Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs

Jodie Hill understands the impact mental health has on individuals and businesses.

She’s open and frank about her own experiences: PTSD, anxiety and a breakdown. Last year she launched law firm Thrive Law and a campaign to make Mental Health Risk Assessments mandatory in the workplace.

Jodie joined me for an interview on the latest Business Live radio show, broadcast at the end of Mental Health Awareness Week. It includes advice about how to encourage a mentally healthy workplace as well as how to look after your own wellbeing as a leader.

The programme also covers Community Business Week, Sheffield Digital Festival and Bluebell Wood Hospice.

Timings:

• 0 Introduction and welcome,
• 1:22 Community Business Weekend - why community business matters and events including the Sheffield Community Business Weekend Pop-up Showcase,
• 4:43 Why I’m becoming a grand prix commentator - helping out at the Bluebell Wood Soapbox Derby,
• 7:07 Mental Health Awareness Week, some facts and figures about mental health, and an introduction to Jodie Hill
• 10:06 Jodie’s campaign, One Mind, has two key purposes which Jodie describes,
• 11:40 Responses to the campaign so far (and what you can do to help),
• 14:35 Jodie launched her law firm, Thrive Law, and the campaign on the 1st March 2018. Thrive Law now has a team of 10. Jodie describes their first year,
• 16:05 The catalyst behind the One Mind campaign and launching Thrive Law. Jodie is candid about a breakdown she suffered and her own experiences.
• 17:50 having a rounded perspective gave Jodie the ability to create something unique.
• 21:25 How can employers encourage a mentally healthy workplace?
• 23:55 Neurodiversity in the workplace,
• 28:18 Many large law firms have a demonstrable Gender Pay Gap (according the the figures they’ve published). Many women are setting up their own law firms. More women join the legal profession than men but only 16% of legal firm leaders are women - why?
• 30:38 Unconscious bias,
• 32:40 The “double-edged sword” of attention during Mental Health Awareness Week and Neurodiversity Celebration Week: Jodie implores employers to keep talking and acting.
• 36:00 How employers and business leaders can look after their own wellbeing and mental health.
• 38:58 Getting in touch with Jodie Hill and Thrive Law.
• 40:31 How to contact the Business Live show and put yourself forward as a possible guest.
• 42:11 Events: Community Business weekend, the Sheffield Digital Festival, Blueebll Wood Children’s Hospice’s Soapbox Derby.
• 46:51 wrapping up.

Louisa Ashforth has run a beauty salon for 17 years. She's seen her clients being bombarded by miraculous claims from the beauty industry. Four years ago she became so fed-up of the hype around skincare products, she decided to launch her own range. It's now stocked in the UK and internationally.

Award-winning social enterprise consultant Adrian Ashton has been described as a "thorn in the side" of national organisations, a "neo-liberal stormtrooper" and a "social media whore." Listen to his advice about how to embed values in your start-up so they are locked-in, even if you leave; succession planning; social media and measuring your social impact and value.

