Professor Mat Hughes Podcast

What if growth wasn’t about bigger budgets—but better connections? In this episode, Professor Mat Hughes sits down with Farhana Khan, founder of Armour Femme, to unpack how she built a fashion brand from scratch with almost no budget—and turned it into a community-led experience featured at London Fashion Week and Selfridges. Farhana shares the real story behind “low budget growth”: relentless net...

Professor Mat Hughes speaks with venture capitalist, seasoned investor, and author of "Founder Unfriendly", Charlie O'Donnell, about the often-misunderstood relationship between founders and venture capitalists. Drawing on two decades in New York’s start-up ecosystem, Charlie breaks down why fundraising is less about being judged and more about telling a memorable, momentum-filled story. From “sho...

Professor Mat Hughes interviews strategy and innovation expert Michael A.M. Davies, Chairman and Founder of Endeavour Partners and a Senior Lecturer at both MIT and London Business School, on how leaders can stay ahead in a world shaped by technological change. Michael breaks down why strategic acuity and audacity now separate the winners from the rest, drawing on examples like Schneider Electric’...

Explore how family businesses can turn legacy into a strategic advantage. In this episode, Professor Mat Hughes speaks with brand strategist Meghan Lynch, CEO of Six-Point Strategy and a trusted advisor to multigenerational family enterprises, to break down the power of generational branding. She explains why reputation is one of a family business’s most valuable assets, how brand identity evolves...

Futurist Bob Chernow joins the Professor Mat Hughes to explore what it truly takes to think beyond the immediate and anticipate the forces shaping tomorrow. Drawing on decades of trend forecasting and insights from his new book Reflections of a Futurist, Bob breaks down the habits that strengthen long‑term thinking, why shifting our time horizon is so challenging, and how to spot meaningful “weak...

Professor Mat Hughes speaks with Dami Hastrup, founder of MOONHUB, in a compelling conversation about turning a student idea into a tech success story. From launching a VR training start-up straight out of university to being featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 and securing major funding from Google, Dami shares the highs, challenges, and lessons of building a high-growth business. Listeners will gain...

Professor Mat Hughes speaks with leading, serial tech entrepreneur Ed Johnson, recognized in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Social Impact in 2022, and CEO and Co-Founder of uRoutine. We look at look at the journey to becoming a serial entrepreneur, from starting a venture to selling it and then starting another business straight away.

Professor Mat Hughes interviews Dorothy Francis MBE about her experience as a social enterprise pioneer and thought leader. Dorothy Francis MBE has dedicated 38 years to the cooperative and social enterprise sector, driven by a passion for transforming lives and communities through social business, being named Business Woman of the Year twice, honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promoti...

Professor Mat Hughes speaks with Bob Chernow, the former vice chairman of the World Future Society created to ignite the exchange of ideas about the future to understand and respond to our changing world. A stockbroker for 49 years, Bob managed 750+ million USD in assets until his retirement in 2023, and was named seven times by Barron’s Magazine as one of the top 1,200 financial brokers. Bob succ...

Professor Mat Hughes interviews Ryan Chute, the Wizard of Ads, about his journey from his family's furniture business to becoming his own entrepreneur as a leading strategic marketer and the Wizard of Ads. We talk about his formative experience in the family business, the pivotal moments in his journey, and what makes a good entrepreneur and a good manager.

Professor Mat Hughes talks with Ryan Chute, the Wizard of Ads, about the value of great marketing for small businesses. We talk about how messaging and strategy are far more important than the channel, the importance of being relational not transactional, and crafting an identity customers can empathize with.

In this Podcast, Professor Mat Hughes looks into the debate about managing entrepreneurship. It is a contradiction to try to manage entrepreneurship? No. Good entrepreneurship requires good management! Entrepreneurship needs to be managed effectively to get the most out of its efforts. Entrepreneurship and good management are both key components of execution intelligence. Many entrepreneurs and en...

In this podcast I look at how innovation is fundamental to how businesses create value—for our markets, consumers, stakeholders, and shareholders. Innovation is the lifeblood of business, and I take the view that "chance favours the prepared mind" so that innovation occurs strategically to drive profitable growth.

Despite the best intentions and even ideas, what entrepreneurs, innovators, and managers hope for when pursuing entrepreneurial or innovation strategies does not always materialize. At this point, we can start to understand entrepreneurship as entopic and its consequences for the firm. Too much entrepreneurship focused on innovation that is too explorative risks exhausting resources and rendering...

In this podcast, I am joined by the esteemed R. Adam Smith, a seasoned strategic advisor, founder, board leader, financier, and dealmaker. Together, we delve into mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a growth strategy for family businesses, drawing on his extensive experience and insights.

In this bite-sized podcast, Professor Mat Hughes talks about some of the things entrepreneurs can learn from well-run family businesses.

Professor Mat Hughes speaks with Contracts Lawyer entrepreneur and Podcaster Fahimah Adam about starting up and living life on your own terms. Starting up and growing your own business calls on every faculty, skill, and strength of the entrepreneur. How do we manage to create value for our clients and wealth (both financial and emotional) for ourselves if we can’t live that life on our own terms?...

R. Adam Smith, creator of the Family Business Audiocast on LinkedIn, and a successful entrepreneur, investment banker, and board leader for over 25 years, interviews Professor Mat Hughes about all things family business succession, innovation, and compensation.

Professor Mat Hughes, Senior Editor at www. FamilyBusiness.org, comments on some of the circumstances and challenges surrounding next-generation involvement in the family business.

Professor Mat Hughes, Senior Editor at www. FamilyBusiness.org, comments on conflict in the family business, its origins, and solutions.

Professor Mat Hughes, Senior Editor at www. FamilyBusiness.org, provides his commentary on some of the issues, challenges, questions, and answers around succession in the family business.

Professor Mat Hughes interviews leading AI researcher and innovation expert Paavo Ritala on how new generative AI technologies change knowledge work, improve managing and organizing, and enable business model innovation. We talk about the reasons to be excited about generative AI right now; how AI is generating real value for businesses; ways to use generative AI like ChatGPT effectively in your b...

In this podcast, I discuss the many research opportunities and critical questions around artificial intelligence in entrepreneurship, innovation, and information systems.

In this podcast, I talk about how entrepreneurs and businesses might use artificial intelligence to innovate, create value, and create wealth.

Professor Mat Hughes speaks to tech entrepreneur Anuj Ashar about AI. Named recently as one of the Top 3 Global Young Innovators and UK LeicestershireLive University Innovation Winner, Anuj Ashar is a serial, decorated tech entrepreneur and is currently the CEO of the AI startup, Beta Booster. His experience ranges from launching FinTech companies, working with Innovate UK and the United Nations t...