddies programme, a voluntary network to help people get to gigs. Operational in 10+ locations in the UK it will be coming to Sheffield in 2019 in a partnership.

As a serial social entrepreneur, Steve gets a lot done in a well planned, well considered way – so I had to ask the question of how he finds the energy and gets so much done. He also previewed several exciting plans and partnerships for scaling-up the impact of Tickets for Good in 2019 – you heard it here, first!

0 - 2:38 introduction and updates
2:38 - 22:15 Isaac Tendler
22:15 - 23:50 how to get in touch and be on the show
23:50 - 39:32 Steve Rimmer
39:32 - end wrapping up the show - and the year - and a shout out for some fantastic, impactful organisations to support this festive season

Rob Cole, Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens and Al Daw, Sidney and Matilda

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Here's a sustainable, ethical business, thriving and continuing to grow a decade after launching. It has environmental and social responsibility at its core and its leader shows how businesses can be agents for positive change.

Here also is your invitation to an amazing party in a brand new gallery space in Sheffield where you can enjoy exceptional art with "an alternative take on the season of goodwill" – and a free drink.

Yes, it's another double-header radio show for you. I was joined in the studio on Friday 14 December by Al Daw and Rob Cole for my weekly Business Live programme on Sheffield Live. The podcast is here.

Rob runs Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens which he launched nearly 11 years ago. Now the praise and accolades are unstoppable – two weeks ago SSK was named winner of the Excellence in Corporate, Social and Environmental Responsibility Award at the Sheffield Business Awards.

The company was founded on the basis of environmental and social responsibility, says Rob. Its beautiful kitchens are built from reclaimed and recycled timber and other woods. They are stunning (check out the gallery on their website).

In the interview Rob talks us through how and why he launched the business, its environmental and social impacts, an initial period of growth up to five employees, the recent spurt of growth to 15 staff and the challenges on the way.

"I'm still learning now," he says, "When I started I knew what I was doing about how to fit and design a kitchen – I've learned a lot since then about how to run and lead a business."

Businesses can and must be agents for change and for mitigating our environmental impact, says Rob. Governments are failing to lead or to really encourage the change. "We need a serious push if we are to avert climatic disasters," Rob adds, and so "the business community needs to drive forward positive changes."

That lead us on to a conversation about corporate social responsibility and greenwash. But Rob explained why he's hopeful for the future.

Finally Rob reveals the decision he made relatively early on (but which he wished he'd made earlier) and how that led to a drastic increase in customers.

Also on the programme: Al Daw who has taken on a new space which he is developing into a gallery, creative project space and arts club.

The space is Sidney And Matilda. What's it all about, and what's the vision for this exciting new gallery and space? Al spills the beans.

We cover collecting art and supporting grass-routes artists; cynicism in the corporate art world; collaboration between artists and more.

Chloe Watmore: managing change, exponential growth, knowledge sharing and succession in engineering

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Chloe Watmore is managing director of Thermotex Engineering, a business specialising in solving "thermal challenges," things at risk of getting too hot or too cold in industrial settings.

During the show Chloe talked about:

her journey with the business, having joined after her economics degree initially to help with business development on a temporary basis
changing systems and processes
her interest in maths, science, technology and languages
how she won people over to accept her "YABI"s (Yet Another Bright Idea)
managing succession in a family business
tools and technologies for knowledge sharing
exporting tips, advice on international business and being more culturally aware
how "breaking bread" with people develops relationships and trust
the biggest challenges in Chloe's business journey and sources of inspiration, advice and support
skills development and recruiting for attitude
embedding a culture of learning (including learning from mistakes) into a business

Building an e-commerce retail website with Nicola of Waxx plus business resilience

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Practical advice on e-commerce and business resilience from two expert guests.

Nicola Middleton-Groom runs Waxx, selling men's, women's and kids' underwear, swimwear and other apparel.

Her business has the UK distribution rights to this French firm's funky, fresh and colourful products. Nicola's involvement started while she was at University in Manchester.

Nicola discusses how she developed the brand in the UK – and built an e-commerce website from scratch to sell underwear directly to consumers. "Retail is where the fun is at for me," she says.

Nicola researched WooCommerce, Magento and Shopify before she settled on Shopify to build the Waxx website. She described why she chose Shopify and how she developed the site to include clear and simple navigation to make it easy as possible for people to buy.

She covers templates and their limitations, the pros and cons of Shopify, testimonials and integration with ERP and accounting systems. Nicola also explains why her business, with its own e-commerce site, has a presence on Ebay and Amazon.

Our other guest was Steve Knowles – the accountant with a heart and a soul – making a return visit to the studio.

It's always a pleasure to hear from Steve even though he came in bearing worrying predictions about the economy. But that's the point: don't stick your head in the sand.

In our chat today Steve discussed protecting your business from external events, a potential downturn or recession.

Steve runs through some excellent tips (to implement now) about credit control, strengthening and protecting your cashflow, building positive relationships with your bank, the importance of continuing to invest in training and marketing, and more.

Allen Holland: One Sold, One Given jackets plus crowdfunding and manufacturing tips

Sat, 24 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Allen Holland on the Nessh Jacket, a high-tech jacket which smashed its crowdfunding target. For every jacket sold one is given to a person affected by homelessness. Plus manufacturing, product design, licensing and international business advice.

Most folk running a crowdfunding campaign might be nervous with 18 days to go. Not Allen Holland.

His Kickstarter campaign for "the warmest jacket in the world," smashed through its target within 24 hours.

Backers love the product. They also love the company's One Sold, One Given promise.

Allen explained how the business has worked with homeless people and charities to ensure the jackets they will donate are fit for purpose.

And he has superb advice for anyone intending to crowdfund. From planning to choosing rewards, pricing, creating a video, and selecting a crowdfunding marketing agency – listen and learn!

Andrzej Kurpiel and Steve Manley - bees, social and youth enterprise

Sat, 17 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Plenty of folk talk the talk when it comes to business advice and motivation. Advisors, consultants or people in high-faluting business roles may be free with their opinions but some have never actually grown an enterprise of any sort.

But from teenage entrepreneur to the youngest ever President of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, Steve Manley has certainly “walked the walk.”

And in his interview on my radio show this week he told a lovely story of walking miles to work in the snow – which turned out to be a formative moment in his career.

A door-knocking experience through Young Enterprise while at college showed Steve how much the world of business – and selling products – excited him. He got a job with an office supplies business and was rapidly promoted, turning around performance. All went well until the business was bought by a giant corporate and Steve realised their values weren’t aligned with his own.

So Steve – who’d always had a desire to work for himself – and colleague, friend and now business partner Mark set up their own business – initially from the back bedroom of his parental home in 2002 – and grew it, Universal Office Products to a highly successful, multi-million turnover firm.

Absolutely passionate about increasing the diversity within the Sheffield Chamber further, and about supporting and encouraging young people, Steve has concrete, specific plans about how, as Sheffield Chamber of Commerce’s new President, he will do this.

It was a great pleasure to interview Steve and I think you’ll enjoy the podcast. Oh, and if you’ve every wondered whether to join a Chamber of Commerce: Steve has good reasons why you should.

Also on the show, and also a great pleasure to interview: Andrzej Kurpiel. Andrzej is behind Bee Blest, a newly launched social enterprise which “works with honey bees to help lift people out of poverty.”

Sales of Andrzej’s popular honey have already supported:

a community enterprise project in Rwanda and the development
and maintenance of beekeeping and allied projects in Sheffield, where disadvantaged and marginalised people are helped both to survive and also given a chance to thrive through working outdoors, making friends and developing new skills.

Ashley Carson, Sheffield’s Assay Master - hallmarking, history and technology

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

The hallmarks on gold, silver, platinum and palladium don't only prove the validity of precious metals. They tell a story.

And the story of hallmarks themselves (the "marks of the hall") and of how Sheffield's Assay Office came to be after an act of Parliament is absolutely riveting.

Sheffield's Assay Master, Ashley Carson joined me in the radio studio on Friday. There are only four Assay Offices in the UK (Sheffield, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh).

Ashley has served as Assay Master for 25 years and was the youngest-ever to be appointed at the age of just 32.

He oversees Sheffield's hallmarking: over 100 million articles have been assayed, tested and marked during his period of office. Anyone selling an item made of gold, silver, platinum and palladium must have it hallmarked.

What a captivating conversation this was. Ashley held listeners spellbound – do enjoy the podcast with him, below.

Ashley explained:

the history of the Assay Offices in the UK,
why Sheffield's Assay Office was launched in the 18th century,
the international reputation of the Sheffield Assay Office, its specialism, and comparisons with the three other offices,
how hallmarking has developed,
what the symbols in hallmarks mean,
how changing fashions and tastes and new technology have changed the way Assay Offices work,
who can send articles to an Assay Office for hallmarking?
the process of assaying, testing the purity, and then marking each article (this is absolutely fascinating),
the skills of his team and how they've evolved,
diversification into other testing and highly specialised services,
his proudest moments of his 25 years as Assay Master,
how and why Ashley started work in the Assay Office and developed his career,
some leadership advice,
his passions outside of his work.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Ashley, I was engrossed. Timings:

0 - 3:16 introduction and updates, including the opening of Boeing's factory next to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield
3:16 - 51:42 Ashley Carson

Jon Maiden, Panjango: beautiful games exploring the world of work

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 17:00:00 +0100

"Young people are taught to be good at exams, but with very little context of how what they’ve learned will apply to real life," according to Jon Maiden, co-founder and CEO of Panjango.

That means, he says, they don't have the skills they need for work and society, for the jobs of today, and the new jobs of the future.

But serial social entrepreneur Jon has come up with a powerful, immersive and playful route for children to explore the sometimes mysterious world of work.

Jon joined me in the Sheffield Live radio studio this morning and brought with him Panjango's beautifully designed board and card games, The Panjango Game and Panjango Trumps.

They've been created thanks to support from The Young Foundation, and are now available to order via Kickstarter. The games look fantastic and are designed to enable give young people the knowledge, skills and experience to find their purpose and fulfill their potential.

