FastForward

What makes an angel investor part with their hard-earned cash and take a punt on a new business? 

Angel investing in startups is accelerating helped by high-profile success stories like Uber, WhatsApp and Facebook. 

Angels enjoy the process of investing in and supporting businesses and they often invest in businesses that will make a social impact. But it is important to remember that an angel is also looking for a return on their investment
Elizabeth Gooch MBE founded global tech firm EG Solutions in 1988. The organisation was turning over £11 million when it was bought out in 2017. 

She is now using her experience at the Tech Growth Factory to help turn young companies into thriving businesses and help founders to achieve their dreams. In this episode Elizabeth shares her insight on what it means to become an angel investor and what she looks for when considering investing in an early stage business. A must listen for investors and founders alike!

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Elizabeth Gooch MBE, https://www.linkedin.com/in/techinvestor/?originalSubdomain=uk
Listening Time: 60 mins
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Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

If a business is to thrive and grow it must adapt. That is even more important in the current Covid-19 climate. 
 Most working parents understand the difficulty of juggling the demands of the office alongside the needs of your children. Even more so now with families trying to manage and adapt to working from home while homeschooling children. 

Student Nannies solves the gaps in childcare that are difficult to fill. It was started by  journalist Tracey Blake in 2017 after a chance meeting with two students while waiting for a train.

Tracey joins Trish to share her startup journey; how she turned an idea into a reality, developed a platform, raised funding and how Student Nannies has now pivoted to adapt to suit the COVID-19 way of working. 

Host: Patricia Keating
Guest: Tracey Blake founder and CEO Student Nannies https://studentnannies.com/
Listening Time: 30 mins
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Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

We all understand the power of a good night's sleep and conversely the detrimental effect that a lack of sleep can have on our everyday lives. 

When you’re in the early stages of growing a business it’s natural to want to put in all the hours - to pull an all nighter to finish that big pitch or get a website up and running - but if you don’t schedule time to rest and sleep it could ultimately lead to long-lasting damage to your health. 

Aidan Kearney began his career in the police force in the Republic of Ireland. His passion for helping people, along with his background in psychology, led him to work with world renowned Professor Steve Peters, creator of the groundbreaking Chimp Paradox before he launched his own performance psychology consultancy, Malleable Mind.

In this podcast, recorded before the coronavirus lockdown, Aidan shares his top tips and habits to help unlock the power of your mind to ultimately reach your full potential.

Host: Patricia Keating
Guests: Aidan Kearney, founder Malleable Mind https://malleablemind.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-kearney-a7684aa1/
Listening Time: 50 mins
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Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

When was the last time you evaluated your sleeping surface? While a good mattress does not guarantee you a perfect night’s sleep it can help. In today's current crisis stress affects us all and no doubt impacts our sleep. We know sleep and rest are vital for maintaining good mental health.

Manchester startup Levitex has invented a completely new type of foam technology for pillows and mattresses, which according to the company offer a ‘gravity defying’ night’s sleep. Levitex has also worked with Olympic and Paralympic athletes to help aid rest and recuperation after a training session.  

The business has raised funding on Kickstarter and reached its £10,000 target in just four days.

We needed to find out more! Levitex founder James Leinhardt joins Trish to chat about the business and how he is weathering the current economic uncertainty. 

Host: Patricia Keating
Guests: James Leinhardt, founder Levitex Foams http://www.levitex.co.uk/
Listening Time: 50 mins
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Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

We are living in interesting and difficult times. Everyone’s personal and business life has been turned upside down by COVID-19 pandemic to varying degrees.  

We don’t yet know the full impact of this crisis. But its already been devastating to large numbers of people around the world and has had a significant impact on many businesses and supply chains. All of us are learning to adapt to a new way of living and working.  

On the other side of the coin, studies have shown that more innovation happens during economically challenging periods.  We’ve already seen alcohol manufacturers making hand sanitizer and Mercedes  & McLaren Formula One teams using its engineering expertise to make ventilators. 

Tony Banta is a systems engineer, innovation consultant, and host of the Client Whisperer Show. Beginning his career as a self-taught software developer, Tony quickly realized that the best code could never solve broader leadership issues within organisations. Today Tony works with other client-businesses to maximise client results, increase client retention, and streamline the client fulfillment experience. Tony’s writing has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, and Recruiter Magazine to name a few.

He shares his advice for how businesses can navigate through these turbulent times and emerge  stronger than ever.

