On this week’s episode of The Merri-Cast, I’m joined by my good friend, the brilliant Simon Shepard - Founder and CEO of Optima-Life. 

Simon is a physiotherapist by training but has turned into a fantastic entrepreneur. In this episode, he shares his unique career journey and the lessons he’s learnt along the way. He’s also in the middle of an exciting new venture, which you’ll hear more about at the end of the interview. 

What inspired me about Simon’s journey is his deep-seated passion for curiosity and progress - something we can all learn from. He also offered other valuable insights including: 

• Embracing new opportunities and what’s possible if you have a go. 
• The value of a good support network and being trusted by colleagues. 
• Being driven by progress and finding solutions. 
• Understanding and listening to the people you help. 
• The importance of networking and marketing. 
• Being confident in asking questions and learning from others. 

Simon Shepard:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simon-shepard-a9868a16
Optima-Life: https://optima-life.com/
Email: [email protected]

Trevor:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

On today’s episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Matthew Phelan - Co-Founder of The Happiness Index, an employee engagement and happiness platform.

From working on a farm at a young age, to creating a business plan in Wetherspoons, and founding a business with friends - Matthew’s career journey is certainly unique.

In this episode, Matthew shares the key moments which have led him on his own path to happiness and other fantastic insights and lessons including:

* What working on a farm from a young age taught him.
* Why chaos and uncertainty in the world is better for a start-up.
* The inspiration and story behind The Happiness Index.
* His experience and the benefits of being in business with friends.
* The importance of allowing yourself to feel emotions.
* Surrounding yourself with people of all ages and knowledge.
* Why freedom is a top 4 driver of happiness. 

Matthew Phelan:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthewphelan
The Happiness Index: https://thehappinessindex.com/
Website: https://mattphelan.co.uk/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

On this week’s episode of The Merri-Cast podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Karina Murray – Founder and CEO of Aunua Global.

Karina’s mission with Aunua Global is incredibly inspiring and in this episode, she shares how the business came about and why she’s so passionate about helping young people.

She also shares many valuable lessons including:
•Finding your purpose and people who understand it.
•Her global community initiative for young people.
•Building up your credibility.
•Not being afraid to pivot if what you’re doing isn’t working.
•The importance of having conversations and asking for help.
•Why you need to connect and believe in what you do.
•Challenging yourself and realising your capabilities.

Karina Murray:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karina-murray-169361161
Aunua Global: https://aunuaglobal.org/
Email: [email protected]

Trevor:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

On this week's episode, I’m delighted to be joined by the brilliant Solomon Thimothy - Co-Founder and CEO of OneIMS – Integrated Marketing Solutions and Clickx.

He’s helped businesses increase their revenue using his 10X Framework and is also an expert in lead generation and customer acquisition.

In this episode, Solomon’s passion is clear through his positivity and energy. He shares many valuable lessons including:

•The importance of experimenting.
•The power of going local.
•Why sacred days to focus on one thing are essential.
•Being disciplined in what you do.
•Risking a lot to make a lot.
•Being comfortable with not making it.

Solomon Thimothy:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/solomonthimothy
OneIMS: https://www.oneims.com/
Clickx:  https://www.clickx.io/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

As entrepreneurs, it’s essential to have resilience but until we face certain challenges, we often don’t recognise how resilient we truly are.
 
Joining us this week is someone who’s resilience shines through – the brilliant Kelly Gilmour-Grassam, Founder and Director of Making You Content.

Kelly had a passion for writing from an early age and rather than going straight into a job working with others, she decided to set up her own business.

In this episode, Kelly shares the incredible journey of starting Making You Content at only 21 years old, what’s contributed to its success over the last 10 years and the lessons she’s learnt on the way.

Kelly also discusses:
•Why you can’t ‘copy and paste’ yourself when recruiting others.
•The importance of staying curious and being agile.
•Being able to think on your feet.
•Why you need to be resilient.
•The value of a good support network both personally and professionally.
•Why running a business can be hard, but also remembering it’s a privilege.

Kelly Gilmour-Grassam:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kellygilmourgrassam
Website: www.makingyoucontent.co.uk
Email: [email protected]

Trevor:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

On today’s episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Mark Goyder, Founder of Tomorrow’s Company – “a not-for-profit think tank that exists to inspire and enable business to be a force for good.”

In this episode, Mark details his early career, particularly the four people who inspired him during this time. He also shares the story of how Tomorrow’s Company came to be and how the company has evolved over the years.

Mark also discusses:
•Why failure is a great teacher and can be a great door opener.
•Why the concept of stewardship is absolutely vital when considering how to regulate a business.
•The importance of building up reserves.
•Why both internal and external partnerships are essential.

I learnt a lot from hearing Mark’s journey and I’m certain that if you listen to the episode, you will too.

Mark:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-goyder-72713827
Tomorrow’s Company: https://www.tomorrowscompany.com/
Website: https://markgoyder.com/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

Today’s guests are Adam Twidell and Carol Cork – co-founders of Private Fly, a hugely successful aviation business that grew and grew until it was acquired a few years ago.

In this episode, they share their entrepreneurial journey of Private Fly as well as all the work they’ve done since deciding to sell the business. 

They also discuss:
•Why you need to believe in what you do.
•The importance of taking risks and being all in. 
•Why you must have focus and know your key performance indicators (KPI).
•The value of hiring and building a team early and recognising you can’t do everything yourself.  
•Why you should empower your team to help make decisions. 
•The power of telling everyone your story. 
•Why risking everything might not actually be risking everything. 
•The freedom of starting a business in the first place. 

Adam and Carol are both incredibly positive people and after listening to their story, it’s easy to see why they’ve had such success!

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected] 

Our last episode of the year is now live and features the fantastic Chris Parke – Co-Founder of Talking Talent.

In this episode, Chris shares some brilliant insights, including:
👏 The importance of purpose.
📈 Using data to build a business case.
👍 Making more good decisions than bad.
📆 Spending enough time on planning.
😊 Why you need to surround yourself with good people.
📞 The more conversations you have, the more clarity you get.

Chris Parke:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chris-parke
Email: [email protected]
Talking Talent: https://talking-talent.com/ 

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected] 

On today’s episode, I am joined by the fantastic Kim Ades – President of Frame of Mind Coaching and Journal Engine Software and CEO of The Journal That Talks Back. 

Kim’s career has been one full of variety – there’s not many interviews in which you fit a psychology degree, a balloon business, then a software entrepreneur. 

Because of this variety, Kim offers a lot of great insights throughout the episode, including:

• How your thinking impacts your actions and inactions.
• Why listening to yourself is one of the greatest formats of self-awareness. 
•  The importance of working on your mindset.
• The impact of journaling in the coaching process. 

Kim Ades:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimades
Frame of Mind Coaching: https://www.frameofmindcoaching.com/
Journal Engine Software: https://www.journalengine.com/
The Journal That Talks Back: https://www.thejournalthattalksback.com/ 

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn Media: https://merribornmedia.co.uk/
Email: [email protected] 

Welcome to our latest episode of The Merri-Cast podcast!

We’ve covered so many subjects that every entrepreneur has faced on their business journey and now that we’re close to 40 episodes of the podcast, we’ve listened back and noticed some issues come up time and again.

One of these is the subject of authenticity. So, we thought we’d make this week’s episode a little different - a mini Merri-Cast if you like, on this particular subject.

In the episode, you’ll hear from previous guests Terri Vincent, Zoe Walters, Joel Blake, Andrew Armes and Marie-France Samba who have all shared valuable insights and wisdom on why#authenticity is so important.