Listen to the interview with Jon, below, to hear more about Panjango's games and the philosophy behind them – it was a wide ranging chat. We also covered:

being "smarter than a 10 year old" and the balance between intelligence and imagination,
developing "four dimensional skills" for the future, including for jobs which don't yet exist,
Panjango Trumps are a world first – and they include metrics for the social impact of a variety of roles (which I loved), as well as other numbers you might expect to find on the cards,
Jon's previous work as a social entrepreneur and development director of Point Blank Theatre Company, which bought The Riverside pub in Kelham Island when it was a struggling pub and ran it as a flourishing community venue with a diverse range of activities,
access to funding for startup social entrepreneurs, with shout-outs for UnLtd and Awards for All.

This week's show is dedicated to Phil Baldwin, a much loved colleague and friend at Sheffield Live. We are all shocked and devastated by his passing. Thank-you, Phil, for your kindness, humour, support for your colleagues and ready wit, and determination to do things well. You will be missed.

Timings:

0 - 3:02 introduction and some words about our Phil,
3:02 Jon Maiden,
37:40 remembering Phil Baldwin.

What next?

More about my Business Live radio show, and other podcasts with interesting guests.
Panjango on Kickstarter, and on twitter.
As mentioned in the show: The Young Foundation, UnLtd and Awards for All.

Rob the cartoonist and the Food Circle Supermarket

Sat, 06 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100

By writing "Rob the cartoonist" I'm not imploring you to go and mug an illustrator.

Please don't.

But do listen to this new interview with Rob Middleton, a cartoonist, illustrator and teacher based in Japan, on my latest radio show.

The programme also features studio guests James Barthorpe and Paul Simpson of Food Circle Supermarket.

James and Paul cover:

Food Circle Supermarket is an online retailer purchasing surplus food from manufacturers, which would otherwise go to waste, and selling it to consumers at a discount.
The business has grown at least 10-fold since March, and this week won the Hallam Enterprise Award.
How the business has progressed, highs and lows of the last few months.
Understanding their customers' requirements and figuring out a marketing formula which works.
Testing, tracking (but avoiding vanity metrics), learning and refining.
"Not everything works first time. It took us a few months to find the formula that works; now we've found it we're experiencing significant growth."
Developing partnerships.
Help from Business Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and RIDO.
Other winners in the Hallam Enterprise Awards.
What Paul and James can do with their £5,000 prize.

Rob Middleton covers:

Rob's journey from financial advisor to illustrator and from Lowestoft to Japan via Budapest.
His influences as a cartoonist.
Creating resources for use in the classroom.
How feedback from children changed his cartoons.
Rob's work illustrating books for authors all over the world.
How he's secured clients, his previous "half hearted" approach to marketing, and what's working now.
A lightbulb moment: "If I'm making some money by people finding me by accident, if I actually learned how marketing worked, I would get more customers."
Doing (business and marketing) courses doesn't lead to results unless you implement what you've learned and take action.
The importance of accountability to freelancers and small business owners – not in doing what you sell and are good at, but in taking action to develop your business.
Gerald the Goat.
The social media approach that works for Rob.
How to give a designer or illustrator a tight, specific brief.
Living and working in Japan.

Timings:

0 - 3:01 introduction and updates, including Sheffield named third best city in the world in which to start a digital firm; Sheffield Business Awards shortlist revealed; reminder about new Social Enterprise UK research,
3:01 - 17:52 James and Paul, Food Circle Supermarket,
17:52 getting in touch with the show,
18:25 - end Rob Middleton.

Translation stations – interview with Sarah Silva the Chemical Translator

Fri, 28 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0100

PLUS new report reveals £60bn contribution made by social enterprises to the UK's economy and other facts and figures.

It's International Translation Day this Sunday. What better time then for a radio interview with consultant translator Sarah Silva.

Sarah is a chemist who translates science into sales for international clients and the author of "Small Island Big Business – The Insider's Guide to Success in the British Market."

She joined me on my latest Business Live radio show, broadcast on Sheffield Live this morning (with the podcast available below), to discuss:

her work, translating from German to English with a specialism in chemical information,
whether machine translation is disrupting her industry,
international perceptions of the UK market,
useful tips if you need translation, how to go about it and what to look for,
international business and differing approaches to communication in different cultures (with SUPERB advice if you want to do business with German customers),
the impact of Brexit,
International Translation Day,
advice for developing a career or business as a translator

I really enjoyed talking with Sarah. You'll enjoy the podcast! Timings:

0 - 2:10 introduction and updates
2:10 Sarah Silva
46:54 news about the £60bn contribution made by social enterprises to the UK's economy with other facts and figures from the new "Hidden Revolution" research and report
49:48 end

Emma Jones, SME Crown Representative and Peter Byrom, audiologist

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week's Business Live programme covers winning government contracts, writing a business book, undertaking education as an adult and more. The podcast is below – guests are Emma Jones and Peter Byrom.

Emma Jones founded Enterprise Nation, a network helping people to start and grow small businesses, and is the SME Crown Representative, working with Government to hit a target of spending one pound in every three with small firms.

Peter Byrom looks after people's hearing. He runs Peter Byrom Audiology and has extensive experience fitting hearing aids, within the NHS and in private practice; he's helped numerous business people who need to interact with clients and are worried about their hearing.

Emma talked about:

Enterprise Nation's mission and history and how it helps members,
What her role as SME Crown Representative means in practice – how is the Government going to achieve the objective of spending more with small businesses?
How business and social enterprises can win government contracts (and contracts with large suppliers to Government),
The importance and value of getting involved with "early market engagement" exercises,
Advice for business leaders who want to write a book (Emma has published 7),
Protecting your business against factors you can't control but which will affect you,
Who’s inspired Emma, why and how?

Peter covered:

Whether reluctance to wear a hearing aid holds people back in business,
Leaving school with one O-Level then working on a building site led to his own hearing loss – and an enduring interest in audiology,
Studying for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees later in life,
Managing tinnitus and hearing loss, and a crucial discovery,
The transformative impact of looking after your and your employees' hearing,
Developing his audiology practice, listing your business on directories and the power of positive reviews.

Timings:

0 - 2:15 introduction and recap of last week's show,
2:15 - 28:13 Emma Jones,
28:13 - 48:00 Peter Byrom,
48:00 - end (50:40) forthcoming events and wrapping up.

Piano teacher Madge Woollard and B1G1 with Steve Pipe

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:00:00 +0100

Two super guests joined me in the Sheffield Live radio studio this morning: Madge Woollard and Steve Pipe. The podcast is below. It covers:

why using business as a force for good, for positive changes NOW and without guilt-tripping (but with smiles) is great for the world and great for your business,
learning to play piano with a person-centred approach; finding a piano teacher; and building a piano teaching studio (while competing with lessons on YouTube).

Piano teacher Madge Woollard has been teaching for over twenty years. She works in schools in Sheffield and operates a practice from a studio at Hagglers Corner.

Madge gives lessons which focus on her individual pupils' needs. Whether that's entering an examination or learning to play pieces they love, she ensures her students – adults and children – get the most from their lessons.

In the interview Madge described her approach to teaching, discussed what she loves most about music, why she became a music teacher, and gave some advice for people learning music. She also flagged where she draws advice and inspiration from and give some tips to music teachers. And Madge highlighted the forthcoming Diversity Fest in Sheffield at which she will perform.

You can use your business as a force for good. And good business makes business sense, according to multiple data sources, and according to Steve Pipe.

Accountant (and father, guitarist, tennis player) Steve is well known in business having written seven books. He told me about B1G1, enabling businesses of all sorts to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Steve covered rational decision making (not the normal behaviour for most people and business owners!) and how business leaders can (and right now) create life-changing positive impacts in the world.

This could be about access to clean water or education, alleviating poverty, positive action for the environment, reducing inequality or one or more of the other UN Goals which B1G1 enables businesses to transparently support. B1G1 has already enabled over 150 million life-changing giving impacts.

He also makes the point: we should be doing this anyway. But even if business leaders don't think it's their – our – responsibility, it makes absolute sense to use your business as a force for good because it makes the world better and pays commercially, increasing loyalty, word-of-mouth referrals, productivity and increasing businesses' sustainability.

Steve shared how you can access a free and tailored-to-you "Giving plan," a written report to show how you can build impact into your business.

Inclusive rugby with the Sheffield Vulcans and employment law with Jay Bhayani

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

On the programme today:

Ashley Martin, Michael Hudson and Felix Barr, 3 members of the Sheffield Vulcans Rugby Club. Since launching last year, the Vulcans have had an action-packed first season as a club.

Sheffield Vulcans is a member of International Gay Rugby. Ashley, Michael and Felix told me about why and how the club was founded; their ethos and values; their first season's successes on and off the pitch; how the club has recruited a number of high profile sponsors and their hopes for the next season.

Jay Bhayani of Bhayani HR and Employment Law was back on the programme today giving the latest updates about employment law.

It's always a pleasure to hear from Jay on her regular slots on the programme in which she shares valuable advice.

Jay covered GDPR, sexual harassment, a new Women and Equalities Committee Report and its recommendations, proxy voting in parliament, ageism and more. Essential listening!

Also essential: get yourself to events where you can meet other business and social enterprise leaders. And Tom Sutton of the Sheffield Chamber gave a heads-up on three key dates for your diary this autumn.

Timings:

0 - 5:47 introductions, recap of last week's show and updates
5:47 Sheffield Vulcans: Michael, Ashley and Felix
26:23 Jay Bhayani
43:08 Tom Sutton
49:13 to end wrapping up

Business acumen for artists PLUS responsible business

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

What does it take to succeed as an artist? Talent. Persistence. Consistency. And business acumen.

My latest Business Live radio show, broadcast on Sheffield Live! FM radio on Friday and available as a podcast below, examined the commercial perspective of working as an artist.

Tom Vickers of Stoneface Creative and businessman and mentor, Steve Eyre (who runs World of Superheroes) joined me in the studio to give their advice.

Tom's father, Andrew Vickers, produces acclaimed work now being sought after by high profile entertainment and business figures.

Steve's made his share of business successes and investments, and has a passion for comics and superheroes. He now mentors artists and unveiled exciting news about internationally-recognised artist Joe Scarborough during the programme.

