Joining Karen and Mich this week is Alexander von Schirmeister, MD for UK and Emerging Markets for Xero. We talk about his international man of mystery life (our words not his!), languages, wine, and just how special the Small and Mighty Programme at Small Business Britain is. Cracking

This week, Mich and Karen chat to Erika Robinson, UK General Manager of Constant Contact and small business owner too, about supercharging small businesses. The future really is quite bright! And we even dip into a bit of Mr Motivator..... Yes it is a motivational week on the pod!

This week we get into employee rights and how they will impact small business, the Budget, are the robots taking over, all with a smattering of Jilly Cooper and some mad sporting endeavours. Never a dull moment

This week we talk to the awesome Ryan Panchoo, founder of Borough 22 specialist doughnut business about how he got started, how he has grown, the work required for a genuinely awesome gluten free doughnut, and how hard it is to get blue food dye....

This week the SBB team headed to Labour Conference to find out what the new Government is going to do for small business. We touch on the torrential rain, our karaoke choice, and why oh why are we still talking about equality in 2024? Lots of questions still outstanding but we recorded this on a boat, so we are feeling buoyant....…

This week to combat the rain and to get us in the MOOD for Small Business Saturday, we discuss all the things - and people - that are bringing us joy at the moment. Hope it brings you a smile and some joy too! Happy small businessing

This week we get into the latest proposed, and not proposed, changes to workers rights by the new Government. Keen not to scare the pants of small businesses, Michelle and Karen keep it real looking at what is really on the table, and how small biz offer flexibility that works for people in their community. And of course we discuss the Summer of Oa…

This week we are joined by the fabulous Cheryl Laidlaw - London Web Girl - to talk about AI, what it can do, what it can't do, and are we all going to be obsolete? One little diversion into using Chat GPT for a dating profile... But otherwise, right on the money.

This week we talk about the weather (again) and how it is impacting small businesses; mansplaining entrepreneurship; and we ask the question, why don't women start businesses? Hmm? If you have an answer, do get in touch hello@smallbusinessbritain.uk And the benefits of being able to watch Jake Gyllenhaal on a Wednesday afternoon.…

This week Mich and Karen look for the good in a bad news week. We touch on the news of the day, the US election, strong strong women (as always) and what we are looking forward to after the endless school holidays end. Small businesses - take heart

Do we all need a bit more positivity? This week we talk about giving small businesses a bit of love, there is singing, and the spring in the business, and consumer, step that a summer of sport can bring. But will it?

This week we look at the impact of a female US presidential candidate, the challenges of networking if you are short, and the opportunities, or not, of the new Growth Guarantee Scheme for small-ish businesses. Women are definitely doing it for themselves this week

This week, the dynamic duo discuss the King's Speech and what it means for small business. They also touch on blaming the Queen of Pop, Taylor Swift, for the rising inflation.... Is that really fair? This and more coming to you with extra summer sunshine

This week we reflect on the last week, early days of the new Government, all the women, and what we would do if we were the new Prime Minister. And Karen just about stops herself from singing D:Ream

With less than a week to go, can the election pick up the excitement levels for small business? We discuss Taylor Swift, the US Presidential Debate (ouch) and whether there can be some last minute UK election shizzle.

This week on the podcast as the election reaches fever pitch (spoiler - it really doesn't...) we discuss the "ambitious" proposals in the Reform manifesto for small businesses, what we would really like to see in the election (but likely wont) and how we are all a bit turned off it.

In the latest episode, Mich and Karen discuss the manifesto promises for small business from the major parties this week, the gap of sustainability and whether DiCaprio could kick start things. With less than 3 weeks to go, is there enough for small businesses to get excited?

This week Mich and Karen talk about a big weekend for small business, with Labour's Small Business Saturday, FSB's manifesto, filling in forms when drunk and what does the other 75% of the population need. As always, keeping it down to earth and honest. Get in touch with any questions on small business, policy, election promises or really anything …

Kicking off season 3, Karen and Mich dig into what small businesses are looking for in this election, and what we need from the next Government. They talk manifestos, levelling up, sustainability, AI, finance and more. Listen in and get involved in the conversation

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 10th episode, we are joined by the inspiring Shaa Wasmund, MBE. Shaa is not only a best selling author, but is the founder of The Freedom Collective and online …

