GREATER Manchester Business Stories artwork

GREATER Manchester Business Stories

45 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago -

In this podcast I want to explore my sneaking suspicion that Greater Manchester is the GREATEST place in the world, to be founding or running a business, right now. We'll celebrate all this amazing area has to offer by sharing the inspiring stories of Greater Manchester business leaders as well as exploring their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. As a Co-Founder building my business, Real Handful, in the area I know that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. We want to share the reality - the highs, the lows and the unique story each business has to tell. By doing so we want to raise the profile of the region further, inspire the next generation of budding entrepreneurs and hopefully have a fun chat along the way. Joe. Instagram - @gmbspodcast Email - [email protected]

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Episodes

The Buzz: Jonathan Boyers of KPMG

September 29, 2022 15:00 - 12 minutes - 9.01 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Jonathan Boyers of KPMG

September 22, 2022 16:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MB

From his start at a local comprehensive school in Orrell, Wigan, our guest this week, Jonathan Boyers, has built a phenomenally successful career in the world of Corporate Finance with  KPMG and now leads their UK Corporate Finance practice from his base in Greater Manchester. This is a fascinating conversation as Jonathan shares how he discovered his love for the world of Corporate Finance, what really goes on behind the scenes of big business transactions, spending his career in one compa...

The Buzz: Naomi Timperley & Manchester Tech Festival

September 19, 2022 15:00 - 13 minutes - 9.07 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Naomi Timperley & Manchester Tech Festival

September 15, 2022 13:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MB

We're back! After a summer hiatus I'm to share this first new episode in a while.  Let's call it the start of Season 2 shall we? And what a way to kick off with the fab Naomi Timperley who is Co-Organiser of Manchester Tech Festival, a new event for the sector that is launching this October. Enjoy this conversation with Naomi but more importantly head to https://www.manchestertechfestival.co.uk to find out more.  As Naomi says everyone is invited and you absolutely don't have to be a 'tec...

The Buzz: Dave Foreman of Praetura Ventures

May 23, 2022 01:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Dave Foreman of Praetura Ventures

May 16, 2022 19:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MB

Praetura  Ventures are a VC firm based in Greater Manchester that lead with a 'More than Money' promise.  Alongside the funds they invest in some of the most exciting businesses in the North West they also put a huge focus on nurturing those businesses, and the entrepreneurs leading them, to inspire even greater success. Some phenomenal success stories are already coming through their stable (Bankify, Peak, Sorted, Pixelmax and many more) and Dave shares his desire to kick Praetura on to th...

The Buzz: Jennie Johnson of My First Five Years

May 04, 2022 01:00 - 10 minutes - 7.28 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Jennie Johnson MBE of My First Five Years

May 02, 2022 01:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MB

You may already know the wonderful Jennie Johnson MBE from the hugely successful Kids Allowed chain of nurseries that she founded in 2003.  In this conversation Jennie starts by sharing the story behind her switch from a successful IT career into the world of Entrepreneurship and how she pioneered a completely new approach in a well established sector. However we quick move on to her failed attempts to retire having sold Kids Allowed and then the lightning bolt of inspiration that led to he...

The Buzz: Rimi Thapar of Love Raw

April 26, 2022 21:00 - 11 minutes - 7.7 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Rimi Thapar of Love Raw

April 25, 2022 20:00 - 47 minutes - 32.4 MB

This episode is about Vegan chocolate that tastes like chocolate chocolate.  In fact it's the story behind the fastest growing Vegan chocolate brand in the UK and they just happen to be based in Greater Manchester. But behind the delicious end products this conversation tells the inspiring story of Love Raw the business that Rimi Thapar has built with her husband Manav (whilst starting a young family at the same time). Love Raw are absolutely smashing it and if you haven't checked them out...

The Buzz: Matt Fleetwood of Beyond Law Group

March 31, 2022 01:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Matt Fleetwood of Beyond Law Group

March 30, 2022 12:00 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MB

Except for when they’re taking down an evil corporate entity in a John Grisham novel lawyers tend to get a bad reputation.  But the reality is that lawyers often work long hours, under extreme pressure and in situations where a single mistake can have huge consequences.  And alongside all this pressure they’re often working with clients who are going through a particularly stressful event.  So what I found really refreshing in this conversation with Matt Fleetwood was that in talking about ...

The Buzz: Ben Davies of Vypr

March 22, 2022 17:00 - 12 minutes - 8.96 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Ben Davies of Vypr

March 21, 2022 02:00 - 31 minutes - 22 MB

Having worked as a buyer with Sainsburys and the Coop Ben Davies had seen too many products launch into supermarkets and fail to meet expectations, often with costly consequences. Realising that technology provided the opportunity to build a platform that could help rapidly inform retailers and brands he set about creating Vypr - an intelligence platform that captures responses from the public at scale.  Vypr is now plugged in to the NPD process for numerous companies, large and small, test...

