Nige Wood joins us in the lounge this week to talk all things hospitality management/bar ownership. Nige guides us through his early career in hospitality, before telling us what its really like managing some of the biggest bars and nightclubs in Newcastle – and he’s not afraid to hold back the details! Nige also touches on what it was like to open his own bar - the highs, the lows and the challenges he faced in doing so. Nige also chats to us about the pandemic, and how that affected, and continues to affect his industry.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/fusion_ncl)

Andy takes us through his journey from Professional Footballer/Football Coach, to owning his own coaching business - which, through rapid expansion, is taking the North East by storm. Andy discusses what it’s really like making the transition from being a pro footballer to taking a non playing role in the beautiful game. He also fills us in on why he believes his core values are an integral reason to his business success thus far, and even gives us the low down on what it was like taking a team he coached to play Bayern Munich’s Academy!

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Emilio Arceri joins us to talk all things hospitality and nightclub promotions – which is where he started his business journey. He also discusses what it was like going to prison and trust me – he doesn’t hold back on the details! He talks about what its really like inside a ‘HMP hotel’ and how that can affect you mentally and physically, what he got out of it, and his time for reflection. Finally, he opens up on his journey to date with Fortuna, and gives away some of the secrets as to how he’s taken it from an ordinary Gosforth bar and restaurant into a staple of the high street and one of the most sought after venues in the city.

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Zack and Lauren join us in the lounge this week from Inked Grails, where we discuss all things tie-dye. A business born from a hobby, Zack and Lauren talk us through their amazing journey to date. We discuss everything from colourway development, doing the business ‘part time’ while working 40 hours a week, to the hazards of tie-dye - nearly dyeing their white cat blue! and the upcoming plans for more clothing lines. Zack and Lauren epitomise hard work, determination, and have developed a really cool North East brand.

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Joe Deverdics, or ‘Cleverdics’ if you know him from his twitch stream joins us in the lounge this week, where we lift the lid on all things streaming and online content creation. Joe guides us through his streaming journey to date and we discuss everything from the importance of creating good memorable content, to the future of gaming as a career. We also delve into the darker side of content creation, and discuss the challenges and perceptions of being a gaming streamer, and dealing with the hate and abuse that can often come with that. 

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Chris Patrick joins us in the lounge to talk about his career and life journey. Chris was a pioneer of the ‘influencer’ movement, getting influencers and brand ambassadors to wear his successful clothing and footwear brands to help maximise sales and generate revenue. He then went on to follow his true calling and play in some of the world’s biggest pool tournaments, travelling to countries like China, Thailand, and Dubai, and he’s now back on UK soil getting his cue ready for another big year ahead!

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Real Food Delivered has been built through 4 years of hard work by owner James Patterson, and in that time, it has arguably become one of the North East’s most successful meal prep companies. James joins us this week to tell us about his success, as well as the hurdles he’s had to climb on the way. James discusses what it was like going from cooking meals in his mums’ kitchen, to taking over a huge Teesside pub kitchen. He tells us about his string of celebrity clients and premier league footballers eating his food, and what its really like cooking over 5000 meals a week – all while quitting his job, having a young family, and buying his own house.

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Lishman’s Barbers is without doubt one of Newcastle’s busiest barbershop’s and we are so excited to have the brains behind the operation - Owner Paul Lishman, and his manager, Brent on the show. Paul and Brent guide us through their own personal barbering journeys and tell us how they got into the industry. They discuss what it’s like to start a barbershop, and what it takes to be successful in a cut-throat competitive market!

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Joe & Ollie are the brains behind Newcastle’s hottest new burger brand to which they have seen phenomenal growth since they started Brack Burger. They chat to us about everything from their secret homemade burger sauce and those famous collaborations to their rapid plans for expansion and why supporting local is so important. Taking Newcastle by storm?... we think so!

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Bexie Waite joins us in the lounge this week to talk all things Fika. Bexie has always had a passion for fashion, and in 2020 she took the plunge with starting her own fashion business based in North East England. Fika Label provides tailored handmade garments which are beautifully stitched, comfortable, chic, stylish and utterly personable – all while being completely mindful of sustainability and their impact on the environment. Let’s call it a fusion of fashion and sustainability!

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