The Fun Side Of Business

Send us Fan Mail One minute she’s an airline professional carving up the ski slopes; the next, she’s watching people drift out of Reiki sessions as if someone’s hit the refresh button on their souls.  Donna dives headfirst into holistic training, sneaks into a fully booked course, and discovers a natural talent for creating aromatherapy “potions” tuned to emotions—fear, frustration, even full-blow...

Send us Fan Mail Developer John Howard joins us to spill the real tea on Ipswich’s most argued-about buildings.  Also, construction timelines? Think “dog years,” but slower. Then we head to street level, where things get spicy. Business rates seem designed by someone who’s never met an actual business.  We wrap with skills and leadership: more homes need more plumbers - and a mayor who runs the re...

Send us Fan Mail We skip the clichés and get into the good stuff: growing up between the US and Ipswich, a hairdressing dream that went spectacularly wrong, fast climbs in retail, and the wild days of selling store cards and PPI. Then comes the curveball—launching the Suffolk Wedding Show, moving into hotel business development, and helping flip a struggling property with pure graft and people ski...

Send us Fan Mail  We sit down with travel consultant Nathan Rose, whose path runs from bar shifts to optician training to fifteen years of police response—then into crafting highly personal holidays that fit real lives. What sets his approach apart is the detail: building trips around a clear wish list and honest budget, arranging airport wheelchair assistance without fuss, flagging room access ne...

Send us Fan Mail Andy Hayward’s whole career basically kicked off because he got curious and tore down a moped on his parents’ driveway. That one moment sent him from the factory floor to running sales for multi-million-pound engineering groups—and eventually building a consultancy that’s lasted 15 years.  Every step sharpened Andy’s sense of pace, process, and ownership—and showed him exactly wha...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best business playbook was born in a garage—with a cheap guitar and borrowed power socket? Meet Stephen Norris , who went from a council estate with no exams to landing Bank of England contracts , selling a fast-growth startup , and turning  losses into profit for a private-equity firm. His edge isn’t pedigree—it’s people, pace, and punk-level courage . Stephen’s first...

Send us Fan Mail What started as a late-night chat at a petrol station turned into So Solid Crew: the underground sound that took UK garage from pirate radio to number one. DJ Syndicate takes us behind the decks and into the chaos - how a group of friends built a movement that shaped UK music From BBC 1Xtra to Glastonbury’s muddy magic, we follow DJ Syndicate's journey. Expect stories of brok...

Send us Fan Mail Few people can turn carpet chat into great storytelling — but Daryl Smith, the Prince of Flooring , does it effortlessly.  We chat about his winding career path: jewellery diplomas, retail chaos, a decade in self-storage — and how it all led back to the family carpet business his dad started in ’84. Daryl drops real-world flooring wisdom: why the right choice starts at your front...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes life takes the long way home — and that’s exactly what happened with David Button. From soldiering in Belfast to driving buses around Ipswich, and now running his own funeral service, David’s story is about finding purpose in unexpected places. We talk about how army discipline turned into everyday resilience, how loss and depression shaped his empathy, and what it reall...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when an Ipswich school kid with shaky careers advice follows curiosity instead of a script? Tori Burn’s journey bounces from local audits to teaching in Beijing, from Deloitte in Auckland to running a 14‑acre holiday park through power cuts, blocked pipes, and a global lockdown. Funny, honest, and full of lessons you can actually use. Back in the UK, Tori turns that c...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best IT work is the stuff you don’t even notice—no drama, no heroics, just things quietly working the way they should? That’s Gary’s story. He went from fixing his school’s computers as a teenager to running AnyIT, a managed service provider built on reliability, compliance, and actual human support. We talk about the real day-to-day behind IT, why “have you tried turn...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Kathy Duffy—NHS physio turned entrepreneur—to unpack a bold career pivot built on ethics, real savings, and a lifestyle that actually fits.   We explore tough questions about network marketing, the difference between hype and real value, and how she protects integrity by walking away when switching isn’t right. For Kathy, it’s the same core skill as physio: listen...

