FastForward

Running a business during a global health crisis is presenting business leaders with huge continuity challenges; making sure staff are safe, securing financial sustainability, assessing the resilience of supply chains and reinforcing crucial systems to support unprecedented levels of remote working.    Restrictions are loosened and then tightened again, making it increasingly difficult to plan for the future. But business can’t stand still.   So, as we head into a second national lockdown, what lessons can we take from this pandemic to prepare for the new normal? And how can organisations thrive in a post-crisis world?  John Courtney is a strategy consultant and serial entrepreneur. He’s currently the CEO of boardroomadvisors.co.uk and is a non-exec director for five early stage businesses. 

He measures his mistakes by his hairline and in this episode he shares what he's learned over his career journey and explains how to create an actionable plan to get out of the Covid-19 crisis by analysing strategy, tactics and actions. 

Useful links:

Scale-Up Growth Diagnostic - https://boardroomadvisors.co/scale-up-growth-diagnostic/

Essential Guide to Scale-Up Challenges [E-Book] - https://boardroomadvisors.co/the-essential-guide-to-scale-up-challenges/

Business Strategy Toolkit [Free Download] - https://boardroomadvisors.co/business-strategy-toolkit/

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: John Courtney, founder Boardroom Advisors https://boardroomadvisors.co/ 

Listening Time: 40 mins

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Whether you are looking to expand your team or applying for a new job, there is an expectation that the recruitment process is fair. 

But what happens when the final hiring decision is distorted by unconscious bias? Could you be biased without even realising it?

Dr Elsa Zegeng is a scientist and entrepreneur who is currently part of the executive team at recruitment startup Jobseekrs. Its primary purpose is to mitigate unconscious bias in the recruitment process and give everyone a chance at all job opportunities; regardless of race, name, ethnicity, gender or other factors.  

With more organisations actively looking and taking steps to create a more inclusive workforce, Elsa shares her thoughts on what is already being done and what actions can be taken to make a long-lasting and meaningful change. 

Listen now to discover how you can uncover your own unconscious bias. 

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Dr Elsa Zegeng, Jobseekrs https://jobseekrs.co.uk/

Additional links: 
https://solidarityintech.co.uk/
https://burncic.org/
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

Listening Time: 50 mins

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In 2012, Mark Wright  landed in UK from his native Australia with a passion for business and just £172. Fast forward to today and Mark is now an award-winning, influential entrepreneur and self-taught digital marketing specialist. 

Viewers of the BBC TV show The Apprentice will remember him as the 2014 winner. He secured the £250,000 investment and Lord Sugar as a business partner to found the hugely successful digital marketing agency, Climb Online. The company now boasts a multi million pound turnover. 

But the road to success hasn't all been smooth. In the early days long hours and consistent pressure lead to Mark suffering from serious health problems. In this episode he share his tips to handle startup stress and why alongside hard graft and laser focus it’s so important to schedule time out from work.  

This was scheduled to be our 105th episode but we liked it so much we decided to bump it up to number 104!

Host: Patricia Keating
Guests: Mark Wright, founder Climb Online https://climb-online.co.uk/

Listening Time: 50 mins

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According to a recent report by O2, the Covid-19 lockdown gave rise to around 200,000 new businesses. We know that crises give rise to unique conditions that fuel innovators to create rapid, impactful solutions.

That is certainly true of Valerie and Noel Moran. The couple founded Prepaid Financial Services in 2008, during the height of the last recession. At the time no one believed it would work. But with bootstrapping, hard graft and a ton of belief they proved the naysayers wrong. In 2019, PFS was sold for 327 million euros. Following the deal Valerie became the first black woman to be listed in the Sunday Times rich list.

In this episode Valerie and Noel talk to Trish about how they built the company from nothing, the importance of promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace and how they are now giving back by supporting youth charities in their local community and in Valerie's native Zimbabwe.

If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward

Host: Patricia Keating
Guests: Noel and Valerie Moran founders https://prepaidfinancialservices.com/en/

Listening Time: 45 mins

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When looking for furniture for her first apartment Deirdre McGettrick found it hard to look for specific items. Like so many founders she thought there had to be a better way. 

So, in Deirdre left the corporate world behind to enter the highly competitive £25 billion furniture and homewares market and Ufurnish.com was born. 

The business is now a team of 13, is partnered with more than 100 retailers including John Lewis and Dunhelm and has just raised £1.8 million in investment.  

