BackinBusiness
61 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago -Building a new future for small businesses and freelancers.
Each week we will take stock of the issues facing small businesses, get personal accounts of what business owners are facing, and hold the powers that be, such as the banks and policy makers, politicians and business groups, to account on their responses (or lack of them) at the time we need them most.
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Episodes
Scottish politicians seek small businesses votes
May 04, 2021 17:53 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBCandidates for all the competing political parties in Scotland are knocking on doors to get the support of voters in the elections on 6th May. BackinBusiness invited all the main parties to put up a candidate to speak about their plans for Small Business and Self-employment in Scotland. Four candidates took part. Hear what they had to say.
Striving, surviving and thriving: the UK's small businesses 12 months on
May 03, 2021 08:43 - 55 minutes - 51 MBExactly a year ago BackinBusiness launched its podcast to give small businesses a voice throughout the Covid pandemic. Little did we think then that we'd still be around a year later hearing from small business people about the trials and tribulations of keeping their heads above water yet planning ahead with optimism. We look back over the 12 months with Mark Hart Professor of entrepreneurship at Aston University, Richard Lambert, CEO of the National Hair and Beauty Federation and Keith...
Welsh Small Business and Self-employment Hustings
April 22, 2021 12:59 - 1 hour - 82.1 MBCandidates for all the competing political parties in Wales are gearing up for the elections on 6th May. BackinBusiness invited all the main parties to put up a candidate to speak in the Welsh Small Business and Self-employment Hustings this week. Five candidates took part: Anthony Slaughter, Leader of the Wales Green Party; Sally Stephenson the Liberal Democrat Small Business spokesperson; Rhys Mills, Plaid Cymru’s candidate for Islwyn and the fourth candidate on the South Wales East re...
Interview: Ben Everitt, MP for Milton Keynes North
April 19, 2021 19:53 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBThis week Liz Barclay talks to Ben Everitt MP for Milton Keynes North about the importance of innovation for the small business in his constituency and for driving the UK's economic recovery.
Interview: Eve Roodhouse, Chief Officer Culture and Economy at Leeds City Council
March 29, 2021 09:05 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBWhat makes Leeds a great place to start and grow a business? There's an important role for local authorities as Eve Roodhouse Chief Officer Culture and Economy at Leeds City Council tells Liz Barclay.
Interview: Lord Shipley
March 25, 2021 09:07 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBThe Lib Dem Peer Lord Shipley Chairs the new House of Lords Youth Unemployment Committee. He talks to Liz Barclay about the challenges of creating jobs for the large numbers of young people looking for work, the skills firms need from those young people, and the important role of small businesses willing to innovate and create employment vital to the UK's recovery.
Blackpool rocks
March 22, 2021 09:16 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBIn the last of the BackinBusiness round UK virtual tour the team is in Blackpool to explore the impact on and the future of tourism in the UK and its seaside towns. Guests Rachel McQueen, CEO Marketing Lancashire, Michael Trainor, Director of Art B&B, and Nicola Thorp, columnist, broadcaster and actress, join the team.
New opportunities for Newcastle
March 15, 2021 08:51 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBLucy is chief executive of The Alchemists, which works with businesses to accelerate their development and success, and Tom Caulker owner of the World Headquarters nightclub (community and socially based nightclub, music venue, fashion shows, nights for people with learning disabilities) discuss the opportunities coming along and what it takes for businesses to be part of the new economy.
Budget reflections part 3
March 12, 2021 16:07 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBFollowing on from our BackinBusiness budget roundup on budget day and our podcast of 8th March in part 3 Professor Mark Hart discusses his take on what it means for small businesses with Liz, Simon and Declan.
Liverpool lifts off
March 10, 2021 20:40 - 44 minutes - 61.6 MBSteve Rotheram is the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and has big plans for the future. Innovation is the key, skills are central to his thinking and while the funding is crucial he believes there's a lot the region can do for itself with small businesses at the heart of the recovery. He discusses his plans with Liz Barclay and Declan Curry and local business bosses Philippa Glover of CNC Robotics and Aston Fuller of Glass Futures.
Interview: International Women's Day with Laura Farris MP
March 08, 2021 09:12 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBIn the latest conversation with MPs Liz Barclay talks to Laura Farris MP for Newbury and Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women and Work about how the pandemic has affected women in business and self-employment.
Unpicking the Budget
March 08, 2021 09:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBEconomist Douglas McWilliams and tax specialist Heather Self join the BackinBusiness team to discuss the budget, what it means for small business owners and self-employed workers and who and what has been missed out.
Budget Reaction
March 03, 2021 18:59 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBHear the BackinBusiness team, Liz Barclay, Declan Curry and Simon McVicker, react to today's budget announcement.