• 0 - 1:24 introductions,
• 1:24 Louisa Ashforth started in the beauty industry aged 22 and by 24 owned her own salon. 4 years ago she launched her LA Skincare range of products - why?
• 3:10 how did Louisa get her skincare range stocked across the UK and used by celebrities?
• 6:10 to whom are Louisa's products marketed to and used by?
• 7:57 the products are vegan, fair-trade, not tested on animals and paraben free. Why is this important?
• 10:35 listeners may be used to hearing pseudo-scientific terms and "too good to be true" claims from the beauty industry. How does Louisa demonstrate her products do what she says they do?
• 13:25 how much did it cost to develop each of the 6 products in the range?
• 15:00 Louisa's aspirations to help other salon owners,
• 16:15 how systems and processes have helped Louisa to develop her salon business,
• 16:50 the biggest challenges in developing the LA Skincare range and how Louisa addressed them,
• 18:00 social media has been especially effective for Louisa. She describes which channels have generated sales,
• 19:00 how to get in touch and wrapping up with Louisa,
• 19:19 introduction to Adrian Ashton,
• 19:51 Adrian is a "thorn in the side" of national bodies, an award-winning social enterprise consultant, and a LinkedIn addict,
• 21:05 LinkedIn's new feature, reaction emojis. Is this a positive development?
• 24:00 "I'm a social media whore," says Adrian. Why does he use it? How does social media work for him? Does he generate work through it?
• 26:50 Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook: key differences in how they work,
• 29:40 Pubs: a catalyst for community activity,
• 30:10 if you're setting up a business or social enterprise when should you start thinking about succession planning?
• 32:05 what is "founder syndrome" and what are the risks to your business from it?
• 33:20 thinking through what will happen when you leave the venture you've started - what must you consider?
• 35:30 power, control, decision-making, and money. What needs to be locked-in? How?
• 36:35 amending your governing documents to embed values to endure for the long-term.
• 38:57 creating a "notional sweat-equity" mechanism into a social enterprise - why and how?
• 40:30 why grants are the riskiest type of funding and what the "clawback clause" is.
• 42:40 how to measure impact,
• 43:45 one of the earliest examples of a set of financial accounts,
• 44:30 we've only been doing social accounting for 150 years or so, and a jamboree has sprung up around it,
• 46:30 with no agreed global definitions around impact, it's all a bit like Alice in Wonderland,
• 48:50 start from "why" when it comes to measurement (and so much else),
• 49:30 Adrian publishes his own social value and impact report. Why does he do it, what does he measure, and what actions does it lead to?
• 51:30 accountability helps to avoid bad habits; benchmarking is a key element,
• 53:20 where are the priorities for Adrian to improve?
• 54:45 Adrian's call to action to Social Enterprise UK,
• 55:20 getting in touch with Adrian.

It's been said Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world. His book on the subject has been a bestseller for decades. And he was my guest for a radio interview this morning.

If you want to sell anything to anyone or persuade folk to support your cause listen to the podcast. One nugget alone can usually improve the result of your advertising by 50%.

At 82 years of age Drayton has "lived long enough to make some ghastly mistakes." And he lives a full, rich and fascinating life.

He's also had a profound influence on modern advertising and marketing - especially for those marketers and business owners who value results above anything else.

Drayton has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands and has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. Businesses, political parties, charities have all improved the results of their marketing thanks to Drayton's expertise.

“Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world," according to legendary marketer David Ogilvy, the founder of Ogilvy & Mather.

Listen to or download the podcast here or in iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Full timings are below.

• 0 - 2:41 welcome and introduction,
• 2:41 who is Drayton? Family memories, growing up, accidents, stabbings and near-death experiences,
• 6:30 the Bullworker and Dave Prowse,
• 7:00 the first woman who tried to kill Drayton,
• 7:30 why Drayton lived under a false name for seven years (and what he called himself),
• 8:00 doing literally anything to make money,
• 8:30 Drayton's friendship with the most famous name in advertising, David Ogilvy,
• 9:20 Drayton is the author of 4 books including the heaviest tome in direct marketing and a novel,
• 10:30 the principles of communication don't change even if the media do. Lots of money is being made by crooks,
• 11:00 Drayton's great achievement relating to the 9 children he's helped to bring up,
• 12:25 what is direct marketing? Why all direct marketing principles apply to selling anything online,
• 14:10 study, study, study and the best book ever written about advertising and marketing,
• 17:54 the most important question in business, never mind in advertising,
• 18:10 what you MUST do when you're trying to communicate with people,
• 18:45 how to (usually) improve response to an ad by 50%,
• 20:10 the greatest sin in advertising and why one of the most famous direct marketing campaigns in the world worked,
• 22:28 astonishing and illuminating reminiscences of Drayton's mother and how Drayton's parents shaped his life,
• 27:45 what drives Drayton?
• 29:00 Drayton's terror of public speaking and what happened when Drayton's business went bust when he was 40 years old?
• 30:25 how to make a speech people will listen to - especially how to START,
• 31:15 Drayton's mail-order hairpiece disaster,
• 34:34 music break - and how to get in touch or to be on the radio show
• 35:29 how Drayton got involved with selling The Bullworker - and why it made him no money,
• 37:05 Drayton's most spectacular business failure (and what he said to creditors),
• 38:50 why Drayton spent seven years living under a false name - and how it was resolved,
• 39:59 how a Polish count saved Drayton's life,
• 41:00 The "one that got away," not a brand, but a campaign he wished a client had run,
• 42:22 how to do better advertising (and why you should),
• 43:27 Drayton's fitness regime,
• 44:10 how to write high-performing charity ads and the best piece of copy Drayton has ever written,
• 45:50 what works in political advertising,
• 47:15 and why Donald Trump (Drayton isn't a fan) appeals to people,
• 48:26 how to learn more about Drayton and why you might subscribe to his tips

