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As a small business owner are you struggling to get established or finding it tough to step up? Every two weeks our conversations with successful business leaders and owners will inspire you to connect with, convince and ultimately convert your own audiences on their buyer journey with your brand. So watch or listen to these punchy ten minute episodes for clear insights on how to have a thriving business!

  1. 10/16/2024

    Bob Dylan Center - Bringing It All Back Home with Steven Jenkins

    Bob Dylan is the focus in this episode where I interviewed Steven Jenkins, Director of the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, OK. Bob Dylan has donated voluminous archives from his career as a singer-songwriter from the early 1960s to the present (he is currently on his acclaimed Rough and Rowdy Ways tour at the time of writing). The Bob Dylan Center has a number of longstanding exhibitions which dive deep into Dylan’s greatest songs such as Like A Rolling Stone, Tangled Up In Blue, Jokerman, and Not Dark Yet. On the walls surrounding these are posters, interactive displays and audio recordings in chronological order over seven decades of creativity. There are also changing exhibitions and the one I saw was the excellent How Many Roads looking at Dylan’s involvement with the Civil Rights Movement from 1961-64. With its extensive archives section, the Bob Dylan Center also serves Dylanologists and other music scholars looking to analyse documents, recordings and even hand-written song lyrics in depth. There is considerable appeal however for even casual visitors with excellent immersive video content of Dylan songs, interviews and documentary material as well as high quality audio resources using headsets. There is also a fantastic collection of memorabilia such as jackets Dylan wore, typewriters, guitars, even letters from other great singer-songwriters such as George Harrison and Johnny Cash. You get to play producer in a simulated recording studio for mixes of songs like I Want You, Like A Rolling Stone and Knocking On Heaven's Door. Nearby is a jukebox donated by acclaimed singer-songwriter Elvis Costello loaded with Original Dylan songs and covers. And one of the real highlights is an immersive video room charting his whole career and featuring documentary footage, interview, lyric sheets and live performances. Steven Jenkins was asked in the interview why we need the Bob Dylan Center and put forward a strong argument that Dylan is just as relevant today as in the 1960s when he rose to fame with albums like The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde. Indeed, one of the highlights of this episode is the lyric notebooks Dylan kept while writing songs for the 1975 album Blood On The Tracks and the fascinating ways each song evolves. We find out about the song-writing process Dylan uses and how it has changed across the decades. Bob Dylan as a singer is also discussed given the criticism he often receives for his nasal-sounding vocals. By contrast, his unique ability to convey emotion and phrase words in such a way to get his message across is highlighted. We are also treated to Steven's choice of favourite Dylan songs through the decades which I have to say align closely to mine. I first discovered Dylan when Paul Gambaccini played Precious Angel on Radio 1 way back in 1979 so that and the Slow Train Coming Album will always be a favourite of mine. Even as a long-time Dylan fan I learned loads from the Bob Dylan Center. As Steven says in the interview it's not just a collection of memorabilia but a careful and considered display, diving deep into one of the greatest content creators in modern times, putting his work into context with the social, cultural and political forces operating during changing times. If you are a die-hard Dylan fan don't be surprised if you feel a little overwhelmed and emotional in a good way after visiting and allow plenty of time to take it all in. If that wasn't enough, you have another extraordinary museum waiting for you next door. The Woody Guthrie Center. The reason Dylan wanted the Bob Dylan Center to be in Tulsa was...

    19 min

  2. 08/21/2024

    Harnessing the wisdom of horses

    I’m an animal lover if you overlook my fear of big spiders So I was thrilled to film a world-class equine locomotion expert at a recent Alignment Horse Event in the Cotswolds. Very topical having watched the incredible dressage events at the Paris Olympics. Liz VanRoss harnesses the wisdom of horses. AlignmentHorse is a revolutionary science-based approach to equitation. Riders will be taken on a journey starting with the anatomy of their horse and how this organises movement and informs how best to teach our horses about locomotion in Alignment. You will learn how to apply this knowledge for outstanding performance while safeguarding your horse’s wellbeing. This knowledge is invaluable to owners, riders, handlers as well as equine therapists and equine professionals such as dentists, saddle-fitters, podiatrists, bitting specialists, nutritionists. Non-riders may attend as auditors for an opportunity to learn the theory and watch the action. Liz developed the “AlignmentHorse” approach and uses it both to develop and rehabilitate horses. She has helped hundreds of horses with her work. The AlignmentHorse approach prevents occurrence and re-occurrence of debilitating equine conditions. Liz works closely with horse owners and riders at all levels up to Grand Prix and Four-star Eventing, to help them to work in better alignment and harmony, benefiting the horse’s mental, physical and emotional well-being. And the incredibly skilled work she does is a great metaphor for how we can help clients as coaches, consultants or creators. We have tools and techniques we can use as ‘the rider’ but that’s to no avail if we don’t quickly understand and work with the wisdom of our clients. We should also get off our own high horse from time to time and work with mentors like Liz in our own chosen fields. This episode was produced by Dave Bird of Small Biz Digital Media with thanks due to Sam Johnstone for the filming on-site.

    8 min

  3. 08/08/2024

    How to attract and retain the right people in recruitment campaigns

    Our guest Nick Baxter is an ex pro rugby player with a passion for all things "team" and "network". He runs Baxter Williams, a consultancy that specialises in recruitment, employee engagement and team building. The focus is on connecting exceptional people supporting companies ranging from SMEs to PLCs. Through long-term relationship building they are committed to going beyond the numbers game to bring personality to the recruitment process. For job candidates that means being treated as people not just as a CV or a profile. Candidates are only shown roles and companies that are relevant, interesting and career-enhancing allowing them to realise their true potential. And for company managers and leaders responsible for recruiting talent it means they have more opportunity to connect with talented and motivated people. Every candidate is pre-screened and matched against the key competencies for the role, with the right experience or potential to deliver. Most of all, care is taken to ensure they will share the same values and behaviours of the recruiting organisation ensuring the perfect culture fit. Clients also have access to a unique and extended network providing significant value beyond recruitment. These key introductions help businesses grow or access new opportunities. Baxter Williams specialises in recruiting talent for commercial roles and also executive search division to deliver high profile and confidential executive assignments with discretion and trust. Steve Ennis asked the questions and Dave Bird produced and presented this show in his Small Biz Digital Media studio.

