Lancashire Business Stories

Paul Limb

Business stories from the North West of England (and sometimes further afield) Hear from successful business owners with a great story to tell and from others who you can all learn from. Take action, watch, listen, learn and implement to grow yourself and your business.

  1. 16h ago

    From Pot Washer to Hotelier Extraordinaire: Michael Huckerby’s Inspiring Story

    Michael Huckerby on Building Huckerby Hotels: From Hospitality Roots to Award-Winning Weddings, Distilling, and Wellness Michael Huckerby shares his journey from leaving catering college and working in hospitality from age 13 to owning Huckerby Hotels: The Lawrence, a multi-award-winning townhouse boutique hotel in Padiham (bought 2017, opened 2018, now sleeping 52 and hosting weddings, conferences, and themed events), and Springbank Manor (formerly The Whitehall Hotel) in Darwen, acquired August 2024 and extensively renovated with larger wedding capacity, restaurant spaces, and an on-site gin and vodka distillery. He describes moving through restaurants, magazines, property, and a design agency, using property gains—including a Florida house appreciation—to fund hotel investment, and explains how COVID nearly felt like “losing it all” but the hotel stayed open for essential workers and community support. He emphasizes listening and adapting, values and culture, creating “raving fans,” dog-friendly service, and building management structure before considering a third hotel, with a new wellness area (The Woods Wellness) opening Oct 31. 00:00 Meet Michael Huckerby 01:12 Two Hotels Overview 02:00 Early Career Setbacks 03:47 Hotel Industry Realities 05:11 From Hospitality to Media 06:18 Magazines Restaurants Property 08:33 Agency Success Misery 10:15 Leaving Property Behind 11:14 Accidental Padiham Find 14:46 Growing The Lawrence 16:34 COVID Survival Pivot 22:51 Values Culture Giving 24:16 Buying Second Hotel 26:18 Springbank Manor Renovation 27:28 Private Events Spaces 27:58 Wellness Contrast Therapy 29:08 Hands On Leadership 30:26 Listen And Adapt 31:55 Experiences Drive Loyalty 37:42 Make Raving Fans 41:07 Future Growth Plans 44:08 Advice And Inspirations 50:11 Unreasonable Hospitality 52:43 Wrap Up And Contact PODCAST LINKS Huckerby Hotels Website: https://www.huckerbyhotels.co.uk/ Michael’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-huckerby-2518b514/ ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb

  2. 2d ago

    From Employee to Entrepreneur: Ben Griffiths' Inspiring Journey

    Ben Griffiths on Building Clever IT: From Early IT Passion to Scaling a Modern MSP Ben Griffiths discusses Clever IT, a managed service provider delivering IT support, proactive monitoring, projects, and fractional IT leadership for clients ranging from solo consultants to 250+ computer, multi-office firms. A major focus is cybersecurity—staff training, phishing awareness, and the limits of multi-factor authentication—alongside Microsoft 365/Azure migrations, with some support for Google Workspace. Ben shares his path from paper rounds and early tech/acting interests to leaving sixth form for an IT role, studying an HNC while working, joining BNI, and progressing at Boss Office to director and MD before founding Clever in 2011 after a failed shareholder venture. An investor quickly backed him; intense early work led to rapid growth to 22 staff and ~£3m sales, targeting £5m via a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses plan. Key challenges include hiring for values and communication, delegation, resilience, and financial prudence. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:56 What Clever IT Does 01:54 Cybersecurity and Training 04:39 Cloud and Infrastructure Choices 06:04 Microsoft vs Google Workspace 09:08 Ben’s Early Work Ethic 12:17 IT Passion and Acting Years 14:23 Dropping Out for Real IT Work 19:24 Networking Breakthrough with BNI 21:33 Boss Office Career and Growth 24:52 Launching Clever IT 27:16 Administration Shock and Investor 31:01 Grinding Through the First Year 33:44 Scaling Up to Today 34:25 Back on Tech Tools 35:36 Delegation Mindset Shift 38:00 Scaling Plans and Service 41:32 Acquisitions and Succession 45:39 Hiring for Attitude 50:19 Careers and Finding Purpose 56:41 Developing People and Retention 59:30 Advice for New Founders 01:04:07 Books and Getting in Touch PODCAST LINKS Clever I.T. Website: https://www.clever-it.com/ Ben’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengriffithsbolton/ Clever I.T. LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloud-clever-ltd-/ ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb

