From Bid Writer to Managing Director: Tom Sander-Daniel onGrowing Thornton & Lowe and Winning Public Sector Work

 Tom discusses his career journey from studyinggeography to joining Thornton & Lowe as a bid writer eight years ago and becoming managing director last year, supported by leadership training (including ILM) and experience gained as the company grew from around 10–15people to about 65, including an acquisition. He explains Thornton & Lowe's core focus on helping organizations win public sector work through bid writing, advisory support, training, recruitment, and software: Tender Pipeline (opportunity searching with free and licensed options) and Tender Library (finding and reusing past bid content). The conversation covers bid/no-bid strategy, evidence-led responses, supplier engagement, frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems, challenges for SMEs versus incumbents, and how marketing and relationship-building before tenders drop can improve win chances. Tom shares three SME tips: build a targeted pipeline, plan engagement, and usestrong evidence.

00:00 Welcome and Intro

00:18 From Geography to Bids

02:15 Growing Into Leadership

03:59 Training and Accidental Managers

05:35 Becoming Managing Director

07:42 Team Growth and Remote Work

08:42 What Thornton and Lowe Does

10:03 Bid Support Levels Explained

11:51 Finding Tenders With Software

14:36 Tender Library Content Search

15:49 Training and Recruitment Services

18:24 SME Advice for Public Tenders

20:38 Winning Without ISO

21:41 Procurement Act Flexibility

22:25 Incumbent Myth Busting

23:22 Spotting Unfair Tenders

24:59 Shape Requirements Early

27:58 Framework Strategy Matters

28:17 Tender Types Explained

31:04 Frameworks Need Marketing

34:10 Bid Mentor and Outsourced Marketing

35:56 Three Tips for SMEs

38:01 Career Growth Advice

40:11 Where to Find Them

LINKS

Website: https://thorntonandlowe.com/

Tom’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasdaniel94/

Tender Pipeline: https://bidsoftware.thorntonandlowe.com/tenderpipeline/

ActionCOACH: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton

Paul Limb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/

Lisa Brady on 18 Years of Perfect Recruitment: HospitalityRoots, Diversifying After COVID, and Building Relationships

Lisa Brady discusses her 18-year-old recruitmentconsultancy, Perfect Recruitment, based in Chorley and operating mainly acrossthe Northwest, providing temporary and permanent recruitment. Originallyfocused on hospitality, the business diversified after COVID into constructionand, via a merger with LHR Recruitment, expanded into admin and commercialroles, with most perm work now in renewables, construction, sales/marketing,and accounts, while hospitality is largely temp-led. Brady shares her path fromhotel receptionist to regional manager at a multinational agency, thenlaunching her own firm amid redundancies and just before the 2008 crash,growing through relationships and a major Preston temp contract that solvedcash flow. She critiques “shark” recruiters, emphasizes deep candidateinterviews, skills/attitude checks, honest client communication, and strongonboarding. Future plans include strengthening sectors and adding paid serviceslike training, CVs, job descriptions, and “talent for good” support.

00:00 Welcome and Overview

00:18 What Perfect Recruitment Does

01:08 From Employee to Founder

02:12 Hospitality Roots and Passion

03:53 Recruitment Reputation and Relationships

06:05 Early Growth and Cashflow Lessons

08:24 COVID Pivot and Sector Mix

11:11 Team Leadership and Working Less

12:55 Future Plans and Added Services

15:28 Awards and Business Exposure

16:59 Candidate Screening and Skills Tests

21:06 Chef Culture and Hiring Challenges

22:05 Handling Chef Walkouts

22:31 No Shows and Strike Rules

23:59 Winning Work and Networking

25:11 Candidate Led Marketing

25:53 Job Seeker Interview Prep

27:58 Killer Interview Questions

31:43 Employer Onboarding Essentials

34:54 Leadership and Team Challenges

37:50 Growth Plans and Succession

43:00 Resilience and Policy Changes

45:24 How to Contact Perfect Recruitment

46:36 Closing Thanks

LINKS

Perfect Recruitment Website: https://perfect-recruitment.co.uk/

Lisa’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-brady-perfectrecruitment/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectrecruitment/

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01257 264264

ActionCOACH: ⁠https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton⁠

Paul Limb: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/⁠

Carolina De Almeida Kennedy discusses her path from working in a students’ union and a mental health charity to business ownership, including an earlier side business selling brownies.

She began volunteering at puppy classes, was mentored into dog training, worked in the field for several years alongside a job, reduced to part-time in 2024, and launched her own full-time business, Chewing with River, in April 2025.

She explains the brand name came from initially selling natural dog treats and her golden retriever, River.

Carolina combines dog training with remote canine nutrition advice, emphasizing tailored guidance, the link between gut and brain, and skepticism about conflicting online advice. She describes ethical brand collaborations without commissions, common client issues (dog/human reactivity and high arousal), and her approach focusing on emotions and stress, not just obedience skills.

