Business Noodles

What to bear in mind when a business becomes an employee owned trust - just one of the topics in the latest podcast episode, when our guest shares their experience nearly two years on. With a background in accountancy and corporate finance, Emily Delve, Group Commercial Director at Coastal Recycling talks about developing the business, the importance of employee engagement and culture as well as h...

The stars aligned when B Corp came to the UK in 2015 according to our latest podcast guest as it was everything he believed business should be about.  Thomas Bourne tells the story of how he went from corporate lawyer to running this own business. He now, with his team, helps companies achieve B Corp status which is fast becoming a key initiative in helping business to balance profit with people a...

It takes a lot of nerve to leave your well paid job to set up a business but according to our latest guest on Business Noodles and Doodles, “it’s the best thing that I ever did”.  In this new episode, we talk to Matt O’Donovan, CEO and founder of WiFi SPARK, a leading specialist in providing commercial WiFi solutions to large venues.  Matt tells us how he grew the business with the help of investo...

Sometimes businesses must diversify to survive. Business partners Adam Henson and Duncan Andrews grew Cotswold Farm Park by diversifying into tourism alongside traditional farming activities.  We were fascinated when they joined us on the Business Noodles & Doodles podcast to spill the secrets of how diversification has driven their business success. You’re in for an insightful listen and you...

Taking over as CEO in 2008, Hugo tells us how he has developed what was a single issue pressure group into the well-known marine conservation charity that today campaigns not just about sewage pollution but plastic pollution, water quality and climate change.  When Hugo took over the organisation, he says how "it has come to a point when it was unsure of its next steps. Indeed, it may not hav...

In this podcast episode, we talk to Mark Hodgson from Co Cars. His mission is to create space for people in our towns and cities by getting them to rethink how they move by switching from the private car to shared mobility. It's a fascinating conversation where Mark explains their business model - enabling people through the use of an app to hire a car or an electric bike - rather than owning...

In the twelfth episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, Nick Rodda from Rodda's talks about being the fifth generation working in this well-known family business. He also chats about gaining B Corp accreditation, the positives to come out of the pandemic and of course that question that we all argue about - is it cream or jam first when having a cream tea?

In the eleventh episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, Steve Oxford tells us about being a fourth generation baker, using some of the same equipment that his Great Grandfather bought for the business over 100 years ago.  He chats about the importance of being a family business and how they worked with a 1000 year old mill during the early stages of the pandemic to make sure they had enough flour...

In the tenth episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, Charles Courtenay, the current Earl of Devon talks about training as a barrister and spending a number of years in America as a litigator until he moved back to the UK to take over the running of the Powderham Estate near Exeter. He also touches on the music events that they run at the estate including BBC Radio 1 and how he is a member of the...

In the ninth episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, Imogen Waite at Season and Taste talks about how they opened their first restaurant in Bristol, growing to the four businesses they have today. Imogen talks about what inspired the food in their restaurants as well as how she views competition.

In the eight episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, Mitch Tonks from Rockfish talks about his love of the sea, his businesses journey over the years along with the challenges he has faced. Mitch also talks about sustainability and being a seafood ambassador for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), as well as his new venture Seafood from Home - bringing truly fresh seafood into people's hom...

In the seventh episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, we talk to Myles Hopper, one of the co-founders from Mindful Chef. Myles talks about growing the business using crowdfunding and external investment, why they are so passionate about working with british farmers, as well as achieving B Corp certification and making a bigger difference with supporting 'One feeds Two' in Malawi as wel...

In the sixth episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, we talk to Sarah Knight, founder and managing director of Sarah West Recruitment in Exeter. Alongside this, she is also co-founder and director or Tribus People. Sarah talks about how, despite never intending to start her own business, choosing the “exciting and terrifying path” has led to her running “one of the most established independent ag...

In the fifth episode of Business Noodles and Doodles, we talk to Giles Letheren, CEO of Delt Shared Services who chats about the challenges of running an independent organisation owned entirely by public sector bodies and how his training as a production manager in the entertainment business - working with the likes of Boyzone, East 17, Lee Evans and even the Chippendales - helps keep his projects...

In the fourth episode of our podcast series, Amanda Stansfield, owner of the artisan ice cream maker Granny Gothards, talks about her journey since founding the business in 2012, how she tackled the issue of seasonality by exploring global markets and their success in exporting to places including Dubai, India and China. 

Our conversation with Dave Harland from the Eden Project. In this episode, Dave talks about the Eden Project which celebrated its 20th year in March 2021, working with international partners to establish more sites around the world and about the wider topic of sustainability.

In the second episode of our podcast series, Mark Roberts, founder and chief executive at Lightfoot, talks about their lightbulb moment that resulted in them developing technology which incentivises drivers and ultimately achieves greater efficiency from their vehicles. Mark also talks about how they work with investors including Martin McCourt who was CEO at Dyson for 11 years. 

Will Ashworth, chief executive of Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall and Another Place in the Lake District, talks about the evolution of tourism and how to maintain a strong culture in a growing business. During a wide-ranging conversation, he discusses his family’s long involvement in the hospitality industry, what his team have been doing during lockdown and his plans to create a new collection of...