Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs

Some people said it just couldn't be done. Wentworth Woodhouse, one of the UK's finest Georgian stately homes had fallen into such a state of disrepair many folk thought it would be impossible to restore. But "nothing's impossible" says Julie Kenny. The house, originally built between 1725 and 1750 and once grander than Chatsworth is undergoing a remarkable restoration set...

What are shareholders' agreements and why do you need one? If you're setting up a business with people you trust, surely you won't fall out? Sadly, numerous examples prove the need for, and value of, shareholders' agreements as my guest Jo Dawson of Dawson Radford Solicitors explains. She also discussed equivalents to shareholder agreements for organisations with other legal st...

It was a hat-trick for Food Circle Supermarket, with James Barthorpe and Paul Simpson returning to the radio studio for their third interview. And what incredible progression in the year since Paul and James were last on the show, with turnover increasing by a factor of 10. If you run an ecommerce business you must listen to this episode, it's crammed with advice you can learn from and use to...

It's a wonderful story. Malaysian-born Will Chew came to Sheffield to study Music Psychology. He missed his mother's cooking so much he shipped some ingredients to the UK and experimented in his kitchen, creating the tasty chilli paste he grew up with and loved. Now Will's business, Mak Tok, sells four tasty flavours of delicious pastes to chilli-loving food aficionados directly, on...

Karim Maoui is a highly-acclaimed chef and founder of Knife Life, a community project formed to address rampant knife crime in England. Knife Life aims to inform young people about the positive uses of a knife as a kitchen tool rather than as a weapon. In this episode Karim explains the objectives of Knife Life and covers: ● 5:38 From a flash of inspiration while driving home, the concept of Knife...

Kathryn Danzey has run Rejuvenated Ltd – a business selling shots of Collagen which the firm describes as "clinically formulated functional beauty drinks to naturally support firm, youthful skin," for 15 years. Rejuvenated has customers all over the world. It makes its products in the UK, has embarked on a journey to ensure all packaging is compostable and plastic-free, and is a family b...

Here's the latest episode of the Business Live radio show featuring  Tej Dhami, Rowan Hall and Carolynn McConnell. This show features a new project to improve air quality in a Sheffield school AND provide a "proof-of-concept" to other schools (policymakers too). Rowan and Carolynn cover greening-up the playground at Hunters Bar Infants School, a research partnership with The Univers...

Ben Atha founded The Developer Academy after realising other routes to getting a role as a developer exclude some people. In today's radio show Ben covered: - What do we mean by "coding" and what work is open to coders who have learned CSS, Python, PHP, C# or other languages? - Why Ben learned to become a developer himself. - The crucial importance - and demand from the industry - o...

Ruth Willis is the chief executive of charity, South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF) and joined me in the radio studio for the latest episode of Business Live. SYCF and BBC Radio Sheffield are working together to look for Sheffield' unsung heroes. Their new Community Champions Awards celebrate the lives of "outstanding people or teams who go above and beyond to care about their c...

28-year-old Lee Harris-Hamer is the MD of White Horse Cleaning Services, a business he launched just 3 years ago. It now has 20 full time and 8 part time employees. Lee served for 8 years in the British Army before a medical discharge. A driven and successful entrepreneur, Lee says specific support he received when he launched and grew his business proved crucial. But the entrepreneurial talent of...

In today's radio show: Ikigai, culture, ethics and purpose; doing business with Japan and a book recommendation. The programme was broadcast on live radio and the podcast is here. Johnny Pawlik is global managing director of Mantra Media Ltd, "driven by ethics and guided by knowledge, operating across five continents delivering strategic communications." He also co-founded Atelier J...

James Carnegie is a highland bagpipe teacher, a business consultant - and a thoughtful and fascinating guest in this latest radio show podcast. Many people in the corporate world yearn to run their own business or pursue a more stimulating and creative career. But the security of being an employee, fears of "failure" and concerns around status and working identity can be enormous barrier...

