BrumPod

In this episode, we bring you an update as to what’s been happening since our last episode at the end of last year.

We’ve seen massive changes in social media since the ‘insurrection riot’ at the US Capitol buildings a few days ago. Twitter and many other social media platforms have now banned Donald Trump for his involvement in allegedly stoking the violence.

Since then, tens of thousands of other accounts related to QAnon have also been deleted, and we assume, banned. This sparks one of the biggest clean-ups that social media has probably ever seen.

Also, a new bank has launched in Birmingham, called Birmingham Bank - the first bank to bear the Birmingham name for over a century. This bank will have a strong focus on the SME sector. 

Westside BID have also announced a match-funding scheme to help businesses located in the Westside area of Birmingham invest in crucial products & services, offering 50% of funding required. More info in links below.

Covid-19 vaccine continues its rollout, with more and more locations announced for where the public will be able to be vaccinated. Even Asda is opening its first store in Birmingham to create a vaccine clinic within the George dept. More Asda stores likely to follow, but the first ever will be in Birmingham.

AstraZeneca also gearing up to be able to provide 2million vaccine doses a week by mid-February.

Finally, NHS Birmingham & Solihull has launched the Midlands’ first one-stop mental health service to help those with mental health issues, regardless of severity - something everyone should be aware of. More info below.

Resources referred to during this episode:

https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2021/01/12/birmingham-bank-launched-to-serve-sme-businesses-throughout-the-midlands

https://westsidebid.co.uk/2021/01/12/bid-launches-financial-match-funding-safety-net-for-westside-businesses/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55638558

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/special-features/10-million-people-need-mental-19575369

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-astrazeneca-on-track-to-deliver-two-million-vaccine-doses-a-week-by-mid-february-as-it-calls-for-priority-access-12186734

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

As our final episode of 2020, we thought we’d issue an extra little episode before Christmas as a brief roundup of this year, but more looking ahead with positivity and optimism to 2021.

We also make a few predictions about what the world of work, online tools and social media may be like in 2021 and ongoing, hopefully making it more beneficial and positive for all.

Will there be more fact checking on Twitter and Facebook, with them deleting more of the disinformation out there?

Will more and more businesses be more open to the idea of flexible working and rethinking the 9-5 for the employees that could do with such a schedule?

Will more businesses hire more freelancers, creating ‘virtual teams’ rather than having businesses host an array of skills in-house at all times?

And why oh why didn’t LinkedIn get in on the video conferencing game this year, given they have a primed and ready audience for it! Late to the game, LinkedIn, you’re late to the game…

And we look at a good news story about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott who’s done a massively good deed…

Finally, on behalf of all at Team BrumPod/Brummies Networking, I want to thank you for being a listener of BrumPod throughout 2020 - we very much appreciate you being here. Have a very (as much as possible) Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. And we’ll see you all again in early January 2021!

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

Sound Effects courtesy of freesfx.co.uk

[Apologies for the crackly audio in the early part of the episode - was due to broadband connection interference with our guest. This improves greatly just before 11mins in.]

In this episode, we talk to Councillor Waseem Zaffar from the ‘Brum Breathes’ department at Birmingham City Council who are launching the Clean Air Zone in the city.

Waseem explains what exactly a Clean Air Zone is, who will be affected, who will be charged, and who will be exempt from the charges. 

Will everyone have to pay? Is it the same as a Congestion Charge Zone? Will it affect my business?

There’s been a lot of rumour going around about who will be the most affected, so thankfully Waseem is on hand to explain in detail how it’s all going to work, and dispels a lot of myths along the way!

The Clean Air Zone scheme looks set to enhance the air quality in the city centre greatly, as well as help promote and support alternative transport choices, including electric cars.

For more information on the Clean Air Zone, do check out the council’s dedicated website to it, at: https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the world of electric cars and where they’re going, with motoring journalist Richard Aucock from MotoringResearch.com.

We take a look at how far electric cars have come on, technology wise, in just a few short years - and what the future of driving electric will be in the NEXT few years; both in terms of the car tech itself, and the infrastructure needed to support it.

From the inception of the 1st Nissan Leaf with its very limited range, we now have electric cars capable of 350+ miles.

How far away are we from having cars that could travel further?

How long until battery technology makes the next leap and bound to be able to fully charge a car in just a few minutes?

What are the best cars to look out for at the moment and in the future?