Over half a million people take part in skateboarding in England. The sport, whose participants are predominantly aged 11-24, is accessible, lively, vibrant and diverse according to Neil Ellis, Head of Digital Engagement at Stakeboard England.

With skateboarding's inclusion for the first time in the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo (it will also feature in the 2024 Olympics) its popularity is bound to increase.

Neil joined me to describe his role at Skateboard England, the national governing body for skateboarding.

His and Skateboard England's priorities include increasing participation in the sport; engaging with individual skaters, skateboarding clubs and skate schools; and making skateboarding accessible for all.

Skateboard England will also support and develop performance "to enable skaters to remain internationally competitive," with the aim of having home bred skaters compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

As a skater of over two decades, this role must be a dream job for Neil - and he brings valuable experience from prior marketing jobs at national charity Kings Foundation and at Ponds Forge, with the latter involving an Olympic link too.

Timings:

0 - 5:13 introduction and updates including launch of the 80,000 sq ft Barclays Eagle Lab at Kollider; new exhibition "Over the Influence" at Sidney + Matilda; getting in touch,
5:13 - 32:21 Neil Ellis,
32:21 - a milestone for Belu Water and WaterAid,
35:45 small businesses struggling to take on apprentices, according to FSB (Federation of Small Businesses),
40:13 - a preview of upcoming guests and wrapping up

Combine board games with karate and what do you get? A solution to silly arguments about Monopoly? Nope.

It's a brand new radio show featuring Ruth Haigh, co-owner of The Treehouse Board Game Café and Steve Hegarty of Elite Karate Centres.

In this episode you'll learn:

• why and how Ruth and Steve each made their leaps from employees to running their own businesses,
• how Ruth market-tested Treehouse before leaving her job,
• the benefits of Karate to children, teenagers, adults - and business leaders,
• one critical success factor Ruth says made Treehouse work as a business - and her most useful sources of advice as a startup,
• whether Steve has ever "waxed on, waxed off," and painting a Sensei's fence in Okinawa,
• an exceptionally important piece of advice if you're looking for business premises
• Turning a passion into a business, whether that's martial arts or board games.

The Treehouse Board Game café opened in Sheffield 18 months ago and is a thriving hub where guests can "have fun sitting around a table together." You can choose from a menu of 500 games to play while enjoying delicious food and drink. Ruth left a career in data analysis for the civil service to launch the business with husband Andy.

There's been an explosion in interest in board games in the UK and worldwide. A new generation of exciting, immersive games offers massive variety. Some involve co-operation, others are competitive, some are based on hidden role-play. Some are over in minutes; others take hours to enjoy. Ruth discusses the reasons behind the resurgence in interest and particular games which are perennial favourites - plus future plans for The Treehouse.

Elite Karate Centres (EKC) was founded in 2000 by professional karate instructor Steve Hegarty. EKC teaches the Shukokai style of Karate to over 300 students from the age of 6, with no age limit. It has classes in locations around Sheffield and Rotherham.

Steve originally started karate at the age of 6, returned to it aged 13 - inspired by a film which listeners of a certain age will remember well - and has been studying karate for over 30 years. He has been a member of the Shukokai Kumite Team, with successes at British and National Level. He covers how EKC has grown, especially over the last five years; his own continual development; his interest in other martial arts and how to choose a martial arts instructor, club or dojo for you or your family.

