Business Without BS

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...

EP 265 - Founder of The Psych AI Group Anjuli Bedi is in the quiz seat this week. She explains why Personality Tests and Influencers are utter bullshit, and why AI created content could be either. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB quiz 00:26 ChatGBT and Disco Ball Business Discussion 00:52 Personal Trainers and Investment TV Shows 01:03 Personality Type Tests and Myers Briggs 01:50 Drinking at Lunch...

EP 264 - Anjuli is founder of The Psych AI Group, a business that helps clients “see round corners” by employing a blend of psychology and AI. We discuss the positive impact a blend of human and AI understanding can have on things like climate storytelling and action. Anjuli talks about her former career as a journalist, her time as a correspondent in Israel and Palestine, why she quit journalism...

EP 263 - Wow Hydrate's managing director Queenie Porter is in this week's quiz seat who doesn't shy away from justifying her answers. Andy has plenty to say about them, as usual. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB quiz 00:25 Business Class and Carbon Neutrality 00:49 Family Businesses and Conferences 01:32 Conferences and Networking 02:56 Career Reviews and Stationery Cupboards 03:25 Staff Updates and...

EP 262 - Queenie is Managing Director of Wow Hydrate who recently became Manchester United's official sports hydration partner across their men's, women's and youth teams. We hear about Queenie's career journey from leaving school at 16 to becoming Wow Hydrate's MD via Topshop and The Co-Op Group. We discuss the biggest challenges Queenie faces in her role and how her upbringing has helped her bec...

EP 261 - We recently went on a trade mission to LA with London & Partners and Grow London where we spoke to some brilliant Life Science entrepreneurs about their businesses and future plans, and played a round of Business or Bullshit with them (with a few of our favourite BWB questions thrown in for good measure) Guests: Rikesh Patel - London & Partners Emilė Radaytė - Samphire Neuroscienc...

EP 260 - Founder and president of Next Step Advisors David Bentall is in this week's quiz seat with great thoughts and thorough answers. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Business or Bullshit Quiz 00:33 Debating AI Created Content and Metaverse Office Spaces 00:58 Discussing Twitter, Virtual Reality Meetings, and Silicon Valley 01:22 Unpacking Self-Actualization and the Egotistical Society 03:18 The...

EP 259 - David is the founder of Next Step Advisors, a consultancy for family businesses helping them avoid the potential pitfalls of working with your closest relatives. David chats about his experiences running his family's companies, for all of their successes and failures, which spawned the idea for Next Step Advisors. Andy get's in on the act, speaking frankly about his experiences growing up...

EP 258 - We popped in to have a chat about the highs and lows of running a food business with CEO of the Nourish Awards Diana Babics and the founders of the UK health food brands that were nominated for awards. What a lovely bunch they were! Bright minds with forward thinking, health conscious F&B products: Priya Koliyot - The Keto Elf Simona Deifta - Nojo London Lucy Brose - Juicy Lucy's...

EP 257 - Naksha Collections co-founder Nisha Ramisetty is in the quiz seat this week alongside antics-fuelled hosts Andy and Philippa. We say no more! Strap in and press play. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to BoB 00:37 The Quiz Begins 01:27 The Art of Downplaying Capabilities 01:55 Accelerators and Guerrilla Marketing 02:14 Unique Selling Proposition 02:41 Debate on Financial Reporting Standards 03:10 T...

EP 256 - Nisha is the co-founder of Naksha - a new spin on meal kits helping ordinary folk to cook adventurous food from around the world, at home. We talk about how the business came about and the journey to winning a UAE National Incubator Programme which fast-tracked Naksha products onto major retailer's shelves. We discuss the range of challenges food startups currently face and how Nisha beli...

EP 255 - SELF Founder Jonathan MacDonald is in the quiz seat this week who brings his absolute A-game. Best contestant yet! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Quiz Setup 00:21 Playing Business or Bullshit! 00:38 Politeness and Planned Obsolescence 01:05 Downplaying Capabilities and Guerrilla Marketing 01:36 Staff Dating Policies and Loving What You Do 02:03 TikTok, Audits, and Business Cards 02:16 W...

EP 254 - Jonathan is the Founder of SELF, a hyper-personal AI-powered assistant that learns your personal preferences and simplifies your life. We talk about his concerns around the rise of AI, why there is a need for an ethical alternative and how having a more moral approach to business makes it harder to raise investment. Jonathan also explains why he thinks tech platforms who don't prioritise...