Business Without BS

EP 290 - Founder and CEO of MetaGen Merida Sussex is in the quiz seat this week discerning between what is business and what is bullshit on topics like audits, government grants, to drinking at lunch and office spaces in the meta verse.  We also hear her perspectives on a bunch of things like the dynamics of family businesses, the role of equal paternity leave, and thoughts on decentrali...

EP 289 - Merida is founder of MetaGen, an app which simplifies metadata collection to ensure artists receive their fair share of royalties. We unpack the complexities of music metadata management and its impact on artists' financial stability. Merida explains how MetaGen works to ensure artists receive the royalties they deserve. Merida sheds light on her journey from musician to tech entrepreneur...

EP 288 - Founder & CEO of GloveGlu Paul Sherratt is in the quiz seat this week for a rapid-fire session delving into personal anecdotes and broaching topics like the value of family, changing dynamics with generational shifts, and the effects of social media on the business landscape. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB quiz 00:49 Business Cards and Health & Safety 01:37 Debate on Spending Time...

EP 287 - Paul is founder and CEO of GloveGlu, a global sports brand that specialises in goalkeeper products and services.  We speak about Paul’s personal and professional journey, from his initial leap into entrepreneurship to creating and scaling GloveGlu. He shares crucial lessons on product development, market analysis, and the significance of adaptability and honesty in business. We discu...

EP 286 - Co-Founder and CEO of Global Street Art Lee Bofkin jumps in the quiz seat this week to give his very illuminated thoughts on a variety of topics including the role and impact of influencers, the concept of price negotiation, the significance of mentors and the relevance of terms like 'Digital Nomads'. We touch on political power dynamics in Russia and China, critiquing absolute power and...

EP 285 - Lee is Co-Founder and CEO of Global Street Art, the UK’s largest mural painting organisation, creating incredible murals for commercial and community initiatives. Lee co-founded Global Street Art in 2012, organising murals with artists and local property owners, and since then, the agency has delivered over 2,500 murals for communities across London, and hundreds of commercial murals in o...

EP 284 - Daniel keeps the quiz seat warm this week giving us his verdicts on workplace humour, GDPR face-to-face meetings, B Corp and more. He also shares insights about his business and experiences with crowdfunding and conferences. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB quiz 00:43 Workplace Humour 01:27 GDPR and Work-Life Balance 01:53 Family and Business 02:36 Charities and Business Cards 03:03 Crowdfu...

EP 283 - Daniel is founder of Made For Drink - simple, authentic and utterly delicious snacks to be enjoyed with a drink. Major listings include The Fat Duck, Waitrose, Sainsburys and Fortnums, as well as partnerships with Laurent Perrier, English Heritage and Molson Coors. Made For Drink were also winner of the Edie Sustainability Leadership Award in 2022. We discuss the challenges and successes...

EP 282 - CEO of Paralympics GB, David Clark OBE is in the quiz seat this week. Founder's egos, hockey stick growth, offshore tax havens, and even Russia pop up for questioning. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB 00:41 Corporate Gifting 00:47 Insights on Formal Directors Meetings 00:53 Thoughts on Downplaying Capabilities 01:01 Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) 01:11 Debunking Hockey Stick Gr...

EP 281 - Dave is a former footballer for the England and Great Britain blind football team. His career spanned 17 years with 144 international appearances scoring 128 goals, making him England’s highest all time scorer. He received a lifetime achievement award from the FA and an OBE for his services to Paralympic Sport. Today, David is currently CEO of the British Paralympic Association. In this e...

EP 280 - Entertainment mogul James Sinclair candidly discusses our business quiz topics, shares his frank opinions, and provides valuable insights from his own experiences. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB 00:33 Planned Obsolescence and Founder's Egos 01:16 Work-Life Balance and Workplace Humour 02:22 Charities and Ageism 03:22 Business in China and Social Media Platforms 04:33 Crowdfunding and Face...

EP 279 - James is an entrepreneur, author and speaker who went from running a children's entertainment agency to building a £40 million business empire in leisure, childcare, outdoor attractions, commercial property, historic hotel, arts and crafts manufacturing and one of the UK’s oldest Ice cream companies - The Rossi Ice Cream Company  James shares valuable insights on various facets of en...

EP 278 - Former Premier League footballer and founder of The Turmeric Co, Thomas Robson-Kanu is in the quiz seat this week sharing his thoughts on various business topics and discusses the importance of time, family, workplace humour, and ethical trade. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB 00:30 The Game Begins: Accountants 00:43 Universal Basic Income 01:03 Face-to-Face Meetings 01:19 Valuations and Si...