Tom and Steve covered partnerships, profile-raising and much more, and how commercial support can free up an artist to do more of what they love most.

Also on the show: business as a force for good and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Kate Rawlings is a former journalist and now CSR Manager at Irwin Mitchell LLP. Civil servant Carolynn McConnell is Business in the Community’s Sheffield “Business Connector.”

Carolynn’s enjoyment of her role is so evident, it is infectious. She introduced the Trading for Good website and her approach to partnership-building.

Kate explained why Irwin Mitchell engage in CSR and their four-pronged approach. Does the work they do align with existing needs which have already been identified? Who do they work with, and why? Find out in the podcast!

I also quizzed Kate about whether CSR has been devalued or is “greenwash” to make firms look good, so if you’re sceptical about CSR in 2018, do have a listen. And we heard about a collaborative and open initiative, the Responsible Business Forum in Sheffield.

Chris Wright, Catch22: delivering public services through social enterprise

Sun, 08 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Catch22 traces its history back to 1788, the beginning of the enlightenment.

230 years later this social business delivers a wide range of public services up and down the country.

As a "cradle to career" organisation Catch22 supports children excluded from mainstream education, delivers justice services working in 24 prisons across the country, runs victim support services, supports children in need, and delivers employability and apprenticeship programmes.

Chris Wright, CEO of Catch22, describes the need for a relationship-based (rather than transactional) approach to the outsourcing and delivery of public services in this podcast, which coincides with the NHS's 70th anniversary.

He covers Catch22's own pivot from dependency on grants and 'soft' contracts to earning the majority of its income from 'hard' contracts.

Chris also talks about:

who should deliver public services nowadays, why – and how?
how Government should create the conditions to allow social businesses and small organisations to compete and to win contracts,
payment models for service delivery,
the perception of risk by commissioners and risk-management,
moving away from a paternalistic approach to public services to giving agency to people and enabling communities to take control and responsibility,
a more intelligent approach to commissioning,
how Catch22 has won contracts and advice for other leaders of social enterprises and businesses,
his own career journey, approach to leadership and inspirations.

Timings:

0 - 3:10 introduction and updates
3:10 Chris Wright – public service delivery
33:18 break, forthcoming events including Sharrow Festival, superheroes in Storrs Wood, the Kickov Festival, and more
37:13 Chris Wright – Chris' career journey, drivers, leadership approach and inspirations
48:22 - end (49:15) wrapping up

How to research and validate a business idea with John Holcroft

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Got an idea for a brilliant product or new business?

Wonderful. But how do you test it?

It's easy to get positive feedback from folk who believe in you but aren't your future customers. Or to be dissuaded by others projecting their fears at you.

Who are the right people to speak with? How do you find them?

How do you have a meaningful conversation without folk lying to you because they're polite?

How do you get to the truth? And whether people really will buy from you?

John Holcroft can help. In this week's radio show and podcast, he spills the beans on his process to validate and research business ideas.

Holcroft develops "apps which makes a difference" – one has won awards for advancing patient safety.

But it's not all been plain sailing.

After he left a well-paid city job writing software for an investment bank, he developed, launched and closed a startup selling a music education app.

He's frank about why this “worked as a product but failed as a business” and the key point he missed right at the start which is the reason it failed.

But since then John, who has also developed apps for national retailers, pitched to and won investment and mentoring from the tech-for-good start-up accelerator Bethnal Green Ventures.

He's developed multiple apps for hospitals and the NHS. And he's honed his research and interview skills.

"There are good and bad ways to talk with people about your ideas. With my first startup, I did it the appalling way."

Listen to John and use his advice to get robust, genuine and meaningful feedback about your next product or business.

Kate Welch: resilience, sustainability and social enterprise success

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Kate Welch is founder and CEO of Social Enterprise Acumen, a community interest company (CIC) which supports social entrepreneurs to develop their concepts or grow their businesses.

She joined me for an extensive radio interview on this morning's show – and the podcast is below. It's crammed with great advice for leaders of businesses and social enterprises.

Kate covers:

Acumen's work and the most common challenges Kate and her team help clients to solve
balancing the delivery of public sector contracts with the need for positive cashflow
social investment: do impact investors understand social enterprises' needs?
the vital importance of developing resilience for social entrepreneurs, including advice on separating problems from solutions
public recognition and awards (Kate's been awarded the MBE for services to social enterprise and the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion) – do they help?
the difference between budgeting with wishful thinking and realistic financial planning covering best and worst case scenarios
tips on how to decide whether to bid for contracts, and if you do, how to put together an excellent bid
her voluntary work with Girl Guiding and some of the skills and aptitudes this organisation develops in girls and young women (did you know girl guides are incredible sales people?)
her long-held love for Sheffield having spent time studying physics at University in the city

Timings:

0 - 8:13 introduction and updates, including Sheffield's free city wi-fi which went live this week, on World Wi-Fi Day; report finds young entrepreneurs choosing social impact as their top business priority; the UK Social Enterprise Awards are open for entries; so are the Sheffield Business Awards and the Barnsley and Rotherham Business Awards,
8:13 - 43:44 Kate Welch,
43:44 - (47:24) wrapping up.

Kickov's Al Daw and Lucy Findlay, Social Enterprise Mark

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 12:00:00 +0100

This week's radio show features live studio guest Al Daw and an interview with Lucy Findlay, founder and MD of Social Enterprise Mark CIC.

Al discusses his unique immersive Soviet soccer experience, Kickov.

Celebrating all nations in one city, the Kickov festival at Abbeydale Picture House starts on 14 June with a World Cup opening party featuring live traditional Russian music, street food and more.

The free to attend festival includes comedy, DJs, live bands, interactive quizzes, fancy dress and craft beer.

There's plenty for everyone, football fans and non-fans alike, plus the opportunity to watch most of the World Cup games on a massive screen, the biggest in the region.

Al also describes the inspiration which kicked off Kickov; a similar fan park he created at Old Street roundabout in Shoreditch, his work as an artist and exciting plans for a building.

Is business a force for good? On Thursday I went to a fascinating event, "Sharing the Wealth," The Social Enterprise Mark's conference in York. At the end of the event Lucy Findlay, founder and MD of The Social Enterprise Mark CIC joined me for an interview.

Lucy describes the process behind certification as a Mark holder; helping social enterprises to articulate their impact and how they make a difference; and the Social Enterprise Gold Mark. She also covers the rationale behind the "Sharing the Wealth" conference and how business done differently can be a force for good and a force for change.

Lucy gives examples of organisations taking a different approach to business, and makes a strong case for businesses and social enterprises to tackle societal problems. Lucy also calls for business schools to avoid taking too narrow an approach to education – missing out on the opportunity to give students what they want.

Timings:

0 - 1:02 introduction,
1:02 - 24:39 Al Daw, Kickov festival and artist,
24:39 - 28:07 is business a force for good?
28:08 - 44:13 Lucy Findlay, Social Enterprise Mark CIC,
44:13 - 45:51 wrapping up and upcoming events.

Flourish and Zen – new interviews: Nickala Torkington and Nick Middleton

Sat, 12 May 2018 13:00:00 +0100

Nickala Torkington runs Flourish, a social enterprise which support women to create the change they see needed through peer learning, crowd sourcing, mentoring and investment. Flourish’s recent crowdfund, in support of their #InvestinWomenChangemakers Festival and Fund, was their 4th successful crowdfund.

Nick Middleton is founder of Zen Oracle, Zen Golf Mechanics and FlowMotion Golf. An innovator in golf coaching, equipment and technology, Middleton started making putters in Sheffield in the late 1990s. His approach to coaching and his putters have been described as revolutionary.

Fascinating discussions with both.

Timings:

0 – 2:33 introduction
2:33 – 12:00 Nick Middleton, part 1
12:00 – 31:39 Nickala Torkington
31:39 – 52:47 Nick Middleton, part 2

What next?

Check out Flourish and Zen Oracle.
More about my Business Live radio show.

Jon Seaton, CEO, Twinkl and David Battle, NEX Exchange

Sat, 28 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Get yourself an education in business growth with this radio show podcast featuring an in-depth interview with Jon Seaton, co-founder of specialist online educational publisher, Twinkl.

Jon and wife Susie launched Twinkl to support the teaching community by providing access to resources and classroom material. Around 500,000 teaching resources have been created and the business has customers in more than 168 countries.

Founded in 2010, Twinkl was this week named a recipient of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the UK’s highest accolade for business success. The Queen's Award recognises outstanding achievement in international trade, innovation, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility).

Also in the show: an interview with David Battle, Managing Director, Markets, NEX Exchange. David was in Sheffield this week (at an event I attended and chaired) to discuss how a listing on NEX Exchange, a UK regulated stock exchange for small companies, can be beneficial for businesses seeking access to capital.

David tells me what types of businesses are listed on NEX Exchange. And he describes the process to become ready to list or prepare for an IPO and how long it takes.

Timings and shownotes:

0 - 7:18 introduction and updates, including a recap of last week’s show; Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Week; Community Business Weekend on 4-7 May; other forthcoming events
7:18: Jon Seaton, CEO of Twinkl. Introducing Twinkl, specialised digital publishing business for education. Founded in 2010 by Jon and wife Susie, a teacher.
[10:10] How did the business develop between 2010 and now?
[10:55] Twinkl's two key business principles at the foundation of the business.
[13:06] creating content and material, why Twinkl operates a "freemium" model, and how content is developed.
[14:40] who are the people using Twinkl's resources and where are they?
[16:20] how is content tailored for teachers in different territories.
[19:50] as Twinkl has grown – now to a point where there may be 10,000 users downloading material within 20 minutes – how has the web infrastructure and the coding of the site developed to ensure the site is robust?
[24:50] one defining factor of any great business, in Jon's view.
[25:30] this week Twinkl won a Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade. What does that mean for the business?
[29:16] why Twinkl started with a freemium model.
[30:24] dealing with taxation as a business trading internationally.
[32:12] why Jon believes businesses have a moral duty to pay taxes and contribute to the society in which they are based.
[36:00] what advice could Jon today give to himself back in 2010, with the benefits of hindsight? And the pros and cons of classic entrepreneurial traits and the benefits of a strong team.
[39:05] where next for the business? And how to get in touch with Jon.
[41:45] contact the show, recap, and introducing David Battle, NEX Exchange.
[43:07] what is NEX Exchange?
[43:50] examples of a few companies listed on NEX Exchange, and typical sizes of companies joining.
[45:10] the benefits of a listing on NEX.
[46:19] how the exchange has worked closely with the Social Stock Exchange (now the Impact Investor Network).
[47:10] what's the process to become ready to list on NEX or prepare for an IPO? How long does it take?
[48:40] getting in touch with NEX Exchange.
[49:00] wrapping up.

