We've reached the end of series five of the Small Business Sessions. Joining us for the final episode is the brilliant serial entrepreneur, Simon Squibb, who has made it his mission to help 10 million people start and grow a business through The Purposeful Project. Simon's vision for supporting so many new entrepreneurs is driven by his own personal experiences. He left school at 15 and was kicked out of home by his mum but went on to start 19 companies and invest in over 60 start-ups. He...

We love accountants at Enterprise Nation and this week we're joined by a great one! Joanna Drinkwater, Enterprise Nation adviser and managing director of Grant McKnight, speaks to journalist Dan Martin about an absolutely essential skill for successful entrepreneurs; understanding your finances. Tune in for must listen tips on assessing the financial health of your business, creating a cashflow forecast, identifying cashflow gaps, financial mistakes to avoid, choosing an accountant, chasing...

Running a business that’s 100% focused on travel during a pandemic is quite the challenge. In January 2020, Anthony Collias and Jacob Webberburn-Day, co-founders of Stasher, a platform that connects travellers with places to store their bags, raised $2.5m funding and they moved into their first private office. Then March happened. In a must-listen episode, the entrepreneurs talk to Dan Martin about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, building a minimum viable product, how a cold email...

This week we're looking at how digital technology can transform small businesses of all types. Whether you're selling products or services online or you're looking to reach customers from a physical store, by embracing the latest technology you can drive the sales and growth of your business.  Joining journalist Dan Martin to discuss how to digitally transform your business are Sajni Shah, co-head of product at Starling Bank and John Hoyle, founder of Sook, a company providing adaptive and...

Research shows that those business owners who take on advice grow their companies faster than those who don't, but with so much advice out there it can be hard to work out which advice to take on. As you'll know if you're an entrepreneur, you have a lot of plates to spin, so when should you seek advice and ask for help from others? And how do you go about picking the advisers to use? Joining journalist Dan Martin to discuss all that are two brilliant Enterprise Nation adviser members:  Emma...

This week we're talking business funding. In an advice-packed episode, Oliver Krishnan from Starling Bank and Ryan Hyde-Smith from Funding Options join journalist Dan Martin to demystify the world of finance and explain how to decide on the best option for your business, how to manage debt and common mistakes to avoid.  Since this episode was recorded, Starling Bank has been accredited for the Recovery Loan Scheme, a government initiative set up to help small business owners deal with the...

The statistics are shocking: One million birds and 100,000 marine animals a year die from plastic pollution, eight million pieces of plastic end up in the oceans every day and for every mile of UK beaches, there are 5,000 pieces of plastic. It was figures like that which drove Beth Noy to launch Plastic Freedom. What started as a £300 investment to sell some of her favourite plastic free products is now a booming online store with over 3,000 brands. She has also built an Instagram community...

The transition period for Britain's exit from the European Union ended on 31 December 2020 so how has Brexit affected the UK's small businesses?  Freelance journalist Dan Martin is joined by Mike Wilson, founder of Go Exporting, and Philip Salter, founder of The Entrepreneurs Network, to discuss it. 

This week journalist Dan Martin is joined by Symmie Swil, head of SME Banking at Starling Bank, and David Beardmore, ecosystem development director at Open Banking Implementation Entity to discuss how small businesses can embrace modern banking services. Symmie shares the vision of Starling Bank's founder Anne Boden for launching the digital bank, her views on the future of physical bank branches and how the company is supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. Another exciting...

Entrepreneurs start businesses for many reasons. For Julie Deane CBE, it was to pay for her children to go to private school. She invested £600 to get her idea off the ground and just five years later, the Cambridge Satchel Company was valued at £40m. Julie joins journalist Dan Martin to share her super inspiring story. This one is a must listen!

The Small Business Sessions, Enterprise Nation's podcast sponsored by Starling Bank, returns for episode two in series five. The coronavirus pandemic has been tough for many people but for some entrepreneurial individuals, it has been the time to start their own company. One of those new business owners is Katrina Borissova, founder of vegan soap brand Little Danube, who incorporated her new venture on 23 March 2020, the day the prime minister announced Britain was going into lockdown. In...

The Small Business Sessions, Enterprise Nation's podcast sponsored by Starling Bank, is back! Every week for 12 weeks, freelance journalist Dan Martin speaks to entrepreneurs and experts about their tips, insights and inspiration for how to start and grow a brilliant business. First up is Ben Keene, co-founder of Rebel Book Club.  How many books do you have that you've never read? It's probably loads. The Japanese describe it as 'tsundoku', the constant act of buying books but not reading...

Niamh Barker started luxury cashmere brand The Travelwrap Company in her spare room. The proudly Scottish brand is now exporting to 22 countries. Host Dan Martin spoke to Barker about: - Building up an online presence - Solving the problem of copycats - The importance of targeting the right market Small Business Sessions is powered by Xero and we’ve got an exclusive offer of 50% off the cloud accounting software for 12 months! Find out more at the below...

This week’s Small Business Sessions podcast welcomes Henry Deakin, who’s taken the helm of seventh generation family business Deakin & Francis. Gemologist and designer Deakin discusses his gamble to open a flagship store in Piccadilly Arcade, influencer marketing and what it’s like to join the family firm. Small Business Sessions is powered by Xero and we’ve got an exclusive offer of 50% off for 12 months! The fourth series welcomes a brilliant line-up of entrepreneurs and experts to...