The Business of Engineering

Innovation is one of the most crucial aspects of staying ahead of the competition in a crowded technology market. From simple enhancements to game-changing developments, your success in fostering a community of ideas can make-or-break your business. 

In this episode of the Business of Engineering podcast, we talk to three successful entrepreneurs about how they promote innovation in their own businesses, and how and where they get their own best ideas...

Our contributors for this episode are...

William Fish - Founder of Manulytica, a start-up business focusing on using RF and Cloud technologies to create solutions for the Logistics & Manufacturing markets

Danny Manu -  Founder of Mymanu, a manufacturer and designer of smart consumer electronics that enrich people’s experience through the power of sound.

Rob Hughes - MD and Founder of Pivotal Drinks, a manufacturer of functional drinks in the NutriCosmetic sector. He is also the Brand Owner of RE-NU-ME, a functional NutriCosmetic brand that produces first to market vegan and vegetarian NutriWaters that target hair & skin health from within.

 

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The Business of Engineering is an official startup-focused podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

In 2018, there were over 79 million devices with embedded AI. This is expected to rise to 1.2 billion devices by 2023. The rise of embedded and connected devices across the tech sector provides valuable new opportunities for innovation, data analysis, automation and more.

In this month's round table, we discuss the potential impact of the rise of AI and the opportunities this presents for tech startups.

Our contributors for this episode are...

Taras Lanchev - Founder and Director of Calbot, an innovative meeting scheduling tool for teams and groups.

Keith McCabe -  CEO at Simplifai Systems Limited, an AI-based solution that generates real-time traffic control strategies for complex issues such as major events, pollution, traffic incidents and unexpected congestion

Daniel Burkhardt Cerigo - Freelance Data Scientist specialising in AI Systems

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The Business of Engineering is an official startup-focused podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

Online marketing is an essential part of running any modern business, but as a new or emerging startup it can be difficult to know where to start. In this week's podcast, our entrepreneurial round table discusses some of the most important tactics you should be aware of when attempting to build and retain your online audience - from the importance of SEO vs PPC to website design and content marketing.

Our contributors for this episode are...

Melissa Beckett -  Acceleration Manager at the Natwest Business Accelerator, a program that enables entrepreneurs across the UK to reach their full potential through coaching, mentoring and one-to-one support. 

Sam Ducker - CEO of Lucky Duck, a UK/UI design and development agency that builds websites, apps and other online solutions for a wide variety of businesses and enterprises.  

Richard Michie - CEO of The Marketing Optimist, a consultancy firm working with SMEs to provide bespoke marketing solutions including strategy, website build, SEO, social media, training and more.

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The Business of Engineering is an official startup-focused podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

Every business needs customers. You could design the best product in your field, but unless somebody buys it, your enterprise is likely to have a short shelf life. In this episode, startup leaders discuss tactics for attracting early buyers and converting them into long-term brand advocates. 

Our contributors for this episode are...

Ben Barker - Founder and M.D. at Artemis, a company specialising in producing high quality, innovative cold brew coffee products. 

Mihaela Gruia- Founder of Research Retold, a specialist research communication agency that works with world-leading researchers to help communicate their findings in visual and accessible ways. 

Dr. James Gupta - CEO of Synap, an intelligent online training platform that helps organisations deliver personalised, effective & engaging training.

Gordon Merrylees - Managing Director for Entrepreneurship for Natwest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank.

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The Business of Engineering is an official startup-focused podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

From distribution and supplier relationships to creative collaborations and brand extension, professional partnerships are essential to a growing tech enterprise.

In this episode, our panel discusses the best ways to build strong professional relationships with other companies, how those partnerships have helped their own businesses to grow and how to ensure that partnerships remain healthy and mutually beneficial in the long term. 

Our contributors for this episode are...

Ryan Ciecko - Partnerships Manager at Free Agent, an award-winning cloud-based accounting software platform for small businesses, freelancers and their accountants. 

Tracey Dawson - Managing Director of Daletech Electronics, a Leeds-based manufacturing company focusing on high quality, low volume electronic manufacturing and rework. 

Alistair Maiden - CEO of SYKE, a legal engineering business helping law firms and corporate legal teams to buy and implement legal technology. 

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The Business of Engineering is an official startup-focused podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

Every startup business reaches a point when the best laid plans go awry. Sometimes it may be possible to recover, but on other occasions the only course of action is to admit defeat and re-strategise. 

When you've spent months or years building your tech company from scratch, accepting that your enterprise has reached a point of no return can be incredibly tough. On this episode of the Business of Engineering podcast, we talk to entrepreneurs about their experiences of pivoting, rebuilding and achieving success from the ashes of a perceived failure. 