Jodie Marshall, A Mind Apart Theatre Company

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Jodie Marshall has been running A Mind Apart Theatre Company for 10 years.

It is a thriving business, a social enterprise, earning income from delivering education contracts, from parents paying for their children to attend weekly sessions and holiday clubs, and from adult workshops (among other income streams).

Its mission is to use performing arts to "challenge, inspire, encourage and change lives."

But it can't change any lives if it doesn't earn income.

Jodie was frank and forthright when she joined me for a radio interview this morning in the Sheffield Live studio.

Favourite quote: "Be obnoxious but be realistic" (but you should listen to the podcast to understand the context!)

We discussed Jodie's original driver to launch A Mind Apart • the work they do and with whom • diversifying income streams • bidding for contracts • delegating and trusting your team • abusing funding• biggest challenges overcome • when panic mode can be beneficial • and much more.

Timings and show notes: https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/2018/04/jodie-marshall-a-mind-apart-interview/

Sarah David: intentional leadership, developing positive habits, supporting transformation and the business books she rates most highly

Sat, 17 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Sarah David runs consultancy Thrive. She has worked at an executive level in a £1.5 billion turnover law firm, and for small businesses, charities, not for profits and startups.

"As long as you're dealing with people the challenges remain the same," she told me yesterday. The live radio broadcast of this interview generated some of the most positive feedback of any episode to date.

Sarah works with teams and leaders to transform their performance and financial results. At the core of dealing with challenges, she says, is "effective communication, clarity of purpose, and leaders willing to lead through change."

Consultant, mentor and coach Sarah talks about intentional leadership, developing positive habits, supporting transformation. And, as an avid reader, the business books she rates most highly.

She's also frank, direct and anti-fragile when it comes to addressing the impact of an enormous personal tragedy. What to do when "option A" is no longer available.

The podcast also features social entrepreneur Dulma Clark of Soul of Africa, which makes and sells "shoes that change lives."

Full timings and show notes: https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/2018/03/thriving-with-sarah-david-plus-dulma-clark/

Kisha Bradley, Bright Box and #girlswithdrills and Darren Chouings

Sun, 04 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

"You can't be what you can't see," writes Kisha Bradley, engineer, STEAM-inist, and founder of Bright Box Makerspace. For children to become the scientists, technologists, engineers, artists and mathematicians of the future, they need to know what options are available – and build appropriate skills.

Hundreds of children have played, created, and unleashed their imaginations through Bright Box's community events and workshops "focused on enabling today's children to invent the future with creative imagination and confidence." Kisha launched the social enterprise a year ago.

Since then Kisha has also collaborated with inventor and Kids Invent Stuff host, Ruth Amos, to launch #girlswithdrills. Kisha joined me in the Sheffield Live radio studio on Friday to talk about inclusive skills building and encouraging tomorrow's inventors, programmers and tinkerers.

In the interview Kisha also covers her approach to setting priorities, and accessing support for social entrepreneurs. The podcast is below.

Also on the show: Sheffield is now a Social Enterprise City. What does this mean and how has it come about? Darren Chouings, voluntary chair of the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network, discussed how collaboration between social enterprises, the private, public, education and voluntary sectors led to a successful partnership bid for the city to be recognised as a social enterprise place. And he discussed the vibrancy, diversity, size and strength of the social enterprise sector in Sheffield.

Timings:

0 - 5:31 introduction and updates, including recommendation at Women and Equalities committee hearing to change law on sexual harassment, with input from employer organisation, the CBI; how to get in touch with the show;
5:31 - 17:12 Darren Chouings: social enterprise in Sheffield;
17:12 - 34:14 Kisha Bradley: on #girlswithdrills and Bright Box;
34:14 - 39:03 forthcoming events;
39:03 - 49:01 Kisha Bradley: help and support for social enterprises; prioritisation; challenges overcome in Bright Box's first year;
49:01 to 49:59 (end) wrapping up.

How to use politicians to get what you want - Scott Colvin

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 21:00:00 +0100

Have you hugged a politician lately? Whether you feel disdain, disgust or deep love for your elected representatives, they can be a powerful force to help your business or social enterprise or to help you get positive things done in your community.

Harnessing support from a politician can help you to fight injustices, assert your consumer rights even when big businesses want to ignore you, generate publicity for your community project, and open doors you've previously had closed in your face.

But how do you get politicians on your side? Scott Colvin can tell you. He's the author of award-winning book, How to Use Politicians to Get What You Want. I interviewed Scott last week for my latest radio programme, broadcast on Sheffield Live on Friday and which you can listen to via the podcast below.

Whatever your views of politicians – listen, learn, and apply.

Also in the show: Kurtis Wright (a former banker who says "don't hold that against me," now a fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab) joined me in the radio studio.

Kurtis discussed Sheffield Community Technologies, including the launch of new peer to peer payment and loyalty reward platform Loci Pay, and "financial aggregator" Sheffield Independent Business Services, which seeks to save money for local independent businesses.

Loci Pay ("not just a payment wallet, a community for people to build social impact") is a pivot, or iteration, from the “My Sheffield Pound” scheme. It is a digital payment wallet and loyalty app for independent businesses, a “social peer to peer payment platform focusing on supporting our local independent businesses and tackling financial inequality.”

The show also includes updates about TechCity UK's Fintech for All competition and the new £10 notes.

Timings:

0 - 3:23 introduction;
3:23 - 24:40 Kurtis Wright;
24:40 call to get involved and have your say;
25:18 - 52:04 Scott Colvin;
52:04 - end (55:47) wrapping up, including the introduction of the new £10 note (which features the image of Jane Austen after a campaign successfully challenged the Bank of England to include this on the note) and a forthcoming event.

Crucial questions to ask when specifying your website with Ant Clifford

Fri, 08 Sep 2017 19:00:00 +0100

What do you want your website to do for you? It's the key question which must be at the top of your brief, not what do you want your site to look like according to Ant Clifford of Creative Stream.

Ant covers how to come up with a powerful and specific brief to ensure your website design and build agency delivers a site that does what you need it to do, and generates a return on your investment.

Creative Stream delivers coding, bespoke web design, animation, content management and more, to businesses, charities and social enterprises. Ant also covers effective proposals, communication, design and technical briefs in the interview. Plus outside the business, Ant's band Lofter are back together and have an exciting series of gigs coming up.

The show also includes announcements about business funding, data protection, some local success stories and more.

Timings:

0 - 6:22 introduction including: a call for your input to the radio show; “total despair” expressed for Sheffield and Rotherham businesses by the FSB in response to Yorkshire devolution approach.
6:22 - 33:30 Ant Clifford interview.
33:30 - end announcements and events.

Vegetable-powered business and don't headbutt time with Pam Warhurst

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 18:00:00 +0100

Pam Warhurst trained as an economist, has held senior board level roles for all sorts of organisations and is the founder of the Incredible Edible movement through which food has been a catalyst for community action, for learning and education, and for business creation.

This is now a worldwide movement stretching from Canada to New Zealand. It's simple. "If you eat, you're in," says Pam. "Everyone understands food. Food could get people talking; even better, it could inspire people to take action."

Now Todmorden and many towns all over the world have boosted their local economies, through "getting pounds into the pockets of local food businesses so that over time they might be able to produce more and employ more people." And even through vegetable tourism.

Also in this episode: studio guests Paula Walsh and Natalie Mosley of Lucy May Lingerie. Their business has been three years in development and launched this month; products are made by hand in South Yorkshire and carry the Made In Sheffield mark.

Natalie and Paula described how they have developed Lucy May, creating a detailed "Lucy May" brand persona and identifying and engaging with their target audience. Their tips will be invaluable for any business.

Plus Mark Ramsell, chair of Plot44, an emerging social and community business refreshing long abandoned allotments.

Timings:

0 - 9:49: introduction and updates including UK female founders are being ignored by male investors, according to new statistics released by AllBright.
9:49 - 32:21 Natalie Mosley and Paula Walsh.
32:21 - 38:05: Pam Warhurst.
38:05 - 43:08: Mark Ramsell.
43:08 - end: wrapping up.

Fashion and textiles with Olusola McKenzie, recruitment with Daniel Koseoglu and employment law with Jay Bhayani

Fri, 26 May 2017 13:00:00 +0100

Olusola McKenzie, founder of Learn to Re-create Ltd, a fashion and textiles social enterprise, on how determination, consistency and flexibility are the key factors which helped achieve her vision.

Daniel Koseoglu of Affecto Recruitment, with an update on skills and recruiting talent in the tech, data science and digital industries.

And Jay Bhayani with a pre-election run through of employment law policy proposals and how these would affect business and social enterprise.

The result of the election will impact on employment law. Each of the three main political parties is proposing distinct policies – do you know what they are and how they will affect your business or social enterprise?

Jay Bhayani does, and she gave me a pre-election run through of employment law policy proposals from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties on my radio show on Friday. Listen to the podcast below.

Also on the show: Olusola McKenzie describing how determination, consistency and flexibility are the key factors which helped achieve her vision.

Olusola is founder of Learn to Re-create Ltd, a fashion and textiles social enterprise. Learn to Re-create runs an international incubation programme and launched a fashion collection last year, and Olusola's team are now working on their second.

Olusola popped into the Sheffield Live radio studio on Friday for a chat about what her business does, why and how they do it, and challenges they have overcome.

The programme also features an interview with Daniel Koseoglu, managing director of Affecto Recruitment, with an update on skills and recruiting talent in the tech, data science and digital industries.