Ready for takeoff
March 01, 2021 09:29 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBAerospace development carries on apace in Bristol. It's just one of the many industries there that's booming, To what extent can innovative sectors restore the whole city and surrounding areas to their pre-Covid glory? Vic Terry of Vertical Aerospace and Victoria Matthews of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce join the team.
Cutting edge Cambridge
February 22, 2021 10:19 - 50 minutes - 69.2 MBAs a bioscience and health tech hub, often driven by the university, business in Cambridge is booming. Darran Milne CEO of deep tech software start-up VividQ and Tim Robinson Chief Operating Officer of Tech East join the BackinBusiness team to discuss the future of technology and its importance to the economic recovery.
BackinBusiness Podcast Trailer
February 19, 2021 15:51 - 1 minute - 1.45 MBBacking small businesses & freelancers in the UK, to get them back in business.
Interview: Chi Onwurah MP, MP for Newcastle Central
February 18, 2021 15:44 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBA vison for Newcastle. In our latest MP conversation Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central and Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Digital, describes the impact of the pandemic on small businesses in her constituency, and what in her view needs to be done to build back fairer, greener and smarter.
Leeds leads
February 15, 2021 08:55 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBThe capital of the north is seizing every business opportunity that comes its way, determined that agility and adaptability will save the day. Poonam Kaur, James Mason and Mark Williams join the team and argue that Leeds is the best place in the UK to do business.
Working out in Glasgow
February 08, 2021 09:51 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBFrom industrial city renowned for shipbuilding on the Clyde to city of culture and creative hub - what next for post-pandemic Glasgow. The BackinBusiness team discusses the business future with Lynne Kennedy MBE founder and editor of Business Women Scotland, one of the biggest communities for female entrepreneurs, and brothers Joe and Tony Burns who run personal fitness studios.
Where Covid and Brexit collide
February 01, 2021 08:54 - 52 minutes - 72.7 MBBelfast. Once known for linen, tobacco and rope-making, Belfast boasted the world's largest shipyard, now has a major aerospace and missiles industry, and has blossomed into a big tourist centre. What have Covid and Brexit done to businesses here and what's next for the city? Business Editor of the Irish News Gary McDonald and owner of Little Giant Films Robin Morgan join the team.
The BackinBusiness UK City tour: Cardiff
January 25, 2021 09:16 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBWhat are the prospects for our cities? We kick off the tour in Cardiff. The team is joined by David Williams who runs the Youth Development Agency and Keiron Phillips who owns Smart Push AI an automation and Artificial Intelligence business to discuss the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on the city and what it will look like as it rebuilds.
Onwards and upwards
January 18, 2021 10:04 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBIn the first podcast of 2021 the BackinBusiness team and guests do some crystal ball gazing: what do the next 12 months hold for small businesses and freelancers. They're surprisingly optimistic on some fronts. Join the team with guests businessman Doug Henderson, who was MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North from 1987 to 2010 and Shadow Trade and Industry Minister under Neil Kinnock, Dr Roger Barker Director of Policy and Corporate Governance, at the Institute of Directors, and Tracey Dawson ...
Clarity not claret this Christmas...please
December 21, 2020 09:47 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBThe BackinBuisness team catches up with some of the small businesses people we met in 2020. How have they fared, where are they hoping to be this time next year and what support do they need to get there? We put the points raised to John Stephenson MP for Carlisle and chair of APPGs on family business and food and drink. Sam Harrison from Sam's Riverside restaurant in Hammersmith, West London, Amy Solon from Elements Hypnotherapy, Amit Puntambekar from Nisa store Fenstanton, Cambridgeshir...
Mental Wellbeing Podcast: Control, privacy and business success
December 17, 2020 11:32 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBChris Pond, BackinBuisness Chair, hears from Andy Clayton and Sara-Louise Ackrill, entrepreneurs with Autism. Running their own businesses give them control over their working environment and the privacy to operate at full potential. Andy is a Petra Coach, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who has built and sold businesses. His favourite thing is helping other entrepreneurs improve their lives and businesses, in that order. Sara-Louise is a social entrepreneur and founder of Wired Differe...
Deal or no deal?
December 14, 2020 08:41 - 41 minutes - 56.7 MBBusinesses need to know what's in the Brexit Box. Adam Payne has been writing about Brexit for years and here we are at the 11th hour and 59th second little the wiser. Alex Stewart has a healthy business that he'd like to keep that way but he's all at sea. With 17 days to go til the end of the transition period all small business owners want to know now is what to prepare for. We can't promise that clarity, just great discussion. Join Adam Payne senior reporter on UK politics at Busines...
In too deep?
