Episodes

  • Does Manchester Beat London for Building a Business? - Adam Pope, Founder of Spencer Churchill Solicitors

    Does Manchester Beat London for Building a Business? - Adam Pope, Founder of Spencer Churchill Solicitors
    May 20 2026

    EP — Adam Pope on why Manchester outperforms cities twice its size.

    Manchester’s business culture is built on graft, confidence and doing things without waiting for permission. Adam Pope explains why the city’s attitude consistently turns small firms into serious operators and why founders underestimate the Northern Powerhouse region at their cost.

    The conversation covers how Greater Manchester’s geography, talent pool, transport links and industrial heritage shape commercial behaviour, plus the practical realities of scaling outside London. We also look at hiring, governance, legal blind spots and how AI is already changing professional services.

    What You'll Learn in This Episode:

    • Spot the cultural traits that drive Manchester’s commercial confidence

    • Judge when to base operations inside or outside the city centre

    • Avoid common legal and governance gaps that derail SMEs

    • Use AI without weakening decision‑making or risk controls

    • Build trust in a region where people value straight dealing

    This episode is for UK founders deciding where to build, scale or expand — especially if you’re considering life outside the M25.

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

    Spotify Video Chapters:

    0:00 Manchester isn’t trying to be London

    01:34 Industrial heritage and tech investment

    04:02 Greater Manchester’s expansion

    06:23 Culture, friendliness and swagger

    10:11 Wealth, influence and the city’s vibe

    15:21 Starting and hiring in Manchester

    18:10 Northern Powerhouse and regional funding

    22:47 HS2, infrastructure and wasted budgets

    24:58 What high‑speed rail would really change

    32:18 Scaling across the North

    33:24 Trust, class and regional attitudes

    39:04 Legal sector differences

    48:35 AI, law and Adam’s Clause platform

    57:13 Automation, headcount and future roles

    1:03:43 Where SMEs go wrong legally

    1:13:33 Business or Bullshit

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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 23 mins
  • 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

    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
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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
  • Why your boss is the real AI threat - Dave Birss

