Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs

A popstar turned farmer, a CEO* at Microsoft UK, an assassin, some investors, a lawyer, an impact analyst and a social entrepreneur: all feature in this episode. It includes:

JB Gill, formerly of pop group JLS and now farmer and entrepreneur, talks about the value of finding a mentor in business.

Dave Coplin is a CEO at Microsoft UK: he's their chief envisioning officer - and contemplates how technology can and should empower, rather than enslave.

Anthony Stears is "the telephone assassin," teaching people using the telephone how to "help their customers to buy" as opposed to annoying them by trying to sell.

John Marren founded and chairs Company Shop, the UK's largest redistributor of surplus food, and The Community Shop: the UK's first network of social supermarkets.

But wait! There's more: Critical Mass interviews

I joined social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and analysts from the UK and all over the world at the Critical Mass event in London, and interviewed:

• Jeremy Nicholls of Social Value UK and Social Value International who talks through the rationale for managing and measuring impact;
• Denise Holle, investment director at Numbers for Good: should social entrepreneurs should drive a Maserati?
• Bernie Morgan with advice on what to look for in an investor;
• Giselle Davies of law firm Geldards discussing investment readiness and legal structures.

Timings:

• 0 - 3:30 introduction
• 3:30 - 9:15 JB Gill
• 9:15 - 14:58 Dave Coplin
• 14:58 - 20:14 Anthony Stears
• 20:14 - 24:18 John Marren
• 24:18 - 25:34 Nigel Risner
• 25:34 - 32:23 Darren Chouings and Samantha Deakin
• 32:41- 33:48 Critical Mass introduction
• 33:48 - 38:38 Jeremy Nicholls
• 38:38 - 42:19 Denise Holle
• 42:19 - 45:10 Bernie Morgan
• 45:10 - 50:10 Giselle Davies

What does it take to be a great leader in a social enterprise or business?

In this episode some of the UK's most innovative social enterprise and business leaders offer practical tips on leadership, purpose and excellence. It features:

• Baroness Sue Campbell who chaired UK Sport and presided over Team GB's and Paralympic GB's huge increase in medals, talking about leadership with moral purpose and innovation;
• Josh Littlejohn, who progressed from entrepreneur to social entrepreneur and is the founder of the Scottish Business Awards and Social Bite;
• Charlotte Borger, the communications director of farmer-owned Divine Chocolate, on marketing for social enterprises: mission, product, or brand first?
• Amy Anslow, co-founder of social enterprise supermarket hiSbe: launching a social enterprise with a clear and ambitious vision, getting the finance together, and overcoming pre- and post-launch challenges;
• Penny Hughes, who chairs the sustainable banking committee at RBS NatWest, is a board member of Morrisons supermarkets, is a former president of Coca-Cola in the UK and Ireland, and has worked for The Gap and Vodafone - on what social enterprises can learn from the corporate sector - and vice versa;
• Consultant and author Andy Hanselman who explains how businesses can get ahead and stay ahead of their competitors;
• and several other guests

Timings:

• 0 - 2:30 introductions
• 2:30 - 13:27: Andy Hanselman
• 13:27 - 15:22: how do leaders of social enterprises balance the need to create an impact with the need to create a surplus?
• 15:22 - 17:10: Baroness Sue Campbell on leadership with moral purpose and innovation
• 17:10 - 18:46: Dana Segal, Cockpit Arts
• 18:46 - 24:13: Josh Littlejohn, Social Bite
• 24:13 - 29:29: Charlotte Borger, Divine Chocolate
• 29:29 - 34:22: Tony Jones, Landlife National Wildflower Centre
• 34:22 - 43:43: Penny Hughes, RBS NatWest
• 43:43 - 53:35: Amy Anslow, hiSbe (How it Should Be)

It’s rightly famous for the outdoor economy. My home city of Sheffield is also home to an estimated 10,000+ rock climbers, numerous cyclists, runners, walkers, riders, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Local talents forged in Sheffield have participated in sports at international level; and a raft of successful businesses: climbing walls, bike shops, and many more, exist thanks to the strength of Sheffield as a place to participate in outdoor activities.