For more details on some of the topics discussed: 

https://getclientprofit.com/efficiency-summit
https://legendaryclientleaders.com


For more information on Tony and his work, visit clientwhisperer.show 

Covid-19 is throwing up an array of problems for all of us. The way in which we live and work has changed beyond recognition and the lockdown and isolation policies mean that many businesses have been forced to shut or downsize. 

In Greater Manchester, 87% of companies say they have been negatively effected by Covid-19. Retail, hospitality and leisure has been hit especially hard. 

But some sectors are experiencing huge growth. However, social distancing is making recruitment difficult with much of it being managed online. 

In Greater Manchester, Employ GM are connecting employers who have urgent temporary vacancies with residents across Greater Manchester, who are available to start working straight away. The programme is supported by GC Business Growth Hub. 

Trish is joined by Business Growth Hub director Richard Jeffery and Naomi Ilagoswa head of Employ GM to discuss how they are supporting businesses that are facing cash flow problems, staffing issues, interruptions with supply chains and the uncertainty over the future. They also discuss whether Covid-19 is an opportunity to change the way we work forever. 

The government has introduced measures to help SMEs through the lock down measures in place due to Covid-19, but is it enough and where else can early stage founders turn for support in this extremely uncertain time? 

The UK Business Angels Association is backing a campaign for action to save startups so that we don’t lose a generation of fledging businesses to Covid-19.  

Trish co-hosts this episode with UKBAA CEO Jenny Tooth OBE to explore what more can be done to help the next generation of businesses to survive.  They're joined by angel investor Nick Bate to find out how he is helping startups, what other angels are doing to save small businesses and how other potential investors can get involved.

Hosts: Patricia Keating and Jenny Tooth OBE
Guests: Nick Bate https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bate-5626b1/
Listening Time:  35 mins
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Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

Business resilience is currently being tested to its limit. Covod-19 is taking a heavy toll on thousands of businesses, especially in the hospitality sector.  Many have closed their doors indefinitely and furloughed their staff. But a few companies are pivoting to provide essential supplies to the frontline.  

Responding to calls from police officers on the ground Didsbury Gin made the switch from spirits to hand sanitizer. It has now made more than one million bottles to help keep key workers safe. 

Liam Manton co-founded Didsbury Gin in 2017 and the company experienced meteoric growth. Like many other businesses Didsbury Gin is now carving a path through these exceptionally chopping waters. 

Liam speaks to Trish about how the company have pivoted, their plans for global expansion and the support available for businesses during Covid-19. Just ignore the fact he's recording the podcast covered in crisps. 

Are you worried about the future of your business?  

These are difficult and challenging times for every business owner and business leader.  

The lockdown, the fear, and the uncertainty means your well laid out plans for the year have just gone out the window. 

On top of that, you're having to manage everyone else's fears and expectations whilst putting on a brave face about your own.  And what can you tell them when you're not certain yourself? 

These are the words of Richard McMullan, founder of Entrepriseur. He’s currently helping companies to strategise to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses and re-position it to thrive, not just survive.

With our lives totally out of whack you may be finding it hard to switch off. Did you know that having four hours sleep compared to eight hours reduces your ability to make memories by up to 40%.

Richard also shares his tips on how to look after yourself, balance work and family life, reduce stress and improve your quality of sleep.

Start here to improve your cashflow:
http://entrepriseur.com/free-guide-to-improving-your-cashflow

Host: Patricia Keating
Guests: Richard McMullan, founder Entrepriseur https://entrepriseur.com/
Listening Time:  30 mins
Follow Tech Manchester:
Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

 

Small businesses are the life blood of the UK's economy, but how do you sustain SMEs in a crisis? Covid-19 has dramatically changed the global landscape and there is a huge amount of uncertainty for business large and small.

For founders, the biggest challenge is keeping their teams safe while somehow trying to continue building momentum against this market adversity while ensuring there is enough cash in the bank to sustain their company for growth. 

Throughout April we are dedicating the podcast to angel investment and this first episode answers some of the concerns that founders have in the current climate.

Trish is joined by Jenny Tooth OBE, CEO of the UK Business Angels Association, the trade body for angel and early stage investing, representing over 15,000 investors around the UK.

Jenny answers many of your questions around raising finance, the loan schemes available to businesses and how angels can help startups. She also provides a wealth of advice for entrepreneurs and investors at this extremely challenging time.

Host: Patricia Keating
Guests: Jenny Tooth OBE, CEO of the UK Business Angels Association https://www.ukbaa.org.uk/
Listening Time:  60 mins
Follow Tech Manchester:
Twitter: @tecmcr
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/