The Bottom Line

Starting a business is often compared to bringing up a baby, and with good reason: it's costly, gives you sleepless nights and requires your attention during every waking moment. But what happens when it is time sell the business you have nurtured? Three successful entrepreneurs talk to Evan Davis about the feelings of relief and regret which can accompany selling off a business.

GUESTS

Liz Earle, Co-founder of Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare

William Kendall, Chairman, Cawston Press

Jules Coleman, Co-founder of Hassle.com.

Are activist investors good or bad for the firms they target? They hunt down companies they think are underperforming. They buy a stake in the business, then lobby for change. Critics say activists want to make a fast buck and then head for the exit. But you could regard these investors as doing a valuable service - challenging poorly performing company boards and making more profit for shareholders. Top UK names like Rolls Royce and John Menzies have been affected. Explore the world of activist investors with Evan Davis. Joining him will be: activist investor, Harlan Zimmerman, senior partner at Cevian Capital; Chris Walton, a company chairman and non-executive director; and Sacha Sadan, director of corporate governance at Legal and General Investment Management.

Producer: Lesley McAlpine.

Why are more top employers offering school leavers a fast track career without the need to go to university? Applicants for the top Degree Apprenticeships need to get good A level grades and pass a rigorous selection process. Their reward is the opportunity to earn a living while they gain a degree and qualify as a professional. Evan Davis discusses the pros and cons of such schemes with a high flying apprentice and two employers who are competing with universities for the brightest and best school leavers.

How do you do business when you can't see into the future? This may be what businesses always have to do, but Brexit has undeniably made the future even harder to discern than usual. When will it happen, what relationship with Europe will follow, and how will the rest of the world react?

For now we don't know, but the answers to those questions will affect every business in Britain.

So how are companies planning for an uncertain future while at the same time trying to ensure that whichever model of Brexit emerges is one that suits their needs.

Joining Evan Davis are:

Karen Briggs: Head of Brexit - KPMG

Producer: Joe Kent.

Theresa May has promised a bigger role for the state in business. The previously unfashionable concept of a comprehensive industrial strategy is back on the agenda. There is a new wariness about foreign investment in strategic industries such as electricity generation. Mrs May also wants to see employee representatives on company boards.

Presenter Evan Davis discusses "Theresanomics" with a panel of entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.

Guests include:

Elizabeth Corley, vice-chair of Allianz Global Investors

Producer: Julie Ball.

The Olympics Games is the biggest sporting event on earth. But the road to a successful Olympics can be more gruelling than a marathon. With less than two weeks to go until the opening ceremony in Rio, Evan Davis and guests discuss the difficulties of managing the money, the politics and the people.

GUESTS:

Neil Wood MBE, Partner, Deloitte and former CFO of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG)

Gerhard Heiberg, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and President and CEO of Lillehammer Winter Olympic,s 1994

Professor Andrew Zimbalist, Sports Economist, Smith College Massachusetts, Consultant and Author

Producer: Julie Ball

Editor: Innes Bowen.

Is escaping the rat race always a good idea? Many people dream of giving up the day job to start their own business - and we often hear about the success stories. But does everyone have what it takes? Evan Davis and guests compare the dream and the reality.

GUESTS:

Luke Johnson, Entrepreneur and Founder of Risk Capital Partners

Paula Fry, former Director, Fashion Seeker UK

Sarah Meredith, Sole Trader, Rock Cakes

Deirdre Critchley, former Director, Jammy Cow

Producer: Elizabeth Cassin.

It's hard to put a value on a human life. When you're well, perhaps you don't think about it. But if you're ill, getting access to the right drugs, whatever the cost, is a priority. But the NHS does not have a bottomless pit of money. And some medicines are judged too expensive to be freely available, so patients miss out on treatments that could save or extend their lives. There are usually two villains of the piece: The drugs companies for charging too much; the NHS for not stumping up the cash. In this edition, Evan Davis and guests explore how pharmaceutical companies price their drugs, the role of the NHS in deciding how much the medicines are worth and, in the case of generic or non-branded drugs, they'll ask whether competition is working properly to keep down the NHS medicines bill.

Guests:

Carole Longson, Director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Warwick Smith, Director-General, British Generic Manufacturers Association

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

How will the vote to leave the EU affect big and small businesses in the UK? Evan Davis and guests discuss trade deals, tariffs and 'passporting' rights that allow UK-based firms to sell financial products and services from Britain to EU customers. They'll also explore how companies can turn the current economic uncertainty into business opportunities.

Guests:

Anne Richards, CEO, M & G Investments

Juergen Maier, CEO Siemens UK

Julia Gash, Founder and CEO, BIDBI

Jan Atteslander, EconomieSuisse

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Most of us negotiate in some form or other every day - whether it's about who walks the dog, how much screen-time the kids can have or when to visit the in-laws. But too often we treat it like a competitive sport, with only one aim: to win. Which can backfire, especially when you need co-operation later on. It's much the same in business - negotiating to win at all costs is unlikely to result in a long-term, sustainable business relationship. So how to achieve a win-win situation when both sides leave satisfied and ready to do business with each other again? Evan Davis and guests explore the skills that can help settle disputes between individuals, companies and even nations. They'll discuss when to walk away from the negotiating table and they'll find out what happens when doing a deal is literally a matter of life and death.

Guests:

Tim Cullen, Director, Oxford Programme on Negotiation, Said Business School

Bridie Warner-Adsetts, COO, Naylor Industries

Sue Williams, Hostage Negotiator

Producer: Sally Abrahams.