The Good Employer Podcast

Introduction:

Welcome to another episode of The Good Employer Podcast, the show that explores what it means to be a great employer in today’s business landscape.

About the Host: 

Emma is a co-founder of a values-driven consultancy and proud member of the Good Business Charter. With first-hand experience scaling a business and building a trusted team, she’s passionate about helping businesses create workplaces where people flourish.

About the Guest:

Todays guest is Joanne Manville, founder of The Indispensary, a multi award-winning virtual assistant consultancy supporting charities and business leaders.  Joanne discovered her true passion lay in providing high-level admin support. She launched her own VA business in 2015, which rebranded as The Indispensary in June 2024. Joanne is also active in the VA community, mentoring peers and championing best practices.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Joanne’s Professional Journey: From mortgage consultancy to PA to founding The Indispensary, Joanne shares the pivotal moments and motivation behind launching her business.
• Business Growth and Values: The challenges of scaling, rebranding, and shifting from a solo identity to a collaborative team model while keeping strong values at the core.
• What is a Virtual Assistant?: Joanne debunks common misconceptions about VAs, stressing the importance of relationship-based support, trust, and the breadth of services they provide.
• Impact and Recognition: The significance of industry awards and peer-recognition, including her notable win for "Contribution to the VA Community", and how collaborative, supportive networks uplift everyone in the sector.
• Measuring Success: Both Emma and Joanne discuss how engaging a VA positively impacted their revenue and allowed them to focus on growth and value-added activities.
• Tech, Tools & Collaboration: The evolving role of technology in running efficient businesses, favourites like Capsule CRM and Canva.
• Interns & Gen Z Talent: Joanne’s approach to hiring and nurturing university interns, what she’s learned from younger team members, and how they’ve enriched her business with fresh skills.
• Building a Thriving Team: Recruitment through trusted VA networks, the power of having a simple "Join Our Team" page, frequent feedback surveys (for both clients and freelancers), and fostering loyalty and professional development.
• Leadership & Letting Go: Joanne shares her philosophy of being “firm but fair” and why it’s sometimes necessary to part ways with clients if values don’t align—for the wellbeing of both sides.
• The Human Side of Remote Work: The importance of in-person connection amidst a remote-first era, building trust, and tackling the nuances of virtual client relationships.
• Advice for New Entrepreneurs: Joanne recommends engaging a business coach sooner but also values the self-led learning journey.

Useful Links & Resources Mentioned:

• The Indispensary
• Capsule CRM
• The ONE Thing by Gary Keller
• Good Business Charter
• Canva

Connect with Joanne:

• LinkedIn: Joanne Manville
• Join The Indispensary Team

Connect with Emma:

• Effective HRM

In this episode I was really pleased to chat to Rosie Sweetman co-founder of Sweetmans and Partners based in Cardiff.
 
https://www.sweetmansandpartners.com/

We chatted about what it means to be purpose led business, the benefits of being clear about company values and what we mean when we talk about the culture of an organisation. We also pondered on the many changes that we’ve seen in doing business, employee expectations and how  organisations have to behave.

I really love chatting to Rosie as she is a great thinker and always has interesting perspectives to offer.

Do check out her business website and LinkedIn profile.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-sweetman-pec-bb65223b?trk=recent-searches 

Our guest this week is Sally-Anne Airey. Sally-Anne is a leadership coach and a former Royal Navy officer. She's also the creator of the Evolving Leadership Program. Sally-Anne brings a unique blend of leadership experience and mindfulness to her coaching practice.  She's also the author of Mindful Command, a book that provides a framework for skillful leadership, focusing on the balance between strategic decision making and the inner work required for powerful, authentic leadership.

I'm excited to chat to Sally-Anne and hear her insights on leadership qualities, how to cultivate them, and what it truly takes to become a great leader and a good employer.

https://skilfulleaders.com/

Ahead of the Budget announcement on 30 October 2024 I spoke with Rob Warlow to see what we could possibly expect from the new Labour government after just over 100 days.

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The guest on the podcast this week is Rob Warlow, an expert in business finance with over 30 years of experience helping businesses navigate the complex world of funding, cash flow management, and financial resilience.

Rob is the founder of Business Loan Services, a consultancy dedicated to supporting business owners as they secure financing and strategically manage their finances.

Known for his practical, down-to-earth approach, Rob has a wealth of experience working with banks and lending institutions, as well as firsthand insight into the challenges faced by business owners at every stage.

On top of his extensive experience in the UK and international markets, Rob is also the author of Loan Sharp: Get the Business Finance You Deserve, a guide for small and medium-sized enterprises on how to approach lenders and secure financing with confidence.

Through his consultancy and regular vlogging, Rob is passionate about equipping employers with the financial strategies they need not only to survive but to thrive in today’s business landscape.

