The Business Babble

Johnny and Mike are back from America, and the World Cup stories are flowing. From Boston to Miami, dive bars to baseball stadiums, Jolly Ranchers to $2,600 football tickets, this episode looks at what happens when sport, business, culture and national pride all collide on the world stage. The team talk about Scotland’s World Cup journey, the incredible welcome from the Americans, the billions beh...

The team begins with AI, privacy and our growing dependence on technology, before tackling one of the biggest decisions in business: choosing a partner. Johnny, Mike and Wicus explore why partnerships fail, the dangers of unclear roles and equal ownership, and what happens when ambition, workload or personal circumstances pull partners in different directions. They also discuss honest conversation...

This week on Business Babble, we're tackling one of the biggest questions every business owner will eventually face: How do you actually sell a business? From finding the right buyer and valuing your company correctly, to navigating solicitors, NDAs, negotiations and deal structures, we break down the realities of what happens when it's time to exit. Most business owners believe their company is w...

Most business owners believe they know what makes their company different. The reality? Most don't. In this episode of Business Babble, Wicus, Johnny and Mike tackle one of the biggest challenges facing business owners who want to grow, scale, or eventually sell their business. What is your true differentiator? Is it really customer service, or is that just what everyone says? The team explores wh...

In this episode of Business Babble, Johnny, Mike and Wicus dive deep into one of the most important topics for any entrepreneur: business growth strategy. If you're a business owner, startup founder, entrepreneur or someone thinking about selling a business in the future, this episode explains exactly what buyers look for when valuing a company and why so many businesses struggle to grow despite w...

The World Cup is coming… and businesses everywhere are preparing for the madness. In this episode of Business Babble, Johnny and Mike discuss the HUGE business opportunities surrounding the World Cup, Scotland fans travelling to America, seasonal business trends, customer psychology, staffing challenges, pricing strategies, and how smart entrepreneurs capitalise on major global events. From bars r...

What does it take to run a fifth generation funeral business, grow from one branch to 27, and be trusted with the final journey of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II? In this 100th episode of the Business Babble Podcast, Johnny, Mike and Wicus sit down with Tim Purves from William Purves Funeral Directors for a powerful conversation about business, grief, leadership, family legacy and the funeral indu...

In Part 2 of our series on preparing to sell your business, the Business Babble team looks at one of the biggest reasons businesses fail to attract serious buyers: they are too dependent on the owner. A buyer does not just want to see that your business makes money. They want to know how it makes money, where the profit comes from, what systems are in place, which customers drive growth, how relia...

In this episode of Business Babble, we sit down with Mark Lafferty from SK Energy and Stuart King from SKAD to break down the biggest myths surrounding solar panels, battery storage, renewable energy, and commercial solar in the UK. If you’ve ever wondered whether solar panels actually work in Scotland, how long solar takes to pay for itself, or whether businesses can genuinely reduce their energy...

Most business owners believe their company is worth far more than it actually is… until they try to sell it. In this episode of Business Babble, we break down the uncomfortable truth about exiting a business. Why most founders leave it too late, why “blood, sweat and tears” means nothing to a buyer, and what actually determines whether someone will pay for your business. We dive into: When you sho...

Are entrepreneurs born different, or are they simply too stubborn to quit? In this episode of Business Babble , we break down the real meaning of entrepreneurship and challenge common myths around what it takes to succeed in business . We explore the difference between an entrepreneur , a business owner , and a leader , and why not everyone is built for the realities of running a business. We dive...

In this episode of Business Babble , Johnny, Mike and Wicus dive into a raw and honest conversation about the state of Britain, the pressure on business owners, the struggle of working people, and the growing feeling that the system just is not working. They talk about accountability, benefit culture, small business pressure, NHS strain, respect in society, standards at home and work, and why so m...

In this episode of Business Babble, we dive into one of the most important mindset shifts for building real wealth: understanding the difference between assets and liabilities. Too many people spend their lives working for money without ever asking how to make money work for them. We break down simple, practical ways to start thinking differently about your finances, from analysing your spending h...

