We've endured lockdowns, firebreaks and tiers and are facing restrictions for months to come while new vaccines are perfected and rolled out. Saving lives is the priority, but restrictions are leading to job losses and business failure, increased poverty and worsening mental health? Is there any alternative? Some scientists think there may be but their views have attracted huge criticism. We hear from Professor Sunetra Gupta on what she calls 'focussed protection'. Could it work and get us 'BackinBusiness'? Or is it wishful thinking?

Whether you're doing business in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or England, you're facing restrictions. Some are just starting while others are coming to an end and there are tiers upon tiers to navigate. But ultimately the result is the same: small businesses are taking a hit with many fearing for their futures. The BackinBusiness team updates on who can't do what, where and takes a closer look at how the Welsh 'firebreak' has worked, with Andrew Henley, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Economics at Cardiff Business School and Daniel Warder, owner of Top Joe's Pizzeria in Tenby.

Covid has been hard on businesses and self-employed people in many sectors. And we've been hearing that women of all ages, ethnicity and backgrounds have been hit particularly badly because of the sectors they work in. Professor Julia Rouse has the figures and Claudia, Anna and Amy have the experiences. Join them as they discuss 2020 and the future. Recorded before the latest lockdown in England, and the extension of the Furlough scheme were announced, with:Claudia Welsh, founder of B Empowered A1 Ltd. - business coach/mentorAnna Price, founder of Rural Business Awards and a freelance Chartered Marketer and strategy specialistAmy Solon, hypnotherapist and owner of Elements Hypnotherapy in Dunfermline near EdinburghJulia Rouse, Professor of Entrepreneurship · ‎Manchester Metropolitan University.

Is the treasury fiddling while the music industry burns? The industry is worth a vast 5.5 Billion pounds a year to the UK's economy yet help for musicians, most of whom are freelance, is crumbs. A third of freelance members of The Musicians' Union say they will have to leave the industry, and 170,000 jobs are predicted to go by Christmas. We risk losing our world beating music industry and if it goes we won't get it back. Liz, Mickey, Declan and Simon discuss the desperate situation with Horace Trubridge - General Secretary Musicians’ Union, Jessie Murphy - freelance musician and led the protest on parliament square, and Luke Moore - freelance musician and composer from Liverpool.

The second of our Mental Wellbeing podcasts, featuring Katie Matthews, founder of The Mind Tribe, and Stewart White, Director at Blue Shadow, a Mental Health First Aid training company.

The team talks to Miles Celic CEO of TheCityUK...set up 10 years ago to look at the role of small business in the City of London after the 2008 banking crash, what lessons can we learn for building back better, and ensuring the future of our UK cities, once the covid pandemic retreats?

Business woman Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation, Mark Hart Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School and freelance IT consultant and  business analyst Philip Ross analyse the prospects for the UK's small businesses and self-employed workers for the autumn and winter. The verdict: blustery winds and heavy weather ahead.

In this week's podcast we discuss the impact of the government's schemes so far: what's worked and what hasn't; who has been left behind and who has benefitted and what does the Government need to discuss at the ongoing virtual Conservative Party Conference this week. The team is joined by the boss of Courtney World Travel Stephanie Jepson, Chief economist at the think tank Resolution Foundation Mike Brewer, and by the founder of The Entrepreneurs Network Philip Salter.

On top of new restrictions comes the Chancellor's latest thinking about schemes to save jobs and support businesses through the next wave of the pandemic. How effective will the measures be and who will be losers and who will be winners. Join Mickey Clark, Liz Barclay and Simon McVickers as they discuss the latest developments with Anthony Jordan, owner of party and wedding design company Tama Ra Event Designers, Dr Roger Barker, Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors (IOD), and Sam Harrison, owner of the Sam's Riverside restaurant and deli in Hammersmith London.

In the months since we launched BackinBusiness we've noticed small business owners and self-employed people struggling with the impacts of Covid-19 and the uncertainty for their firms, livelihoods and families. We've launched our new monthly mental wellbeing podcast to give you the opportunity to talk about how you're feeling and our mental wellbeing group members will offer some tips, through blogs, on coping with the issues you raise. Maria and Nick run very different businesses and they've been on a rollercoaster since March.