What is Open Banking? How could it support your business or social enterprise? Is your data safe? And is there a danger that Open Banking might facilitate discrimination against people who are already financially vulnerable? Faith Reynolds is the Open Banking Consumer Representative. She’s part of a steering group responsible for delivering the technology that underpins the Open Banking initiative...

Chris Whitehead, 60, began his career as a design engineer and has worked on multi-billion pound construction projects all over Europe. Fascinated by the people dimension of business and how to apply neuroscience and psychology to effective, compassionate leadership, Chris says managers today have more of a healthy curiosity about what makes people tick. Chris' new book offers tools and techn...

Millions of people in the UK have a visible difference such as a mark, scar or condition that affects their appearance. Sadly many children and young people experience bullying or low confidence, and many adults are discriminated against, as a result of their visible difference. The Face Equality Day campaign, led by charity Changing Faces, calls for everyone to be treated fairly and equally whate...

Jodie Hill understands the impact mental health has on individuals and businesses. She’s open and frank about her own experiences: PTSD, anxiety and a breakdown. Last year she launched law firm Thrive Law and a campaign to make Mental Health Risk Assessments mandatory in the workplace. Jodie joined me for an interview on the latest Business Live radio show, broadcast at the end of Mental Health Aw...

Louisa Ashforth has run a beauty salon for 17 years. She's seen her clients being bombarded by miraculous claims from the beauty industry. Four years ago she became so fed-up of the hype around skincare products, she decided to launch her own range. It's now stocked in the UK and internationally. Award-winning social enterprise consultant Adrian Ashton has been described as a "thorn...

It's been said Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world. His book on the subject has been a bestseller for decades. And he was my guest for a radio interview this morning. If you want to sell anything to anyone or persuade folk to support your cause listen to the podcast. One nugget alone can usually improve the result of your advertising by 50%. At 82 years of...

Over half a million people take part in skateboarding in England. The sport, whose participants are predominantly aged 11-24, is accessible, lively, vibrant and diverse according to Neil Ellis, Head of Digital Engagement at Stakeboard England. With skateboarding's inclusion for the first time in the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo (it will also feature in the 2024 Olympics) its popularity is b...

Combine board games with karate and what do you get? A solution to silly arguments about Monopoly? Nope. It's a brand new radio show featuring Ruth Haigh, co-owner of The Treehouse Board Game Café and Steve Hegarty of Elite Karate Centres. In this episode you'll learn: why and how Ruth and Steve each made their leaps from employees to running their own businesses, how Ruth market-tested...

Read the papers, watch the news, and weep. Clickbait, fake news and climate deniers given equal prominence as scientists. Turn to social media for a cat-fest-respite to find misinformation, election meddling through opaquely funded ads (allegedly), hate-filled videos and online bullying driving vulnerable young people to the brink. Should we care about the media's responsibility and balance?...

It's a triple-decker radio sandwich today. Guests Tamzin Byrne, Mike Garner and Rory Ridley-Duff serve up a stack of tasty insights (and a recipe to grow your business or social enterprise). Tamzin is Programme Manager at Cambridge Social Ventures (CSV), part of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. CSV helps social ventures to grow w...

Jane Mitchell is an accredited mindfulness practitioner and teacher and a registered Learning Disability Nurse. Jane helps people to "deepen their awareness of their own experience," and was my guest on today's radio show to describe her work and how mindfulness can help business leaders and social entrepreneurs. "Mindfulness is the opposite of autopilot" she says and invo...

 Lots of people know Twinkl for its downloadable printed resources for schools. With its mandate "we help people to teach" the business is also a pioneer in digital innovation, augmented reality and apps. Twinkl is used by over 4 million people, in over 170 countries. This week’s radio show guest, Robin Williams is Twinkl’s Head of Digital. Stream or download the podcast below or in iTun...

Today's Business Live covers International Women's Day: all over the world millions of women, and men, are celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The programme also features new interviews recorded this week during a trip to The Megatron. Part of a network of underground river tunnels and Victorian storm drains beneath Sheffield City Centre, The M...