What’s best to go for now? Full EV? Plug-in Hybrid EV? The choices are mind-boggling.

If you’re someone who is wanting to buy their first electric vehicle and want some rock solid information and advice, then this episode is for you. Richard Aucock explains all, and gives us his top picks of cars to look out for, debunks some common misconceptions, and explains everything you want to know about electric cars - in simple terms!

Where to find Richard Aucock online:

https://www.motoringresearch.com

https://twitter.com/richardaucock

Resources referred to in this episode:

https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/2030-petrol-diesel-car-ban-explained/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/17/boris-johnson-announces-10-point-green-plan-with-250000-jobs

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this special edition episode, we wanted to turn the podcast over to you! So we've invited a handful of folks we know well to submit their own audio promo pitches, as a way of introducing them to you, the wider world.

Since England is in Lockdown 2, we feel it's more important than ever to keep up your marketing and networking, to ensure you've got a good pipeline of work coming in during these uncertain times. And one way to do that is giving folks the opportunity to introduce themselves to a new audience, namely, you! They're a great bunch of people who we feel you should know about, so please do have a listen to their intro speeches during this episode to find out more about them; and then of course do check out their web links too - all links below.

We will undoubtedly be running another  'shoutout episode' again in due course, maybe in the new year. So if you fancy having your promo introduction featured in a future episode, you can submit it easily via our SpeakPipe page: https://www.speakpipe.com/brumpod

Just keep your intro speeches to no more than 30 seconds, and ensure you include all the key info; who you are, what you do, how you can help, where can people find you. (Legal disclaimer: By submitting an audio clip you give us the rights to use it on this podcast).

Here are the people who have featured today:

Leila Smith - https://www.promiseprandcreative.co.uk

Sean Dyer - https://bravenewbeast.co.uk

Sara Tomaszewska - https://littlemediaagency.com

Will Woodhouse - https://www.fixmybrokenmac.co.uk

Luke Burton - https://theconnectionworldwide.com

Maria Goodwin - https://www.birminghamhospice.org.uk

Henrik Court - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrikcourt/

Theo Thompson - https://www.nourishsocial.co.uk

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we’re launching a new initiative, the ‘Brummies Jobs Exchange’ - our way of helping to link up people who are either seeking new employment if they’ve say been made redundant due to COVID19 etc - or indeed if you are a company who have roles available looking to be filled, we want to try and help you fill them.

This isn’t a commercial venture, and we’re not acting as recruiters - we are simply helping provide a platform and an audience via our Brummies Networking LinkedIn Group, website and social media channels. (All links below).

We encourage everyone to be on the lookout for these types of posts, and we’ll be encouraging every post we see to be posted also in our LinkedIn group so it acts as a hub, where you’ll hopefully be able to link yourselves up with each other, to help each other out as best we can.

Create your job seeker/job available posts in the Brummies Networking LinkedIn group, by starting it with ‘CAREER’ at the start, to make it clear and obvious; and hopefully then you’ll get some interest and assistance from fellow members.

Especially important during these trying times, with the impending Lockdown 2 now coming into effect.

(Lockdown 2 was mentioned during the episode, & was only confirmed by Parliament post-recording)

We also encourage you to submit your guest blogs to us which we can promote on the website. A further bit of self-promotion for you.

And please do make use of our Speakpipe page where you can send us your business elevator pitches in audio form, which we can incorporate into future episodes. Max. 30s or so, keep it brief, to the point; who you are, what you do, how you can help, what sort of clients you’re looking for - you know the drill.

And remember, we’re also running our weekly Twitter hour every Tuesday 11am-12 - just use the hashtag #brummiesbizhour to join in; and like the above, post your promos, what you do, how you can help, the types of clients you’re looking for etc.

We’re all in this together folks, so let’s all do whatever we can to help each other out as best we can, especially during these precarious times we’re living in.

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we're offering up more of a slightly shorter and snappier 'updates episode', just to give you the heads up about the latest news re. COVID19 in the Midlands, and what West Midlands Mayor's latest announcement is.

We also talk about the impact the local lockdowns and new Tier system is having on the region as a whole - with hospitality being hit quite hard yet again. 