    Why your boss is the real AI threat - Dave Birss
    Apr 29 2026
    Dave Birss says you won't be replaced by AI - you'll be replaced by a leader who's been told the wrong story about it.About this episodeDave Birss is back on Business Without BS - author of the Sensible AI Manifesto, co-founder of the Gen AI Academy, and a man who's taught a million-and-a-half people how to use AI without setting their business on fire. He walks Andy and Andrew through what he calls a "corporate poopocalypse" — what happens when you apply AI to a business that hasn't cleaned up its own mess.The episode covers the Sensible AI Manifesto's six points, the CREATE prompting framework, the three Cs for checking AI output, the adequacy trap, why judgment is the most undervalued skill of the next decade, and the practical playbook for rolling out AI across a team without sending the whole organisation into a panic.About the guestDave Birss co-founded the Gen AI Academy with Helena, where they run AI training across governments, the UN, and Fortune 500 companies. He wrote the Sensible AI Manifesto and GPT Junior, the kids' AI book and video course now in over 100 schools. Before all that he spent his career in advertising and creativity, which is where most of his frameworks come from.Key moments[02:46] The Roomba poopocalypse - why AI applied to a dysfunctional business spreads the mess, not the productivity.[05:46] Corporate barnacles - the institutional plaque costing every business 40% in fuel and speed.[08:04] Sensible AI Manifesto Point 1: use AI to augment skills, not to outsource tasks.[09:15] The two-list exercise: tasks that piss you off vs tasks you wish you could do more of. Only the second list is the real opportunity.[12:11] AI slap - 96% of leaders think AI raises productivity, 77% of staff feel buried by unrealistic expectations.[13:48] The adequacy trap - why AI users get stuck at "good enough" and never break through.[22:51] The other five Manifesto points: use data responsibly, support employees, assign AI leaders, keep learning, always add a human layer.[26:40] The CREATE prompting framework — Character, Request, Examples, Adjustments, Type, Extras.[37:59] The three Cs for checking AI output: Confirm, Check, Craft. Why most people skip the third one.[55:14] How business owners keep their thinking sharp: do the work on paper before you open the laptop.[1:01:03] What humans still beat AI at - conceptualisation, creative voice, and judgment. The judgment one matters most.[1:14:17] The line that pisses Dave off: "you won't be replaced by AI, you'll be replaced by someone using AI." His correction is sharper.[1:18:09] The three-stage AI value pyramid — cost cutting → skill amplification → unlocking what wasn't possible before. 80% of companies are stuck on stage one.[1:24:18] How to roll out AI across a team in an afternoon: align with business strategy, declare an AI amnesty, pave the desire lines.Mentioned in this episodeSensible AI Manifesto — Dave's six-point framework for applying AI without breaking your business. Currently being turned into a book.Gen AI Academy - the training company Dave co-founded with Helena, working with governments, the UN and Fortune 500s.GPT Junior - Dave's book and video course teaching kids how to use AI properly, currently in over 100 schools.Perplexity - Dave's preferred AI tool for fact-checking because it gives you the sources.Cal Newport - referenced for the long-form-reading argument and the case that children reading for pleasure is the strongest predictor of life outcomes.Range (David Epstein) - the case for generalists over hyper-specialists; Dave says the book describes him.Yann LeCun - recently left Meta over the limits of next-token prediction; arguing AI needs world models, not just language.Roomba poopocalypse - the family-and-the-dog metaphor that opens the episode and frames the whole thing.Marc Andreessen / lump of labour fallacy — the framing for why we systematically underestimate the new jobs that emerge from disruption.RAF desire lines - the Nissan-hut path-paving story; Dave's metaphor for letting staff show you how AI is already being used.Combinedly - the AI tool Andrew's firm is testing for client-sentiment analysis and email drafting.Find the guestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davebirss/ Gen AI Academy: https://thegenaiacademy.com/Follow Business Without BSWebsite: https://withoutbs.comYouTube: https://youtube.com/@bwblondonInstagram: https://instagram.com/bwblondonX / Twitter: https://x.com/bwb_londonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-without-bs🎧 Business Without BS — straight talk from people who've actually built things.
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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • The Branding Mistake Costing You Customers — Matt Hunt