The Buzz: Rachel Kettlewell of Fearne & Rosie

March 15, 2022 18:00 - 12 minutes - 8.4 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Rachel Kettlewell of Fearne & Rosie

March 14, 2022 09:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MB

Former teacher Rachel has launched Fearne & Rosie to help combat the growing issue of kids 'sugar loading' at breakfast.   Her jams and condiments business makes a range of lower sugar products that contain more real fruit and Rachel shares here how she built a team or partners and advisors to make the business a reality. Now sold in Waitrose, Morrisons & Ocado Rachel is embarking on the exciting step of raising investment through Crowd-funding to support their next stage of growth - so che...

The Buzz: Nicola Weedall of Hydr

February 15, 2022 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.86 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Nicola Weedall of Hydr

February 14, 2022 21:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

Fintech startup Hydr was launched by Nicola and her Co-Founder Hector Macandrew in May 2021.   Using their combined experience of the industry, and taking advantage of advances in technology, they have created a game-changing invoice finance platform that promises to liberate small businesses from the timely burden of using similar, more traditional, services. In this conversation Nicola shares how technology has enabled Hydr to disrupt an industry and their ultimate goal for Hydr to help m...

The Buzz: Steve Oliver of musicMagpie

January 26, 2022 16:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Steve Oliver of musicMagpie

January 25, 2022 13:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MB

Happy 2022!  We're back with a BANG with this amazing conversation with Steve Oliver the CEO of musicMagpie and Chair of the Stockport Economic Alliance. Steve shares the amazing story of how he and the musicMagpie team took the business from his converted garage to its float on the stock market in 2021 that valued the business at >£200m. He also digs into the 'Smart for the Planet' vision for the business that's reflected in the positive impact musicMagpie has giving second, third and fou...

The Buzz: Laura Pomfret of Financielle

December 28, 2021 02:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Laura Pomfret of Financielle

December 27, 2021 11:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MB

New Year Resolution time - do any of yours involve money management or that special something that you'd like to save up for? Either way you should be listening in to this inspiring story of two female founders shaking things up in an industry that has failed to address female financial 'wellness' for far too long. What started as an anonymous blog launched by Laura to share her own money management 'playbook' that she had created has now become 'Financielle', an app and community helping ...

The Buzz: Ash Jones of Great Influence

December 22, 2021 02:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Ash Jones of Great Influence

December 20, 2021 20:00 - 41 minutes - 28.9 MB

Merry Christmas you filthy animals! My gift to you is this banger of a conversation with Ash Jones who is an absolute guru on the topic of personal branding.  Through his agency, Great Influence, Ash and his team work with some of the biggest names in business in Greater Manchester and beyond from Steven Bartlett to Sacha Lord, Gary Neville, Katy Lesson and Dom McGregor. If you're a business leader, or aspire to be one, you should give this episode a listen as it's fantastic starting point...

The Buzz: Janine Smith of The Business Growth Hub

December 07, 2021 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.73 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Janine Smith of The Business Growth Hub

December 06, 2021 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MB

If you’re starting, or scaling, a business in Greater Manchester and you haven’t come across the Business Growth Hub then this is the conversation for you!  The Business Growth Hub exists to support the success, and economic growth, of businesses in the area through free (yes I said free!) one-to-one time with subject matter experts or through the events, specialist programmes and many other services they offer, across all areas of running a business. They are truly one of the top reasons w...

The Buzz: Ged Tivey of Kameno

December 02, 2021 02:00 - 11 minutes - 7.98 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Ged Tivey of Kameno

November 30, 2021 21:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MB

Ged Tivey has been a partner and investor at the heart of some of the most impactful businesses in Greater Manchester over the past decade from Zerum to e3creative and most recently with Gary Neville’s Relentless Group.  Ged has now launched his own design and venture studio - Kameno - making it his mission to help build purpose-led businesses that positively impact the world. In this conversation we cover off how Ged accelerated his career by working in smaller businesses and he also speak...

The Buzz: Steve Hoyles of MyGym

November 23, 2021 02:00 - 11 minutes - 8.09 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Steve Hoyles of MyGym

November 22, 2021 16:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MB

Imagine spending your career building towards a single dream of opening your own gym and then finally achieving that dream in the same year that a Global Pandemic causes gyms to close and gym opening and attendance become a hugely debated and controversial topic.  😳 This is the rollercoaster that Steve Hoyles has been through over the past two years as he planned for and launched 'MyGym' with his business partner David Sullivan. However in this conversation Steve shares how the gym is now ...

