The sixth episode of this season of It's The Small Things welcomes London Sock Company co-founder Dave Pickard. In 2013, Dave and co-founder Ryan Palmer discovered that while fewer men were wearing ties to work, many still wanted to add some personality to their outfits. The pair decided that colourful, high-quality socks were the answer. Since starting the business, it's grown from a two-man band to a team of 23 with an international distribution network. This episode has advice on:

• Building a team with a blend of experience and enthusiasm
• The value of strong supplier relationships when you're making in one country and selling
• How technology plays a big part in getting a simple product into customer hands

The fifth episode of this season of It's The Small Things welcomes Black+Blum co-founder and lead designer, Dan Black. When Black+Blum launched 21 years ago, there was no limit to the types of product it would manufacture – but the business lacked direction and a clear brand identity. Dan took over the reins in 2014 and started to steer the business towards the food and drink on-the-go market. Four years later, he made the bold decision to step down from running the company and brought in an external MD. This episode has advice on:

• Recognising that you're not a natural leader
• Making investments to enable future growth
• Getting product development right the first time

The fourth episode of this season of It's The Small Things welcomes KellyBronze owner and MD Paul Kelly. He helped turn the Christmas turkey business into a multi-million pound family-run empire that counts the Royal family, Jamie Oliver and Michel Roux Jr among its customers. Paul explains why he made the bold decision to breed expensive bronze turkeys decades after they had been dropped for cheaper breeds. And talks how he tripled productivity with a fraction of the staff after inventing the world's first turkey plucking line. This episode has advice on:

• Making wise capital investments
• How leaders should never be afraid to forge their own path
• Why implementing a bonus for low paid staff might pay off

Our third episode of It's The Small Things looks at a brand that's taken darts out of dingy pubs and turned the sport into an immersive experience that's accessible to everyone.

Developing a unique concept allowed Flight Club to build a business that turns over £30m in the UK, alongside its revenue from new US locations, employs over 550 staff and has set a standard for customer experience.

The episode has advice on:

• Running hundreds of pre-launch feedback sessions that helped build an army of advocates
• The functions and management team needed to scale
• The benefit of slow recruitment and onboarding as well as developing expertise in house

The second episode of this season of It's The Small Things welcomes Origin co-founder and COO, Victoria Brocklesby. Along with her cousin, Neil Ginger, Victoria has built the bespoke window and door manufacturer into a £40m business.

Victoria shares how a pioneering approach to customer service, good internal communication and an ethos of always listening to staff ideas has transformed Origin from a small family operation into a global business with 300 employees.

The episode has advice on:

• Adopting technology to improve collaboration
• Creating a culture where staff are empowered to try new ideas without fear of failure
• Putting customers first – in this case with a promise to deliver bespoke orders the next day if required

The first episode of season two of It's The Small Things welcomes Brompton Bicycle MD Will Butler-Adams. He built the business from 7,500 to 55,000 bikes a year with a relentless focus on cutting waste.

Will shares how the business evolved from its old school approach, where staff had a "meltdown" when he started talking about increasing capacity, to an ambitious, international brand that employs nearly 300 people.

The episode has advice on:

• Driving efficiencies in manufacturing, including sourcing ideas from staff and getting inspiration from site visits to other firms
• How management can nurture a culture where every member of staff can push innovation forward
• The invention that caused a "blooming Nora" reaction!

Before we take a break ahead of series two, there's time for a special bonus episode. Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership and Be the Business, took a few minutes out of his day to take us inside the day-to-day workings at one of Britain's biggest retail brands. He discussed:

• How he stays connected to thousands of the company's "partners" around the country
• Why continual improvement is so important
• What happens when he visits different John Lewis or Waitrose sites
• His rallying call for British firms wanting to improve but not knowing where to start

GUEST: Sir Charlie Mayfield HOST: Hunter Ruthven TAGS: small business, SME, leadership, business improvement, management, startup, entrepreneurs, productivity, innovation, luxury goods, manufacturing For more on Be the Business, subscribe to our newsletter here www.bethebusiness.com

In this tenth and final episode of series one, we sit down Chris Blade, managing director of Cumbria Crystal – the UK's only remaining producer of hand-blown, hand-cut, English lead crystal. He talks us through some of the challenges of manufacturing in the luxury goods sector as well as the highlights of running a business based on rare artisan skills:

• Inventive ways to maximise revenue: workshops and events
• Small operational changes that take a big chunk off overheads
• Using bonuses to get disparate teams to share a collective goal
• The value of executive learning programmes and networks

GUEST: Chris Blade HOST:Hunter Ruthven TAGS: small business, SME, leadership, business improvement, management, startup, entrepreneurs, productivity, innovation, luxury goods, manufacturing For more on Be the Business, subscribe to our newsletter here www.bethebusiness.com

In this episode we sit down with Mark Schaberg, COO of Finest Dental – a challenger brand of dental surgeries. Mark talks us through some of the challenges he's seen in growing the chain to ten surgeries in and around the South East of England and reveals why there is a lot other businesses can learn a seemingly niche industry like dentistry. He touches on:

• Developing a new business model in a change-averse industry
• Use of data-driven marketing and innovative technology
• Attracting, retaining and motivating medical professionals
• Creating customer journeys for a highly diverse demographic

GUEST: Mark Schaberg HOST:Hunter Ruthven TAGS: small business, SME, leadership, business improvement, management, startup, entrepreneurs, productivity, innovation, medical For more on Be the Business, subscribe to our newsletter here www.bethebusiness.com

In this episode we sit down with Artichoke founder Bruce Hodgson, a craftsman by trade who has had to learn about management and leadership as his business grew. Bruce goes into detail about:

• Finding talent in an area where the right skillset is hard to find
• Saying no to work if they are the wrong kind of projects
• Changing pricing models to suit both customers and the business
• Creating a business structure that helps with succession

GUEST: Bruce Hodgson HOST: Hunter Ruthven TAGS: small business, SME, leadership, business improvement, management, startup, entrepreneurs, productivity, innovation, food industry For more on Be the Business, subscribe to our newsletter here www.bethebusiness.com