Business Without BS

EP 366 - Introducing our monthly roundup of the Business or Bullshit quiz. Andy goes head-to-head with guests Chris Hirst and Simon Alexander Ong, breaking down business buzzwords to decide—are they the real deal or just nonsense? They tackle everything from government policies and influencer culture to social media hype, unicorn companies, mandatory lunch breaks, and even self-actualisation. It’s...

EP 365 - We get quite Zen this week, talking to Energy Management specialist Simon Alexander Ong, not about heat pumps, solar panels or the national grid, but about how optimising your own energy levels are the key to personal and professional success. Simon talks to us about how energy management not time management is the key to personal productivity. Why laying out and sticking to a system for...

EP 363 - Turns out that leadership is always the problem, luckily it’s also the solution. We sit down with business turnaround specialist, author and reluctant influencer Chris Hirst to find out why and how to fix it (turns out that leadership is always the solution as well). Leadership transforms business for good and bad, Chris talks us through why the smallest unit of any business is a team, an...

EP 362 - Richard Oury has a wide career from running and building the family business Oury Clark, to acting as a chairman of a FTSE quoted company, to being an entrepreneur in Wine, Music, Cosmetics, Food Manufacturing, Hedge Funds, and more.  To all of these activities he has applied a deeply independent mindset, this entrepreneurial independence is what has grown Oury Clark from a tiny firm...

EP 361 - This is an absolute cracker from the archive for you this Christmas, one that will help you see the world around you through other people’s eyes. We meet adaptive and universal fashion pioneer Victoria Jenkins (don’t worry, she explains the difference between the two).  We talk about how successive governments have created a truly hostile environment for disabled people. Why 2023’s “...

EP 360 - Don’t knock teachers unless you’ve tried to do it yourself! Why politicians should find the money to fund education for all and stop using teachers as a political punchbag, especially if they have never set foot in a state school classroom. Our archive special this week is Mehreen Baig, author, documentarian and former secondary school teacher who makes a compelling case that failure to i...

EP 359 - We love opinions and James has plenty. After spending a couple of episodes looking at the global picture we get down to UK business brass tacks with Partyman CEO James Sinclair. James is full of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners and anyone at the sharp end of leading a company in the UK.  We talk about the importance of dreaming big, the value of vertical integration...

EP 358 - We revisit our first chat with Steve Keen - author, friend of the podcast and the first economist to warn of the 2008 financial crash. Appropriately, given the COP29 was all about the money, we chat about how economists have totally trivialised the dangers of the climate crisis, and what that might mean for humanity. We also discuss why trade unions are a good thing for the economy and wh...

EP 357 - As COP 29 draws to a close in sunny, oil rich Azerbaijan we revisit our spirited conversation with political economist Grace Blakeley. We talk about Green New Deals and why we need to restore faith in democracy above all else. Grace makes a compelling point that dealing with Climate Change shouldn’t be put on the shoulders of individuals but those of institutions and businesses, as only t...

EP 356 - We are doing some hefty metaphorical redecorating at BWB at the moment (remodelling for our American friends). That means that we will be using the next few weeks to look back into our catalogue and republish some choice episodes. Conversations that we think are as relevant today as they were when they were first released.  First up Martin Wolf CBE - Associate Editor and Chief Econom...

EP 355 - Sky and NBC ring announcer known as Big Mo is in the quiz seat for the B.O.B quiz showdown - personal trainers, corporate gifting, universal basic income and the significance of Super Bowl ads all make the draw for Kody's views - are they Business or Bullshit? Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit with Kody Mommaerts 00:43 Personal Trainers: Business or BS? 02:20 Corporate G...

EP 354 - This week we catch up with broadcaster, entertainer and tech entrepreneur Kody ‘Big Mo’ Mommaerts.  Kody combines being “Big Mo” the ring announcer for Boxxer on Sky and NBC with being the COO of SaaS scale up Sports Thread . We chat about why the most important skills for any role are really hard to put in the job description, why being distinctive, putting time and effort into stan...

EP 353 - Financial literacy expert Andrew Craig jumps in the seat to take on Andy's quiz card debate. They also delve into Universal Basic Income, the future of digital nomads, the relevance of ESG investing, the role of lawyers in business, and the potential of decentralised autonomous organisations. Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit with Andrew Craig 00:30 Personal Trainers and ChatGPT 01:17...