Send us Fan Mail What makes a financial advisor truly effective? Is it technical knowledge, product expertise, or something more fundamental? Colin Low, founder and Managing Director of Kings Fleet Financial Planning, reveals it's about striking the perfect balance between expertise and accessibility. The chat takes a fun twist when Colin shares his big aha! moment about client conversations....

Send us Fan Mail Jake Slinn’s journey proves you don’t need top grades to make it big in business. At just 26, he’s running JS Global Group, a company turning over £2.5 million – and it all started with only £400 in his pocket. Despite leaving school with just two GCSEs and dealing with dyslexia, Jake found his own way. As he puts it: “I can’t read or write, but I can sure count pound notes.” His...

Send us Fan Mail From architecture dreams to graphic design reality, Chris Chenery's creative journey spans over 25 years of professional evolution. What began as a childhood fascination with drawing house plans transformed into a successful career Chris shares the bold move that launched his career – organizing a student exhibition in Covent Garden that caught the attention of a design agenc...

Send us Fan Mail Discover the refreshingly honest and hilarious journey of George, who built a successful cleaning company despite having virtually no cleaning skills. From being the classroom clown whose reports consistently noted "so much potential if only he could pay attention," to finding himself on all fours with socks in hand trying to mop up a flooded luxury lodge while the clien...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what happens when someone defies every expectation in their industry? Caroline Russell's journey from school-hating teenager to successful financial advisor before age 30 demolishes stereotypes and proves that success rarely follows a conventional path. The most powerful moment in Caroline's story comes after a crushing setback when an advisor told her to &...

Send us Fan Mail Think accountancy is all numbers and spreadsheets? Think again. We pull back the curtain on what your accountant really sees when they examine your financial records – and it's far more revealing than you might imagine. Have you ever tried to claim a questionable expense on your taxes? We'd love to hear your stories – though we can't promise we'll approve them!...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to be a private investigator in the digital age? Barry Parker of De Sudor Investigations pulls back the curtain on this mysterious profession, sharing the fascinating twists and turns of his career path from footballer to prison officer to professional private eye! The evolution of private investigation work forms the heart of our conversation, as Barry ex...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what podcast hosts really think about their guests once the recording stops? That's exactly what we reveal in this peek behind the podcast curtain as we discuss our exclusive subscriber content, "The Extra Slice." For less than the price of a weekly coffee, subscribers don't just get extra content—they become part of our growing community. The pod...

Send us Fan Mail James Gunther shares his remarkable journey from McDonald's floor manager to partner at Fenwright Estate Agency, demonstrating how commitment, resilience and genuine passion for helping clients can lead to professional success. • Left school at 16, opted for work experience over university debt without clear career direction • Initially rejected by Fenwright before being call...

Send us Fan Mail Craig Starling, Director at Ipswich Computer Solutions and finalist for Suffolk Director of the Year, shares his journey from IT apprentice to award-nominated business leader at just 29 years old. "We're IT people with personalities," Under his leadership, the company evolved from being "Suffolk's best kept secret" to having a prominent public profile...

Send us Fan Mail "Failure only happens when you stop trying." This powerful belief has guided Helen throughout her remarkable journey from frustrated corporate employee to successful entrepreneur. On this episode of The Fun Side of Business, Helen reveals the crucial but often misunderstood distinction between PR and marketing. Her special talent lies in spotting the newsworthy aspects o...

Send us Fan Mail Wayne shares how he built Platinum Cleaning from zero while surviving on just £500 a month with a mortgage and family to support. His candid reflections reveal both the exhilarating and devastating moments of entrepreneurship. What makes this conversation special isn't just Wayne's remarkable rise from retail worker to business owner, but his refreshing honesty about wha...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a schoolboy who didn't like homework transforms into someone managing millions in client investments? James Roper's story is a refreshing reminder that career paths are rarely straightforward. Despite having a young family and the security of regular employment, James took the leap into financial advising. "I remember standing up at a networking br...