December 07, 2020 05:23 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBAs if the Covid restrictions weren't enough to grapple with, business owners are watching incomes plummet, savings dwindle and having to use the household budget to try to keep the business afloat. There's a perfect storm of debt, loan repayments and tax demands brewing. Matt Hartley from the Money Advice Trust and Lowri Williams owner of Grazity Ltd discuss the issues and mounting concerns that even when the customers come back, businesses are in too deep to survive.
Interview: Darren Jones MP, Chair of the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
December 04, 2020 07:14 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBIn the week that Arcadia and Debenhams collapsed we caught up with the Chair of the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee Darren Jones MP, and talked to him about the impact of Covid on small businesses and self employed people and what he thinks it will take to get the UK working again.
Our tears for tiers
November 30, 2020 04:47 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBWill substantial meals, switching to online trading and the 5 days of Christmas get the beleaguered hospitality and retail sectors through til the vaccine is rolled out? Leah Lockwood owner of the Wentworth Arms in Maplewell and Hellen Stirling Baker owner of Small Stuff children's store in Sheffield, plus Hannah Essex Co-Executive director of the British Chambers of Commerce set out their stalls. Determined optimism in the face of realism is the order of the day.
Mental Wellbeing Podcast: Too much time to think
November 25, 2020 19:08 - 39 minutes - 36 MBThe third of our Mental Wellbeing podcasts, featuring Chris Jay, founder of Bascule Disability Training, and Mark Esho, founder of Easy Internet Services.
Entrepreneurs at Risk
November 23, 2020 20:30 - 48 minutes - 44 MBThe Chancellor is due to shake the magic money tree this week and decide on which department gets how much to spend over the next year. If there's nothing in the piggy bank for entrepreneurs their skills, innovation and expertise will be lost just when we need them most.
The jury is out
November 16, 2020 05:55 - 1 hour - 82.5 MBWe've endured lockdowns, firebreaks and tiers and are facing restrictions for months to come while new vaccines are perfected and rolled out. Saving lives is the priority, but restrictions are leading to job losses and business failure, increased poverty and worsening mental health? Is there any alternative? Some scientists think there may be but their views have attracted huge criticism. We hear from Professor Sunetra Gupta on what she calls 'focussed protection'. Could it work and get ...
It's everyone's business
November 09, 2020 08:21 - 49 minutes - 45 MBWhether you're doing business in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or England, you're facing restrictions. Some are just starting while others are coming to an end and there are tiers upon tiers to navigate. But ultimately the result is the same: small businesses are taking a hit with many fearing for their futures. The BackinBusiness team updates on who can't do what, where and takes a closer look at how the Welsh 'firebreak' has worked, with Andrew Henley, Professor of Entrepreneurship a...
Women building back
November 02, 2020 09:38 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBCovid has been hard on businesses and self-employed people in many sectors. And we've been hearing that women of all ages, ethnicity and backgrounds have been hit particularly badly because of the sectors they work in. Professor Julia Rouse has the figures and Claudia, Anna and Amy have the experiences. Join them as they discuss 2020 and the future. Recorded before the latest lockdown in England, and the extension of the Furlough scheme were announced, with: Claudia Welsh, founder of B ...
Sweet music
October 26, 2020 09:21 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBIs the treasury fiddling while the music industry burns? The industry is worth a vast 5.5 Billion pounds a year to the UK's economy yet help for musicians, most of whom are freelance, is crumbs. A third of freelance members of The Musicians' Union say they will have to leave the industry, and 170,000 jobs are predicted to go by Christmas. We risk losing our world beating music industry and if it goes we won't get it back. Liz, Mickey, Declan and Simon discuss the desperate situation wi...
Mental Wellbeing Podcast: Ep 2
October 20, 2020 17:39 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBThe second of our Mental Wellbeing podcasts, featuring Katie Matthews, founder of The Mind Tribe, and Stewart White, Director at Blue Shadow, a Mental Health First Aid training company.
City to city....
October 19, 2020 09:11 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBThe team talks to Miles Celic CEO of TheCityUK...set up 10 years ago to look at the role of small business in the City of London after the 2008 banking crash, what lessons can we learn for building back better, and ensuring the future of our UK cities, once the covid pandemic retreats?
Blowing in the wind: the jobs hanging by a thread
October 12, 2020 08:09 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBBusiness woman Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation, Mark Hart Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School and freelance IT consultant and business analyst Philip Ross analyse the prospects for the UK's small businesses and self-employed workers for the autumn and winter. The verdict: blustery winds and heavy weather ahead.
Taking the temperature...
October 05, 2020 09:21 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBIn this week's podcast we discuss the impact of the government's schemes so far: what's worked and what hasn't; who has been left behind and who has benefitted and what does the Government need to discuss at the ongoing virtual Conservative Party Conference this week. The team is joined by the boss of Courtney World Travel Stephanie Jepson, Chief economist at the think tank Resolution Foundation Mike Brewer, and by the founder of The Entrepreneurs Network Philip Salter.
