Are you inadvertently the "back door" into your largest client's secure network?

In this episode, Simon Batchelar is joined by Paul Everington to discuss the increasing cybersecurity risks facing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Large companies often have enterprise-grade security, making them difficult to hack directly. As a result, hackers are targeting the "weaker link" in the supply chain, the SME, to gain access or gather intelligence.

We explore real-world examples, such as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Co-op, where supply chain hacks caused significant disruption. We also debunk the myth that you are safe just because you don't have a direct software connection to your client. Hackers can utilise social engineering via invoices or steal data like blueprints and software to reverse-engineer the larger client's security.

Key Topics Covered:

The "Back Door" Risk: How hackers use dormant employee logins to bypass security.

The Financial Consequence: Why big companies may sue their suppliers to recoup losses if they lack their own insurance coverage.

Data Value: Why your blueprints, drawings, and simple spreadsheets are valuable to criminals.

Risk Assessment: Practical advice on creating a "resilience plan" for when things go wrong.

Is your website traffic dropping unexpectedly? You aren't alone.

In this video, Simon Batchelar (Pallant Studio) and Paul Everington (Everwell Associates) discuss the rapidly changing world of AI search and its real-world effect on the world of sales and lead generation.

For over 15 years, the "10 blue links" Google model drove traffic to businesses that answered specific customer questions. But today, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s AI Overviews are answering those questions directly, removing the need for users to click through to your website.

We cover:

- Why some businesses are seeing organic traffic drops of 25–30%.

- How AI tools use your content to answer questions without giving you credit or clicks.

- The business risks of AI: From reliable data inputs to customer perceptions.

- How to treat AI adoption as a continuous improvement and R&D opportunity, rather than just a threat.

If you are worried about where your next lead is coming from, or how your team is using AI internally, this discussion provides a framework for assessing that risk and future-proofing your business.

Does cybersecurity feel like an impossible, expensive task?. In this video, Simon Batchelar (Pallant Studio) and Paul Everington (Everwell Associates) discuss why many business owners find cyber risk difficult to visualise compared to physical security, often leading them to believe they are too small to be targeted.

We break down the technical jargon and share simple, cost-effective steps you can take immediately to protect your business. From the importance of automatic updates to implementing password managers like Bitwarden or 1Password, we cover the essentials that don't require a massive budget.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why cyber risks are harder to imagine than physical risks.
• The critical importance of changing default passwords on Wifi and accounts.
• Demystifying Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and why you need it.
• Why you should stop using spreadsheets to store passwords and use a Manager instead.
• Using physical security keys (like YubiKey) for extra protection.

Think your business already works with everyone who matters?

In this episode, Simon Batchelar challenges one of the biggest myths in manufacturing and engineering marketing, the belief that “everyone already knows who we are”.

Simon explains why this mindset can be dangerous, how competitors are quietly winning your prospects, and what to do to stay visible to buyers, engineers, and designers actively searching for solutions like yours.

Whether you rely on word-of-mouth, repeat work, or long-standing relationships, this video will help you see why even established companies need consistent marketing to keep growing.

Here's the 4 main takeaways:

• Having a great reputation doesn’t guarantee visibility.
• Your competitors are marketing to the same audience you think you already own.
• If buyers can’t find you, they’ll never consider you.
• Marketing keeps you visible, relevant, and ready for new opportunities.

When you want to generate new business, should you invest in a trade show stand or put your budget into Google Ads?

Both can work, but they deliver results in very different ways.

In this episode, Simon Batchelar compares their strengths and weaknesses side by side to help you decide which is best for your business.

- How trade shows build credibility, visibility, and relationships in your sector

- Why Google Ads help you reach active buyers at the right time

- The pros and cons of each approach for generating high-quality leads

- How to combine both to maximise your marketing results

How to make your business more resilient. In this podcast, Simon Batchelar from Pallant and Paul Everington from Everwell Associates discuss how to make your business more resilient.

We explore why resilience is so important for manufacturing and engineering companies, especially when businesses are going through change—whether that’s selling, succession, or scaling.

You’ll hear practical examples of how weak sales pipelines often rely too heavily on founders, how to activate wider networks within your business, and why processes such as ISO standards can strengthen resilience.

What you’ll learn in this podcast:

• Why business resilience matters when exiting, selling, or acquiring a company

• The risks of relying on founders and innovators for sales pipelines

• How to build resilience by activating networks across your team

• The role of processes and standards like ISO 9001 in building efficiency and resilience

• Practical steps SMEs can take to prepare for growth and long-term success

Not all ISO certificates are created equal. An increasing number of certificates aren't what they appear to be.

In this video, Simon Batchelar talks to Paul Everington about a common misconception: many companies believe that having ISO certification will help them secure more work or bid for UK government, defence, aerospace, and MOD contracts. However, without UKAS-accredited certification, these certificates may not provide the expected opportunities.

We explain:

• The difference between UKAS-accredited ISO certificates and other certificates
• Why only UKAS-accredited certifications are recognised by government, aerospace and defence contracts
• How to check if your certification is valid
• The risks of relying on the wrong certificate
• What steps you can take to ensure your business is properly certified

Not sure if your ISO certification is the key to unlocking more work? This video will explain how to check and what to do if it's not what you expected.

In this video, Simon Batchelar from Pallant Studio is joined by Paul Everington from Everwell Associates to explore a key question faced by growing businesses: When is the right time to bring in outside expertise?

Whether you’re scaling up, feeling stretched as a founder, or unsure whether to hire in-house or outsource, this conversation is packed with practical insight for engineering, manufacturing, and B2B service businesses.

We cover:

• Why hiring generalists too early can slow your growth
• What signals it’s time to bring in outside help
• The advantages of using fractional or on-demand experts
• How to scale without building a big in-house team
• What the “studio model” looks like in practice