EP 352 - In a very timely episode, with our politicians talking about growth, budgets and black holes, we talk to author, investor and founder of Plain English Finance Andrew Craig about: > How Britain has shot itself in the foot through a series of dreadful regulations. > Why the awful state of the British economy is a function of the parlous state of the British stock market. > How impr...

EP 351 - Copyright lawyer Julius Stubbs jumps in the quiz seat to give Andy's business quiz cards a piece of his mind - office nap pods, Brexit, universal basic income and kangaroo insurance all make the shortlist (Julius's AUS story will have you in tears!) Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit Julius Stubbs 01:10 Team Building Exercises: Business or BS? 01:58 LinkedIn? 02:22 The Insurance Rant 04...

EP 350 - The founder of I Am Stobbs, a specialist trademark and brand attorney firm, talks us through why even the youngest businesses should be thinking about their IP, but should spend the bare minimum on protecting it until they really need to.  And when the point that they really need to protect it is likely to be. We also get into why AI is the biggest challenge facing IP, trademark and...

EP 349 - Female Angel Investor Sarah Turner jumps in the quiz seat this week to take on Andy's list of business conundrums - business attire, pitch decks, conferences and offshore tax havens all make the shortlist! Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit with Sarah Turner 00:43 Conferences: Business or Bullshit? 01:06 Offshore Tax Havens Debate 02:41 Flying Business Class: Worth It? 03:31 Unlimited H...

EP 348 - Just 3% of angel investments in Europe went to all female founding teams last year. Last time we checked, half the population was female (women also own 50% of the wealth in the UK!). Sarah Turner, CEO and cofounder of investment network Angel Acadame, gives us an education about how we can redress the balance and get rid of the Silicon Valley style macho bullshit.. We talk about how the...

EP 347 - Med Tech expert Michael Branagan-Harris jumps in the quiz seat alongside Andy to plough through Andy's list of business terms .. or are they? Brexit, corporation tax, Bitcoin, unlimited holidays and drinking at lunch all make the shortlist! Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit with Michael Branagan-Harris 00:42 Royal Warrants and Brexit 01:25 Brexit's Impact on Business 02:35 The Future o...

EP 346 - We chat with the founder & CEO of Device Access - who help MedTech companies gain market access and regulatory approval - about how over regulation can stifle innovation and lead to an adverse impact on patient care and outcomes. Michael Branigan tells us about: Why US companies aren’t interested infringing their devices to the UK anymore (hint it’s cos we are tiny) Why regulation is...

EP 345 - Shazam co-founder Dhiraj Mukherjee jumps in this week's quiz seat playing judge and jury to Andy's random list of business topics - investment TV shows, work-life balance and climate change activism all make the shortlist! Are they business or bullshit? Pull up a chair, press play and find out. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Game 00:29 Investment TV Shows: Business or Bullshit? 02:19...

EP 344 - We catch up with Dhiraj Mukherjee, the man who successfully steered Shazam to a $400m sale to Apple, to talk impact investing, augmenting our behaviour with AI tools and why, given the rate of technological change, being taught how to learn is more important than being told what to learn. Dhiraj also takes Andy’s impromptu music quiz, we think he did OK, he thinks his son will be disappoi...

EP 343 - Oil markets expert and CEO of Onyx Capital Group, Greg Newman is in the the quiz seat to discuss and debate various business terms: office spaces in the metaverse, Xmas bonuses, flying for meetings, drinking at work and offshore tax havens are all on the table. "Business or Bullshit?" is the question! Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit with Greg Newman 00:37 Office Spaces in the Metaver...

EP 342 - Oil. love it, hate it or just want to use less of it? Like it or not you can’t avoid it. We chat to Greg Newman, CEO of Onyx Capital Group, who helps us to unpick our planet’s tricky relationship with black gold. We talk democratising derivatives, tricky transitions and how increased transparency can help to build a fairer energy future. We also graciously allow Greg to plug his book 'Wor...

EP 341 - The Apprentice former contestant and Forbes '30 under 30' honouree entrepreneur Bianca Miller Cole jumps in the quiz seat discussing Andy's list of terms and concepts - founder's egos, mandatory lunch breaks, unlimited holidays, and family dynasties are all up for debate! Chapters: 00:00 Business or Bullshit with Bianca Miller-Cole 00:33 Debating Founders' Egos 01:03 The Role of Money in...