Category Archives: The West Midlands Business Podcast

Eman Al-Hillawi, CEO and business partner at Entec Si —a Birmingham-based business change consultancy—shares how the city’s rich culture and diversity have influenced her professional journey and helped shape the people-first values at the heart of Entec Si. She reflects on navigating the challenges of…

  In this episode, we explore the inspiring journey of Stephen Timmins and Alex Footman, lifelong friends and founders of Stephen Alexander, a thriving consultancy based in Redditch. After 20 years in corporate roles, they launched their business to make a meaningful impact in their…

Chris Smith, founder of the Centre for the New Midlands, shares his journey from working in higher education to launching an independent think tank in 2020. Despite starting the organisation during the uncertainty of the pandemic, Chris has built a platform focused on improving housing,…

Dan Boardman-Weston, the Chief Executive of BRI Wealth Management plc, shares his journey from an unexpected start in wealth management to leading a thriving financial planning firm in the West Midlands. After gaining experience at his father’s firm, he pursued an MBA before returning to…

Mel Hall, an area fundraiser for Acorns Children’s Hospice, shares her inspiring journey with the organisation, which provides vital support to life-limited children and their families across the West Midlands. She highlights the hospice’s uplifting environment, focused on making memories and celebrating life. Reflecting on…

Samantha Cerrone, the founder of Cerrone Estates, shares her inspiring journey of launching a self-employed estate agency during the pandemic in 2020. With 15 years of industry experience, she took the leap into entrepreneurship after years of running businesses for others. Emphasising the importance of…

Emma Cromarty, founder of EC Human Resources Ltd, shares her journey of running a successful HR business for the last 12 years. Rooted in the Black Country, she takes pride in the region’s hardworking culture and rich heritage. Originally seeking a better work-life balance, she…

Tim Dunkley, Brew 61 – From farming to brewing! Discover the secrets behind Brew 61’s success In this episode we dive into the inspiring journey of Tim Dunkley from Brew 61, an award-winning micro-brewery based in Bromsgrove. From farming to brewing, discover how passion and…

Andy Toms, founder of TLM Laser, reflects on the company’s impressive evolution since its inception in 2005. Originally a service-led business specialising in marking lasers, TLM has transformed into a product-driven enterprise offering laser welding, plastic welding, and laser cleaning solutions. Andy attributes their success…

Irfan, James, and Manish, founders of Margenii, share their inspiring journey in building a SaaS company transforming the logistics industry with AI. Drawing from deep expertise in consulting and technology, the trio has tackled long-standing challenges in logistics, creating innovative solutions often overlooked by established…

Rainer Derry shares her inspiring journey from a career in commercial finance to joining Walsh Funerals and Memorials, a family-run business in the Black Country. She highlights the business’s multifaceted operations, including bespoke funerals, retail memorials, and wholesale services. Central to their mission is a…

Stuart Hobbs, the driving force behind Rothley, shares his transformative five-year journey with the historic 200-year-old metal manufacturing company. Facing global competition in 2018, Stuart introduced a cultural revolution, empowering employees with ownership and engagement, which fuelled a remarkable 350% turnover growth. Listen as Stuart…

Tom Cash, the co-founder of Foxmere, shares the story of his company’s impressive rise from humble beginnings to becoming a global player in the automation parts industry. Starting the business with his partner James in a bedroom, they grew it into a thriving enterprise with…

Tom Williams shares the remarkable evolution of Coinadrink, a family business rooted in the Black Country since 1962. Under his leadership, the company has transformed from £4.5 million to nearly £8 million turnover in just two and a half years, shifting its focus from hot…

Claire Downes shares the fascinating journey of her diverse career in the creative arts sector. From launching her first business at the age of 19, to making her mark in the film and television industry through casting and coaching young talents, and even penning an…

Chris Carter, the Co-founder and Managing Director of Void Applications, is Black Country born and raised and explains why he believes the region is a great place to start a business. Listen as Chris shares his exciting twelve-year business journey, beginning as a gaming start-up…

  Son of the founder of The Big Pet Store, Darren Burke has been part of the Black Country ‘Pet Parent’ community since 1991. Today, in his role as Director, Darren explains how a shift in mindset and behaviour along with the introduction of business…

Nicola Price, Licensed Accountant and owner of Six Wands Accountants & Book Keepers, talks about the effect of being in charge of her own destiny for the first time in her life and discusses the challenges she’s faced as her business has grown, including recruiting…

Have the best people, delivering the best projects and listen to your clients. These are the key messages from Daniel Williams, Director of Rubix MEP. Today, Daniel talks about how a mix of skill and attitude has helped shape the culture of the business and…

Lucy Cashmore, MD and owner of Daniel-Scott Recruitment Ltd. shares her experience of working in the recruitment industry, from ‘falling into it’ as a junior receptionist at the start of her career through to taking the plunge to set up her own business in 2020.…

James Mattin, MD of Bond Wolfe talks about thinking bigger. Starting with 10 year goals, he shares how he plans backwards to daily goals to ensure that he’s always on track to achieve the future plan and direct his learning towards the achievement of those…

More than the numbers…. Whilst numbers are undoubtedly the language of business, they’re also the effect of the people in the business and their actions. Alex Boulter, Partner at CK Chartered Accountants shares her perspectives on how business success is about more than the numbers. …

“Self-awareness, confidence and courage – the recipe for agility, change and improvement” Adam Wootton from Impact Sales Coaching talks about how the mix of confidence, self-awareness and courage have allowed him to take focused and proactive action to drive his business forward, pivot and adapt…

