Big Business Briefs

Cartels & anti-competitive practice, Canva app & Melanie Perkins.

Who knew that Competition Law and Cartels are something we should ALL be aware of regardless of the size of our business? Not Heather that’s for sure.

This week we discuss the what, why and when it is illegal to fix prices, collaborate on prices and/or restrict the prices your customers can offer your products for.

Prompted by an article on gov.uk we take time to examine the rules in more detail.

For our review this week we take a trawl through the latest apps being used for presentations. From Haikudeck to Prezi and from SlideShare to Canva we discuss the pros and cons of slide creation software and discuss the merits of good old Powerpoint and how to avoid ‘overkill’ in your slide deck. One of our favourites is Canva which (even with the free version) delivers great opportunity for consistency, creativity and quality and is well worth a look.

Sticking with Canva (yes we do plan these podcasts you know), we profile it’s Co Founder and CEO Melanie Perkins.

From selling scarves on a market stall at the age of 13 to being named as the second richest woman in Australia Perkins built her fortune by solving a problem that she encountered whilst at university and now the whole globe can benefit from her desktop design package.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, you really are missing a trick.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Ethical brands with unethical owners, Marketing for Dummies & Greg Jackson

This week we turn our attention to an article in Ethical Consumer Magazine which examines 10 ethical brands who are owned, some only in part, by non-ethical companies.

It’s quite a controversial subject but totally fascinating and poses more questions than answers in many ways.

What happens when you sell your ethical business? What control do you have over the brand once the business has sold? What come back is there if you used your moniker to name the business and your identity is forever connected with that brand?

Our review this week delves into the Dummies range of books as we take time, in the main, to look at what they have to share with us in Marketing For Dummies. Written by Jeanette Maw it provides a comprehensive but easy to follow guide to the various elements of marketing that apply to small and large organisations alike.

During her research Tracy unearthed the Dummies website dummies.com which also shares some really useful snippets of information that apply to both everyday life and business. Well worth checking out.

For our profile this week we pick up on one of the names featured on the ethical companies list as we profile Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy one of the fastest growing energy firms on the planet which, with just under 2 million clients is on track to join the group of the Big Six utility providers.

A self proclaimed disruptor, Jacksons management style and ethos is both engaging and admirable and he has a relaxed and open manner in his written and verbal communication. Visit the Octopus Energy website or check out this interview on YouTube to get a real sense of the man.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Working long hours, Doris F Fisher & Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People

According to the World Health Organization long working hours caused 745,000 deaths per annum in 2016 so this week we spend some time discussing this story and the implications for the business community and how working patterns might impact on our health.

The BBC published an article on this article and as with so many statistics, the deeper you delve the more the story unfolds.

In any case the story reminds us that the shift towards better work life balance has significant benefits for our workforce.

We also check out what gov.uk has to say about the working time directive here in the UK to give us some context to the bigger picture.

Our review this week offers us insights and suggests phrases and appropriate language to help us deal with difficult people. Powerful Phrases for Dealing With Difficult People by Renee Evenson explores some of the day to day situations that many of us have encountered in the work place and provides a format that structures our conversations in a concise and productive way without finger pointing.

From conflict resolution to handling challenging bosses and dealing with difficult co workers and customers.

For our profile this week we focus on the co-founder of the huge clothing retailer GAP or The GAP inc or in this country GAP UK if you prefer.

Doris Fisher started the business with her husband Donald Fisher in 1969 and the business remains in family ownership until this day.

However, like so many retail clothing stores GAP has experienced considerable decline on the high street. For the year to February 1, 2020, Gap’s UK retail sales fell by 9.5 per cent to £195.1 million that year, while it produced operating losses of £40.7 million.

We really do have to watch this space as currently they are considering becoming an online only operation in Europe.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Home Delivery Food Boxes, Small Giants and Steven Bartlett

We’ve talked about a few chefs on the Business Community over the years but this week we find ourselves talking about food where the chef is the customer.

There’s been a real increase in the number of people taking advantage of home delivery food boxes and as a business model it seems to tick a lot of boxes. It’s convenient, creative, economical and from an environmental point of view produces zero food waste. Packing is another story but one where there does seem to have been significant improvement.

Tapping in to the cash rich time poor model this way of food shopping emerged long before Covid19 but has seem massive growth over the last 18months and it seems more and more businesses are jumping on the bandwagon.

Whether you are an Abel & Cole, Hello Fresh or Morrisons Supermarket fan there’s something to fit most budgets, pallets and food preferences.

Our review this week is very much about the small business owners amongst us and Small Giants (Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big) by Bo Burlingham gets us thinking about whether bigger is always better when it comes to business.

You can check out the Four Minute Books Summary here. There’s plenty of food for thought and he encourages us to make conscious decisions when it comes to growing our business, or not.

This week’s profile is a man who has been all over the press since the recent announcement that he has joined Dragon’s Den as their youngest ever dragon.

Replacing Vitabiotics CEO Tej Lalvani Steven Bartlett is a self-confessed university drop out who grew his business from his Manchester bedroom and was a multi-millionaire by the age of 25.

Now aged 28 he certainly seems to speak the language of the modern entrepreneur and we look forward to seeing how he fares alongside the other, perhaps more traditional, dragons.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Plant-based meat, Chris Forbes of Cheeky Panda and 7-Figure Small with Brian Clarke

We’ve talked a lot about disruptors in the past and this week we are focussing on one of the biggest disruptors in the food industry for many a long year.

With an increased focus on our health, general wellbeing and the fate of the planet coupled with raised awareness about meat farming and processing looking for ways to reduce our consumption of meat products.