In this raw and wide-ranging episode of Business Babble , the lads get into the real-world impact of global events, rising costs, debt culture, business pressure, and the standards people bring to work and life. From fuel prices, wage increases and shrinking margins to media narratives, financial education, hiring challenges and what actually makes someone valuable in a business, this one is packe...

In this episode of Business Babble , the team sits down with Stewart Herron from Electricity Asset Services to unpack a raw and honest journey of growth, resilience, and real-world entrepreneurship. Starting out as a one-man band taking on the jobs nobody else wanted, Stewart shares how he built his business from the ground up into a 180+ strong workforce supporting critical UK infrastructure. Thi...

In this powerful episode of Business Babble, the team sit down with Gordon Brennan, founder of Trench Boxing and Fitness, to explore the journey behind the gym, the man, and the mission. Gordon shares how boxing first became an outlet for aggression and a lifeline for focus, discipline and calm, before growing into a business that now supports hundreds of members. From starting Trench Boxing to co...

In this episode of Business Babble , the team sit down with Steve McDonald of the Kagabot Group, a businessman whose journey spans decades of Scotland’s nightlife and events industry. From working offshore and doing security on nightclub doors in the 1980s to becoming one of Scotland’s largest event promoters during the Acid House era, Steve shares the raw and unpredictable path that shaped his ca...

What does it really take to launch a whisky brand in Scotland, without owning a distillery? In this episode of Business Babble , we sit down with Finn Thomson of Finn Thomson Whiskies , a ninth generation whisky man reviving a family legacy with a modern independent bottling brand. Finn breaks down what an independent bottler actually does, how he buys single casks from distilleries across Scotlan...

Jason Easton from Rockbreakers UK joins the Business Babble lads for a proper behind the scenes chat on what it really takes to build a plant hire and attachments business over 21 years. Jason breaks down how Rockbreakers grew from a small start into a UK wide operation supplying excavator attachments from 1 ton to 75 ton machines. He shares the turning points that shaped the business, from landin...

Andy Low from OKTO Group joins the lads for a real-world chat about automation that actually makes sense. No fluffy jargon, no “just add AI” nonsense. Instead, Andy breaks down how businesses can connect the dots between enquiries, quotes, job scheduling, and customer comms so nothing gets missed and nobody’s hunting through WhatsApp, email, Messenger, and spreadsheets. They dig into the truth abo...

In this episode of Business Babble , we’re joined by Sabine Klaus Carter , founder of Creation Editor and an award-winning videographer and photographer with over 20 years’ experience working with businesses, charities and startups across Scotland and beyond. Sabine shares why most business videos fail, why preparation matters more than filming, and how authentic storytelling can help small busine...

In the first Business Babble episode of 2026 , we’re joined by Michael Crookston from Datel Solutions , a telecommunications provider helping businesses across Scotland and the North of England modernise how they communicate. The UK’s legacy copper phone network is being switched off on 27/01/2027 , and Michael shares why this is one of the biggest telecoms changes in decades. We break down what t...

Most business owners see insurance as a grudge purchase. Something you pay for and hope you never need. But what happens when the worst actually happens? In this episode of the Business Babble podcast, we sit down with Doug from NFU Mutual Edinburgh to unpack the reality of business insurance, risk management, and why protection is one of the most misunderstood decisions entrepreneurs make. We tal...

Most business owners focus on growth, sales, and scaling… but completely ignore the one thing that actually determines whether they end up financially free or financially trapped. In this episode of Business Babble , we sit down with Will Burns from Carnethy Wealth to break down the financial basics that nobody teaches at school and most entrepreneurs leave far too late. We talk honestly about: Wh...

It’s the Business Babble Christmas special, complete with jumpers, mugs, lights, and Johnny “Hoho”. But after the laughs, the chat turns real. 2025 felt tough for a lot of businesses, so we dig into what reflection actually means when you can’t remember last Thursday’s dinner, and why you need a simple strategy to review what really moved the needle. We talk focus and planning for 2026, cash flow...