In this episode Alan and Bhairav talk about what you need to think about if you are going to seek funding to grow:

• What do we mean by financing vs funding?
• Do you actually need funding?
• What does it make sense to raise funding for?
• What do you need to have in place in order to raise funding?
• What types of funding are there out there?
• How do you monitor spend?

In this podcast Alan and Bhairav discuss the things you need to know before you launch your idea and the steps you need to take in order to test it in the marketplace:

1. Define your proposition/idea by creating a MVP to demo and a sales leaflet that describes its features and benefits
2. Create a persona of your hottest prospect target customer
3. Identify six real prospective customers that fit that profile
4. Get on the phone (or email) and secure meetings
5. Pitch…
6. .…then listen…carefully to the good and the bad and get views on how you could do things differently
7. Ask for a purchase order
8. Review what you’ve learned
9. Iterate
10. Test again 

In this podcast Alan and Bhairav talk about the things you need to make sure you keep in mind when bringing a co-founder on board:

1. Start by understanding your strengths and weaknesses
2. Choose co-founders with complimentary operational skills
3. Choose co-founders with complimentary personalities
4. Make sure you share a clear vision for the business
5. Make sure you share a clear modus operandi
6. Make sure you understand what they want from the journey
7. Check references…do your due diligence
8. Make sure you would be happy to be stuck in an elevator with them 

In this episode Alan and Bhairav talk about the top things entrepreneurs should know before the embark on hiring their first employees. The top tips are:

1. Your first hire is the hardest
2. Be honest about your needs
3. Be open about how you work
4. It will take a long time to find the right person
5. Accept that you'll hire the wrong person
6. They get paid first
7. Know your selection criteria
8. Learn how to fire
9. Understand the admin
10. Understand your obligations

Yes, you read that correctly, this week we're talking to Ciaran O'Toole, a serial Intrapreneur about what intrapreneurship really means, the different challenges faced by an intrapreneur vs an entrepreneur and how being a generalist has helped Ciaran succeed

In this podcast we run through our top 10 things first time business owners should know when running a business which as as follows:

1. Get the legals in place
2. Only 25% of companies succeed in the long term
3. Hire a good accountant that understands your business
4. Customers aren't loyal
5. A written business plan dramatically increases the likelihood of success
6. Cash is King!
7. Rediscover old contacts
8. Things don't magically work out
9. Understand your runway
10. Find your voice

In this podcast Alan and Bhairav give advice to budding entrepreneurs about what they think they should know before the embark on the journey to start their own business

The key points to take away are:

1. Know that it is not all about you - it is about your customers
2. Choose the right business for you, choose the right problem to solve
3. Make sure you understand yourself and your motivations for starting a business. What do you bring to the table?
4. You don't know everything so recognise the gaps in your knowledge and find the people that can bridge those gaps. Don't be afraid to delegate
5. Have a plan! Think of it as a routemap rather than a detailed plan
6. Know your numbers inside out!
7. Understand what you want to get out of the business from a personal perspective
8. There is no entitlement, you will get what you deserve
9. Things can be lonely, work can be all-consuming. Find networks and mentors
10. It can be fun but scary but be prepared to take risks!

In this week's podcast Alan and Bhairav discuss what should be on every entrepreneur's wish list to Santa for Christmas

Its the most fundamental question every entrepreneur must ask themslves. Is it nature?, or is it nurture?

Lots of people move from academia in to start ups. But not many then move on to corporate life...and then back to academia. In this episode Alan and Bhairav meet Sanjay Rakshit and hear why going back to university was so important in his story.