She outlines current services, an Amazon training/nutrition journal, plans for downloadable resources and an online membership, more talks/workshops (including with a vet clinic), and the need to build a business beyond trading time for money, highlighting mindset, networking, and openness to feedback.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:28 Early Career Background

01:29 First Business Baking

02:14 Volunteering Into Dogs

03:30 Mentorship to Trainer

04:35 Chewing With River Name

05:18 Nutrition and Training Niche

06:54 Nutrition Myths and Diets

09:00 Practical Feeding Choices

10:50 Ethical Brand Partnerships

13:04 Training Humans First

15:03 Common Behavior Challenges

17:21 Skills Versus Emotions

19:37 Services and Offers

20:24 Journal Book Idea

21:47 Scaling Beyond Time

24:25 Mentors and Community

27:45 Business Skills Matter

31:37 Online Membership Plans

33:19 Workshops and Confidence

35:40 Mindset and Self Talk

39:35 Advice for Entrepreneurs

42:57 Where to Find Her

LINKS

Website: https://www.chewingwithriver.com/

Follow Carolina and River on Instagram: @chewingwithriver

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolina-de-almeida-kennedy-19893b9a/

Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07400 293288

ActionCOACH: ⁠https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton⁠

Paul Limb: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/⁠

Preparing Your Business for Exit: Shareholder Agreements, Value Drivers and Due Diligence with Nick Whittle.

In this Lancashire Business Stories Business Experts episode, Brabners partner Nick Whittle discusses preparing businesses for succession and exit well in advance (often 3–5 years), focusing on building asset value and reducing risk. He explains why bespoke shareholder agreements act like an insurance policy for good and bad times, especially in family businesses, and highlights issues like death of a shareholder, disputes, restrictive covenants, and the need for aligned wills and corporate documents, sometimes supported by insurance. The conversation covers value drivers and “reverse due diligence,” reducing reliance on founders, key staff, single customers or suppliers, and strengthening management teams, MI/forecasting, incentives and share schemes (e.g., EMI). They stress robust contracts, change-of-control clauses, and avoiding templated/AI-generated legal documents. For exits, they outline trade sales, PE, MBOs, EOTs, closures, and typical deal structures (deferred payments, loan notes, earnouts, rollover equity), plus assembling the right advisory team (M&A accountant, lawyer, financial advisor, broker).

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:32 Nick’s Legal Journey

01:47 Brabners Growth and Role

03:47 What Brabners Does

05:21 Exit Planning Mindset

07:37 Shareholders Agreement Basics

10:07 Fallouts and Family Risks

11:20 Death Clauses and Insurance

14:10 Avoid DIY Legal Templates

17:18 Understanding Business Value

21:01 Reverse Due Diligence Prep

22:14 Building a Strong Team

26:58 Incentives and Equity Schemes

29:53 Customer Supplier Concentration

32:48 Contracts and Change of Control

33:42 Transferable Contracts

34:26 Custom Terms Warning

35:53 Exit Options Planning

38:56 Family Succession Dynamics

43:18 Due Diligence Prep

47:19 Build Your Exit Team

52:05 Insurance and Hidden Risks

53:56 Earnouts and Rollovers

01:00:34 Vendor Finance Deals

01:04:39 Venture Capital Teaser

01:06:29 Find Nikki Online

LINKS

Brabners Website: https://www.brabners.com/

Nikki on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-whittle-056a2b17/

Nikki's Email: [email protected]

ActionCOACH: ⁠https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton⁠

Paul Limb: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/⁠

From Rugby Injury to AI Readiness: James Briers on Building Intelligent Delivery Solutions

James Briers shares how a hamstring injury ended his semi-professional rugby league path and led him from a Ford engineering apprenticeship into IT automation and quality assurance, including work at Microsoft in Reading, before contracting and then co-founding Intelligent Delivery Solutions (IDS) in March 2015. IDS grew quickly (about £1.2m turnover in year one, hiring within months), initially focused on software QA and later expanding into data migration, integration, and data quality, building tools and learning from an unsuccessful attempt to pivot into a product company. He discusses mindset shifts from employment to contracting, the importance of relationships, understanding margins and finance, recruiting for attitude and culture across a distributed team (about 35 people), and lessons from a business-partner separation and stronger shareholder agreements. IDS is moving toward a consultancy-led platform and recurring revenue model centered on AI readiness, governance, and quality assurance.

00:00 Welcome to the Show

00:37 From Apprenticeship to Rugby

01:52 Injury Sparks a Pivot

02:34 Automation at Microsoft

03:34 Contracting vs Business

06:17 Mindset for Contractors

09:07 Founding IDS in 2015

12:16 Early Growth and Hiring

14:30 Evolving Services and Products

16:28 Lessons from Product Missteps

18:47 AI Impact and Reality Check

24:07 What IDS Actually Delivers

28:06 Target Sectors and Partners

29:39 Knowing Your Numbers

32:56 People Hiring and Retention

33:36 Inclusive Culture Challenges

34:20 Hiring for Attitude Fit

36:42 Recruiting by Gut Feel

38:30 Talent Market Reality Check

40:51 AI Readiness Platform Vision

44:27 Recurring Revenue Shift

47:18 Partner Split Lessons

49:35 Three to Five Year Roadmap

50:42 Resilience Mindset Advice

55:44 Self Talk and Happiness

01:02:14 Big Goals and Influence

01:04:07 Book Recommendations Wrap

01:07:44 Final Thanks and Close

LINKS

Website: https://intelligent-ds.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-briers-entrepreneur/

