Surviving Lockdown

After becoming a RAF aircraft engineer and then persuing a career in banking, Craig Evans has achieved his dream - running Coastal Foraging experiences in West Wales for groups of people from all over the world. He teaches them all about the coastal environment and it's inhabitants, plus they get to cook and eat what they forage in a sheltered cove on the beach. Wales however is still in complete...

The pub trade was first to close in lockdown... but how are pub owners finding these challenging times? Natalie Coleshill runs The Milford Arms pub in Isleworth, which also has 11 B&B rooms. In this updated edition of the podcast, we hear about the difficulties leading up to lockdown - and now what Natalie and her team are doing in preparation for re-opening on July 4th. Find out more about Th...

After 25 years working for big business and large corporates Amy Hobson decided that it was time for change and set up Focus Your Future. She helps small and micro businesses not just use digital marketing but to understand how it works and how they can use it to grow their business. Amy explains that launching a business at the start of lockdown, and being a mum of four boys meant there were cert...

Jason Williams is a Director and Veterinary Surgeon at Bicester Vets in Oxfordshire. He joined the practice in 1995 and became a partner in the year 2000. It's a high quality, modern small animal veterinary practice based in the heart of the town. With the onset of covid-19, Jason talks about the strict changes that had to be put in place. You can contact Jason through the website - www.bicesterve...

In 2008 Allan Chester launched UK Postbox - the UK's premier mail scanning, virtual address, and parcel solution. They enable businesses to operate on an international level while offices remain closed, through their virtual mail management solution. Allan talks about the surge in demand at the onset of covid-19, and the changes he and his team had to put in place. You can contact Allan through th...

When covid-19 hit - the events industry pretty much came to a halt. Then people started thinking about virtual events... which was lucky for ReAttendance because they'd just developed a platform to allow fully bespoke virtual events - their first major booking being the fully virtual One Voice Conference in May. Chloe Prince is the Commercial Director of ReAttendance and chats to Mark about what's...

When your goal is to get people to "never work a day in their life again" - recruitment may seem an odd choice - until you realise when you love what you do, you don't really see it as work! Sarah Naylor of Naylor George Recruitment has just such a goal - but since lockdown, opportunities have been few and far between. So how does Sarah see recruitment in the next few months? You can contact Sarah...

Luisa Diaz is a fully qualified counsellor and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She was just opening her own private practice in North London when covid-19 struck - forcing her to adapt her plans and change to more remote therapy. Luisa joins Mark to talk how lockdown can affect many people's mental health and about the challenges facing her ow...

With the economy contracting, and unemployment already on the rise - recruitment services are having a tough time. Mark Callahan is the CEO of Recruiterlink, a company that changed the way they did recruitment long before lockdown - which has put them in a stronger position now. Mark tells us how he thinks the sector has fared after the onset of covid-19, and what it'll be doing in the months to c...

Crafting has seen a massive upsurge during lockdown. Fiona Gurney is the owner of Woolyhippo, which started in 2010 on a market stall. They're now an online company selling their own brand of wool internationally from their website. Fiona joins Mark to talk about hugely increased demand during lockdown - and the problems that can bring. You can contact Fiona through the website at www.woolyhippo.c...

Working from home, stuck in the house, home schooling, on furlough - all things that have played havoc with our collective confidence during the Coronavirus pandemic. Dannie-Lu Carr is a Leadership, Communications and Creativity specialist working internationally to help executives and employees get better with communications, access their creativity and master their all round leadership skills. A...

The IT and Technology sectors have been in huge demand since lockdown - but has it been easy to cope with the extra demand? Simon McAlpine, Chief Commercial Officer of the award-winning Infinity IT Solutions, talks to Mark about the challenges faced by a huge upsurge in both demand and cyber criminal activity. You can contact Simon through the website at www.infinityit-solutions.com It originally...

Networking in some of the top venues in the East Midlands sounds superb - but for KuKu Connect, lockdown meant things had so radically change. It could have spelled disaster for owners Stephen Goddard and Philip Brooks-Stephenson - but instead they now have some superb online events like the twice-monthly KuKu Cocktail Hour and daily videos with business tips on their Facebook page. So how difficu...

