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Business Without BS

Business Without BS

Written by: Oury Clark
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 Your weekly dose of real-world business intelligence. No gurus, no fluff - just practical lessons from people who’ve built, scaled, failed, adapted, celebrated, and done it all again. We don’t admire success from afar - we dissect it, decode it, and deliver the lessons straight to you. Subscribe for weekly insights and free resources that strip away the jargon and deliver the real-world lessons you wish you'd got at business school.Copyright 2026 Oury Clark Economics
Episodes
  • Why ESG Blew Up and What Leaders Do Next with Lucy Parker, Brunswick Senior Partner

    Why ESG Blew Up and What Leaders Do Next with Lucy Parker, Brunswick Senior Partner
    May 13 2026

    EP — Lucy Parker explains why sustainability only works when leaders stop hiding in the castle and start engaging with the real world.

    Lucy Parker argues that the real challenge in sustainability is leadership behaviour: large companies still operate as if they can stay behind the walls, even though stakeholders now expect open engagement and socially relevant decisions.

    The conversation covers ESG’s collapse, system‑level change, supply‑chain realities, political headwinds, and how SMEs can act when resources are tight. The focus is practical: decision points leaders face, how to prioritise material issues, and why recalibration is normal rather than failure.

    What You'll Learn in This Episode:

    • Decide which sustainability issues actually fall within your remit

    • Shift from corporate‑centric thinking to socially relevant leadership

    • Work with competitors without breaching competition rules

    • Recalibrate sustainability targets without losing direction

    • Spot where system‑level change is possible in your sector

    This episode is for UK business owners who want clarity on sustainability without noise or posturing.

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

    Spotify Video Chapters:

    0:00 Sustainability without BS begins

    01:00 Tom’s intro and why leadership matters

    02:20 Lucy’s role and the social value of business

    04:40 What leaders still haven’t caught up with

    07:00 Corporate‑centric vs socially relevant

    09:40 Who owns responsibility for global problems?

    12:20 Is ESG dead?

    16:00 Data, measurement and unbundling ESG

    20:20 The ESG backlash and political noise

    25:40 Net zero, realism and recalibration

    32:10 Supply chains, plastic and system constraints

    38:40 Consumers, behaviour and plastic reality

    44:00 Regulation, CSRD and where responsibility sits

    50:40 System change and pre‑competitive collaboration

    57:00 Leadership, conviction and next‑gen expectations

    1:10:00 What SMEs can actually do this week

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    If you'd like to be on the show, get in contact - mail@businesswithoutbullshit.me
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    1 hr and 38 mins
  • Most Firms Get Marketing Wrong, Here's Why - Mark Palmer

