EP 395 - Can big business actually change the world or is it all just PR?

Andy speaks to Lucy Parker, Senior Advisor at Brunswick and co-author of The Activist Leader, on why CEOs need to stop playing it safe and start thinking like activists.

From Gordon Brown’s task force to boardrooms at Maersk and Walmart, Lucy shares how companies can bridge the gap between profit and purpose, and why the future belongs to leaders with a backbone.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 BWB with Lucy Parker

01:19 Andy's Intro

03:04 Quickfire - Get To Know Lucy

09:47 Lucy's Current Role at Brunswick

10:25 Big Business Addressing Societal Issues

14:27 Challenges and Misconceptions About Big Business

22:44 Big Businesses Making a Positive Impact

28:19 The Role of Regulation and Policy in Business

35:11 The Future of Business and Societal Change

44:51 Developing a Sustainable Mindset

45:35 The Role of Leadership in Sustainability

45:59 Challenges and Responsibilities of Modern Business

49:16 The Complexity of Global Issues

49:40 The Journey Towards Net Zero

51:02 Transparency and Accountability in Business

01:07:33 The Importance of Data in ESG

01:13:40 Activist Leadership in Business

01:23:18 The Power of Storytelling in Leadership

01:26:12 Wrap Up

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EP 394 - This week Andy meets Bernard Savage who leads professional services business development consultancy - size ten and half boots.

We have a wide running chat about how AI means that now, more than ever, professional services firms need to embrace sales. Luckily it’s also going to free up their time to do it.

I’m not sure he persuaded Andy that sales wasn’t a dirty word. But we definitely buy into his rallying call that if you just do the same things as everyone else, then, well you are not going to stand out and your business will die.

Straight talking advice indeed.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 BWB with Bernard Savage

01:19 Andy's Views on Bernard

04:02 Quickfrie - Get to Know Bernard

06:33 The Reality of Professional Services

12:45 Networking and Business Development

21:17 Client Relationships and Commerciality

25:15 Evolving Business Development Strategies

25:53 Impact of AI on Professional Services

26:24 The Dominance of London in Professional Services

27:41 The Importance of Client Relationships

30:28 The Role of LinkedIn in Professional Networking

33:06 Regional Differences in Professional Services

35:33 Northern England: Challenges and Opportunities

48:38 Balancing Authenticity and Professionalism

51:24 Wrap Up

businesswithoutbullshit.me

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EP 393 - June's BOB quiz lineup sees Elizabeth Varley from the Department of Business and Trade, Silent Disco Company founder and CEO Toby Burns, and ex-Special Forces author and speaker Sarah Furness tackle topics including climate change, office nap pods, AI-created content, team-building exercises, and mandatory lunch breaks. Strap in!

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Business or Bullshit Quiz

00:42 Climate Change: Business or Bullshit?

04:21 Office Nap Pods: A Good Idea?

06:29 AI Created Content: Boon or Bane?

09:43 Team Building Exercises: Effective or Awkward?

13:20 Mandatory Hour-Long Lunch Breaks: Yay or Nay?

businesswithoutbullshit.me

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EP 392 - This week we meet Sarah Furness, whose self described superpower is being “just enough of a bitch”. If you want to know what she means by that, stop reading and start listening.

Sarah was the first female helicopter pilot to lead special forces missions in Iraq.

These days she is bringing battlefield hardened insights to business problems, helping leaders to create healthy behaviours and environments in threatening or stressful situations.

It’s a wide ranging conversation, covering everything from gender roles and sexism to mindfulness under extreme pressure and something called disco leg. But our main focus was on psychological safety and why it is important in the military and business.

As Sarah says, “The only way we can learn from a mistake is if we talk about it, and we can’t talk about it if you’re punished for it”.

The bit about disco leg is right at the end, if you want to skip to that to find out what it means.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 BWB with Sarah Furness

01:16 Andy's Intro

02:33 Quickfire: Get to Know Sarah

07:53 Sarah's Journey: From Military to Mindfulness

17:05 The Power of Mindfulness in High-Stress Situations

24:47 Learning from Failure: Military Insights for Business

31:14 Creating an Optimum Environment for Psychological Safety

32:02 Encouraging Bravery in Leadership

32:13 Vulnerability in Leadership

34:28 Navigating Shame and Self-Compassion

38:01 Self-Awareness and Inner Work in Leadership

43:48 Gender and Leadership: Moving Beyond Stereotypes

49:47 Customer-Centric Business Practices

52:20 Lessons from Military Leadership

01:01:16 The Importance of Humor and Camaraderie

01:02:25 Top Tips for Founders and Entrepreneurs

01:06:06 Wrap Up

businesswithoutbullshit.me

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EP 391 - This week we are joined by Toby Burns, immersive events pioneer and the man behind Silent Disco.

