Adam Asks

John Shinnick is a Portfolio Non-Exec Director, supporting business owners through coaching, mentoring and advising. A former partner at Grant Thornton for 21 years, John spent his career working with dynamic people to help make their businesses great; 12 years of which also involved leading Grant Thornton locations. 

John holds two Board Adviser roles and also Coach-Mentors 4 or 5 CEO's or Managing Partners at any one time. Current assignments range from FTSE 100 to professional services firms.  Additionally, he's an  NLP Practitioner and a Coach-Mentor qualified under the European Mentoring and Coaching Council. 

With a background like that it's no surprise this podcast was packed full of fascinating conversation.  So much so that we had to split it into two parts.  

In part one John discusses his background, his "sniff test" and how he helps business owners progress both personally and professionally by helping them free up head space to tackle transformative projects in their businesses.

Matt Farrar is a serial entrepreneur, advisor and NED with vast experience in the tech industry. Having grown and sold Product and Service Design Agency: Great Fridays for a eight figure sum in October 2014, Matt joined EPAM systems as Vice President of Service Design. 

Three years later he took stock of his professional purpose after a traumatic 12 months caring for his son who suffers with Type 1 Diabetes. This experience inspired a change of course in his career.

Matt joined us to tell us about his journey, the ups and downs of agency ownership and how his new start-up, LovedBy could provide the answer to helping those suffering with the disease.

Acclaimed BBC Presenter and host of the chart-topping podcast, You, Me and The Big C, Rachael Bland, sadly passed away in 2018. Her husband, journalist Steve Bland has become an authentic and honest voice for those suffering with grief and has followed in her footsteps by joining the multi award winning podcast team. He’s also run a marathon, raised thousands of pounds for charity and become a founding member of Cancer Research Initiative, Manchester Beats Cancer. We’re honoured to share this touching podcast where Steve told us about how life has changed since losing Rachael, how it’s changed his perspective on what’s important and advice for others going through a time of loss.

Josh Bolland is Founder and CEO of JB Cole, a transformational digital technology agency focused on using the latest in tech to solve complex business problems.  Josh founded JB Cole at the tender age of 18, joined by his technically-minded brother Ollie.  Josh joins us to discuss the challenges of being a Millennial CEO, of relocating a business from London to join the thriving Manchester tech scene and how he harnessed the power of networking to ensure the continued success of his business.  Josh is also the Manchester Chair of BIMA, a national digital community driven by excellence and innovation.

Ruth Naylor, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2017 and doctors were unsure if she would survive.  She documented the following year of treatment daily through instagram to help others dealing with the disease, growing over 20k followers. Ruth took the time to share her inspirational journey with us, how her life has changed since she was given the all clear earlier this year and what her new role as Chair of Cancer Research Initiative, Manchester Beats Cancer, has in store.

 Jon Woodall is founder and Managing Director of Space 48, an award winning agency specialising in eCommerce consultancy, design, build and strategy.  Space 48 have just celebrated their 10 year anniversary, a monumental achievement. Jon shared with us his story of how the business developed, relocated to manchester, grew through acquisition and the challenges he experienced throughout that time. He also talked about the fantastic Manchester tech community and why he launched the international conference for Magento developers, Mage Titans. 

Martin Murphy is a former special forces soldier, international adviser and coach to leaders and teams. He’s also a speaker and author with vast experience in forming and leading high performing teams, both in the special forces and in the commercial sector where he trained special project teams worldwide to effectively combat terrorism and narcotics smuggling. Martin joined us to discuss the key challenges faced by his clients, leaders of fast growth businesses, and give us an insight into his new book 'From Mercenaries to Missionaries'.