Midnight doesn't happen anymore
September 28, 2020 06:58 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBOn top of new restrictions comes the Chancellor's latest thinking about schemes to save jobs and support businesses through the next wave of the pandemic. How effective will the measures be and who will be losers and who will be winners. Join Mickey Clark, Liz Barclay and Simon McVickers as they discuss the latest developments with Anthony Jordan, owner of party and wedding design company Tama Ra Event Designers, Dr Roger Barker, Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors (IOD), and ...
Mental Wellbeing Podcast: Ep 1
September 23, 2020 07:00 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBIn the months since we launched BackinBusiness we've noticed small business owners and self-employed people struggling with the impacts of Covid-19 and the uncertainty for their firms, livelihoods and families. We've launched our new monthly mental wellbeing podcast to give you the opportunity to talk about how you're feeling and our mental wellbeing group members will offer some tips, through blogs, on coping with the issues you raise. Maria and Nick run very different businesses and they...
Out of every crisis comes opportunity?
September 21, 2020 08:40 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBPeople are shutting down their business and leaving the self-employed sector in their hundreds of thousands. On the other hand people are planning to use redundancy payments to start up new ventures. Is this the time to start-up and if so how do you give yourself the best chance of success? Join the discussion and for those of you of a nervous disposition - there is an 'F' word in this podcast.
Food, drink and family emotions...a heady business mix
September 07, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBFamily businesses and the food and drink sector are hugely important to the UK economy. Small businesses in those sectors are going to be more beneficial to the economy in the long run than big business, but they need a higher profile; they need certainty, stability and no surprises, and the world needs to be saved from mediocre gin. Just some of the salient points to come from this week's discussion on the BackinBusiness podcast when Russ Haworth, Family Business Consultant in Taunton...
Dismantling barriers to business
August 31, 2020 04:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBWhat do people with protected characteristics like disability need to help them realise their business ambitions and potential? Chris Pond, Chair of BackinBusiness, Chair of the Financial Inclusion Commission, Trustee of Ambitious About Autism and former MP turns his attention to Inclusive Entrepreneurship. He talks to disabled business man Mark Esho and to Dr Lisa Cameron MP who is Chair of the newly established All Party Parliamentary Group on Inclusive Entrepreneurship.
Half empty or half full? How the virus is changing our pubs
August 24, 2020 08:33 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBMickey Clark hears from pub landlady Jenny Baish and Chair of the APPG on Pubs, Toby Perkins MP
Half empty or half full? How the virus is changing our pubs.
August 24, 2020 08:33 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBMickey Clark hears from pub landlady Jenny Baish and Chair of the APPG on Pubs, Toby Perkins MP
Interview with Gary Turner, MD UK and EMEA of Xero
August 17, 2020 04:00 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MBXero, the small business accounting software company, has 2 million small business customers. That gives the firm a 2 million strong focus group from which to gather opinions, comments and insight. Which means Gary Turner has well informed views on the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, what small businesses need to survive and thrive, and what the future looks like for the vital small business sector. He talks to BackinBusiness CEO Liz Barclay.
The economy's pipeline
August 10, 2020 06:13 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBSupply chains might sound boring but without ones that work the things we need aren't on the shelves, in our workplaces or available to the NHS. We need the trucks, planes, and boats to keep operating and the manufacturers to keep making. How solid are our current chains and links?
A chain of events
August 03, 2020 07:28 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBOne of the business sectors worst hit due to Covid-19 is the events sector. Whether it's sport, music, weddings or the children's party the virus has played havoc. The discussion this week on the impact and the bounce back was recorded before the latest delays to events opening up. The threats are huge: lost revenue, lost skills, changing customer attitudes but we all love a good get together so there's still hope. Join Andy Taylor, Anthony Jordan and the BackinBusiness.org.uk team for the...
The trials of the rural entrepreneur
July 27, 2020 13:02 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBThree small business people discuss the issues they face operating in rural areas. Internet connectivity may be improving but there are problems with access to skills, grants and banking services. Isolation has always been a challenge and it has been worsened significantly by the virus with a pandemic of mental health problems predicted. But there are opportunities too. Join the team and their guests for another insightful discussion with people in the frontline of small business.
Young, innovative and out to create jobs
July 20, 2020 04:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBYoung people around the UK discuss their businesses and freelance work, how it's being affected by this recession, how they plan to survive and thrive, and the opportunities they hope to create. For many this is the second time they've been caught up by recession. School leavers in 2008 are being pummelled again 12 years later. We need to help them thrive rather than become the lost generation.