Guy Rigby has been working with entrepreneurs for decades. He’s an accountant who takes a unique approach to the service by working directly with the founder at owner-managed business as the Chair of Entrepreneurial Services at Smith and Williamson.

Guy is also the author of Vision to Exit, a book that tackles the very similar challenges most entrepreneurs face. Over the course of the conversation we talk about the common pitfalls many entrepreneurs face, what it means when you become risk averse in your business, and how to dream bigger.

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Spencer Gallagher and Pete Hoole work with the next generation of independent Agencies to help them scale as co-founders of Cactus. In the past eight years they’ve worked with more than 1,000 Agencies globally, all the while collecting notes about what was and was not working. They recently converted those notes into a book, Agencynomics, an Amazon five-star rated best selling book and Audiobook, aimed to help all types of Agencies scale from Start-up to the first £3-5M in revenue by setting the record straight on what KPIs should really look like.

In our conversation we talk about some of the myths around what makes an Agency successful, where you should really focus your energy, and the four cornerstones that anchor business success. While the focus is on Agency growth, many of the areas they’ve identified are ubiquitous to the business world.

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Henry Stewart believes people should find joy at work. And it’s not just a nice idea, it’s good business. And as the Chief Happiness Officer at Happy Ltd and author of Happy Manifesto, Henry has made happiness his business.

Happy workplaces are more profitable, and have increased share growth. Employees are naturally more engaged with their work, and staff retention improves.

During our conversation we explore a few of the core principles of the Happy Manifesto and talk about what it really what it looks like when you trust your people. We also discuss how pre-approving, playing to strengths, and celebrating mistakes are continuing to revolutionise how Happy Ltd operates.

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Today I am talking to Barnaby Lashbrooke, founder and CEO of Time etc, an award winning virtual assistant service that helps entrepreneurs and leaders achieve more, without working harder. Through Time etc., Barnaby simultaneously provides a resources to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, while providing an opportunity for stay at home moms to find meaningful work on their own terms.

While Time etc. is primarily a workforce of virtual employees (around 700 employees across the UK and USA, with a home office of around 30 employees) Barnaby emphasises the human experience as an essential element of company culture. We talk about how this plays out both in the experience of his employees and in the engagement that his clients receive.

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Alexandra (Alex) Eavis is the co-founder of three distinct businesses that are tied by a common theme: harnessing technology to make life better, in a meaningful way.

In 2017 Alex co-founded two companies. In January she took on the role of Director as Co-Founder of How Do I?, a social enterprise for a special needs school that uses NFC technology in vocational learning. By the end of the year she helped launch a blockchain platform to drive better information sharing in healthcare as Co-Founder and CEO of Dovetail Lab. She previously Co-Founded Alcove, another tech-based company that uses machine learning to assist older and disabled adults in their lives, and careers.

For entrepreneurial success Alex credits hiring people who are smart and passionate, and talks about the importance of doing what you love.

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Adam Fairhead is an English entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded the Fairhead Group which serves cause-driven companies with the mission of helping difference makers make a difference.

Today I’m talking to Adam about why it’s so important for companies to have a purpose. He works for and has the biggest impact on businesses that are seeking to change the world. We talk about how he does that, what his process is, the coaches that he has on staff and what they do with clients to help them get their message right.

He’s also written a book called “Marketing Isn’t About You”. You can register for a free copy (when it comes out in March) here.

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Today’s guest is Simon Biltcliffe, CEO of Webmart, a print management business in Bicester.

Simon’s on a mission to make print more affordable for everybody. He’s built an amazing business with some impressive specs! They’ve capped the number of people, they share profit share with employees, Simon’s capped his salary and the business is owned by a trust so he couldn’t sell it even if he wanted to.

Simon declares himself a “marxist-capitalist”, because without capitalism there’s no wealth, and without wealth there’s no redistribution. Join us for a fascinating conversation with plenty of takeaways for everybody!

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For the last 10 years, Elise Keith has been on a mission to fix the thing that most people spend the most time doing at work: meetings. Who hasn’t been in a terrible meeting?

Elise witnessed people who should have been in conflict come together and have a great meeting. She has worked out what types of meetings there are, how to approach these meetings and how to get the best out of everybody.

Today’s episode is all about getting things done by using well-structured, well-designed meetings. Don’t miss out!

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Peter Czapp loves what he does. He’s the co-founder of The Wow Company, an accountancy firm that helps you grow your business, not just fill in your tax return.

He’s got a fascinating story and a lot of interesting thoughts on business, which I talk to him about for my podcast this week. Peter explains why he felt driven to launch his own company, despite not having a background in accounting. And why he’s so passionate about delivering that ‘Wow’ to clients.

Lots of great advice included here.

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Today I’m interviewing Mike Tobin, former CEO of Telecity. Mike has over 30 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur and he’s now working with a number of businesses across multiple continents.

He’s also got significant charitable interests. In 2016 Mike raised over £100k running 40 marathons in 40 consecutive days. He’s now preparing for an unaided trek across Antarctica planned for next year. On top of that, he’s started a podcast with his son and written two books.

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