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 9th episode, we are joined by the fab Andrew and Pete who are dedicated to working with small business owners to work smarter and scale up in the best way for t…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 8th episode, we are joined by the remarkable Kerensa Jennings, BT's Group Director for Digital Impact. Kerensa has had an amazing career so far, having worked a…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 7th episode we are joined by award-winning public speaker and communication consultant, Shola Kaye. Shola shares with us her story including how she experienced…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 6th episode we are joined by sales expert, James Newell from Clear Sales Message who dispels the myths around selling and the preconceptions that go with it. As…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 5th episode we are joined by award-winning financial advisor Lisa Conway-Hughes, aka Miss Lolly, to talk about how small business owners can best look after the…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast. This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 4th episode we are joined by the founder of The Entrepreneurs Network, Philip Salter. Philip shares with us his own entrepreneur story and what he has learnt on…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast! This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 3rd episode we are joined by the wonderful G, co-founder of The Queer Box, an organisation training businesses of any size on gender, sexuality and relationship…

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast! This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. For this 2nd episode we are joined by the inspiring founders of Cucumber Clothing, Eileen Willett and Nancy Zeffman. Eileen and Nancy share their business story and how …

Welcome to series 2 of the Small Business Britain podcast! This series we will be covering topics to help, inspire and support small businesses with a host of inspirational people. To kick things off, we are joined by the wonderful Zoe Hardman to talk about our first topic of the series - Balance. Zoe is not only a fabulous TV and radio presenter, …

Celebrating 12 years in business this month, our latest guest is the fab Luke Quilter, founder of digital marketing agency Sleeping Giant Media. Luke shares with us the story of how he started Sleeping Giant Media after seeing a gap in the market and spending many an evening at his dining room table after working all day; the challenges during COVI…

For episode 12 of the podcast, we wanted to do something special so we spoke to the founder of Small Business Britain, f:Entrepreneur and i:Entrepreneur and director of Small Business Saturday, Michelle Ovens! It was a inspiring and wonderful chat about how Mich got to where she is today, the pivotal moments and conversations in her life and career…

Have you changed career to follow your dream of owning your own business? This week's chat is with the inspiring Lorraine Thomas who shares her fascinating and empowering story of how she left a well-paid career in law to be her Dad's carer on minimal wage, but as fate - and an email error - would have it, has now found her true passion owning a su…

With a 27.4k following on Instagram and an award-winning Website In A Day business, it was great to catch up with Cheryl Laidlaw, aka London Web Girl, to talk about her story, how she got to where she is and what she's learnt along the way. It was an open, honest and refreshing chat - so please do give it a listen. 3 things we learnt: consistency i…

How much value do you place on your website and how much time do you dedicate to it? In episode 9, Karen speaks to Mark Tomkins, co-founder of Aubergine - a team of website designers, graphic designers and search optimisers based in Leighton Buzzard, and the recently crowned Supply Chain Champion at The Small Awards! 3 things we learnt: treat your …

21 years after the film, people are STILL taking photos outside 'that' famous door in Notting Hill. And why? Because they were captivated by that story in that piece of film. In episode 8, Karen speaks to Victor Castejon founder of The Quick Brown Fox - a team of dedicated producers, videographers and marketing specialists who care about video and …

In episode 7, Karen speaks to the fab Gillian Jones-Williams, founder of Emerge UK - a training and development consultancy that has just celebrated 25 years in business. Gillian shares with us her business story, her challenges along the way and how she has nurtured her clients. 3 things we learnt: what narcissistic listening is, the power of an o…

In episode 6, Karen speaks to the amazing Delight Mapasure founder of K's Wors - a multi-award winning eclectic range of Southern African inspired Boerewors. Dee is passionate about shaking up the UK’s incumbent premium sausage offering and has recently secured a national listing with Ocado. She is a serial entrepreneur who has established a succes…

In episode 5, Karen speaks to the wonderful Fran Gubbay, co-founder of Stamptastic - an award-winning company providing a solution to school uniform labelling. Fran shares with us her business story, the challenges they have faced during the past few months and how a chance product feature on TV boosted business when they really needed it. 3 things…

In episode 4, Karen speaks to the inspiring Geoff Wilkinson, aka The Building Inspector, founder and managing director of Wilkinson Construction - a multi-award winning approved inspectors providing building control services across London and south east England. Geoff shares with us his experiences during lockdown being in the construction trade an…

In episode 3, Karen speaks to the inspiring Christopher Kenna, founder and CEO of Brand Advance - a cultural marketing agency that helps brands reach diversity and connects them with diverse audiences globally. Christopher shares his fascinating story, the prejudices he still experiences and faces daily being a Black, gay man, and how small busines…

In episode 2, Karen speaks to the amazing Rowena Howie, founder of Revival Retro. Rowena shares her business story and her considerable ups and downs of the past few months as the owner of a bricks and mortar store. 3 things we learnt: the importance of supplier and customer relationships in testing times, the impact mental health can have on runni…

In our first episode, Karen speaks to the inspiring Sanjay Aggarwal, founder of Spice Kitchen. Sanjay shares how his family business was sparked after a chat around the dinner table at Christmas, how his business has adapted in recent months, and his brilliant plans for the future. 3 things we learnt: don't let fear hold you back, get your marketin…