SuperConnector Show | Business Interviews & Founder Stories

The beauty of coffee lies in its power to connect. It doesn't just fuel our days; it enriches our lives, strengthens our economies & brings people closer together! It's for these reasons I enjoyed doing this interview with Jason Harvey (Founder & Managing Director, Common Coffee) about the small batch coffee roastery he opened in Pathhead near Edinburgh in Scotland 8yrs ago. Take a listen & then order some Common Coffee at https://commoncoffee.co.uk ⭐️

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

How do you scale & exit a tech business? Cornelius Schmahl has learned how to do this 9 times including at Lazada in Thailand (sold to Alibaba for $4 billion), scaling Uber across Germany, then Africa, then Russia (which exited at $1 billion) & helping to turn around a Rocket Internet company in the Middle East with 800 people & no direction! He's also started 3 companies of his own (2 burned completely & 1 exited). With 100+ angel investments across 6 continents & 9 unicorns under his belt (still a shareholder in 7), he's now on a mission to help others understand how to scale faster & better without burning out!

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

In this interview, Cass UK (Cassandra Sonma Ukaobi) shares how she went from full-time nurse to investment-backed entrepreneur selling award-winning wellness products & burnout avoidance programmes for individuals, teams & organisations. She also talks about how her positive, optimistic & proactive approach to life has helped her create & manifest opportunities for herself in Nigeria, Dominica & the UK & how she recently attracted investment from Mercia Ventures in the North East of England to help her grow her business further. You can learn more about Tolicious & shop their wellbeing products at www.tolicious.com & www.instagram.com/toliciousbrand You can also learn more about Cass UK herself at www.linkedin.com/in/cassuk & www.instagram.com/cassukonline

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

Are you a leader that wants more energy, clarity & calm? Jo Hutton can help! With 45,000+ subscribers to her 'Yoga For Tired People' posts & videos on Substack, Jo is also a workshop facilitator, trainer & Founder of Happy Yoga Newcastle & Newcastle Yoga School. If you feel like you're doing too much, she can teach you simple ways to build rest into your week & stop you from burning out. Find out more in this interview with Paul that was originally broadcast on Monday 29 June 2026. You can also Subscribe to Jo on Substack at https://substack.com/@johuttonyoga & Follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/johuttonyoga

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

What is a business coach & do you need one? Ian Kinnery has spent 20yrs+ building & scaling businesses & coaching leaders because the toughest part isn’t strategy, it’s thinking clearly so you can focus on delivering what matters. After delivering a brilliant keynote at our recent PLATFORM Conference, Ian shared his insights & advice in this podcast! Learn more at https://kinnery.co.uk

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

The Northern Insight Magazine is one of the leading publications in the North East of England, providing a vital & much-loved source of information about business, property, media, technology, education, motors, arts & leisure in the region. As Founder & Managing Director, Michael Grahamslaw has been at the heart of regional news not only since the magazine was launched in 2015 but for almost 30yrs when working for some of the region's other leading magazine & newspaper titles! If you love the North East of England & want to know more, watch this interview with Michael which was originally broadcast on Wednesday 17th June 2026 & visit https://northern-insight.co.uk ⭐️

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

Are you feeling stuck? Has something changed & you need to make some decisions or make some adjustments? Maybe you just know that you’re not performing at your best or living your best life? Gillian Dodd is passionate about helping individuals & businesses to flourish & thrive in the face of change & has over 25 years' experience as a coach & trainer for UK-based SMEs & Global Brands in industries including Airlines, Tourism, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Finance, FMCG, Third Sector, Local Government & Healthcare. She's also a qualified yoga therapist & educator of yoga teachers, committed to dispelling the myth that you need to be slim, bendy & flexible to access the benefits of yoga for a pain free & functional body. Find out more by listening to this 1hr interview, connecting with Gillian on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilliandodd & visiting her website's https://gilliandodd.com & https://www.yogafbyi.com

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

Love the North East of England & proud to call it your home? Or new to the region & want to learn more about the North East's rich & wonderful history, culture & business? In this episode, David Simpson (Founder & Owner, englandsnortheast.co.uk & tangledworm.com) & I discuss what makes the North East of England such a unique & special place to live, work & run a business, regional identity & pride & how the geographical landscape, historical trade routes, industrial & football rivalry still influences the current & future prospects of its people!

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

Can you build a profitable & sustainable small hair care business on the High Street / Main Street in 2026? Kate Assaraf (Founder & CEO, Dip) believes you can (& so do I)! If you'd like to know how & the importance of buying more sustainable, ethical products, listen to this interview & visit https://dipalready.com

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com

Many of you will love YO! Sushi but do you know the man behind the brand? Simon Woodroffe started YO! Sushi at the age of 45, after a career in the music business working on staging for rock bands like Queen, Rod Stewart & Ozzy Osbourne. A chance meeting & subsequent trip to Japan introduced him to the idea of conveyor-belt sushi & he became fascinated by the theatre of it. In 1997, Simon opened the first YO! Sushi in Poland Street, Soho, bringing something entirely new to London’s restaurant scene. What began as a slightly mad (& he would say risky) idea went on to become the world’s number one conveyor-belt sushi brand! After selling his controlling interest in YO! Sushi in 2003, while retaining a stake for a number of years before eventually exiting the business on a royalty, he joined BBC Dragons' Den launched YOTEL (inspired by Japanese capsule hotels) & continued to embark on a range of entrepreneurial ventures. Simon is now focused on sharing what he's learned along the way so we're excited to share this SuperConnector Show podcast with him ahead of his new autobiography 'YO! Man' released on 4th June! Listen here & find out more at https://yo.co.uk

In addition to being Host of the SuperConnector Show podcast, Paul Lancaster is Founder, Event Producer and Host of the popular, monthly PLATFORM events and 5-day UK Startup and Scaleup Week festivals. He is also Coach and Mentor for busy entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who want to focus and be more productive. Find out more at https://platformevents.ai & https://ukstartupweek.com