You may have seen the BBC1 TV show Dragons’ Den, but what is it like to enter the Den and pitch for investment? Social entrepreneur John McClarey recalls his experience.

John McClarey is the founder and Managing Director of Business Fives which provides sports activities as corporate events and in the process raises money for charity.

One of the first episodes of The Independent Minds featured John explaining how on the five-a-side pitch your job title doesn’t matter, it’s all about the team.

Ahead of tonight's edition of the long-running BBC programme The Dragons’ Den in this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds John recounts to host Michael Millward what it is like to prepare for what happens when the elevator doors open and you step into The Dragons’ Den.

John discusses,

• Receiving the telephone call from the producers
• The detailed vetting process
• How he prepared to do his pitch
• The waiting involved

John pitched for £50,000 in exchange for five percent of his business. To find out if he was successful watch Dragons' Den on the BBC iPlayer.

Discover more about John and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance. Use our discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Technology companies around the world face a skills shortage, so how should the way IT careers are promoted to school pupils and college students change?

Carrie Goetz has enjoyed her career in tech and understands the range of opportunities the industry offers, as well the problems that tech employers face in recruiting all ages of education leavers.

Nowadays Carrie is the Principal/CTO, at StrategITcom, Carrie is also an Amazon best-selling author of

• Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers Featuring Careers for Women, Trades, and Vets in Tech and Data Centers.
• Polly Packet's Precious Payload - All Smiles to the Data Center (Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers)
• Educator's Reference for Data Center Education: A Companion to "Jumpstart Your Career in Data

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Carrie and host Michael Millward a volunteer STEM ambassador discuss how technology is taught at every stage of education might need to change to create more interest in tech careers.

Their conversation covers how

• Coding might not be the best place to start.
• The wide range of careers needed to make a data centre work
• Diversity of people working in tech
• On-line security
• Once posted it is there forever Together in Electric Dreams.
• The challenges of preparing people for technology careers when the industry is constantly changing.

Discover more about Carrie Goetz and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance. Use our discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Doing good business does not have to involve creating a negative impact on employees, customers, suppliers, society, or environment.

Bessie Graham is a co-founder of Benefit Capital, and a strategic advisor to C-suite leaders in midsize businesses and large non-profits across the globe. She is a former advisor to the Australian Federal Government and the Obama Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Bessie and host Michael Millward discuss how changes in the way people work demands that employers of all kinds adopt a more purposeful approach to making and using money.

Their conversation covers how

• History impacts our perception of the present and future.
• Employee attitudes toward work are changing
• Treating people, customers, suppliers well results in win-win relationships
• Business plans should include a section on how the business will do business

Originally published in February 2025, twelve months on this conversation is increasingly relevant in 2026 to how businesses need to change.

Discover more about Bessie Graham and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

Further reading

• Milton Friedman
• Maya Angelou
• Pamela Hartigan
• The Quakers: Money and Morals
• The ToyotaWay

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance. Use our discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Experience based team building brings remote workers together

Daniel O’Sullivan is the founder of Team Building Experiences.co.uk which does what its name suggests, providing team building experiences for every size and type of company.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Daniel and host Michael Millward discuss how changes in the way people work and socialise is changing how teams form and build at work.

Their conversation covers

• How smaller businesses are seeing the value of experience-based team building activities.
• Changing work patterns can create isolated and lonely workers
• How employee attitudes toward work are changing
• How social connections at work can improve work performance
• How the ‘know’ ‘like’ trust’ sales model applies to work relationships
• Changes in employee approaches to team building
• The barriers employers create that hinder team building.
• The team building that Daniel provides for his team

Discover more about Daniel O’Sillivan and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.x

Exploring some of the benefits of sharing knowledge and building connections by being a guest on a podcast.

Anthony Markey helps businesses to find money they didn’t know they qualified for and then connects those businesses with the right people who can ensure they use it well. He is also the host of the I Know a Guy podcast, on which he showcases interesting people who are experts in their field.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anthony and host Michael Millward discuss how being a guest on a podcast can be an effective way to make connections that help to grow a business.

Their conversation covers

• The power of helping others to be successful
• What they look for in a good guest
• The importance of being interested in every guest and listening to them
• The power of making connections
• How podcasts can build communities
• The successes that Anthony has had
• The unusual experiences being a The pleasure of being a podcast host
• What the future looks like for I know a Guy

Discover more about Anthony Markey and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Exploring the role of ethics in marketing.

Dr. Thomas Trautmannis the founder of Happy Brains a neuro marketing consultancy. He is also the author of several books on ethical marketing, ethical persuasion and human relationships

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Thomas describes to host Michael Millward how he used ethical marketing techniques to grow his motor cycle tour business by 400%.

Their conversation covers

• A definition of neuro-marketing and ethical persuasion.
• How human beings make decisions
• Why human connection is important in decision making
• The role of ration and emotional brains in decision making
• How removing pain for a customer will result in a sale
• Genuine empathy and maintaining relationships
• The role of AI in customer service

Discover more about Dr Thomas Trautmann and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

Buy books by Dr Thomas Trautmann

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

To maximise profits, you need to have a strategy that makes you stand out as an ideal supplier.

Jeanne Omlor is a solo parent at home, and a team player in business. Faced with the challenges of raising a child alone she searched for ways to make a secure income. Learning how to grow a brand organically opened opportunities for her to sell a service that helps her clients make lots of money.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Jeanne describes how she realised that conventional ways of marketing were not working for her target market, coaches and business consultants.

Jeanne explains to host Michael Millward the organic approach that she developed for her own coaching business, which she eventually turned in to a business to support other coaches and consultants. A business that Jeanne structured around the Henry Ford approach to management of surrounding herself with experts and letting them get on with their work.

Their conversation covers

• How convention networking and referral programmes are not sustainable
• The new approach requires research into potential clients before reaching out to them
• How to create compelling messages that will create connections with great clients
• The content you need on your website to support your marketing activities

Discover more about Jeanne Omlor and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

It is amazing what you can achieve if you can avoid the distractions of modern life

Steve Puri, had a career in the entertainment industry with DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox, before becoming an entrepreneur and setting-up a series of technology businesses. The latest is TheSukha.co.

TheSukha.co is an APP that helps people achieve more by removing the constant distractions of modern life.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Steve describes to host Michael Millward the inspiration for TheSukha.co happened on an Alaskan Airways flight from Austin Texas to San Francisco.

Steve, explains

• That effective and efficient work starts with hiring the right people,
• Why your people must share the vision of the company, because that is why they want to work with you.
• How everything about the company must support the fulfilment of that vision.
• That the best work is achieved when workers achieve what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described as a Flow State.
• Why remote workers still need to feel connected to each other.

Michael mentions the Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times.

Discover more about Steve Puri and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.