Timings:

0 – 11:32 introduction and updates, including research showing that companies with broader leadership diversity secure more funding than other businesses; new data about turnover, growth, profitability and employment of the UK social enterprise sector; a fifth of IT managers not confident their business will be compliant with GDPR by next year; forthcoming events;
11:32 - 23:57 Olusola McKenzie, Learn to Re-create Ltd;
23:57 - 33:34 Daniel Koseoglu, MD of Affecto Recruitment;
33:34 - 44:09 Jay Bhayani, Bhayani HR Employment Law;
44:09 - 46:58 wrapping up and a final word from Learn to Re-Create.

World-leading tech innovator Aldo Monteforte says Sheffield abundant in skills

Sat, 06 May 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Aldo Monteforte is CEO and co-founder of insurance telematics leader The Floow.

Last week, The Floow was named winner of the Red Herring Top 100 Europe award – another trophy in the innovative Sheffield firm's cabinet.

Red Herring's awards honour the year’s most promising private technology ventures from the European business region.

Aldo explained why the Red Herring award has special meaning for The Floow, since Red Herring has a reputation for accuracy in highlighting innovation.

The award came after a recent £13m investment into The Floow. Aldo explained the business' plans to grow (from a current size of about 80 people, mainly based in Sheffield, of whom 70% are computer, data, and social scientists) to around 140-150 team members.

What about skills in the Sheffield region? Can The Floow recruit people with the skills they need in Sheffield? Aldo says skills are here in the city region and in abundance. Have a listen to his views on how the firm will scale.

Timings:

0 - 11:15 introduction and updates, incl
- figures from the British Independent Retail Association and the Local Data Company
- New research from the innovation foundation Nesta for the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy into business incubators and accelerators
11:15 - 31:40 in light of the new figures about independent shops, published this week, a chance to hear an interview with Laura Bullock of the Seven Hills Bakery
31:40 - 43:27 Aldo Monteforte of The Floow. Innovation, investment, growth, skills development.
43:27 - 52:37 more on skills - comments from Daniel Koseoglu, MD of recruitment firm Affecto Recruitment, about perceptions of a tech skills and talent shortage in the region.

How to avoid clients from hell with Vicky Fraser

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Running your own business? Always make sure your clients are happy? Great.

But if those clients aren’t making you happy, don’t respect you or pay you on time (or want to pay you in fish and chips!) then you don’t really have a business, you have a pretty miserable job.

And many freelancers and small business owners are frustrated with cycles of feast to famine in their work, bemused by a multitude of potential tactics, or fed up with how they are treated by some clients.

One business owner who understands their challenges – and knows what to do about them – is Vicky Fraser. She's the author of Business for Superheroes and presenter of a popular podcast of the same name. And Vicky gave business owners a feast of great ideas in this interview.

It’s crammed with advice based on solid experience. A must-listen for business owners, the interview covers dealing with clients from hell, the value in finding a mentor, positioning your business, pricing strategy (and why price is elastic), prioritising and much more.

Timings:

0 – 9:21 introduction, including comments from a listener about the Budget and National Insurance for the self-employed; the opening of new Kirkthorpe Hydro, Yorkshire’s largest hydroelectric power plant; and controversy over ads on YouTube;
9:21 – 47:14 Vicky Fraser interview;
47:14 – wrapping up, including preview of a mentoring event in Sheffield.

How a village bought and saved its pub using community shares

Sat, 11 Mar 2017 09:00:00 +0000

The Anglers Rest in Bamford – a few miles west of Sheffield – is more than a pub: it's a post office, cafe, music venue, meeting space for clubs and societies, art gallery and community hub.

But a few years ago its future was uncertain. Part of the portfolio of a remote PubCo, The Anglers Rest had suffered years of under-investment and a short-term approach. And in 2012 it was at risk of permanent closure.

That was when someone suggested the residents of Bamford buy the pub – and they raised over £260,000 through a 'community share issue' to do so. But their purchase was nearly thwarted at the last minute, until they were able to fight back, buy the pub and begin the hard work of making it a successful business and community hub (which also houses the village Post Office).

Now The Angler's Rest employs over 25 staff, contributes over £200,000 annually to businesses in the Hope Valley, and has built a reputation for its warm welcome, diverse activities and quality food and drink.

Rebecca McIntyre, one the founder members of the Bamford Community Society which was set up to save the Anglers Rest, and Amanda Taylor, its General Manager, joined me in the Sheffield Live radio studio to talk about how they saved the pub – and turned it into a thriving community-owned asset.

Timings (music played within the live broadcast removed from podcast):

0 - 8:58 introductions and update about this week's Budget announcement, already causing controversy
8:58 - end interview with Rebecca McIntyre and Amanda Taylor

Also mentioned in the show: Power to Change; The Plunkett Foundation; Locality; The Community Shares Unit.

Investors with a difference: Campus Capital interview

Fri, 17 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000

There's a problem in venture capital. In the UK, VC-ready startups gravitate to where the money is: London (and to some extent Cambridge and Oxford).

That's led to a "tech funding gap in the North of England" – risking a brain drain of businesses seeking investment away from northern cities.

Plus, VC decision makers invest in businesses run by people who are "just like them." Research shows that this leads to a bias in the companies funded by VCs.

So it was interesting to welcome Samantha Deakin, co-founder of Campus Capital, to the radio studio today.

Sam was accompanied by Tanja Kuzman, Alex Thiery and Alex Tanner, student VCs in this new and unique-in-the-UK VC firm with a difference which will work in partnership with a number of the UK’s leading universities to deliver on-campus venture capital funds.

How will Campus Capital operate and invest? Listen to the podcast to find out.

Timings:

0 - 12:22 introduction and updates – my comments about the State of Sheffield 2017 report, published this week; research into how late payments impact freelancers; some forthcoming events
12:22 - 52:20 Samantha Deakin, Alex Thiery, Tanja Kuzman and Alex Tanner
52:20 - end wrapping up

Crowdfunding tips for business mentors; Sheffield’s alternative information centre

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:00:00 +0100

Many businesses and social enterprises have described on this podcast and radio programme how they have used crowdfunding to test their market, reach customers, or access finance to build their business.

But if you’re a business advisor and your clients are asking you about access to finance and how to run a successful crowdfund, where do you signpost people to?

Author and crowdfunding expert, Barry James covers how different types of crowdfunding work, and how the process of crowdfunding can unlock investment for businesses from other sources.

He's the author of a book (New Routes to Funding) to meet the need for high quality, expert advice about crowdfunding, tailored not only to startups but to mentors and business advisors, and gives us a sneak peak of some of its content.

Also on this week’s programme: Nicole Jewitt of Alt Seen Eye, Sheffield’s “alternative information centre and ticket hub.” Showcasing local events, music, artists and other “interesting stuff” Alt Seen Eye is an example of independent retail, ‘meanwhile use’ of space, and collaboration between independent businesses. Nicole explains how it got up and running, and gives some tips and advice based on her experience here and in other retail and music industry roles. Timings:

0 – 10:43 introduction and updates
10:43 – 25:27 Barry James
25:27 – 42:54 Nicole Jewitt
42:54 – end wrapping up and news of some forthcoming, free, business information sessions from Business Sheffield.

This is episode #131 of Business Live, first broadcast on Friday 7 October 2016 on Sheffield Live FM radio.

The incredible power of storytelling with Deborah Bullivant PLUS public speaking tips with Billal Jamil

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 14:00:00 +0100

Deborah Bullivant of Grimm and Co demonstrates the incredible power of storytelling today.

Grimm and Co is a children’s literacy charity and ‘apothecary to the magical.’ It has been “supplying evil plots, wild schemes and kitchenware since 1148,” and has to be seen and experienced to be believed.

Deborah gives the lowdown on why she launched Grimm and Co, and how she did it, with the support of authors from Dave Eggers and Joanne Harris to League of Gentlemen co-writer Jeremy Dyson (and many more) plus plenty of help from our local business community. I can’t stress enough how wonderful Deborah’s interview is.

Also in the programme, returning guest Billal Jamil of The Public Speaking Academy gave some superb advice to any business or social enterprise leaders who need to speak in public. Whether that’s on stage at an event, online in a video, within a meeting or many other contexts, public speaking and presenting is an essential part of business life – that many accomplished leaders struggle with.

Timings:

0 – 4:56 introductions
4:56 – 24:04 Billal Jamil
24:04 – 52:57 Deborah Bullivant

This is episode #130 of Business Live, first broadcast on 30 September 2016.

Gaza Sky Geeks, The Mom Test and doing business in Japan

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0100

Laura Bennett, Elizabeth Shassere and Johnny Pawlik returned to the radio studio.

Elizabeth and Laura recently traveled to Gaza and mentored entrepreneurs at a bootcamp for the Gaza Sky Geeks programme. They were two of only seven mentors selected from all over the world – and gave their expertise as volunteers.

We discussed the specific challenges that entrepreneurs face in Gaza; how Laura and Elizabeth were able to support participants; and how previous programmes have enabled startups to secure investment. The bootcamp's inclusive approach was praised too, with Elizabeth and Laura noting how it puts many tech events to shame.

Both Laura and Elizabeth hauled luggage to Gaza containing useful items: including many and varied pieces of technology, and 35 copies of Rob Fitzpatrick's book, The Mom Test, which Laura describes as invaluable to startups. Have a listen to learn why.

Also on the programme: Johnny Pawlik of Mantra Media. Operating in Sheffield, London and now Japan, Johnny explained how the business is growing and winning new clients, internationally – he's just returned from Kyoto – and in the UK.

Make sure you listen to his comments about empathy in business and observations about doing business in Japan.

Timings:

0 - 7:30 introduction and updates.
7:30 - 32:25 Laura Bennett and Elizabeth Shassere.
32:25 - 46:15 Johnny Pawlik.
46:15 - 48:42 wrapping up and some forthcoming events.

The psychology of business and the business of psychology

Fri, 09 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0100

What does a business psychologist do, how do they help businesses – and what are the most common challenges they address?