Whether you eat vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian you will no doubt have noticed the entrance of plant based meat products and associated non dairy, dairy foods.

This week we examine the market in more detail and chat generally about food which is always a good place to start in conversation, we feel. There are some interesting statistics here at on the Vegan Society website and in New Food Magazine.

Regular listeners to The Business Community will know just how much time we spend comparing our offering to that of other podcasters and this week is no exception.

We both took a dive into the work of Brian Clark, a serial digital entrepreneur who’s started several 7-figure businesses over the years.

In his podcast he records interviews with business people, authors and entrepreneurs from all walks of life, basically so that we don’t have to.

Unemployable.com has the double benefit of providing transcripts of all of the interviews so that you can choose which medium you prefer to access.

Finally, at the tail end (pun intended) of the podcast this week we talk share portfolios and focus our attention on Chris Forbes, co-founder of Cheeky Panda.

Set up with his wife Julie Chen Cheeky Panda manufactures and distribute paper products made from bamboo and their speedy disruption to the loo roll and paper tissue market is quite impressive.

From a £10k start up in 2016 to projected turnover of £10m in 2021 they certainly seem to making an impression.

Chris gave an interview to sustainableworkspaces.com here and also shares his knowledge and insights at Elite Business Magazine.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Love it or hate it Dragon’s Den (find out how to take part here) has, over the years, seen quite a few pitches and not all of them have been particularly well delivered. Often, when it comes the all important ‘numbers’ even the most well-constructed pitch can fall flat on its face.

A recent episode saw Sam Jones of Gener8ads.com present an eloquent, entertaining and entrepreneurial pitch with excellent dragon appeal. You can see how he did it here.

Nowadays, we have become used to cookies on our computers gathering information and big data being used to influence our buying habits but Sam has developed an idea that puts the pennies back in our purses and control back in our ball court.

Needless to say the story doesn’t begin and end there as this story piqued our interest and saw us heading to Netflix in search of another big data story, this time not so empowering for most of us.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal is the subject of The Great Hack and tells the story of how data mining can be used to influence decision making. This isn’t just about shifting your preference from one type of cat food to another, this is about shifting the choices we make in a way that has the power to change the world.

Tracy may have seen the documentary before but Heather’s mind was, and still is, completely blown by the extent of this fascinating story. It’s probably worth noting that in usual circumstances Tracy would be the one raving about data but this particular story turned those tables right over.

Just when we thought we couldn’t get any more excited we dip into our profile this week which is of self-made entrepreneur Derek Sivers who cashed in his chips with CDBaby.com and hasn’t needed to do paid work since.

Instead, and fortunately for us, he is generous in sharing his knowledge, anecdotes and enthusiasm with us via his website sivers.com and in his writings and interviews across the internet.

His enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge knows no bounds. Certainly one to watch, listen to and read about.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

None of us need reminding that the world has been turned upside down in the last 12 months or so but is it always a bad idea to flip things on their head? According to Sir John Timpson Esq it is no bad thing at all in fact, he and his team positively embrace the idea of inverting the traditional hierarchical management pyramid in order to empower, encourage and expand the ‘colleagues’ within his organisation.

Sir John coined the phrase and has written about his rationale on several occasions so this week we discuss what Upside Down Management looks like in practice within the Timpson Group and consider how and why it’s good for business.

You can hear him speak on the subject here, read his thoughts on the subject here and access a simplified version of the principles here.

One of the principals of Upside Down Management is Trust and this also features highly in our review this week which is a book entitle How To Thrive In The Virtual Workplace by Robert Glazer and Mick Sloan.

The book, in it’s own words, provides ‘’simple and effective tips for successful, productive and empowered remote work’. Glazer hasn’t simply jumped on the Covid bandwagon with this book, he has a proven track record in setting up, running and working within a significant ‘virtual’ workplace and he shares his experiences, knowledge and strategy in this guide.

You can find out more about Robert and access some really interesting resources via his website robertglazer.com.

And we end the podcast this week with a profile of someone who you may have recently encountered on Snack Masters the BBC show which sets two chefs head to in head in battle to recreate some of our favourite snacks. Cyrus Todiwala, OBE, DL owns and cooks at Café Saffron Namaste and is known for sourcing ingredients with care and producing food with love.

He diversified during Covid19 by setting up mistertodiwalas.com and alongside his wife Pervin seeks to educate diners and cooks alike to appreciate quality, flavour and diverse cuisine.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

It seems that no sooner does house come onto the market than someone snaps it up.

This week we take a look at what is happening with the UK housing market and what impact the stamp duty holiday is having on supply and demand.

From 95% mortgages to properties selling in record time, there’s certainly lots to think about and ONS has the stats to explain in more detail.

For our review this week we take a look at a book and a TED talk by Caroline Goyder. As a well highly respected and well connected speaking coach, Goyder’s book Find Your Voice: The Secret to Talking with Confidence in Any Situation, gives us insights into not only how to talk with confidence but how our bodies actually talk. Apparently it’s all in the breathing.

For our profile we take another look at the Forbes Billionaire’s list and delve deeper into the work of new entrant female entrepreneur Geeta Gupta-Fisker who, along with her husband is giving Elon Musk a run for his money in the electric car stakes.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Heather Noble & Tracy Jones present The Business Community, Episode 156.

Find out more about this podcast, the presenters and previous episodes at www.thebusiness.community.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast

Heather Noble & Tracy Jones present The Business Community, Episode 155.

Find out more about this podcast, the presenters and previous episodes at www.thebusiness.community.

If you like what you hear then perhaps you would considering buying us a coffee (we love coffee!), or a book (we also love books!) www.buymeacoffee.com/tbcpodcast