The Buzz: Ed Cox of Reason Digital

November 17, 2021 02:00 - 12 minutes - 8.48 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles  

The Buzz: Matt Haworth of Reason Digital

November 16, 2021 02:00 - 11 minutes - 8.25 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations J Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Ed Cox & Matt Haworth of Reason Digital

November 15, 2021 10:00 - 47 minutes - 33 MB

New Local Heroes!  If you want to celebrate the very best of Greater Manchester then look no further than this conversation with Matt Haworth and Ed Cox of Reason Digital.  It was humbling and inspiring to hear the story of how their digital agency Reason Digital has grown into a 50-strong team of experts applying their skills, and the power of technology, for good.  Since their launch in 2007 Reason Digital have been creating impactful digital solutions for charities and not-for-profits org...

The Buzz: Paul Sharrocks of Stockport Gin

November 09, 2021 02:00 - 11 minutes - 8.14 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Paul Sharrocks of Stockport Gin

November 08, 2021 02:00 - 34 minutes - 24.1 MB

Stockport has been through some tough times but in recent years the  town has begun to bounce back with regeneration, inward investment and most excitingly an influx of great eating and dining locations. Adding to this buzz was been the arrival of Stockport Gin in 2019.  A business born out of Paul & Cheryl Sharrocks passion for great gin that has thrived through the lockdowns of 2020 and saw the launch in summer 2021 of their own gorgeous small batch craft distillery right in the centre of...

The Buzz: Richard Taylor of Brandon Consultants

November 02, 2021 02:00 - 13 minutes - 9.59 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Richard Taylor of Brandon Consultants

November 01, 2021 09:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MB

Richard has been helping SME and global businesses to succeed across the world for over 20 years. He set up his own design consultancy, Brandon, with his wife over nine years ago. He leads the key client partnerships within the business, looking to help make a creative and commercial difference to every brand and business he partners with.  In this conversation Richard takes us behind the scenes of how Brandon went from being born out a desire to ‘escape’ London initially but has transforme...

The Buzz: Graham Richards of Ronhill Sports & Hilly Clothing

October 26, 2021 01:00 - 12 minutes - 8.39 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Graham Richards of Ronhill Sports & Hilly Clothing

October 25, 2021 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MB

Dr Ron Hill MBE is quite simply a legend of the sport of running – a world record holder, an Olympian, a running entrepreneur and someone who worked tirelessly to champion the health benefits of running.  Over 40 years ago Graham Richards started work at Ronhill Sports, the innovative running apparel business started by Dr Ron Hill MBE in 1970.  He is now Managing Director of Ronhill Sports and Hilly Clothing (another business started by Dr Ron Hill) and in this episode shares the incredibl...

The Buzz: Angela Boggiano of At The Kitchen

October 19, 2021 01:00 - 12 minutes - 8.34 MB

The Buzz: Angela Boggiano of At The Kitchen On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Angela Boggiano of At The Kitchen

October 18, 2021 09:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MB

Angela Boggiano is a food editor, food stylist and author who was born and raised in North Manchester and her Italian family heritage inspired a love of food that took her to London and a diverse career at the heart of the UK food 'movement' of the 90s and noughties - working on TV projects with personalities like Nigella Lawson and for titles such as Delicious and BBC Good Food Magazine. Moving back to Manchester Angela launched At The Kitchen, located in Cheadle Hulme, in partnership with...

The Buzz: Joe Harper of Just Bee Honey

October 12, 2021 01:00 - 7 minutes - 4.9 MB

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

GMBS: Joe Harper of Just Bee Honey

October 10, 2021 20:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MB

Joe Harper co-founded Just Bee with his friend Andy Sugden back in 2015 with two simple goals; to create exciting and healthy products using honey; and an ongoing mission to help Save the Bees.  Looking for innovative ways to use honey they launched a range of soft drinks naturally sweetened with honey rather than sugar.  Over the next 5 years they built distribution of their range with retailers from Fortnum & Mason to Waitrose, Boots and WHSmith before the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 decima...

GMBS Podcast Trailer

October 06, 2021 17:00 - 2 minutes - 2.04 MB

The one where Joe chats about how and why this podcast has come about. Instagram @gmbspodcast Email [email protected] Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

Trailer: Introducing 'GREATER Manchester Business Stories'

September 03, 2021 14:00 - 3 minutes - 2.17 MB

The one where Joe chats about how this podcast came about and what we hope to share with you lovely lot.

Twitter Mentions

@jmboyers 1 Episode
@reasondigital 1 Episode
@musicmagpie 1 Episode
@manctechfest 1 Episode
@by_kameno 1 Episode