This week, I sat down with the brilliant @Sarah Lamontagne, Founder of @Montagne Motion Consulting, to dive into what really matters when founders make those all-important first hires. Sarah’s seen it all, from prisons to AI scaleups, and brings some refreshing honesty, and tonnes of experience to bear hiring, culture, and building the foundations for a people-first business. Some personal highlights from our conversation: ✅ Why founders waste time (and budget) trying to DIY their early...

This week, I sat down with Peter Charalambides, CEO of The Upper Room and former Property CEO, for a powerful conversation on how to run a charity with a business mindest. Some of my favourite moments from our chat include: ✅ What Peter learned from starting-up a business and how that shapes his charity leadership today. ✅ Why charities must diversify income streams and the impact of local community. ✅ Financial lessons from the business world on cash flow, benchmarking salaries, and t...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Dan DeGolier, CEO of Ascent CFO Solutions, to dig into the world of metrics, and how small businesses can start to think about this subject. Some of the highlights from our conversation included: ✅ Why “cash is king” still matters – regardless of your growth stage. ✅ The biggest mistake small businesses make with dashboards – think noise vs. insight! ✅ How to make KPIs work best across teams – tip: link them to bonus schemes. ✅ The difference betw...

This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mark Jenkins, CEO of The Gap, a platform to help accountants, CFOs, and advisors turn their expertise into scalable value-driven services. Some of my personal highlights from the conversation include: ✅ Why clients struggle to see your worth. ✅ The sweet spot between “art and science” when selling services. ✅ The importance of systemising delivery with repeatable frameworks. ✅ Tools to turn advisory chats into valuable and commercial outcomes...

This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with @Gerri Phillips, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer of @Cue Gravity - a company that’s built its niche helping retailers tell their story successfully by blending the physical and the digital. While Cue Gravity is already working with top-tier brands across the U.S. Gerri is now leading the U.K. charge, focusing on bringing that U.S.. experience and success to the UK. 🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were: ✅ Why U...

This week, I had a fascinating conversation with @Rajeev Nandan, founder and CEO of @Pierian, about the evolution of Marketing technology and the impact of AI on digital marketing strategies. We covered: ✅ The move from traditional marketing to AI-driven, data-led strategies. ✅ The transition from a consulting business model to a scalable SaaS offering. ✅ The financial metrics that drive e-commerce success and sustainable growth. ✅ How businesses, big and small, can use AI to improve customer...

This week, I sat down with @Alistair Roman, Founder and Managing Partner of @Cost Optimisation Consultancy, to explore cost optimisation for small businesses and discuss how you can reduce costs in your business sustainably. We discuss the model that Alistair has developed - the cost transformation maturity map - why most businesses fail to retain cost savings, and explore how SMEs can build cost efficiency into their company culture. 🌟 Some of my favourite parts from our conversation: ✅ How ...

This week, I had a fascinating conversation with St John Dalgleish, CEO of Perlon AI, about the reality of building AI-driven solutions that actually deliver results. We explored how Perlon AI went from consulting to product, the challenges of scaling AI in diverse industries, and what the future holds for businesses using AI. 🌟 Some of my favourite parts of our discussion: ✅ Custom AI at scale: The challenges of tailoring AI models across 15 different industries while staying efficient. ✅...

On this one I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Sherratt, founder and CEO of gloveglu – an innovative brand that’s reshaped the goalkeeping product category with products sold in 55 countries and over 1.1m followers on social media.This conversation was a real lesson to me in entrepreneurial courage, strategic pivots, and turning challenges like Brexit and COVID into opportunities for growth. Paul’s journey from a corporate career to creating a globally recognised brand is inspiring...

On this one I was delighted to be joined by Erika Robinson, the UK General Manager of Constant Contact, a leading platform for small business marketing solutions.This was a cracking conversation with Erika where we had a wide ranging chat discussing AI tools, career pivots, lean team leadership and some tips on how small businesses can give themselves the best chance of achieving those big ambitions.🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:✅Risk vs. reward: How to assess ...