ActionCOACH: ⁠⁠https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton⁠⁠

Paul Limb: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/⁠⁠

Matt Tomkin on Entrepreneurship Lessons and Building Tao Digital Marketing

Matt Tomkin discusses his path to business ownership, from streamlining operations at TV Video Direct to telecoms roles and founding Comms Consult, including major projects like We Buy Any Car’s drive-through valuation and bonded 3G connectivity. He later launched sportswear brand VO2 Sportswear, which grew rapidly but was liquidated due to cashflow and overtrading, teaching him humility, the need for reserves, and using good debt and forecasting. After working at Stanmore Insurance Brokers, he co-founded Tao (Tao Digital Marketing) in 2017, hiring within three months and reaching 12 staff by 2021, while describing COVID pressures and helping businesses for free. Tao now focuses on search marketing, ROI tracking, lead conversion speed, and AI-assisted response tools, aiming to expand into performance marketing and grow the team.

00:00 Welcome and Format

00:31 Early Tech Beginnings

03:09 Telecoms Sales Grind

04:15 Launching Comms Consult

04:58 Tech Projects and Exit

06:28 Sportswear Brand Origins

08:35 Endurance Mindset

13:20 V2 Growth and Cashflow Crash

15:43 Hard Lessons and Forecasting

21:06 Back to Entrepreneurship

23:33 Building Tower Marketing

26:00 COVID Stress and Survival

33:43 Tower Today and Services

35:11 Measuring Marketing ROI

36:50 How Map Pack Works

37:51 Local Search Beyond Trades

39:51 Tracking ROI With Dashboards

42:36 Lead Response Speed Problem

45:25 AI Agent For Instant Replies

47:20 Frictionless Buying Experience

48:37 Know Your Unit Economics

51:58 Lifetime Value And Ecommerce

54:46 Three Digital Marketing Tips

59:39 Who Benefits Most

01:01:50 Agency Vision And New Channels

01:04:24 Quickfire Advice And Resources

01:09:37 How To Get In Touch

01:10:22 Final Thanks And Wrap

LINKS

Website: https://taodigitalmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/taodigitalmarketing

Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-tomkin/

Jim Cheetham Potts discusses his journey from local authority apprentice to running his tender writing business.

Jim Cheetham Potts discusses his journey from a nine-year local authority drainage engineering apprenticeship in Stockport to private contracting for water companies, moving into bid marketing and tendering as quality-based procurement grew. After seeing inconsistent bid-writing quality and small subcontractors treated poorly by large contractors, he identified a gap and, following a company reorganization, launched Bid Factors in March 2018 with early client support. He explains valuing services by ROI rather than hourly rates, the challenges of running a business—especially marketing and stable lead flow—and his mission to help local contractors compete, supporting social value and resilient communities. Bid Factors guides and manages tender processes, builds knowledge libraries, writes or critiques bids across sectors, advises on frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems, and recommends compliance, practice bids with feedback, and seeking help.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:35 Apprentice Drainage Engineer

01:48 Contracting Side Shift

04:05 Tendering and Quality Bids

06:26 Why Go Solo

09:18 Purpose and Social Value

10:52 Day One Planning

12:16 First Clients and Pricing

16:06 Freedom and Fulfillment

19:09 Business Realities and Growth

21:28 Biggest Challenge Marketing

25:23 Preparing Clients to Win

26:24 Retaining Clients Long Term

26:54 Bid Factors Services Overview

28:42 Writing And Critiquing Bids

30:16 Sectors And Universal Principles

32:13 Finding Public Tenders UK

33:15 Frameworks DPS And Open Tenders

36:25 Compliance And Bid Costs

38:02 Small Firms Can Win

41:38 Consortiums And Joint Ventures

44:34 Top Three Tender Tips

48:28 Business Owner Quickfire Wrap

LINKS

Bid Factors Website: https://bidfactors.co.uk/

Jim's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-cheetham-potts-steering-you-to-success/

FInd A Tender UK Gov: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search

From mechanical engineering to corporate gifting business founder with Philippa King-Smith

Our guest this week is Philippa King Smith. Philippa shares how a love of physics and a careers day led her into mechanical engineering, graduating in 2001 and gaining early business experience at Rochdale firm BCH Coates before moving into pharmaceutical and operating-theatre air technology and later technical sales.

Family life prompted her to seek work that kept her closer to home, leading to a role in her brother-in-law’s craft beer business where she added operational structure and helped spot a gap for more personal, bespoke gifting, which became Spirit Smith.

She explains Spirit Smith’s purpose of making recipients feel valued, its shift from B2C to a corporate focus, and an app-based system that gathers recipient data to reduce errors and save clients time.

She discusses lessons in accountability, belief, delegation, focus and consistency, her five-year vision for culture change around recognition.

Spiritsmith - https://spiritsmith.co.uk/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippakingsmith/

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