Enjoy this episode! Timings:

• 0 - 2:48 welcome and introductions,
• 2:48 - 25:57 Steve Hegarty,
• 25:57- 52:00 Ruth Haigh,
• 52:00 - 53:31 wrapping up.

Check out The Treehouse Board Game Café and Elite Karate Centres online. Sheffield Live's website is here and my own website is here. Enjoyed the show? Please leave a review or rating on iTunes or Stitcher.

Read the papers, watch the news, and weep. Clickbait, fake news and climate deniers given equal prominence as scientists. Turn to social media for a cat-fest-respite to find misinformation, election meddling through opaquely funded ads (allegedly), hate-filled videos and online bullying driving vulnerable young people to the brink.

Should we care about the media's responsibility and balance? If we do, then in an age in which argument and polemic have become the norm, what positive steps can we take to support media we can trust?

Today's Business Live radio show features guests Sam Walby and Bird LoveGod.

Sam is a director of Opus Independents, a Sheffield-based social enterprise. Opus has published Now Then (a free arts, culture and politics magazine) for a decade. Sam is also programmer and producer for The Festival of Debate, an annual series of political, social and economic events, film screenings and talks.

Bird has launched EthicalMuch, a new "social network for ethically-minded people." He's also a columnist for The Yorkshire Post and a freelance writer for tech businesses.

It's a wide-ranging conversation about the role of the media and social media.
Timings and show notes:

• 0 - 5:25 updates and introductions.
• 5:25 Sam Walby: at this year's Festival of Debate, "we want people to think about what they stand for, rather than what they stand against." Festival of Debate includes an extensive programme with 60+ events.
• 10:14 when there's lots of negativity in the press and in Parliament it's important to talk: offline and online, and with empathy.
• 12:20 how Now Then magazine has sustained itself over more than a decade - and the key restriction the magazine has on advertising which is as much a strength as a weakness.
• 15:00 Bird LoveGod: Ethical Much went live yesterday. What is it? Bird covers the site's membership and content model, and how the site facilitates and rewards "Good Deeds."
• 16:15 Gamifying good deeds (and whether too many good deeds will break Bird's business).
• 19:00 why Bird created EthicalMuch and his vision for a social media platform that has a "totally positive impact."
• 20:55 what is a good deed? Who defines it and how?
• 22:33 the psychology of behaviour change and encouraging positive behaviour.
• 29:17 what would Bird say to anyone worried about whether EthicalMuch has a robust business plan and can cope with scale?
• 31:24 executives of social media firms may be made personally liable for fines for breaches of a new "duty of care" relating to publishing harmful content online. Would that change their behaviour?
• 36:15 Sam: Opus, Festival of Debate and Now Then have numerous social media followers. Given their willingness to share opinionated content have they experienced abuse online? How do they react to disagreement or even trolling?
• 39:10 Now Then is voluntarily regulated by Impress, the only independent press regulator in the UK. What does that mean in practice? If Impress were to uphold a complaint against Now Then magazine, what would happen?
• 42:15 What is the media's responsibility? Is it to inform or to entertain? Is a nuanced media all very boring? If someone wants to listen to or read a polemicist is that simply fine? Should the media facilitate argument?
• 45:01 How does media "speak truth to power" once it becomes part of that power - and can it?
• 47:07 Bird's views of his responsibilities as a media founder, "It's a direct reflection of who I am and of what I would like the world to be like."
• 48:28 Sam on no-platforming. Should someone be given a speaking platform if they have views the organisers disagree with?
• 50:30 calls to action.
• 52:45 wrapping up.

It's a triple-decker radio sandwich today. Guests Tamzin Byrne, Mike Garner and Rory Ridley-Duff serve up a stack of tasty insights (and a recipe to grow your business or social enterprise).