Apple have also recently announced the new iPhone 12 series of phones, with launch happening Friday 23rd October. Why is this relevant? Because this is Apple's first foray into the realm of 5G - which can only mean that because iPhones are arguably the world's most popular phone, it is now likely that now is the time 5G sees much greater expansion of availability, meaning we will all get to benefit from what 5G can offer. Not just in the sense of faster download speeds for movies and music; but what it means for the bigger picture - i.e. enhanced capabilities for autonomous vehicles, reducing the latency/lag which is prevalent with 3G/4G technologies. Lots of exciting developments are heading our way over the next 12 months or so.

We also give a shoutout to Midlands company BCRS Business Loans, who have launched a LinkedIn challenge to encourage everyone to support local small businesses by taking part in simple challenges - from leaving a SME you've used a great review, or giving them a public shoutout on your social media - and whatever else you can think of to give a leg up to any great small, local and/or family run businesses near you that you love. It's these little things that can make such a positive impact on a small business, and they'll really thank you for it!

References from this episode:

https://twitter.com/andy4wm/status/1318616191997534214

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/10/750000-uk-hospitality-jobs-at-risk-survey-reveals/

https://www.bcu.ac.uk/research/collaborate-with-us/5g/how-5g-will-change-birmingham-in-real-time

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=bcrssmechallenge

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we’re talking to Alistair Hayward-Wright, from Hayward-Wright Accountancy Group, who helps us to decode and decipher Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Winter Economy Plan, the scheme that will replace the furlough and SEISS grant payments ongoing.

It’s been an incredibly tough time throughout COVID-19 for all businesses, both the self-employed and those who are salaried. With numerous inevitable redundancies being mentioned on LinkedIn and beyond, now is the time to really focus on future plans to ensure your business stays afloat, and ideally, thrives as best it can.

There are now several changes afoot which business owners will need to become familiar with, as it will affect all employees and the amount of hours they’ll need to work before the scheme takes effect - a process that is quite different to the current furlough scheme.

Likewise for the self-employed, the SEISS grants are, in some fashion, being extended; but with a lesser amount being paid out than before - so for many, it may be a slight top up to your income, but perhaps not much more than that. Therefore, lots of preparation and planning is key to ensure you stay ahead of the game.

So, if you’re like us, and trying to get your head around all this information isn’t exactly bedtime reading - then tune in, as thankfully Alistair will lead us through it bit by bit to hopefully make it a little simpler to grasp.

Where you can find Alistair online:

https://www.haywardwright.co.uk

https://twitter.com/HaywardWright

https://www.facebook.com/haywardwrightltd

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hayward-wright/

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.  

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

Sound effects courtesy of http://www.freesfx.co.uk

In this episode we talk to Leila Smith from Promise PR and Creative, a PR agency based in Solihull. 

Leila set up her agency during the pandemic! So we explore how that went, and what brought her to that point.

We explore the world of PR versus marketing - how and why they're different, and how to decipher what a business might need.

Lots of businesses during the pandemic and lockdown period starting cutting back spending on PR and marketing, so Leila explains why it's more important than ever to kick things up a gear to ensure businesses stay communicative and relevant.  She also tells us about her experiences with business networking, and the importance of the human connection.

Plus, we also discuss the scenario of negative PR, and how to combat that effectively; with a good example that came to light on LinkedIn and Twitter in the last couple of days. 

You can find Leila online at the following places:

https://www.promiseprandcreative.co.uk

https://twitter.com/CreativePromise

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-smith-83a67a117/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/promise-pr-and-creative/

https://www.instagram.com/promiseprandcreative/

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we speak to special guest Lisa Brown from Lisa B Interior Design, a design agency based at the Custard Factory, Birmingham.

We discuss what the state of the design industry has been like during COVID, as well as hearing her backstory about how she got to where she is now. 

We also pose the question, just HOW creative is the general public when it comes to starting a new project? What to do when there's no forthcoming information from a prospective client! And of course, how to handle the situation when residential clients spar between themselves with competing ideas! 

Lisa also explains what the general design process is, how to go about approaching a designer, & what you need to know to get the best result; as well as detailing the differences between approaching interior design in a residential vs. commercial setting.

You can find Lisa online at the following places:

Website: https://lisabinteriordesign.co.uk

Portfolio: https://lisabinteriordesign.com

https://twitter.com/InfoLisaBDesign

https://www.instagram.com/lbidesign/

Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.

https://brummies-networking.co.uk

Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet

BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod

Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com

Twitter: @happycontentco

Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com

Twitter: @birocratic

BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier.

BrumPod Hosts:

Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk

Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com