On this one I was delighted to be joined by Lizzie Allen Phillips, the founder of IWant2Network, who is on a mission to become London's number one premium business networking organization with her networking group, IWant2Network.This was a fascinating conversation with Lizzie where we discussed the power of networking for financial success.🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:✅Common networking mistakes and how to avoid them;✅Addressing imposter syndrome and other com...

On this one I was delighted to be joined by Francesca Hodgson, MBA, the successful entrepreneur and Founder of We are Ambition, a business consultancy offering fractional leadership, growth services, mentoring and coaching.This was a fascinating conversation with Francesca where we explored the need for clarity of mind, as it relates to the entrepreneurial journey.🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:✅The power of authenticity, how it helps build confidence, and acts ...

On this one I was very pleased to be joined by @Jon Reay and @Tim Seddon, the Co-Founders OF @Room 42, a start-up that facilitates effective change and innovation through the use of Design Thinking based programmes, to help businesses tackle the most challenging of live business problems. I really enjoyed this conversation with Jon and Tim where we dived into how they went on the journey to start Room 42 and specifically how they have seen Design Thinking used to improve Financial Perfor...

On this one I was very pleased to be joined by Emilia De Stasio, CFA, the Founder & COO at Artscapy, the wealth management platform dedicated to art collecting.I really enjoyed this conversation with Emilia where we explored her background in Finance, her love of Art and her journey over the past 4 years as she has co-founded Artscapy, a platform dedicated to the needs of art collectors.🌟 A flavour of some of my favourite parts of our conversation:✅ Emilia’s personal passion for art and i...

Click the link below for the Limited time 2 for 1 offer mentioned on the pod: Life Ready PathwayIn this first episode of the new season, I’m thrilled to be joined by Suke Ridler, the CEO and founder of My LifeJars, a company that assists in organising documents and passwords to access during life and after death. In this conversation, Suke and I discuss her journey from acoustic engineer through to winemaker, sheep breeder, and then on to becoming a start up founder.🌟 Some of my fav...

I was delighted to be joined by @Alice Olins, Career Expert, Coach and Trainer, and the Founder of the @Step Up Club, an organisation that works with individuals and teams to help them fulfill potential, navigate and embrace change. This was an impactful conversation with Alice where we explored change and how small businesses can best navigate it. 🌟 Some of the most interesting elements were:✅How, leadership through communication and openness is such an important part of successful...

I was very pleased to be joined by @Russell Rich, one of the senior partners at @Lubbock Fine, a leading firm of chartered accountants and tax advisors, where Russell heads up the sports, media and entertainment desk. I really enjoyed this conversation with Russell where we explored a situation familiar with many these days, noticeably some considerations when starting up a business as a second career. 🌟 Some of the most interesting elements were:✅ How, when externally financing, In...

In this one, I'm excited to be joined by Chris Cummings, the Group CEO and Founder of Wellbeing at Work World, an organisation on a mission to make wellbeing a strategic priority for every business.I really enjoyed this conversation with fellow Centaur Media Plc alumni Chris, discussing his journey over the past 10 years, inspired by personal circumstances, to fly the flag for the importance of wellbeing at work.🌟 Some of the most interesting elements were:✅The impact that true wellbeing can ...

In this one, I'm delighted to be joined by Helen Cox, a Chartered Marketer, and Founder of Helen Cox Marketing, a marketing consultancy specialising in advising professional service firms on their marketing and business development.In our wide ranging conversation, Helen and I cover all that you need to know about the benefits of effective marketing plans for small business owners.🌟 Some of my favourite parts were:✅ Understanding Helen’s marketing planning framework – specifically the six key...

In this one, I'm delighted to be joined by @Wenceslyne Ong, the Founder of @Elite LVL, a business operations consulting firm with a world-class customer onboarding and continuous improvement framework, helping cost conscious businesses scale. In this broad ranging conversation, Wenceslyne and I cover all that you need to know about having a strategic and mindful approach to staff onboarding in small and growing businesses. 🌟 Some of my favourite parts were:✅ How the experience...