Simon Kilpatrick, chief executive of Intrinsic Links, explains – and covers how he's built Intrinsic Links since launching at the start of 2014.

From securing his first clients, to financing start-up and growth, to choosing partners to collaborate with, Simon's experiences and advice will give other start-ups and growing businesses plenty to think about. And you might find his business psychology advice invaluable too.

Gaza Sky Geeks startup mentoring PLUS Maps and making

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 15:00:00 +0100

New interviews with Elizabeth Shassere and Laura Bennett about the Gaza Sky Geeks programme and with craftsman Richard Osborne, of From the Workshop.

Elizabeth Shassere and Laura Bennett will be traveling to Gaza in September, to mentor startup teams competing for a place on the Gaza Sky Geeks accelerator. Google for Entrepreneurs founded Gaza Sky Geeks in 2011 to build a startup movement in a frontier market with strong potential.

Elizabeth talks about the entrepreneurs in Gaza (she participated in 2015’s Gaza Sky Geeks) and some of the challenges they face. Laura explains why she and Elizabeth are volunteering in support of the programme and the value that volunteers can bring to an organisation such as Gaza Sky Geeks – and discusses some of her earlier experiences running a social enterprise in Peru.

Richard creates beautiful objects – take a look at his map-based coffee tables on his website – and is using Kickstarter to raise awareness of his new project, a beautifully crafted box with an engraved map of the buyer’s chosen place on the front. He also runs a business designing and installing climbing walls for children.

Timings:

0 – 3:30 introduction and updates
3:30 – 20:23 Richard Osborne
20:23 – 45:05 Elizabeth Shassere and Laura Bennett
45:05 wrapping up

This is episode #125 of Business Live, first broadcast on Sheffield Live FM Radio on Friday 12 August 2016.

Prison illiteracy and dyslexia and how Jackie Hewitt-Main is reducing reoffending

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 18:00:00 +0100

Over 50% of prisoners and unemployed people in the community have dyslexia or similar learning difficulties; more than 70% have low levels of literacy.

And for many prisoners, like today's guest Dale Easter, imprisonment is like a 'revolving door' – Dale spent 23 years of his adult life going into and out of prison more than 40 times.

This experience is common in those unable to read or write, those with learning difficulties and the homeless, according to Jackie Hewitt-Main, founder and chief executive of The Cascade Foundation who joined Dale in the radio studio for this episode (#124).

Jackie explained how the charity, launched in 2013, has developed a multi-sensory approach to teach and support people with dyslexia, head-injury or other learning difficulties. It runs projects both in prisons and in the community, for offenders, ex-offenders and community learners.

Cascade's learners make swift progress using these methods, which also reduce re-offending: Dale described how Cascade had enabled him to completely transform his own life and start "putting something back" into society.

Today's programme also featured studio guest RJ Endeavour of Intelligence4Fitness. RJ is a fitness instructor and self-taught coder and programmer, developing a new app. He shared his journey so far, from Prince's Trust support to development through to acceptance by a tech business accelerator programme.

Timings:

0 - 6:15 introductions and updates, including The Bank of England making first cut in interest rates since March 2009 to a new, historic low
6:15 - 27:19 Jackie Hewitt-Main and Dale Easter talking about The Cascade Foundation
27:19 - 43:18 RJ Endeavour
43:18 - end (50:00) more from Jackie Hewitt-Main and Dale Easter

Sir, this suits you: Suit Works and REACH eco-housing interviews

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 15:00:00 +0100

Vanda Kewley set up The Suit Works, a social enterprise providing a free service to help unemployed men of all ages to succeed at interview by building confidence and self esteem through personal styling.

Their clients receive a suit, shirt, tie and shoes and if needed an interview skills training session to help them be the best they can in job interviews.

Vanda's been on the show before. She returned for this episode with client Simbarashe (Simba) Mandizvizda, and Kyle Odister, a professional basketball player at Sheffield Sharks Basketball, who has been assisting The Suit Works through the Wosskow Brown Foundation.

This episode also includes an interview with Jon Johnson and Jordan Gell of the REACH housing project. REACH is a Sheffield-based social enterprise training apprentices to use reclaimed and recycled materials to build affordable eco-homes from shipping containers.

Timings:

0 - 5:25 introductions and a reminder about the The UK Steel Y-Accelerator programme
5:25 - 30:48 The Suit Works - Vanda Kewley, Simbarashe Mandizvizda and Kyle Odister
30:48 - 53:29 REACH housing - Jon Johnson and Jordan Gell

Offshore Companies and American Politics with Heather Anson

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:00:00 +0100

Dr. Heather Anson is a multi-national law consultant and part of the team at Digital Law UK, director of DLUK Evaluate, and owner of Anson Legal.

She joined me for a fascinating discussion about offshore companies, tax evasion and avoidance, and how the IRS in America investigates and uncovers corruption.

Heather was born in America and worked in Arizona, so I picked her brains about the political system in the United States.

How does it work and how is it different to the UK's system? And if Donald Trump were to become President, would this be as terrifying as many of us think? This episode was broadcast on Sheffield Live FM radio on Friday 3 June 2016.

Timings:

0 - 7:57 introductions and updates: BHS collapse; new research into lunch breaks and wellbeing; and more
7:57 - 26:21- Interview with Heather Anson - introduction, offshoring: why do businesses (and individuals) choose to register offshore; tax evasion compared with tax avoidance; the IRS's powers in the USA; uncovering corruption.
26:21 - end - Heather Anson - the political system in the United States: its powers; the President's powers and how candidates are chosen.

Escape rooms, social purpose publishing and powerhouse hot air

Fri, 20 May 2016 17:00:00 +0100

Hannah Duraid founded The Great Escape Game, Sheffield's first and largest live escape room experience which has now been played by over 18,000 people.

In the Great Escape people work together to escape one of four themed locked room scenarios in 45 minutes. Hannah talked through the lessons she has learned in launching and growing the business – and some of the support that's been most helpful to her.

Liam, Parveen, Sabrine and Rina's social enterprise UpScribe uses video, sound, writing and publishing to support the personal growth, health and employability of vulnerable adults and young people. The team discussed their forthcoming book, We Jump, Never Asking Why, a collection of prose, fiction and memoir written by refugees and asylum seekers based in South Yorkshire.

The Northern Powerhouse "seems to be a lot of hot air" and Government is taking a "divide and conquer approach to northern cities," according Neville Martin of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). He discussed measures announced in this week's Queen's Speech and FSB's view on how these could impact on businesses including transport, infrastructure, legislation and the Northern Powerhouse: "It seems to be a lot of hot air without very much happening at this moment in time...the Government is taking more of a divide and conquer approach to northern cities rather than getting them to unite and to create something that would be really advantageous for the UK economy."

Timings:

0 - 6:04 introductions and updates.
6:04 - 29:04 Neville Martin, the FSB.
29:04 - 37:26 Hannah Duraid, The Great Escape.
37:26 - 53:20 UpScribe: Liam, Parveen, Sabrine and Rina.

Jess Herbert, Rolls Royce, Nick Naylor, Bloodhound, John Silker, MAGNA and more - GUTS, beer and speed

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 13:00:00 +0100

An apprentice who at 19 years old has already saved Rolls-Royce £10m; the author of a new report describing Sheffield as the beer capital of the world and a member of the team behind a rocket-powered car all feature in this week's Business Live radio show.

The Bloodhound Supersonic car was the headline attraction at this year’s Get up to Speed with Engineering and Manufacturing (GUTS) event, held at MAGNA Science Adventure Centre on Wednesday this week.

Bloodhound SSC is a jet and rocket powered car which will challenge for the world land speed record and is set to ultimately break the 1000mph barrier. Many of the parts for the car are designed and manufactured in the Sheffield City Region.

I went along to the GUTS event where I interviewed Nick Naylor of the Bloodhound education and outreach team, and Jess Herbert, an apprentice at Rolls-Royce (supplier of jet engines for Bloodhound) who gave a superb presentation. Organisers Jackie Freeborn and John Barber of the Work-wise Foundation also spoke with me, as did attendees and exhibitors including Anne Wilson MBE of Numill engineering, and John Silker, CEO of MAGNA which hosted GUTS.

Sheffield could justifiably be described as the beer capital of the world, according to a new report launched this week. The Sheffield Beer report examines the thriving brewing industry in the city: there are 57 breweries in the Sheffield City Region. But the report (available here) says the city is missing an opportunity to capitalise on this excellence, and through collaboration, promotion and education could achieve the worldwide recognition it deserves. I caught up with report author Pete Brown for an interview in the Sheffield Tap.

Timings:

0 - 7:51 introductions and updates, including details of a new Women in Enterprise report from the Federation of Small Businesses; a new initiative, the Buy Social Corporate Challenge, which launched this week to encourage corporates to buy from social enterprises; Responsible Business Week; some forthcoming events
7:51 - 16:29 Pete Brown, author of the Sheffield Beer Report
16:29 interviews from Get Up to Speed, including:
17:28 Jackie Freeborn, Work-wise
27:14 John Silker, MAGNA
32:55 Chris Harrop, Pryor
34:24 Nick Naylor, Bloodhound's education team
39:07 Jess Herbert, apprentice at Rolls-Royce
42:31 James Allen, Rolls-Royce
44:04 Anne Wilson MBE, Numill Engineering
47:06 Jim Lawson, the Wosskow Brown Foundation
49:47 Lucy Machin and Lauren Browning, The University of Sheffield
53:38 John Barber, Work-wise

Writing advice from playwright Louise Page, plus Charity Right and Sheffield Speedway interviews

Sat, 16 Apr 2016 01:00:00 +0100

Louise Page is the acclaimed playwright known for Salonika, Another Nine Months, The Statue of Liberty, Love From a Stranger and many other works.

Louise has also written extensively for TV and radio, including for ten years on BBC Radio 4's radio serial The Archers.

She is a specialist in clear and effective business writing too. She has clear tips for better writing and storytelling you can use in business communications.

And Louise flagged a Royal Literary Fund scheme through which businesses can access – free of charge – writing support from authors, playwrights and poets.

Sajad Mahmood was my second studio guest. Sajad is chief executive of Yorkshire based Charity Right, an international food programme providing regular meals to impoverished children.