Covid-19 has also had a positive effect on furniture sales with more people spending time in their homes. In this podcast Deirdre shares her startup journey; from launching the business and having to rebrand to making key hires and why she is passionate about helping people to make their house into a sanctuary.

If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Deirdre McGettrick, founder www.ufurnish.com

Listening Time: 45 mins

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SMEs are the engine of the economy. They account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation. In a post-Covid world SMEs are fundamental to getting the economy back on track. 

OakNorth is a multi-billion dollar global fintech focused on unlocking the potential in SME lending. It understands the importance of supporting small and medium businesses through the pandemic. The bank itself has seen stratospheric growth from its inception in 2013.
 
In this episode OakNorth's Chief Information Officer explains how the fintech are leading the way by approving more than £60 million in new loans since lockdown began in March and how Covid-19 will shake up the financial sector.

Sean also takes us on his own personal journey from jazz student to developer to the Vice President of Goldman Sachs - all within five years!

If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Sean Hunter, CIO OakNorth https://www.oaknorth.co.uk/

Listening Time: 30 mins

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Update Description

For this special 100th episode of FastForward we speak to Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council.

We have heard stories from many visionary entrepreneurs and leaders on this podcast, but what does it take to lead an entire city? And just how do you take a city that's in economic collapse and transform it into the most livable city in the UK? (Economist Global Livability Index 2019)

Sir Richard was elected to leader of Manchester City Council in 1996, a date now etched in the city's history following the IRA bombing. Over the last 24 years he's overseen rebuilding and regeneration projects and helped to cement the city's reputation as a global economic player.

In this episode Sir Richard takes us on a journey though the past two decades, looking over some of his highlights and the many challenges he's faced and is continuing to encounter, particularly the impact of Covid-19. And with the transformation of Manchester still a work in progress Sir Richard explains why he wants future generations to say that the city is still not good enough.

If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council 
https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/leaders/sir-richard-leese/

Listening Time: 60 mins

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Business opportunities can appear anywhere at any time. But it’s one thing to spot an opportunity and another to take advantage of it and work to turn it into a success.  

When the government announced the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme in August 2020, Michael Lawes and Jordan Ryan Madeley, founders of Sancus Group, saw an opportunity to use their already-developed platform to make a positive difference. 

Seizing an opportunity got this small startup noticed by none other than the Chancellor of the Exchequer, within days they had built the Eat Out to Help Out app that was topping the app store, above Twitter and Uber, and was being used by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK.  

But, after the national press ran the story, the app was overwhelmed with the number of users. Undeterred, Sancus Group worked around the clock and pulled in a few favours to get the app back up and running.

In this episode, Michael and Jordan share what the experience has taught them and how seizing one opportunity can pave the way for many more. 

If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Michael Lawes and Jordan Ryan Madeley, Sancus Group https://sancusinsights.com/

Listening Time: 35 mins

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If there was ever proof of the power of a positive mindset, Susan Morrice is it. She’s been on an incredible journey that’s taken her from Belfast to Belize, where she became the first person to discover oil, proving all the major oil industries wrong. They’d even spent $400 million in the process. 

How did she do it? With the power of mindset. The belief that there was oil to be discovered and all that was needed to hit the jackpot was a different approach. 

Susan used the ‘whole mind’ way of thinking to build her businesses Belize Natural Energy and created the private aviation company in XJet. A visionary and pioneer in the field of natural and sustainable energy she now travels the world sharing her experience and championing the Educo Holistic Model. 

She shares her journey with Trish and explains why it’s important for entrepreneurs to be cheerleaders for each other.

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Susan Morrice, geologist, explorer, entrepreneur
http://www.susanmorrice.com
http://www.belizenaturalenergy.bz

Listening Time: 45 mins

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Rachel Morgan Trimmer is an incredibly successful entrepreneur. She’s been in business for more than 15 years, built a global travel company and is a specialist career coach. Yet sometimes just getting though each day can be tough.  

Rachel is a high functioning autistic and has ADHD. For years she went through life believing she was not normal and suffered severe and complex mental health issues as a result.  

Now, Rachel views her neurodiversity as her superpower – because seeing the world in a different way to others is a help rather than a hindrance. Stats show that workplaces that employ neurodiverse people are 50% more productive than those that don’t. Through her coaching business Sparkle Class Rachel is using her experiences to help her clients – whether neurodiverse or neurotypical.  

In this candid interview Rachel shares her experiences and struggles with Trish as well as the tools and techniques she's learned to deal with her differences. 

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Rachel Morgan Trimmer, founder Sparkle Class www.sparkleclass.com

Listening Time: 45 mins

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