In this episode of the SME Growth Podcast, David Parry and Richard Buckle from Wellmeadow dive into the critical roles and responsibilities of company directors and board members. They break down the distinction between boards in large corporations and those in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on topics like setting company vision and strategy, delegating responsibilities, and ensuring accountability to stakeholders. The conversation also covers practical governance, decision-making, and the balance between executive and non-executive roles. This episode provides valuable insights for both new and experienced directors navigating their legal and strategic duties.

This week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast centres on whether SME managers take enough risks. Dave and Rich from Wellmeadow explore the importance of risk-taking for growth, contrasting how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lean towards caution compared to larger companies or startups. They discuss cultural factors, particularly in the UK, that contribute to this risk aversion, noting that failure is often stigmatised, unlike in environments like Silicon Valley where failure is seen as a learning opportunity.The conversation touches on how decisions at the managerial level in SMEs tend to follow the same patterns, even when the results are poor. Dave and Rich suggest that managers should take calculated risks, test new strategies, and explore different markets or approaches instead of sticking to the status quo. They highlight that successful businesses often balance potential rewards against risks, using frameworks for strategic decisions.The overarching theme is that SME managers tend to avoid risks, and this risk-averse behaviour can hinder growth and innovation. They argue for more openness to risk-taking, supported by strategic planning, to better navigate challenges and seize opportunities.

In this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave and Rich dive into Labour's proposed employment reforms and what they mean for SMEs from day 1 rights to ending exploitative zero-hours contracts - what could the changes mean for businesses.

The podcast episode focuses on "RevOps," short for Revenue Operations, which is a strategy aimed at aligning a company's marketing, sales, customer service, and sometimes finance departments to enhance efficiency and drive revenue growth. The conversation delves into the concept of RevOps as a philosophy that breaks down departmental silos, ensuring that all parts of the business work cohesively towards common goals. The discussion covers the importance of data integration, process alignment, and the potential for RevOps to improve overall business efficiency by reducing friction and enhancing communication across different departments.

Is inbound dead? That's the question being asked in this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, brought to you by Wellmeadow.

The podcast episode explores the current state of digital marketing, with a particular focus on the role of inbound marketing. Dave and Rich discuss how traditional inbound strategies, like content marketing and attracting visitors through SEO, are becoming less effective due to changes in search engine algorithms and the rise of AI-generated content. While inbound marketing is still considered a valid approach, it is no longer the "Holy Grail" of marketing that it once was. The conversation suggests that businesses need to diversify their strategies, incorporating more outbound and engagement-driven tactics, rather than relying solely on inbound methods. The episode emphasizes that while inbound marketing isn’t dead, it must evolve to remain relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

In this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, we look back at previous episodes to bring you 10 Tips for Business Leaders for 2025. These include:

On the 19th July 2024 an IT update bug caused chaos across the globe, grounding airlines and stopping vital NHS services. The company at the centre of the update, cyber-security firm CrowdStrike, has apologised but is facing mounting anger from all corners. In this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry sits down with IT expert and business owner, Pete White, to discuss what lessons SMEs can learn from the CrowdStrike chaos and asks whether SMEs need to be thinking more about their disaster recovery and business continuity protocols.

In this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry sits down with Fractional CFO, Adam Cooper. In a long-ranging discussion about Dave's many years experience in helping SMEs with strategy, leadership, governance and board support, find out how bringing in external support, such as a non executive director on your board, could bring considerable value to any SME regardless of the size.

In this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave and Rich sit down to discuss the changing landscape of the UK job market. Are SMEs reluctant to recruit? How do SMEs navigate candidates with multiple offers?

In this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Richard Buckle sits down with fashion brand entrepreneur, Victoria McKenna.

She discusses how she set up her business after a health scare and the lessons learned from trying to break into the world of workwear fashion.