Contributors to this episode are:

Daniel Burton - Acceleration Manager at the Natwest Business Accelerator, a program that enables entrepreneurs across the UK to reach their full potential through coaching, mentoring and one-to-one support. 

Bradley Jensen - Director of For Fork Sake, an online dining community that drives traffic into restaurants on a discount discovery basis. 

Tia Roqaa - Founder of Roccabox, a subscription-based online beauty box service that allows customers to access regular product samples carefully selected by industry insiders. 

Mark Walsh - Founder & CEO at KwizzBit, an interactive trivia platform played and operated using a smart phone or Internet enabled device in real time, for seamless interactive entertainment in pubs and other social venues. 

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The Business of Engineering is an official startup-focused podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

For many entrepreneurs, simply getting your product to market can feel like the ultimate goal. But once you've reached this milestone, it's vital to ensure that you're building on this momentum and laying the groundwork for a healthy long-term business. 

In this episode of The Business of Engineering Podcast, we discuss what the first few months after an initial product launch looks like, the challenges involved in growing your company and developing a brand, and tactics for converting one-time buyers into long-term customers. 

Contributors to this episode are:

Jordan Appleson - CEO & Founder of Hark, a real-time environmental monitoring platform that allows the user to store and analyse sensor data in real time. 

Laura Mason - Entrepreneur Acceleration Manager at the Natwest Business Accelerator, a program that enables entrepreneurs across the UK to reach their full potential through coaching, mentoring and one-to-one support. 

James Talbot - CEO & Founder of Damson Global, a Yorkshire-based technology company that specialises in developing innovative entertainment products including Home Cinema systems, noise-cancelling headphones and portable speakers. 

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The Business of Engineering is the new podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

There's nothing more exciting for a tech startup than the moment when you finally get your product into the hands of consumers. But with so many new kits and devices hitting the shelves all the time, what can you do to give your product the best chance of success when it hits the market?

In this week's episode of The Business of Engineering Podcast, we discuss the most important preparations and investments you should be making before your tech product goes on sale - and some of the common pitfalls you should be avoiding. 

Contributors to this episode are:

Chris Burgess - CEO of Binary Bots, a smart toy inventor using robots to teach children the fundamentals of coding. After starting in the education sector, Binary Bots recently launched their products into the retail market. 

Gareth Gadd - Chief Business Development Officer at Compliance Compendium, a cost-effective, cloud-based application suite that helps businesses to achieve most of their UK Data Protection Act (2018) and EU GDPR obligations.

Natasha Barber-Evans - Regional Manager & Director at the Natwest Business Accelerator, a program that enables entrepreneurs across the UK to reach their full potential through coaching, mentoring and one-to-one support. 

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The Business of Engineering is the new podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

Accelerator programs promise valuable mentorship and networking opportunities for new and emerging startups - but often require a significant commitment of time and resources in return. In this episode of the Business of Engineering Podcast, we chat to accelerator veterans from both sides of the table to explore the benefits and challenges associated with joining a program, and the most effective ways to get the best out of your experience.

Contributors to this episode are:

Ben Barker - Founder and M.D. at Artemis, a company specialising in producing high quality, innovative cold brew coffee products. 

Ian Emberton - Founder and M.D. at Xerogrid, a company that develops, designs and manufactures off-grid renewable energy systems to provide reliable, clean electricity in areas where mainstream sources are unavailable or unreliable. 

Annabell Gast - Entrepreneurial Acceleration Manager at the Natwest Business Accelerator, a program that enables entrepreneurs across the UK to reach their full potential through coaching, mentoring and one-to-one support. 

 

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The Business of Engineering is the new podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.

Getting a product to the manufacturing stage is a key milestone for any hardware business, but it's also a process that can be filled with challenges and hidden costs. In this third episode of The Business of Engineering Podcast, we discuss finding the right manufacturer, knowing your rights and understanding the major hurdles on the road to getting your product into production. 

Contributors to this episode are:

Daniel Burton - Acceleration Manager at the Natwest Business Accelerator, a program that enables entrepreneurs across the UK to reach their full potential through coaching, mentoring and one-to-one support. 

Joseph Crabtree - CEO of Additive Manufacturing Technologies, the world’s first company focused on providing connected digital technology solutions for the post-processing of 3D Printed polymer parts.

Leon Doyle - CEO of WiFi Plug, an Apple-affiliated app controlled smart plug that allows you to control your home from your phone.  

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The Business of Engineering is the new podcast from element14, the online community of leading global development distributor Premier Farnell.

With over 500,000 registered members, element14 is the world's largest dedicated online community for engineers, makers and tech professionals, representing the industry standard for electronics collaboration.