So I was intrigued to learn about a new mountain bike trail which opened this week, all thanks to funding from local riders and local businesses. Lady Cannings Plantation – on the outskirts of Sheffield, near Ringinglow – is the location for the new 1.4km trail.

It began when volunteers from advocacy group Ride Sheffield, which works collaboratively with riders, other outdoor enthusiasts, and local Councils, launched a crowdfunding campaign to help make the trail happen.

And the donations immediately started flooding in. Next, local businesses including Cotic Bikes and Norton Mayfield Architects made significant financial contributions. Then staff at GO Outdoors, who’d personally contributed to the crowdfund, talked to management there about supporting the trail and the company decided to commit to a large financial contribution to enable all three phases of the trail happen.

Phase 1 of the new trail opened on Tuesday and I went along and interviewed professional mountain bikers Annie Last and Steve Peat after they’d ridden it.

I also spoke with Mike Sanderson and Barry Dunn of GO Outdoors; Chris Heeley and Jon Dallow of Sheffield City Council; local rider Pat Horscroft; Joe Bowman of Steel City Media; and Cy Turner of Cotic Bikes.

Also in this episode:  Andrew Throssell, partner at Hebblethwaites Chartered Accountants on how changes to dividend payments, corporation tax and annual investment allowance announced in the budget  will affect small businesses. PLUS  Debbie Matthews, chief executive of Manor and Castle Development Trust. Timings:

• 0 – 4:40: introductions
• 4:40 – 13:00: Debbie Matthews
• 13:00 – 20:37: Andrew Throssell
• 20:37 – 22:28: a forthcoming event for businesses wanting to trade with China
• 22:28 – 43:47: mountain biking segment (Mike Sanderson, Barry Dunn, Chris Heeley, Jon Dallow, Annie Last, Pat Horscroft, Joe Bowman, Cy Turner, Steve Peat)
• 43:47 – 46:15: wrap up

This is episode #75 of Business Live, first broadcast on Friday 17 July 2015.

Oliver Coppard is standing as the Labour Party candidate in the general election in the Sheffield Hallam constituency.

On Friday 27 February 2015 I interviewed him for my Business Live programme on Sheffield Live 93.2FM, Sheffield’s community radio station with 40,000+ listeners.

Oliver Coppard was born and raised in Sheffield Hallam, attending Porter Croft, Silverdale and High Storrs schools, going on to study Politics and Parliamentary Studies at the University of Leeds. He worked in the US Congress and the UK Parliament, and returned to Sheffield in 2009 to manage an Olympic legacy project. He then went on to work in the Dearne Valley on behalf of the local LEP, developing the low carbon economy.

The interview was the third of a series of interviews I conducted with prospective Members of Parliament, uncovering “the person behind the politics” and asking what policies they would like to introduce to support businesses and social enterprises.

[On 6  February 2015 the Conservative Party candidate, Ian Walker, was on the show, and on 13 February the Green Party candidate, Peter Garbutt took part. Links to their interviews are below.]

Why are the interviews in this format?

Political interviews are frequently conducted in what could be termed the Paxmanian style – an interrogatory approach (more about this here). And there’s a time, place and value in this. But radio seldom has the time for long-form political interviews. As a radio presenter, and a resident of Sheffield Hallam, I wanted these interviewees to open up and, in their own words, to explain something of their experience, particularly in working in business and social enterprise.

Listen to the other Person behind the Politics interviews:

Ian Walker (Conservative Party candidate for Sheffield Hallam)

Peter Garbutt (Green Party candidate for Sheffield Hallam)

(I invited Nick Clegg to be interviewed for this series, emailing and calling his office and his team several times; and suggested the Liberal Democrats could send an alternative interviewee if necessary – to date, there’s been no reply. However the Liberal Democrats have been interviewed by other Sheffield Live programmes.)

I hope you'll enjoy this interview from 27 February 2015 with Oliver Coppard, broadcast on Sheffield Live! FM radio.