In this roundtable special we explore the issues surrounding Women in Entrepreneurship through the eyes of four superstars of the entrepreneurial world - Lorna Davidson, Sara Lawton, Dawn Paine and Sam Spiro.

We talk about what inspired them to become entrepreneurs, the power of entrepreneurship and how every entrepreneur's journey is different. We also explored some of the challenges facing female entrepreneurs today, including gender bias, unhealthy cultural norms, double standards and broader examples of sexism in the workplace.

This roundtable discussion was an open forum designed to explore the issues that matter in 2021. Diversity and inclusion is a conversation for everyone, not just for women. I encourage everyone to join the conversation and have your say.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Building a globally recognised festival brand in the depths of the COVID crisis must be one of the hardest challenges around. Martyn Collins, Event Director of the Digital City Festival in Manchester, faced this challenge head-on and created a sell-out hybrid festival that is setting new standards in a post-COVID world.

Launching a new brand, shifting to online facilitation and creating an engaged virtual community are just some of the achievement Martyn is responsible for.

This episode is jam packed with brilliant takeaways, including how to build an events business in a post-COVID world, leading in a tough economic environment and how to foster a collaborative working ethos with a large stakeholder group.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Do you struggle with low productivity, anxiety, stress and fatigue at work? Have you ever assessed if you are breathing correctly? Breathing expert Joel Jelen has over 20 years experience helping people improve productivity and wellbeing through correct breathing.

Joel is a Fellow of the Buteyko Professionals International organisation (FBPI), also serves on their management board and is their Specialist Advisor on Public Relations. Joel runs Ubiquity PR and the Breathren breathing blog.

Key takeaways from this podcast:

• Why many people breathe poorly

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Are you using the power of storytelling in your presentations and pitches? Are you looking to craft a talk that connects with your audience on an emotional level?  In this second of two special episodes on public speaking, I interview world-class conference speaker and speaking coach, Peter Hopwood.

Peter is a global speaker, pitch & storytelling coach, TEDx coach, virtual speaking specialist, events MC, virtual moderator and media skills trainer.

Key takeaways from this podcast:

• Crafting stories that connect with an audience

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

How do you make an impact when speaking in public? What is the 'difference that makes the difference' when looking to woo and wow an audience? In this first of two special episodes on public speaking, I interview world-class speaking coach Martin Brooks.

In this episode we deep dive into body language, voice techniques and the psychology of speaking in public. Martin is a highly experienced trainer with over 25 years experience working with people from some of the world's biggest companies helping them improve their sales and public speaking techniques.

Key takeaways from this podcast:

• What is Impactology?

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

What is your mission? Is your business purpose-driven? Can purpose-driven business creates value commercially as well as social impact? Sara Lawton, Managing Director of Rise Construction Framework, is convinced that you can, so she went and did it.

Rise Construction Framework was born out of a strong conviction that a construction framework could deliver exceptional service to its clients while positively impacting the communities within its operating areas. Showing the sector, quite simply, that commerciality and social value can co-exist, and can create an innovative and purposeful new model for doing business.

Key takeaways from this podcast:

- Using your pain as motivation

- Causes of modern poverty in the UK

- The power of empathy to make change

- The importance of good peers

- Balancing commerciality with purpose

- Leadership lessons.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Raising cash to enable business growth can become an obsession for many entrepreneurs, and for good reason too. The world of investment can be disorientating, frustrating and all-consuming.

In this episode Phil interviews Andy Round, who raised £50M for his first venture straight out of university, and learnt first-hand the perils and opportunities of the investment world. 

Today, the poacher turned gamekeeper, Andy runs Praetura Ventures as Chief Exec, a venture capital (VC) firm based in Manchester which provides private equity funding to startup and scale-up companies with growth potential.

In this interview we discuss:

• Poacher turned gamekeeper (Andy's investment journey)

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Professional help is essential in developing a high-growth business, but choosing the right expert is a key decision. In this fascinating interview with expert coach, Jan Bowen-Nielsen we discuss the key differences between the roles of the Coach, Mentor, Consultant and Non-Exec Director.

Jan also shares his thoughts on how businesses can supercharge their efforts coming out of a downturn by focusing on the first 100 days. Key points from this episode as follows:

• Why companies are stuck in a COVID coma

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Focus is a key dilemma for business leaders and entrepreneurs. Where should we focus our time and energy? This is one of the questions answered by Sales & Marketing Consultant, Ian Farrar in this episode. Ian also shares his thoughts on the following:

• Coaching vs mentoring vs consultancy

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Elephant Digital.

Imagine the power you could wield if you could predict the future. Well, predicting the future is at the heart of this 2nd special double-bill on futurism and predicting future trends.

In this podcast episode Phil interviews the 'Digital Optimist' Allister Frost, the 2nd futurist in as many weeks on the back of last week's interview with Andrew Grill.

After an early career in consumer marketing and 10 years working at Microsoft, Allister shares how entrepreneurs and business leaders can arm themselves with the knowledge and thinking to take on the ever-shifting world we find ourselves in.

Key takeaways of this podcast:

• Introduction to Allister and world of digital optimism

If you enjoyed the podcast then please spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes! Comments and feedback are very welcome via Phil's LinkedIn or Twitter pages.

This podcast is created by Phil Birss and produced by Run2.