Sajad recently visited Somaliland with a delegation of leading international aid charities to see the devastating effects of four seasons of poor rainfall.

And Damien Bates is the co-owner of Sheffield Speedway - an institution in the city running for around 70 years. Damien and partners bought the business in 2014, and I visited the track last week to learn more about why he did so, and how the Speedway works with local businesses.

Timings:

0 - 8:35 introductions and updates, including new research into workplace stress and its impact on productivity; results from the 2016 Sheffield City Region Quarterly Economic Survey (QES); some forthcoming events
8:35 - 22:55 Louise Page
22:55 - 42:10 Sajad Mahmood
42:10 - 51:32 Damien Bates

Joanne Harris, Ian McMillan, Jeremy Dyson, Deborah Bullivant

Sat, 05 Mar 2016 01:00:00 +0000

Author Joanne Harris, poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan, writer and League of Gentlemen member Jeremy Dyson and social entrepreneur Ben Payne – plus Grimm and Co founder Deborah Bullivant.

It was a pleasure and privilege to attend Monday’s opening of Grimm & Co, the “apothecary supplying sorcery services and unnatural products to magical beings,” which is also a Yorkshire charity, a writing and mentoring centre for children and young people.

With a prime corner position on Rotherham High Street, Grimm and Co is a treat and an imaginative triumph. I interviewed:

• founder Deborah Bullivant, whose determination to make Grimm and Co a reality is an inspiration for social entrepreneurs and anyone launching a creative or community project
• Joanne Harris,Ian McMillan, Jeremy Dyson and Ben Payne, all of whom attended the Grimm & Co launch event and participated in storytelling workshops with Rotherham schoolchildren.

Timings (music played on air removed from podcast):

0 – 8:47 introduction; business and social enterprise updates.
8:47 – 15:49 Deborah Bullivant of Grimm and Co and Joanne Harris, author.
15:49 – 19:55 Ian McMillan, poet, broadcaster and author.
19:55 – 23:51 Ben Payne of the Ministry of Stories in Hoxton, London.
23:51 – 29:55 writer Jeremy Dyson of The League of Gentlemen and a Grimm and Co trustee.
29:55 – 31:18 more details about Grimm and Co.
31:18 – 52.18 revisiting what it takes to make an independent business successful – a recent interview with Laura Bullock of Seven Hills Bakery.
52:18 – end wrapping up.

This is episode #103 of Business Live.

Author Joanne Harris, poet Ian McMillan, writer Jeremy Dyson and Deborah Bullivant, Grimm and Co

Fri, 04 Mar 2016 13:00:00 +0000

t was a pleasure and privilege to attend Monday’s opening of Grimm & Co, the “apothecary supplying sorcery services and unnatural products to magical beings,” which is also a Yorkshire charity, a writing and mentoring centre for children and young people. Rotherham's Grimm and Co is a treat and an imaginative triumph.

Whilst there I interviewed founder Deborah Bullivant, whose determination to make Grimm and Co a reality will be an inspiration – not only for social entrepreneurs but for anyone launching a creative or community project.

Alongside Deborah’s interview this episode includes interviews with author Joanne Harris, poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan, writer and League of Gentlemen member Jeremy Dyson and social entrepreneur Ben Payne; all of whom attended the Grimm & Co launch event and participated in storytelling workshops with Rotherham schoolchildren.

Timings:

0 – 8:47 introduction to today’s programme; business and social enterprise updates.
8:47 – 15:49 Deborah Bullivant of Grimm and Co and Joanne Harris, author.
15:49 – 19:55 Ian McMillan, poet, broadcaster and author.
19:55 – 23:51 Ben Payne of the Ministry of Stories in Hoxton, London.
23:51 – 29:55 writer Jeremy Dyson of The League of Gentlemen and a Grimm and Co trustee.
29:55 – 31:18 more details about Grimm and Co.
31:18 – 52.18 revisiting what it takes to make an independent business successful – a recent interview with Laura Bullock of Seven Hills Bakery.
52:18 – end wrapping up.

How to run 4 social enterprises - Sara Hill interview

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

It’s a challenge to run or to be a co-director of one business or social enterprise. Running four, and multiple projects too, involves a commitment and ability to organise and plan that would be well beyond many of us.

After today’s radio show featuring guest Sara Hill, one listener tweeted “You’re an inspiration – can’t get over how much you do Sara.”

Sara joined me in the studio to talk about what’s on at the forthcoming Festival of Debate; publishing Now Then magazine which has been running since 2008; the Peace in the Park free festival; and Mesters Events and their recent trip to the refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk.

A fascinating insight – do listen to the podcast.

Timings:

0 – 10:48 introductions and announcements including news about the results of a snap poll from over 4,000 small business owners conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses; new research from the London School of Economics about sources of entrepreneurial finance; The 2016 European Social Innovation Competition – with €150,000 available for projects to source and nurture initiatives that enable refugees and migrants to contribute to the social, economic, cultural and political life of their host countries; this week’s UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition in Manchester; the Sheffield Starflyer, coming to Sheffield next month; a report from CIPD into the introduction of the mandatory national living wage (NLW) in April; the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme; and some forthcoming business and social enterprise events
10:48 – 26:38 Sara Hill part one – The Festival of Debate
26:38 – 39:30 Sara Hill part two – more on The Festival of Debate; Now Then Magazine; Peace in the Park
39:30 – end (50:24) Sara Hill part three – Mesters Events; humanitarian work; a new charity and a recent trip to Calais and Dunkirk to help in the refugee camps.

Hendrika Stephens of the Sheffield Antiques Quarter and Karen Newell of Toy Like Me

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Toy Like Me is an initiative seeking better representation of disability in children’s toys. It works both with independent makers and with global giant Playmobil and hit a fundraising target in a crowdfunding campaign.

Sheffield Antiques Quarter supports a growing number of independent retailers in Sheffield and is a community and retailer-led initiative.

Timings (music played on air removed from podcast):

0 – 5:26 introductions ,announcements
5:26 – 16:38 Hendrika Stephens part 1 – what’s the Sheffield Antiques Quarter – a community and independent business led initiative
16:38 – 27:20 Hendrika Stephens part 2 – fundraising, social media and marketing; support for small businesses; business collaboration
27:20 – 40:13 Karen Newell, Toy Like Me
40:13 – end: wrapping up

This was episode #101 of Business Live, broadcast on 19 February 2016.

Tech firm in driverless car pilot; Learn Create Sell; indie bakery success

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Three guests today. Sam Chapman is chief innovation officer at growing Sheffield tech firm The Floow, part of a three year pilot project to test driverless cars on UK roads.

Next Angga Kara and Zak Ahmed of Learn Create Sell, a creative social enterprise supporting people to learn new skills. Students on the 10-week Learn Create Sell programme learn how to design and create products on a laser cutter and get the opportunity to sell them via a shop in Sheffield’s Winter Gardens.

Angga has also developed the ethical fashion label Hantu, formed hip-hop theatre group Rationale Productions and helped set up Yorkshire Tee; Zak runs AALFY, a company devoted to developing human potential.

And finally an interview with Laura Bullock of Seven Hills Bakery, a thriving independent business which is going from strength to strength; Laura talked through how the business was launched and has developed; the challenges it has overcome; and the importance of collaboration with other local independents.

Timings:

0 – 3:21 introductions and some forthcoming events
3:21 – 13:38 Sam Chapman of The Floow
13:38 – 28:41 Angga Kara and Zak Ahmed of Learn Create Sell
28:41 – 49:36 Laura Bullock of Seven Hills Bakery
49:36 – 50:10 wrapping up

Women in tech and Django Girls with Kate Loach; Business journalism with David Walsh

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 21:00:00 +0000

Kate is senior recruiter at specialist tech recruitment consultancy, Affecto.

Kate discussed why recruiter Affecto are sponsoring Django Girls' volunteer-led workshop in Sheffield this February. Django Girls is a non-profit organisation that empowers and helps women through free, one-day programming workshops providing the opportunity to gain the skills in creating an application and understanding tech. Kate also told me what skills are particularly in demand in the tech industry in 2016.

David is the Business Editor of the Sheffield Star newspaper; his responsibilities also include The Business monthly magazine; Star Business Monthly; and he's involved in the Sheffield Business Awards.

I asked David about the biggest issues affecting Sheffield business, the campaign to locate Sheffield's HS2 station in the city, business confidence in 2016 and how businesses and social enterprises seeking media coverage should catch his attention.

He gave some great insights into the operation of a multimedia (print, digital, video, audio) news operation and some useful tips for listeners, and advice too for people considering a career in journalism.

Timings:

0 - 24:05 David Walsh, our studio guest, on Sheffield business, the business of journalism and advice for listeners.
24:05 - 34:19 Kate Loach of recruiter Affecto: women in tech and trends for 2016.
34:19 - 36:14 a repeat of a short interview with award-winning tech entrepreneur Anthony Odogwu, founder of Future Space Technologies.
36:19 - end a repeat of my interview with popstar turned farmer and entrepreneur, JB Gill, and wrapping up.

Achieving business goals & juicy success

Fri, 08 Jan 2016 15:00:00 +0000

If you're running a business or a social enterprise, you probably have a number of goals and objectives you want to achieve in the year ahead.

And just like with New Year resolutions - which only 8% of people manage to keep - business goals can be vague and hopeful, or concrete with a carefully planned strategy to help to achieve them.

On today's Business Live radio show I was joined in the studio by coach and management consultant Peter Loadman to talk about the process of setting and achieving objectives - in your life and your business.

Peter covered defining (and re-defining) your values and vision, assembling the tools to achieve your objectives, focus and implementation.

My other guest today was Germaine Smith, owner of Sheffield based Juice to U, now riding a wave of celebrity endorsements and selling healthy juices in their thousands after founding her business with a £20 domestic juicer in her kitchen.

Germaine's overcome dyslexia, a previous business collapse leaving her £80,000 in debt (all of which she's now paid off) and the challenges of being a single parent - and she's now running a business valued at several million pounds by a want-to-be investor (whom she turned down).