Tamzin is Programme Manager at Cambridge Social Ventures (CSV), part of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. CSV helps social ventures to grow with business coaching, training, workspace.

She covers the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, a new Award of £10,000 + six months of business mentoring for up for up to four business leaders who can show they are creating "impact" - this can be environmental impact or social impact. The prize rewards achievement and ambition in social innovation.

The organisers are looking for exceptional individuals running social enterprises or businesses whose work creates social change, whether that’s in a local community or on a national level.Tamzin gives more details about the prize, who can enter, the judges and the criteria. And she describes some of Cambridge Social Ventures' other work.

Mike is a copywriter and former translator interested in human communication and targeting your ideal client. He's lived in France 20 years, and I only went and forgot to ask him for his wine recommendations. Doh.

Mike has some extremely useful advice on why you should ask more and better questions of your customers, with specific tips you can use right away from this short interview. Lots more great advice about how to look into your customers’ brains on his website too (link below).

And Rory is a Professor in the Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, and a director of Social Enterprise International and the FairShares Association. In June this year he will co-chair the EMES International Research Conference on Social Enterprise.

He gives an insight into what this conference is (the theme this year is "Sustainable development through social enterprise, cooperative and voluntary action") why it's so important - and the new EMES Conference Solidarity Fund to increase the diversity and inclusivity of the research network.

Enjoy this episode! Timings:

• 0 - 3:47 introduction, updates and almost-a-rant
• 3:47 Rory Ridley-Duff
• 15:33 Mike Garner
• 27:42 Tamzin Byrne
• 44:45 wrapping up and getting in touch

Jane Mitchell is an accredited mindfulness practitioner and teacher and a registered Learning Disability Nurse.

Jane helps people to "deepen their awareness of their own experience," and was my guest on today's radio show to describe her work and how mindfulness can help business leaders and social entrepreneurs.

"Mindfulness is the opposite of autopilot" she says and involves being attentive, present in the current moment, in a non-judgemental way. She describes its benefits in the interview and runs through a simple, short exercise you can do (which I did, in the studio, during the interview).

Timings:

• 0 - 5:35 Introduction and updates, including a joint letter from the TUC’s general secretary, Frances O’Grady, and the CBI’s Carolyn Fairbairn, warning that the UK faces a "national emergency" and warning of the danger of a no-deal Brexit; Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and The Outdoor Festival; Phlegm's Mausoleum of the Giants; getting in touch.
• 5:35 Jane Mitchell part 1: Jane's route to becoming a registered mindfulness practitioner.
• 14:55 What is mindfulness? How does mindfulness help people who are running businesses or social enterprises, or self-employed people, and why has there been an increase in interest in mindfulness?
• 28:40 Break. News of a fantastic opportunity for social entrepreneurs, leaders of community enterprises, and other businesses and organisations making a demonstrable impact: The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize.
• 31:29 Jane Mitchell part 2: if listeners are stressed, overwhelmed, on "autopilot," feel pulled from deadline to deadline or have an "inner critic": what techniques can they use to alleviate stress and to find a place of stillness or calm?
• 36:00 Jane runs through the three-minute breathing exercise, live in the studio with me and with listeners - you can take part too.
• 39:00 how did the three-minute breathing exercise make me feel?
• 41:40 how Jane has developed her practice and her programmes - and what her day-to-day week looks like,
• 44:00 what happens if engaging in mindfulness programmes or practices makes participants more aware of challenging or difficult issues - how do they deal with this? Is this a legitimate concern?
• 46:53 what does the accreditation in mindfulness mean? If listeners want to find a teacher, what should they look for, and where can they find teachers meeting guidelines for good practice?
• 48:38 - end how to reach Jane, her events, and wrapping up

 Lots of people know Twinkl for its downloadable printed resources for schools. With its mandate "we help people to teach" the business is also a pioneer in digital innovation, augmented reality and apps. Twinkl is used by over 4 million people, in over 170 countries.