  3. Aug 12

    From Race Cars to Construction Sites: Mark Allen Taylor's Unique Career Path

    Mark Allen Taylor on Slate Developments North West: Commercial Construction, Fit-Outs, and Growing Through a Downturn Mark Allen Taylor discusses founding Slate Developments North West in 2023, a construction company focused mainly on commercial and industrial work, delivering everything from groundworks and steelwork to electrical, decoration, shop fitting, refurbishments, and full fit-outs. He highlights key projects including a multimillion-pound manufacturing silo/production plant build in Hull early in his career and a recent conversion of a disused building into a mixed breakout, quiet reflection, and learning space for a client. Taylor describes moving from a first-class motorsport engineering degree into construction via his grandad’s long-running Slate Developments Limited, then being thrust into ownership after his grandad’s illness and death, with support from his wife Ruby (AV Collective). He covers challenges of business ownership, the current economic downturn’s impact on construction, advice to keep learning and seek support, future goals to build a medium-sized firm, and contact details via website, LinkedIn, and email. 00:00 Welcome and Intro 00:51 What Slate Does 02:10 Favorite Projects 04:48 From Motorsport to Construction 08:00 Taking Over After Loss 10:23 Early Ownership Challenges 13:58 Surviving the Downturn 18:26 Future Goals and Growth 19:51 What Sets Them Apart 21:51 Advice and Mindset 25:19 Support Systems and Inspiration 28:19 How to Contact Slate 29:05 Closing Thanks PODCAST LINKS Slate Developments Website: https://www.slatedevelopments.co.uk/ Mark’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-allen-taylor-8759bb106/ Slate Developments LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/slate-developments-nw-limited/ ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb⁠

  4. Aug 10

    Breaking Barriers in Business: Jo Dyke's Journey

    Jo Dyke on Building Lostock Skip Hire: Service, Acquisition Growth, and Surviving Rising Costs Jo Dyke discusses her path from sixth-form business studies and early jobs in a pub and a Bolton call centre to joining her family skip business, learning every role, and taking over in her 20s in a male-dominated industry. After failed family buyouts, she left in 2015, then partnered with a customer in 2016 to buy the business, combining her operational knowledge with his financial expertise. She explains differentiating through service, community support, accreditations (including DVSA Earned Recognition), major fleet investment, and growth through acquisitions (Bolton Skip Hire, A1 Skips, Able Skips, Preston Skip Hire). She covers compliance, a near-fatal surgery complication that changed her mindset and delegation, buying out her partner to become 100% owner, current pressures from fuel and wage increases, and launching a new man-and-van waste collection service, plus advice on research, cash reserves, and monitoring management accounts. 00:00 Welcome and Format 01:14 Early Jobs and Studies 02:00 Joining the Family Skip Firm 02:20 Leading Young in a Tough Industry 02:44 Walking Away and New Partner 05:29 Growing in a Competitive Market 07:02 Investing in Fleet and Compliance 07:43 Acquisitions and Price Wars 09:49 Safety Audits and New Offices 10:39 Health Scare and Stepping Back 12:39 Buying Out the Partner 14:19 100 Percent Ownership Mindset 15:17 Adam Joins the Business 15:57 Building the Management Team 16:54 Acquisitions and Team Culture 17:22 Fuel Costs and Survival Mode 18:33 Growth Plans and New Services 19:27 Succession and Legacy Questions 20:04 Women in a Male Industry 22:45 Advice for New Entrepreneurs 24:36 Tracking Numbers and KPIs 25:59 Waste Handling and Fire Safety 27:30 Learning Resources and Mindset 28:43 How to Contact Lostock Skips 29:42 Final Thanks and Wrap Up PODCAST LINKS Lostock Skip Hire Website: http://www.lostockskips.co.uk/ Jo’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-dyke-183aaa95/ Lostock Skip Hire LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lostock-skip-hire-ltd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lostockskiphire ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb

  5. Aug 7

    A Caring Touch: Suzanne Waring's Path to Business Success

    Suzanne Waring on Growing Helping Hands: Cleaning, Property Maintenance, and Private Home Care Suzanne Waring explains that the Helping Hands Group, founded in 1999, provides domestic and commercial cleaning, laundry, and property maintenance across the Ribble Valley and wider Lancashire, and more recently employs nurses and healthcare assistants to support elderly and vulnerable clients at home. She describes her career path from secretarial study and a long stint with Lancashire Constabulary (progressing to admin manager) to starting her own cleaning business for flexibility after having twin boys, then expanding organically as clients requested ironing, commercial work, gardening, and maintenance. Suzanne emphasizes always employing staff (now around 40), prioritizing values and attitude over skills, promoting supervisors from within, and being “system obsessed.” She discusses VAT threshold turbulence, the loneliness of leadership, outsourcing weak areas like IT and HR/legal, and launching private home care driven by poor care-system experiences and family dementia, tailoring support to client needs with consistency and communication. 00:00 Meet Helping Hands 01:28 Where They Operate 02:02 From School to Constabulary 04:02 Twins and a Career Pivot 04:53 Starting the Cleaning Business 05:32 Hiring and Building a Team 06:45 Why Employ Not Contract 08:01 Hiring for Attitude 15:55 Systems Trust and Support 18:12 Weaknesses and Outsourcing 22:15 Adding Services Organically 23:52 Launching Home Care Services 26:47 Tailored Care Approach 27:16 Dad’s Care Struggles 28:40 Values Over Scale 29:38 Care Sector Cash Cow 31:15 Behind the Scenes Ops 31:58 Founder’s Daily Role 33:14 Stepping Back Confidently 34:21 Polishing and Hiring 36:35 Choices Not Retirement 39:16 Succession and Exit Plans 40:38 Life Outside Work 41:33 Advice and Leadership Style 46:48 Contact and Wrap Up PODCAST LINKS Helping Hands Website: https://thehelpinghandsgroup.co.uk/ Suzanne’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-waring-8651b135/ Helping Hands LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-helping-hands-group-lancashire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelpingHandsGroupLTD/ ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb⁠

  6. Aug 5

    Exploring Insolvency Solutions and Personal Guarantees with AFT Assist's Gary Whitehead

    Gary Whitehead on AFT Assist: Helping Directors Handle Personal Guarantees After Business Failure Gary Whitehead discusses his niche firm AFT Assist, founded around 2013–2014, which helps company directors facing personal guarantees after a business closes or enters liquidation by negotiating reduced settlements or affordable repayment plans with lenders, avoiding personal insolvency where possible. Most work comes via referrals from insolvency practitioners and other professionals, and the firm deals with both traditional banks and newer lenders; fees are largely success-based with minimal upfront cost. Whitehead shares his background in lending, including 20 years at Barclays and a property-lending business hit by the 2008 crisis, giving him first-hand experience of the stress directors face. He emphasizes seeking help early, cash-flow forecasting, communicating with creditors, careful reading of guarantees, and planning succession as he gradually reduces his workload. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 01:00 What AFT Assist Does 02:07 How Referrals Work 03:33 Negotiating With Lenders 04:35 Deal Structures Explained 06:07 Working With Insolvency Practitioners 07:06 Gary’s Career Origins 08:05 2008 Crisis and Turning Point 09:52 The Stress of Business Failure 11:39 Running a Business Lessons 14:37 Shareholder Agreements and Risk 15:41 Growth Plans and Succession 16:46 Marketing Reach and Expansion 17:50 How AFT Assist Gets Paid 18:14 Success Fee Model 18:45 Ethics And Trust 19:27 Succession Planning 20:30 Building The Team 22:33 Systemizing Expertise 25:02 Cash Flow Reality Check 26:40 Life After Work 29:38 Advice To Younger Self 32:00 Help For Struggling Owners 34:38 How To Reach AFT 35:25 Closing Thoughts PODCAST LINKS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AFTAssists/ Gary’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garywhiteheadaft-assist/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aft-assist/ Website: http://aftassist.com/ ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb

  7. Jul 31

    Redefining Happy: Darren Hutchinson on Balancing Passion and Business

    Darren Hutchinson on Persistence, DreamScope, Most Haunted, and Simple Video Tips for Business Owners Darren Hutchinson tells how he left school aiming for marine biology, did years of random work and DJing, then quit a furniture retail manager role in 2000 to pursue TV. With no qualifications or experience, he persistently called Granada’s HR until he got an interview, started as a runner, and secured a full-time role on Manchester United TV, later co-presenting as a puppet character. After redundancy in 2002 amid ITV cuts and failed acquisitions, he founded DreamScope in 2003, first making TV shows then shifting into promotional video, including major work from the University of Manchester merger in 2004. He joined Most Haunted’s reboot in 2013, initially filming with GoPros due to no budget, leading to commissions. He describes a 2018 insolvency, refocusing on flexible freelancing, and advises business owners to start filming with a phone, prioritize audio, use hooks, answer customer FAQs, keep videos short, and trust your gut. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:35 Science Dreams to Reality Check 01:41 DJ Hustle and Furniture Grind 03:05 Millennium Reset and TV Dream 05:12 Granada Break In 10:21 Runner Life and First Break 12:28 Landing MU TV 14:27 Puppet Presenter Era 17:18 Redundancy Sparks Dreamscope 19:16 From TV to Promo Work 20:42 Most Haunted Origins 23:37 YouTube Revival and Sound Role 25:40 Learning Sound on Set 26:41 DreamScope Growth and Setbacks 27:48 2018 Insolvency Turning Point 30:28 Choosing Joy Over Growth 32:54 Solo Setup With Freelancers 33:57 Start Filming Now 35:47 Hooks and Simple Structure 37:51 Relationship Marketing Mindset 40:41 Phone Gear and Audio Basics 45:21 Trust Your Gut Finale LINKS Website: https://www.dreamscope.tv/ Darren’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/visualmediaguy/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vesltd/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/dreamscopetv/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DreamscopeTV/videos ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠ https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb

  8. Jul 30

    Brewing Success: Inside Studio Black's Startup Story

    Studio Black Coffee: From TV Freelancers to a Mission-Driven Roastery and Coffee Vans Host Paul Limb welcomes Callum and Toby, two Salford University graduates in their 20s who left freelance film/TV and media work to launch Studio Black Coffee. After exploring a coffee van idea that felt unscalable and too costly, they pivoted to roasting coffee despite having no roasting experience, starting with a 1kg roaster in a spare room and launching in December 2024 while still freelancing. The brand’s purpose grew from firsthand experiences of toxic, high-pressure TV environments and support from the Film and TV Charity, which Studio Black promotes and supports through giving back. Demand rose from online sales to wholesale (including Dock 10), leading to a unit, a Virgin StartUp loan and mentor support, a larger roaster from Turkey, festival success at Manchester Coffee Festival, and expansion into coffee vans for location shoots and large crews, now with one employee and plans to scale community, events, and national reach. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:37 Meet Callum and Toby 01:22 Toby’s TV Career 02:58 Callum’s Early Path 05:00 Uni Lessons and Perspective 09:32 From Coffee Van to Roasting 16:32 Launching Studio Black at Home 18:19 The Mission Behind the Brand 25:50 First Sales and Early Growth 28:04 Scaling Pains and Wholesale Leads 29:11 Big Break Wholesale Deal 30:07 Business Plan And Funding 31:37 Mentor Mindset Shift 34:27 Roaster Purchase Leap 36:17 Festival Trial By Fire 38:18 Coffee Roasting Explained 40:08 Coffee Vans And Crowdfunding 41:39 Hiring And Letting Go 45:32 Vision And Community Growth 48:12 Advice And Learning Sources 53:18 Where To Find Studio Black PODCAST LINKS Website: https://studioblackcoffee.co.uk/ Callum’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumjacksonj/ Toby’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumjacksonj/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-black-coffee/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studioblackcoffee Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studioblackcoffee YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@studioblackcoffee ActionCOACH Bolton: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches/bolton ActionCOACH Bolton Events: https://business.actioncoach.co.uk/coaches-events-listing?id=15417591592 Paul’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-limb/ Do you want to increase the value of your business asset? Take the ValueBuilder Assessment now to score the 8 key drivers of value in your business and get your free report: ⁠⁠https://score.valuebuildersystem.com/actioncoach-bolton/paul-limb⁠

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Business stories from the North West of England (and sometimes further afield) Hear from successful business owners with a great story to tell and from others who you can all learn from. Take action, watch, listen, learn and implement to grow yourself and your business.

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