Dr. Mairi Mackay, Global Head of Social Enterprise at The British Council and Tim Hart, the Gra Group

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:00:00 +0000

Mairi leads the British Council’s Global Social Enterprise programme, which promotes the development of social enterprise and investment to help address entrenched social and environmental problems, build trust between the UK and other countries, and support more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous societies.

Tim’s a former journalist who created a marketing agency in San Francisco and has recently launched The Gra Group. He’s also a musician and plays traditional music on the Irish Whistle.

Listeners will find Tim’s and Mairi’s interviews fascinating. Tim talks about how small businesses and social enterprises can create customer personae to enable them to really focus on who they are marketing to; the interview includes plenty of advice and refers to template marketing plans and customer personae that you can download. And we go into detail about Tim’s business and career highs and lows.

Mairi explains more about how the British Council’s global social enterprise programme works. It operates in 25 countries and provides aspiring and existing social entrepreneurs with skills training, consultancy, and access to funding and investment opportunities.

The programme also forges international networks, disseminates bests practice and supports policy leaders to create ecosystems in which social enterprise and social investment can thrive.

I interviewed Mairi at the recent Critical Mass conference, focusing on social investment and impact measurement, and we discuss the development of impact investing and measurement in the interview too.

Timings:

0 – 6:42 introductions and updates, including new figures about the contribution that the music industry makes to the UK economy; several forthcoming workshops and events; and the Tech for Good initiative.
6:42 – 37:46 Tim Hart of the Grå Group. Check out the resources he mentions, available from his website here
37:46 – 42:02 a track of Irish traditional music, Sheila Coyles, performed by Tim Hart from his album Five after Four
42:02 – 43:34 Tim discussing the social purpose of his agency
43:34 – 52:19 Dr. Mairi Mackay, the global head of social enterprise at The British Council
52:19 – end wrapping up

This is episode #90 of Business Live, first broadcast on 6 November 2015.

JB Gill: popstar, farmer and entrepreneur on finding a business mentor

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 11:00:00 +0100

A popstar turned farmer, a CEO* at Microsoft UK, an assassin, some investors, a lawyer, an impact analyst and a social entrepreneur: all feature in this episode. It includes:

JB Gill, formerly of pop group JLS and now farmer and entrepreneur, talks about the value of finding a mentor in business.

Dave Coplin is a CEO at Microsoft UK: he's their chief envisioning officer - and contemplates how technology can and should empower, rather than enslave.

Anthony Stears is "the telephone assassin," teaching people using the telephone how to "help their customers to buy" as opposed to annoying them by trying to sell.

John Marren founded and chairs Company Shop, the UK's largest redistributor of surplus food, and The Community Shop: the UK's first network of social supermarkets.

But wait! There's more: Critical Mass interviews

I joined social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and analysts from the UK and all over the world at the Critical Mass event in London, and interviewed:

Jeremy Nicholls of Social Value UK and Social Value International who talks through the rationale for managing and measuring impact;
Denise Holle, investment director at Numbers for Good: should social entrepreneurs should drive a Maserati?
Bernie Morgan with advice on what to look for in an investor;
Giselle Davies of law firm Geldards discussing investment readiness and legal structures.

Timings:

0 - 3:30 introduction
3:30 - 9:15 JB Gill
9:15 - 14:58 Dave Coplin
14:58 - 20:14 Anthony Stears
20:14 - 24:18 John Marren
24:18 - 25:34 Nigel Risner
25:34 - 32:23 Darren Chouings and Samantha Deakin
32:41- 33:48 Critical Mass introduction
33:48 - 38:38 Jeremy Nicholls
38:38 - 42:19 Denise Holle
42:19 - 45:10 Bernie Morgan
45:10 - 50:10 Giselle Davies

Leadership with purpose: Baroness Sue Campbell, Josh Littlejohn, Penny Hughes and more

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:00:00 +0100

What does it take to be a great leader in a social enterprise or business?

In this episode some of the UK's most innovative social enterprise and business leaders offer practical tips on leadership, purpose and excellence. It features:

Baroness Sue Campbell who chaired UK Sport and presided over Team GB's and Paralympic GB's huge increase in medals, talking about leadership with moral purpose and innovation;
Josh Littlejohn, who progressed from entrepreneur to social entrepreneur and is the founder of the Scottish Business Awards and Social Bite;
Charlotte Borger, the communications director of farmer-owned Divine Chocolate, on marketing for social enterprises: mission, product, or brand first?
Amy Anslow, co-founder of social enterprise supermarket hiSbe: launching a social enterprise with a clear and ambitious vision, getting the finance together, and overcoming pre- and post-launch challenges;
Penny Hughes, who chairs the sustainable banking committee at RBS NatWest, is a board member of Morrisons supermarkets, is a former president of Coca-Cola in the UK and Ireland, and has worked for The Gap and Vodafone - on what social enterprises can learn from the corporate sector - and vice versa;
Consultant and author Andy Hanselman who explains how businesses can get ahead and stay ahead of their competitors;
and several other guests

Timings:

0 - 2:30 introductions
2:30 - 13:27: Andy Hanselman
13:27 - 15:22: how do leaders of social enterprises balance the need to create an impact with the need to create a surplus?
15:22 - 17:10: Baroness Sue Campbell on leadership with moral purpose and innovation
17:10 - 18:46: Dana Segal, Cockpit Arts
18:46 - 24:13: Josh Littlejohn, Social Bite
24:13 - 29:29: Charlotte Borger, Divine Chocolate
29:29 - 34:22: Tony Jones, Landlife National Wildflower Centre
34:22 - 43:43: Penny Hughes, RBS NatWest
43:43 - 53:35: Amy Anslow, hiSbe (How it Should Be)

Mountain bikers Annie Last and Steve Peat PLUS Cy Turner, Cotic – and Debbie Mathews

Fri, 17 Jul 2015 14:00:00 +0100

It’s rightly famous for the outdoor economy. My home city of Sheffield is also home to an estimated 10,000+ rock climbers, numerous cyclists, runners, walkers, riders, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Local talents forged in Sheffield have participated in sports at international level; and a raft of successful businesses: climbing walls, bike shops, and many more, exist thanks to the strength of Sheffield as a place to participate in outdoor activities.

So I was intrigued to learn about a new mountain bike trail which opened this week, all thanks to funding from local riders and local businesses. Lady Cannings Plantation – on the outskirts of Sheffield, near Ringinglow – is the location for the new 1.4km trail.

It began when volunteers from advocacy group Ride Sheffield, which works collaboratively with riders, other outdoor enthusiasts, and local Councils, launched a crowdfunding campaign to help make the trail happen.

And the donations immediately started flooding in. Next, local businesses including Cotic Bikes and Norton Mayfield Architects made significant financial contributions. Then staff at GO Outdoors, who’d personally contributed to the crowdfund, talked to management there about supporting the trail and the company decided to commit to a large financial contribution to enable all three phases of the trail happen.

Phase 1 of the new trail opened on Tuesday and I went along and interviewed professional mountain bikers Annie Last and Steve Peat after they’d ridden it.

I also spoke with Mike Sanderson and Barry Dunn of GO Outdoors; Chris Heeley and Jon Dallow of Sheffield City Council; local rider Pat Horscroft; Joe Bowman of Steel City Media; and Cy Turner of Cotic Bikes.

Also in this episode: Andrew Throssell, partner at Hebblethwaites Chartered Accountants on how changes to dividend payments, corporation tax and annual investment allowance announced in the budget will affect small businesses. PLUS Debbie Matthews, chief executive of Manor and Castle Development Trust. Timings:

0 – 4:40: introductions
4:40 – 13:00: Debbie Matthews
13:00 – 20:37: Andrew Throssell
20:37 – 22:28: a forthcoming event for businesses wanting to trade with China
22:28 – 43:47: mountain biking segment (Mike Sanderson, Barry Dunn, Chris Heeley, Jon Dallow, Annie Last, Pat Horscroft, Joe Bowman, Cy Turner, Steve Peat)
43:47 – 46:15: wrap up

This is episode #75 of Business Live, first broadcast on Friday 17 July 2015.

Person behind the Politics: Oliver Coppard (Labour) interview

Fri, 27 Feb 2015 18:00:00 +0000

Oliver Coppard is standing as the Labour Party candidate in the general election in the Sheffield Hallam constituency.

On Friday 27 February 2015 I interviewed him for my Business Live programme on Sheffield Live 93.2FM, Sheffield’s community radio station with 40,000+ listeners.

Oliver Coppard was born and raised in Sheffield Hallam, attending Porter Croft, Silverdale and High Storrs schools, going on to study Politics and Parliamentary Studies at the University of Leeds. He worked in the US Congress and the UK Parliament, and returned to Sheffield in 2009 to manage an Olympic legacy project. He then went on to work in the Dearne Valley on behalf of the local LEP, developing the low carbon economy.

The interview was the third of a series of interviews I conducted with prospective Members of Parliament, uncovering “the person behind the politics” and asking what policies they would like to introduce to support businesses and social enterprises.

[On 6 February 2015 the Conservative Party candidate, Ian Walker, was on the show, and on 13 February the Green Party candidate, Peter Garbutt took part. Links to their interviews are below.]

Why are the interviews in this format?

Political interviews are frequently conducted in what could be termed the Paxmanian style – an interrogatory approach (more about this here). And there’s a time, place and value in this. But radio seldom has the time for long-form political interviews. As a radio presenter, and a resident of Sheffield Hallam, I wanted these interviewees to open up and, in their own words, to explain something of their experience, particularly in working in business and social enterprise.

Listen to the other Person behind the Politics interviews:

Ian Walker (Conservative Party candidate for Sheffield Hallam)

Peter Garbutt (Green Party candidate for Sheffield Hallam)

(I invited Nick Clegg to be interviewed for this series, emailing and calling his office and his team several times; and suggested the Liberal Democrats could send an alternative interviewee if necessary – to date, there’s been no reply. However the Liberal Democrats have been interviewed by other Sheffield Live programmes.)

I hope you'll enjoy this interview from 27 February 2015 with Oliver Coppard, broadcast on Sheffield Live! FM radio.