Like all cities, the businesses of Coventry were hit hard when lockdown was imposed. Trish Willetts heads up Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) aiming to promote, develop and boost the city and the businesses that are based there. In such uncertain times - Trish explains what help and encouragement is available, and how she's fighting hard for her city ahead of next year when it's the UK...

When lockdown was announced, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled a series of measures to help the economy - leaving accountants all over the country to take a series of panicked calls from their clients. Daniel Edwards who runs D&K Accounting talks to Mark Ryes about the packages on offer, and how lockdown has affected his business. You can contact Daniel via www.dkaccs.co.uk It originally a...

For the last 4 years Louise Bell has owned and managed Bell4Business, a company specialising in outsourced tasks like Social Media Management, Book-keeping, Debtor chasing and telephone answering. She's also just launched a brand new business too - but with lockdown hitting - Louise tells Mark Ryes how it's affected her expansion plan. You can contact Louise at www.bell4business.co.uk It originall...

Phill Xavier, a former murder detective, runs Xscape Health and Fitness in Manchester with his husband. Before lockdown they were based mostly in gyms along with some personal fitness training in clients' homes. As Phill tells Mark Ryes, when covid-19 hit China, his ability to sense what was coming put him ahead of the game when lockdown hit. You can contact Phil via www.xscapehealthandfitness.uk...

Kevin Urquhart is one half of the PR and Publishing company, Fraser Urquhart Media – aka FU Media. He's launched the iconic SIXTY9 magazine and other luxury magazines within the Midlands He's proud to have worked with some of the biggest and most influential brands in the world – including Rolex, Jaguar Land Rover, Selfridges, Paul Smith and many more. He joins Mark to talk about the challenges of...

Adam Winfield runs a photography business with a stong emphasis on using images for marketing, especially in real estate. When covid-19 hit, he saw bookings literally fall away but for this entrepreneur he knew he had to adapt. He chats to Mark about developing new ways of working whilst preparing for lockdown to be lifted. You can contact Adam via www.through-the-lens.co.uk It originally aired: A...

As the founder of London's thriving boutique voice agency, Chatterbox Voices, Camilla Laxton understands the changing ways of the media industry - but when covid-19 hit, production around the country slowed, stuttered and tried to find it's voice again. Keeping up with the changing needs of producers is what she does best, and here, Camilla chats to Mark Ryes about the challenges of running a Lond...

Brian Richmond is a fitness professional of more than twenty years, running classes in London gyms and face-to-face personal training. When the gyms closed, and 1-2-1 training was no longer an option - Brian had to think of new ways for his business to survive, and even become international. Here he talks to Mark about the challenges of bringing fitness into a online environment. You can contact B...

The events and wedding sectors have been hit very hard by the restrictions put in place for covid-19 - so imagine if your business straddles both! Nathalie Selvon-Bruce runs the Buttercup Bus Vintage Campers company and saw business almost completely come to a halt at the start of lockdown. She chats with Mark about how the situation is forcing entrepreneurs like her to think outside the box. You...

Going from face-to-face training to a completely online proposition has caused it's fair share of challenges for Ian Lunn and the team at Product Focus - European leaders in product management training and consultancy for technology-based products. Mark Ryes chats to Ian about this wholesale change, and whether he feels the training industry can ever go completely back to where it was before covid...

Anita MacDonald runs Meteor Tutors, an online music school which provides bespoke musical tuition across the world. In some ways she was ahead of the curve when covid-19 hit, and has some useful advice for businesses having to change to a more online proposition during lockdown. You can contact Anita at www.meteortutors.com It originally aired: April 2020

Jenny Howard set up Doodle Video in 2012 with a background in Marketing and Graphic Design. When covid-19 hit, she furloughed staff and saw orders being put on hold. Jenny talks to Mark Ryes about the tough times of lockdown, and the positivity which inevitably surfaces. Find out more about Jenny's work at www.doodle-video.co.uk It originally aired: April 2020