This week’s radio show guest, Robin Williams is Twinkl’s Head of Digital. Stream or download the podcast below or in iTunes or Stitcher. Robin covered:

• Twinkl’s stratospheric growth - when Robin joined the business 6 or 7 months ago it had a team of 370, it now employs around 500 people (many ex-teachers); there are over 500,000 resources available on the website.
• Its Augmented Reality (AR) resources - all free to download. These include the world's first multi-player AR educational game, Little Red Coding Club, which also teaches children to code and collaborate; ARchitect, an augmented reality game in which players can build towers, bridges and more in a world in which realistic physics apply; and its range of Twinkl Originals AR-ready books.
• Twinkl’s catalogue of 3D Apple Quick Look models.
• How other businesses and organisations can make use of Apple Quick Look.
•  Supporting existing educational curriculum in multiple countries - and helping educators meet students’ future needs.
• What the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade (which was presented to Twinkl on 11 March 2019) means for the business.
• The importance of “not just chasing audience numbers” but tying everything in with learning objectives.
• Using Blender, the free and open source 3D creation suite.
• How being Google-enabled helps Twinkl as a worldwide business.
• Advice for anyone interested in developing a career in data analytics (and Robin's path to his role).
• Data measurement for businesses using low cost and free tools - and how critical it is to not only consider quantitative data, but qualitative too. Robin describes Twinkl’s approach to this.

Enjoy the podcast!

Today's Business Live covers International Women's Day: all over the world millions of women, and men, are celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The programme also features new interviews recorded this week during a trip to The Megatron. Part of a network of underground river tunnels and Victorian storm drains beneath Sheffield City Centre, The Megatron is a cavernous structure and an engineering marvel.

It's normally off-limits but I got the chance to visit on Monday, and special "urban caving" trips will be a feature of this year's Sheffield Adventure Film Festival. Matt Heason, festival director, tells us more about the film festival and the wealth of exciting activities and events all around it for the March "Festival of the Outdoors."

This episode features interviews with Gilly McArthur, an open- and cold-water swimmer, extolling the health and wellbeing impacts of being outdoors, in nature, and swimming in cold water. Gilly featured in the new film, Floe State of Mind and has just raised several thousand pounds for Mind, the mental health charity.

Also on the programme: a short interview and a live performance from musician Rhiannon Scutt. Rhiannon can, it's been said, "deliver a line that can break your heart in an instant." She's an outstanding guitar player and songwriter of emotive compositions combining a deftness of touch with vivid evocations of mood, memory and feelings. She writes a great ear-worm too – compelling and captivating!

In this episode we also hear from Ed Birch, director of Salt Street Productions. This young film-making business created the viral hit film of wake-boarding in the Megatron a couple of years ago. Recently they made the Outdoor City promo film showcasing Sheffield's wealth of adventure opportunities, which is helping to attract international visitors to the city.

On the progamme we also cover this year’s International Women’s Day Campaign theme , #BalanceforBetter - how can you help forge a more gender-balanced world? The moral case for equality should be enough alone, but we run through the economic case for gender equality too.

We also feature forthcoming events: The Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and the Festival of the Outdoors of course, plus the Women in Business / Athena Awards do, and the Sheffield Classical Weekend 2019.

Timings:

• 0 - 5:54 introduction, International Women's Day and some statistics from PwC and McKinsey about the potential economic contribution if we were to close the gender pay gap
• 5:54 news from Sheffield Soup and Bee Blest, and how to get in touch
• 6:15 Matt Heason, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival
• 15:39 Gilly McArthur
• 20:18 a chance to explore the underground rivers and the Megatron via The Outdoor City Sheffield (their competition closes TODAY)
• 21:12 Rhiannon Scutt
• 23:47 Ed Birch
• 29:11 live performance of "I Swim" from Rhiannon Scutt
• 33:47 more about International Women's Day and a recap of some recent podcasts
• 38:37 forthcoming events, including "Get Up to Speed," at MAGNA later in March; The Sheffield Star Digital Awards; the Women in Business / Athena Awards do, and the Sheffield Classical Weekend 2019
• 46:00 - end (48:00)wrapping up and getting in touch.