He has some quite spicy things to say about how the UK treats entrepreneurship and flags an innovation that he would love to see the UK copy from China.

Yep, we should copy China.

You’ll have to listen in to find out how and why. But you will also get some real nuggets of business wisdom (in handy catch phrases). Such as “innovate or evaporate”, “diversify or die”.

Most importantly, if you want to create continued success you need to create a great customer experience at every touchpoint.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

00:00 BWB with Toby Burns

01:16 Andy's intro to Toby

01:58 The Silent Disco Business Model

03:57 Toby's Early Career and Family Business

07:02 Customer Service and Business Philosophy

14:16 Property Investments and Business Strategy

16:55 Innovations and Future Plans

30:16 The Turning Point: Scaling a Business

31:01 Innovating in the Entertainment Industry

32:52 Customer Service and Business Processes

39:14 The Impact of Taxes on Business

48:11 Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis

54:15 Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

01:03:12 Toby's Ultimate Party Line-Up

businesswithoutbullshit.me

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EP 390 - Something a little different this week. We took BWB on the road to meet James Duckenfield, CEO of Glass Pharm and tour their state of the art facility for growing pharmaceutical grade cannabis.

We learnt a lot of fascinating stuff - including that the only way that you are likely to die from cannabis, certainly medical cannabis, is if someone accidentally drops a ton of it on your head.

Furthermore, this remarkable growing system is not just leading the way for growing medicinal cannabis, but its carbon negative approach and techniques are breaking new ground for horticulture in general.

Listen in and learn.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 BWB Live at Glass Pharms

00:47 Andy & Medical Cannabis

01:43 The UK Cannabis Conversation

02:57 Tour of Glass Pharms Facility

06:44 Cannabis Cultivation Techniques

13:24 Regulations and Licensing

18:59 Product Demonstration and Quality Control

24:39 BWB with James Duckenfield CEO

25:51 Medical Cannabis in the UK

27:12 Public Perception and NHS Policies

28:06 Cannabis and Chronic Pain

29:31 Cannabis and Mental Health

30:33 Global Cannabis Policies

31:16 Personal Experiences with Cannabis

32:28 Challenges in the Cannabis Industry

33:09 The Endocannabinoid System

35:24 Regulatory Hurdles

42:01 Future of Medical Cannabis

49:33 Wrap Up

businesswithoutbullshit.me

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EP 389 - This week we meet Elizabeth Varley. As founder and former CEO of Tech Hub she has played a pivotal role in shaping London’s Tech scene. In her role with the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Program she continues to influence our start and scale up business culture today.

As you’d expect she has a lot of hot tips for founders, some of which we weren’t expecting. Such as “undergoing therapy will make you a better leader”.

Fantastic chat from someone who is able to come at your business growing pains in unexpected ways.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 BWB with Elizabeth Varley

01:26 Andy's intro to Elizabeth

02:18 Elizabeth's Early Career and Lessons Learned

09:28 Elizabeth's Role in the Global Entrepreneur Program

13:13 Challenges and Opportunities in Global Expansion

21:41 Brexit and Its Impact on Entrepreneurs

23:55 Fostering the UK Ecosystem

24:22 International Investment Trends

26:27 Opportunities in Sustainability

27:56 The AI Hype and Reality

29:23 Journey to Becoming a Deal Maker

32:34 Founding Tech Hub

38:53 The Importance of Therapy for Founders

44:44 Advice for Entrepreneurs

47:43 Wrap Up

businesswithoutbullshit.me

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EP 388 - May's quiz round up sees Daniel Priestley and Fernando Sordo Madaleno play the game to see if they think Brexit, Crowdfunding, Lobbying, Client Lunches, Paying for Top Talent and Diversity Quotas and are business or just complete tosh!

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Business or Bullsh*t

00:53 Meet the Guests: Daniel Priestley and Fernando Sordo Madaleno

01:18 Brexit: A Mexican Perspective

03:05 Architectural Challenges and Talent

05:08 Lobbying and Government Collaboration

08:13 Angel Investing

08:50 Flexible Working in Architecture

09:41 Crowdfunding and Diversity Quotas

11:35 The Importance of Client Lunches

businesswithoutbullshit.me

Watch and subscribe to us on YouTube

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If you'd like to be on the show, get in contact - mail@businesswithoutbullshit.me

BWB is powered by Oury Clark