    15 min

  4. 07/18/2024

    Fulfil your potential doing work you love

    Life is too short, and work is too long to spend it doing something you don't enjoy! Everyone deserves to love what they do for a living, and that comes from doing the work you love, and are brilliant at. Our guest Andrew Horder is a workplace coach who works with the following people to help them fulfil their potential doing work they love: Employees - to truly understand their Core Process so they can add most value in their job and maximise their enjoyment. Executives - to find Flow and get the most out of themselves and their team, allowing everyone to follow a strategy that balances purpose and pragmatism. Entrepreneurs - to build a team where each individual understands how they best contribute to the purpose and success of the business. Dave Bird produced and presented this show in his Small Biz Digital Media studio.

    11 min

  5. 07/03/2024

    Fun and innovative health supplements that will disrupt the market

    Mobu are a vitamin brand with added pizzazz. They pack their vitamin packs with all that stuff that your doctor tells you about. Their products are designed for consumers who may be craving an energy boost, need digestion support or just want to feel great. Mahul Patel the founder discusses how the business got started, the challenges he faced and his aspirations to break into the retail space and become a household name. Steve Ennis from Business Doctors is your host and the show was produced by Dave Bird in his Small Biz Digital Media studio.

    8 min

  6. 06/20/2024

    Is your small business getting paid on time?

    The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) is an independent public body set up by Government under the Enterprise Act 2016 to tackle late payment and unfavourable payment practices in the private sector. The OSBC covers the whole of the UK - England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The late payment culture that exists between businesses in the UK means that: - a third of payments to small businesses are late - the average value of each payment is £6,142 - 20% of small businesses have run in to cash flow problems due to late payments - if small businesses were paid on time, this could boost the economy by an estimated £2.5 billion annually The current Small Business Commissioner, Liz Barclay, leads an independent office aimed at empowering small businesses in resolving disputes around unfair payment practices and provides advice, including on how to take action if a payment is overdue. The Commissioner urges small businesses to use the OSBC’s complaint investigation service and promises to take action to tackle the worst examples of supply chain bullying. Steve Ennis from Business Doctors is your host and the show was produced by Dave Bird in his Small Biz Digital Media studio. https://smallbizdigitalmedia.com

    15 min

  7. 06/11/2024

    Innovation strategies to grow businesses

    Innovation is an important strategy to help businesses grow. Businesses of all sizes should take the opportunity to innovate as it’s now a much more holistic approach to solving a problem. It’s no longer just about bringing out a new high tech product as it could just be improving on existing business processes. Kristo Shivachev discusses here how his company Simple Design Works helps businesses innovate successfully. Key considerations for a business innovation are: Involve the whole business not just specific teamsDecide what form of innovation is needed and the timescales required. We discuss four main types hereEmbracing innovation is essential in some cases to remain viable as a business as the Blockbuster example demonstratesThings change fast, so talk to your customers and get their feedback Use quantitative methods to identify trends and then dig deeper to uncover the reasons why a product may or may not be viableFuture pace the impact the innovation will have so you’re not redesigning for the sake of itUnderstand that innovation is about managing risks, budgets and timescalesAdopt a ‘fail-fast’ approach getting hands on as quickly as you can with prototype productsGetting proof of concept through customer testing is an important milestone in product development Optimisation of the product is the next stage in its lifecycle where the emphasis is on refinementFear of failure is a mindset that must be overcome in any innovation project  Martin Hill from Sandler West Midlands asked the questions and the show was produced by Dave Bird in the Small Biz Digital Media studio.

    13 min

  8. 05/22/2024

    Customer retention strategies to grow your business

    Customer retention has a strong psychological basis and it reflects how people think and feel. Our guest Dr Helen Watts (Deputy Head of Worcester Business School at the University of Worcester) did her PhD researching customer retention in fitness clubs. So while rational factors such as service quality and value-for-money are important, Helen's motivation was to look further at emotional factors influencing whether the customer leaves the business. Organisations need to focus more on meeting customer needs on a personal level. In a diverse customer base, these needs and motivations will vary. The Worcester Business School offers an Executive MBA suitable for business owners. It has marketing modules which cover customer retention and building long-term customer relationships. Technology can help customer retention by identifying trends and patterns in large datasets, using machine learning. Large qualitative datasets can also be examined based on what customers have said. Customer retention has touch points throughout the business, not just in marketing or sales. It's smart to have all these touch points identified, managed, and optimised. Customer referrals is a strong KPI when it comes to customer retention. The ideal scenario is when the retained customer becomes a raving fan and advocate. To do this, have strategies where you offer them more. Always understand customer expectations, so you can meet or exceed them. Also understand why customers leave and have clear communications everyone is aware of. Steve Ennis from Business Doctors is your host and the show was produced by Dave Bird in his Small Biz Digital Media studio.

    12 min
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As a small business owner are you struggling to get established or finding it tough to step up? Every two weeks our conversations with successful business leaders and owners will inspire you to connect with, convince and ultimately convert your own audiences on their buyer journey with your brand. So watch or listen to these punchy ten minute episodes for clear insights on how to have a thriving business!

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