EP 277 - Thomas is a former Premier League footballer and founder of The Turmeric Co. He played for West Bromwich and Wales before retiring in 2021 to focus on bringing awareness to the power of natural nutrition. He founded The Turmeric Co in 2018 after finding his homemade turmeric blend invaluable in supporting his recovery from injury and the physical demands of training. We discuss Thomas's e...

EP 276 - Founder of adaptive fashion brand - Unhidden - Victoria Jenkins takes the quiz seat this week with in depth discussions on a bunch of quiz terms. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB 00:32 Government Grants and Hashtags 00:47 Influencers and Investment TV Shows 01:02 Industry Jargon and Planned Obsolescence 01:31 Founders Egos and Incubators 01:50 Drinking at Lunch and R&D Tax Credits 02:20...

EP 275 - Victoria is an award-winning adaptive fashion designer, disability advocate and founder of Unhidden - a socially responsible, universally designed fashion range for disabled and non-disabled people. We discuss Victoria's life and disability, the birth of Unhidden, struggles for recognition, misrepresentations and the future of adaptive fashion. Victoria also tells us why the snobbery if t...

EP 274 - Founder of Popcorn Kitchen Louise Webb is in this week's quiz seat with sure fire answers to Andy and Pippa's curveballs! Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BWB 00:31 The Game Begins: Outsourcing 00:51 Non-Executive Directors and Self-Actualisation 01:31 Pivoting and New Product Announcement 02:03 Three Year Forecast and Instagram 02:28 Runway, Cash Positions and NDAs 03:10 Internal Meetings and...

EP 273 - Louise is founder of Popcorn Kitchen, an artisanal popcorn brand who pride themselves on making “sublime, best-in-class popcorn since 2012” We talk about Popcorn Kitchen’s humble beginnings and its Covid-curved turning point, where Louise plans to take the business and the challenges she's facing, the delights of snacking culture, the dilemmas of sweet vs. savoury and why people who don't...

EP 272 - 2024's first quiz guest is Managing Partner of Applifting Philip Ogilvie who wasn't shy telling us what he really thought about the cards he was dealt! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Show 00:29 The Early Bird Phrase Discussion 01:02 Business or Bullshit quiz begins 02:24 Discussion on ESG Investing 03:40 Philanthropy and Social Responsibility 04:56 Work-Life Balance and Lunch Breaks...

EP 271 - Joining us for our first episode of 2024 is Philip Ogilvie, Managing Partner at Applifting, an international software development studio tailored for start ups, scale ups and enterprises. Our chat with Philip unravels the inner workings of Applifting, from its company dynamics to the nitty-gritty of structure, culture, and ethics. We debate employee-owned companies and salary transparency...

EP 270 - Founder of SRSLY Low Carb food company Andy Welch is in this week's quiz seat for our last show of 2023! Wishing you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2024. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Quiz Rules 00:44 Business or Bullshit Quiz Begins 01:09 Discussing International Business 01:49 Founder's Egos and Golden Handshakes 02:26 Guerrilla Marketing and Working Environments 0...

EP 269 - We popped into the London School of Economics launch of their Food & Beverage Deep Dive Programme as part of LSE Generate, the school's home for entrepreneurship. We spoke to the Head of LSE Generate LJ Silverman, and to keynote speakers who are at the forefront of their industries about their business lives, tips and advice: Julian Hitch - Chief Culture and Mindset Officer at Grow Up...

EP 268 - Andy is the Founder of SRSLY, a food company on a mission to make a low carb lifestyle not only healthy, but also tasty and accessible to all. Andy tells us about why he started the company, how they went from selling 30 to 50,000 units in the space of a month, and the health benefits SRSLY products are providing for diabetics, overweight, and ketogenic patients (via the NHS) We also disc...

EP 267 - Comedian and doctor Michael Akadiri is in the quiz seat this week with Andy at the helm. Want to know what they both think about Industry Regulators? it ain't pretty... pull up a chair and press play to find out. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB quiz 00:14 Explaining the Rules of the Game 00:57 Discussing Universal Basic Income 01:11 Accountants and Flexible Working 01:27 Debate on Lunch fo...

EP 266 - Michael is a junior doctor, multi-award winning comedian and health commentator. We discuss the current state of UK healthcare, the plight of NHS workers, and how to improve working conditions. Michael tells us about his double life as a junior doctor and comedian, best and worst moments on stage and his long-term plans. He also explains why feeling the need to perform at Edinburgh Fringe...