    Most Firms Get Marketing Wrong, Here's Why - Mark Palmer
    May 6 2026
    Mark argues most SMEs fail at marketing because they misunderstand the customer, the market and the value they actually provide.About this episodeMark Palmer dismantles the modern marketing fog: founders often make stronger marketers than the marketers they hire, most values pages are fiction, and copying competitors is a reliable way to shrink margins.He argues marketing’s core job has not changed: understand the customer, understand the market, then build something worth buying.The conversation covers value propositions, brand positioning, why digital natives miss the bigger picture, how to hire a marketer, where partnerships create real leverage, and why some brands mutate beyond recognition. Practical, direct and grounded in real examples.About the guestMark Palmer is a brand consultant and best-selling author of The Work Smarter Guide to Marketing. He runs Maverick Planet, advising global brands and high-growth UK businesses on positioning and growth. He has shaped brands for Google, Vodafone, Lego, English Cricket and more.Key moments00:00 - Why Facebook profits from scam adverts00:54 - How marketing became fragmented and misunderstood03:55 - How to tell if someone actually understands marketing05:10 - Why founders often outperform hired marketers07:56 - The Unilever brand key and nine-question process09:59 - How Grey Goose changed the vodka market14:45 - Guinness Zero and the rise of low-alcohol positioning16:58 - Why company values drift and lose meaning19:01 - How large platforms get away with poor service22:57 - What startups must prove to investors27:26 - Why most marketers confuse tactics for strategy34:41 - The power and risk of brand partnerships44:53 - Five practical rules every founder should followMentioned in this episodeAirbnb - Example of redefining a market rather than competing narrowlyAperol Spritz - Used to explain category expansion and cultural trendsApple - Case study in consistent positioning and product-led brand buildingBBC - Referenced in discussion on value drift and public trustBen Grubbs - Ex-YouTube leader investing in creator-driven brandsBMW - Example of brand stretch, mutation and positioning disciplineBoeing - Used to illustrate gaps between stated values and behaviourBurberry - Case study on repositioning and over-extensionChannel 4 Paralympics - Example of exceptional brand-buildingDiageo - Later purchaser of Grey GooseGood Good Golf - Creator-led brand built from YouTubeGrey Goose - Demonstrates market reframing and super-premium creationGuinness / Guinness Zero - Example of using consumer trends to repositionHermes / Evri - Renaming after reputation issuesLego - Example of brand stretch from toys to entertainmentLondon Business School - Where Mark teaches foundersMac vs PC campaign - Classic Apple positioning exampleMeta / Facebook / Instagram - Discussion on fraud, values and regulationNatWest - Used to highlight poor customer experienceOpenAI - Values drift examplePimm’s - Seasonal brand trapped by narrow positioningQuickBooks - Clear value proposition caseSerious Fraud Office - Referenced in discussion on corruption patternsSmirnoff / Absolut - Vodka category comparisonsThames Water - Monopoly behaviour and brand issuesTicketmaster - Friction and reputation exampleVirgin Media - Values vs behaviour mismatchFind the guestLinkedIn: Website:Follow Business Without BSWebsite: https://withoutbs.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/@bwblondon Instagram: https://instagram.com/bwblondon X / Twitter: https://x.com/bwb_london LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-without-bs Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-without-bs/id1528844106 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6J1YMncmYCLODOKi8A0CFU🎧 Business Without BS - straight talk from people who've actually built things.
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • How New UK Property Rules Hit Landlords and Renters - Jemma & Michael of Oury Clark

    How New UK Property Rules Hit Landlords and Renters - Jemma & Michael of Oury Clark
    May 1 2026

    Oury Clark partners lay out how new UK property rules reshape renting, leaseholds and development in 2026 and beyond.

    ### About this episode

    Three major UK property reforms land at once — renters’ rights, leasehold reform and commonhold — and Jemma and Michael from Oury Clark explain why these shifts change timelines, cashflow and asset planning for founders far more than headlines suggest. The tension: clearer protections for tenants and leaseholders versus increased friction and uncertainty for landlords and developers.

    They walk through how notice periods, court delays, marriage value abolition, 990‑year extensions, business rates and proposed rent review bans really operate in practice. Founders get a practical read on what to plan, what to expect and what to avoid.

    ### About the guest

    Jemma Hotter and Michael La Fuente are partners at Oury Clark, advising UK and international businesses on property, commercial and regulatory matters. They specialise in translating complex UK real estate rules into practical decisions for founders, investors and operators.

    ### Key moments

    - [00:00] — Why three reforms hit the UK property system at once.

    - [02:53] — How renters’ reform redistributes power between landlords and tenants.

    - [07:00] — Why four‑month notices and court delays reshape landlord cashflow.

    - [09:57] — New restrictions on discrimination, deposits and bidding wars.

    - [14:50] — Why yearly rent reviews may trigger annual increases, not stability.

    - [18:04] — Leasehold explained: value, mortgages and the 80‑year cliff.

    - [27:00] — How 990‑year extensions and scrapping marriage value change pricing.

    - [36:05] — Ground rent caps and who loses out when premiums disappear.

    - [43:01] — Commonhold: how it works, why it never took off and what changes next.

    - [52:00] — Business rates overhaul and what multipliers actually mean.

    - [59:02] — Commercial rent reviews and the push to end upwards‑only clauses.

    - [01:05:43] — Winners, losers and the unintended effects across the market.

    ### Mentioned in this episode

    - **Doomsday Book** — Historical reference when discussing 999‑year terms.

    - **Metro / Evening Standard** — Examples of media reporting on rental pressures.

    - **Valuation Office Agency** — Body calculating rateable values.

    ### Find the guest

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oury-clark

    ### Follow Business Without BS

    Website: https://withoutbs.com

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/@bwblondon

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/bwblondon

    X / Twitter: https://x.com/bwb_london

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-without-bs

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-without-bs/id1528844106

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6J1YMncmYCLODOKi8A0CFU

    • 🎧 Business Without BS — straight talk from people who've actually built things.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
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