In this episode, we’ll dive into Rob’s insights on financial best practices for business owners, how employers can build strong, sustainable businesses, and the key financial considerations that help businesses grow while supporting their employees.

Links:

Rob’s website

Welcome to Season Three of the Good Employer Podcast!

In this episode we have a discussion with Professor Patricia Leighton about all things employment law and the impact of potential changes we are expecting with new legislation promised in October 2024.

As we all know employment law and regulations will have an impact on how employers will have to behave towards their current and future employees and we discuss some of these potential changes.

Professor Leighton is the Emeritus Professor of Employment Law at the University of South Wales and the founder of Employment Law Exchange, which is a regular gathering of senior HR professionals to discuss forthcoming changes to legislation and cases that have an impact on human resource management.

Check us out on Social Media:

EffectiveHRM Twitter

EffectiveHRM LinkedIn

EffectiveHRM Facebook

EffectiveHRM Website 

The Good Employer Podcast Twitter  

Welcome to Season Three of the Good Employer Podcast!

We kick off this season with the return of the most popular podcast guest from our first season, Jay Ball. 

Jay is the CEO of Flotek, an award winning, fast growth telecoms and IT company. 

We mentioned a few things on the podcast whilst we chatted and here are some relevant links for your information. 

Jay mentioned that the Flotek managers had attended some recent manager training. This was lovely plug for a course developed by the EffectiveHRM team and employment lawyer Victoria Hall. We run this course in-house for businesses who want to develop their management team. 

We also run open courses throughout the year. You can find out more here :

https://www.effective-hrm.co.uk/our-services/learning-and-development/professional-development/the-effective-manager-development-course/

Some information from Vestd about EMIs https://www.vestd.com/emi-share-options-scheme/

Check out the links below:

https://flotek.io 

Check us out on Social Media:

EffectiveHRM Twitter

EffectiveHRM LinkedIn

EffectiveHRM Facebook

EffectiveHRM Website 

The Good Employer Podcast Twitter  

The latest episode of The Good Employer Podcast is available now! On this episode, Emma is speaking to the wonderful Dr. Sian Edwards from Platform Wellbeing! Sian is the Head of Training and Delivery at Platform Wellbeing.

Listen to the latest episode now!

Check out Sian at the links below:
Sian on LinkedIn
Plattform Wellbeing

Check us out on Social Media:
EffectiveHRM Twitter
EffectiveHRM LinkedIn
EffectiveHRM Facebook
EffectiveHRM Website
The Good Employer Podcast Twitter  

...and remember, being a Good Employer starts with you!

This week on The Good Employer Podcast we're speaking to Ceri Jennings, CEO of multi-award winning Sparkles Cleaning Services based in Cardiff.


Check out Ceri at the links below:
Sparkles Cleaning Services Website
Ceri on LinkedIn

Check us out on Social Media:
EffectiveHRM Twitter
EffectiveHRM LinkedIn
EffectiveHRM Facebook
EffectiveHRM Website
The Good Employer Podcast Twitter  

...and remember, being a Good Employer starts with you!

This week on The Good Employer Podcast we're speaking to Alexlouise Thomas from Financial Freedom. Alexlouise is tackling the complex issue of money mindset. She is the author of Rock Solid Money Maker, a spirited entrepreneur, property developer and coach. She also hosts the Financial Freedom Podcast as well as the Mini Mansion Makeover on Youtube.

Check out Alexlouise at the links below:
The Financial Freedom Website
The Financial Freedom Podcast
Alexlouise on LinkedIn
Alexlouise on Facebook
Alexlouise on Instagram
The Mini Manison Makeover

Alexlouise's Recommendations
The Minimalists
The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Check us out on Social Media:
EffectiveHRM Twitter
EffectiveHRM LinkedIn
EffectiveHRM Facebook
EffectiveHRM Website
The Good Employer Podcast Twitter  

...and remember, being a Good Employer starts with you!

This week we're talking to Darrell Irwin, Managing Director of Cre8ion and author of The Crisis Catalyst. Cre8ion is a brand marketing agency and proud B-Corp. Emma and Darrell spoke about B-corp status, the importance of legacy and a whole host of other topics.

Check out Darrell at the links below:
Cre8ion Website
Darrell's Website
Darrell on LinkedIn
Purpose People Podcast
The Crisis Catalyst

Darrell's Recommendations
Shoe Dog- Phil Knight
Rebel Ideas- Matthew Syed
The High Performance Podcast

Check us out on Social Media:
EffectiveHRM Twitter
EffectiveHRM LinkedIn
EffectiveHRM Facebook
EffectiveHRM Website
The Good Employer Podcast Twitter  

...and remember, being a Good Employer starts with you!