    The Branding Mistake Costing You Customers — Matt Hunt
    Apr 22 2026
    Matt Hunt built a 300-million-ball business without a co-packer and without betting on supermarket shelves to do the work for him.About this episodeMatt Hunt is 11 years into building The Protein Ball Company — 300 million balls sold, 14 export markets, 60,000 bags leaving Worthing every day. He's done it by manufacturing himself, hedging with private label and export, and — after Covid wiped out 80% of the business — rebuilding from the bottom up through gyms and coffee shops before going back to supermarkets.Andy gets Matt into the detail: why private label is a hedge not a compromise, what a category buyer actually charges you for shelf space, and the graveyard exercise that Leeds agency Robot Foods ran to strip his branding down to "Ballsy by nature."About the guestMatt Hunt co-founded The Protein Ball Company with his wife Hayley in 2014. He also built OLUVS — the first olives-in-a-bag brand, sold live on QVC and supplied into airline catering with Ryanair, easyJet, Delta and United — and The Great British Porridge Company, which went on Dragon's Den, got offers from all five Dragons, and walked away on contractual terms. He specialises in scaling natural-ingredient food brands without handing control to a co-packer.Key moments[02:46] The single decision that built a 300-million-ball business: manufacture it yourself, don't hand it to a co-packer.[07:04] "No one cares as much as you do" — why outsourcing production leaves your quality in someone else's hands.[14:08] Cash flow is king. Money on the water, 90-day US terms, and why a million in receivables can still put payroll at risk.[24:12] Building from the bottom up — gyms, coffee shops, office blocks (Cafe Nero, Nuffield, HSBC) before Tesco.[27:10] How a category manager kills a challenger brand — the Organic Meltdown vs Lindt story at Waitrose.[36:09] What a shopper decides in two seconds — colour, font, tone, not ingredient claims — and why the agency forced Matt to strip the front of pack.[37:00] The graveyard exercise — Robot Foods' pre-mortem where Matt had to write his brand's obituary, list what killed it, and work backwards to stop it dying.[39:55] Where "Ballsy by nature" came from — anger at the protein-bar category and pride in sourcing the best.[52:34] When to say no to a private-label deal: conflict of interest, bad margin, or it dilutes your own brand. Why it's still 50% of the business.[58:00] Plan A, Plan B, Plan C — why every ingredient now needs three sources, and olives are up 45% in a year.[1:14:00] First-hire advice: keep your day job until the side hustle overtakes it. Hiring an office and staff too early is how you kill the thing.Mentioned in this episodeRobot Foods — Leeds branding agency behind the "Ballsy by nature" rebrand and the graveyard exercise (a pre-mortem: imagine your brand has died, write its obituary, work out what killed it).OLUVS — Matt's earlier brand. First olives-in-a-bag. Supplied into airline catering with Delta, United, Ryanair, easyJet.The Great British Porridge Company — Matt's third brand. Went on Dragon's Den, got offers from all five Dragons, walked away on contractual terms.QVC — where OLUVS sold live; older demographic, urgency-driven, better than people admit.Whole Foods Market — US stockist, 600 stores, private-label arrangement.Cafe Nero, Flying Coffee Bean, Black Sheep Coffee, Nuffield, Virgin Active — the bottom-up placement strategy.Pets Corner — 150-store launch partner for the dog-treat line.Joe Wicks' "Killer Bar" — parody protein bar exposing category additives; tailwind for natural brands like Matt's.Perfect Ted, Trip Drinks — examples of brands that hit the shelf running with the right backing.Stephen Bartlett — cited as the right-person-in-the-right-place factor behind Perfect Ted's scale.Mr Beast — influencer chocolate bar, discussed as a cautionary tale on quality.GLP-1 / Ozempic — why bite-sized dense-nutrition snacks are a growing category.Find the guestLinkedIn: [paste Matt Hunt's LinkedIn URL here — not stored in the Episodes sheet yet] The Protein Ball Company: https://theproteinballco.comFollow Business Without BSWebsite: https://withoutbs.comYouTube: https://youtube.com/@bwblondonInstagram: https://instagram.com/bwblondonX / Twitter: https://x.com/bwb_londonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-without-bsApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-without-bsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/business-without-bs🎧 Business Without BS — straight talk from people who've actually built things.
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Red Teaming, Critical Thinking & How to Stress-Test Your Strategy with Marcus Dimbleby

    Red Teaming, Critical Thinking & How to Stress-Test Your Strategy with Marcus Dimbleby
    Apr 15 2026

    EP 416 - What if your biggest business risk isn’t the market .. but your own assumptions?

    Former RAF Wing Commander Marcus Dimbleby reveals how leaders can use red teaming, applied critical thinking and pre-mortems to dramatically increase strategy success rates.

    We cover:

    Why most business plans fail

    The hidden danger of unchecked assumptions

    How to run a red team session (even in a small company)

    The “pre-mortem” technique that exposes fatal flaws

    How to build real psychological safety

    If you lead a team, run strategy or make high-stakes decisions — this episode will change how you think.

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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Why Fundraising Is Broken - How Founders Waste Time & Miss the Right Investors

    Why Fundraising Is Broken - How Founders Waste Time & Miss the Right Investors
    Apr 8 2026

    EP 415 with guest co-host Andrew Craig.

    Fundraising isn’t a numbers game, it’s a targeting problem.

    In this episode, Shipshape VC founder Daniel Sawko explains why startups waste hundreds of hours pitching the wrong investors, how “zombie funds” distort the market, and why blasting your deck to 10,000 investors destroys focus.

    We unpack information asymmetry, interest rate impacts, UK vs US capital markets, and how founders should actually build investor relationships.

    If you're raising seed, Series A or beyond, this is your real-world fundraising masterclass.

    Key themes:

    Startup fundraising strategy

    Venture capital

    Raising seed funding

    How to raise money for startup

    VC mistakes

    UK startup funding crisis, investor targeting

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    1 hr and 32 mins