“How overcoming the employee mindset has allowed me to invest and take calculated risks to grow to 11 team members in under 3 years” Matt Weston, MD of Vantage 365 discusses his journey from employed to the owner of a fast growth, 11 strong team…

Surround yourself with great people and be open…to support, challenge and change. Alison Bradley, MD of Central Business Finance shares how she and her business partners took advantage of a change in economic circumstances and Government to meet an unfulfilled need for small and medium-sized…

The power of shared values…how to overcome imposter syndrome and build great relationships Chris Dowen and Jason Moseley from MoRServ discuss how the values instilled during their time as Police officers have helped them not only to build a strong foundation for the internal and…

Giving away for the community and business When Simon Love needed a break during the pandemic, he realised that he wasn’t alone, and Sponsored Breaks was born as a result.  A camper van which is gifted to deserving families to go and take a well-earned…

There’s no failure, only feedback Carl Baker, Managing Director of Nant Ltd shares both his sporting and business journey, demonstrating the opportunities for learning that are gained in times of adversity when there’s a need to take stock and reinvent to move forward. Even though…

Paul Hull, MD of award-winning freight forwarder KMB Shipping Group shares his story of how, despite the loss of two key team members, Brexit and Covid, the business has continued on a trajectory of growth. Paul shares how instilling the right mindset into a great…

If your life was a book, would it be a story you would want to read? What started as the motto for a life planned full of adventure took on a different meaning as a result of an unexpected health problem. All this led to…

Daley Thompson, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Gerhard Berger, Boris Becker and the England rugby team. Just a small cross-section of the elite individuals and teams that have benefitted from Professor Frank Dick, O.B.E.’s coaching and wisdom. The world of sport and the world of business…

Nella Share, Black Country born and bred, self-confessed recruitment lifer, and the super-powered red-headed Commercial Director of MET Recruitment shares how the business created opportunities from the adversity of the pandemic in 2019. Following the significant decline in the demand for recruitment, Nella and her…

4,732 days to realise a dream… A strong vision supported by the right team, coupled with the ability to pivot and be adaptable is the key message from the owner of Nachural Records, Nachural Events and “The Business Influencer” magazine, Ninder Johal. His belief that…

A great team, resilience and the willingness to adapt. They are the key messages from Deb Lawrence, director of Lawrence Cleaning. Black Country born and raised, and with 35 years running businesses in the Black Country, Deb shares how she and her family have built…

Episode 20. Could you take 3 months out of your business and have it grow without you? What would happen if you HAD to take three months out of your business? Would that business still grow without you? Or does it depend on you to…

Podcast 19. How to build an ‘effective’ business plan Are you looking to build an ‘effective’ business plan for your business? Have you ever built a business plan in the past… for it just to end up in some drawer somewhere. The secret between a…

Podcast 17. FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY – Special Episode to Celebrate the Launch of Andy Hemming’s New Book! This week’s episode of The Black Country Business Podcast celebrates the launch of coach Andy Hemming’s new book ‘Think Smarter, Do Less, Get More from Your Business AND…

Podcast 16. How to Increase Productivity & Reduce Stress. Does MINDFULNESS have a place in business? — with Kerry Hopkins Could Mindfulness in business be the thing that gives you that HUGE competitive advantage? What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘mindfulness’?…

Podcast Episode 15. Putting Your Strengths To Work! How to recruit the RIGHT people and stand out from the competition, with Jeremy Conrwall (Bell Cornwall Recruitment) What if you were to take the leap and build a business that was totally aligned to your strengths?…

Podcast Episode 14. HR, Resilience and Business Growth with special guest Michael Doolin Ever thought about leaving your corporate career to pursue your vision and put your strengths to work in your own business? Today’s guest Michael Doolin has done just that! Listen to this…

Podcast Episode 13. BUSINESS OWNER vs COACH (special episode): 6 Challenging questions every business owner wants to say to a coach! What happens when the coach is put on the spot by a business owner and asked some of the most challenging (yet truthful) questions…

Podcast Episode12. Interview with Corin Crane, CEO of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Welcome to The Black Country Business Podcast. This week we interview Corin Crane from the Black Country Chamber of Commerce where we discuss the impact COVID19 has had on Black Country…

What did you get into business for in the first place? More money, more time, more freedom? These tend to be some of the answers we hear from people when they say why they went through all that hard work and effort to start a…

Episode 10: Understanding GDPR and how getting it right can make you A LOT more money — with Una Brown How many times in the modern business world have you had questions around GDPR? It all sounds like a bit of a minefield right? Well…

9: Communication & Behaviour. How to get what you want from every conversation using DISC profiling Have you ever wanted to become more influential? What would happen if you could have a conversation with someone and know exactly what words to say next based on…

Ep.8 Work Life Balance. Getting more from your business so that you can have the life you want! Is your business working for you, or are you working for it? Have a think about that for a second…   This week is ‘National Work Life…

Ep6. Will the “New Normal” make you more successful? What does the “new normal” have install for your business and your success? In this episode of the Black Country Business Podcast, top UK business coaches Lewis Haydon and Andy Hemming discuss the impact COVID19 has…

Ep7. Lessons in Leadership and How to be Successful at Networking with Peter Higgs BNI People do more business with people they know, like, and trust. In this weeks episode, we interview the man of networking himself Peter Higgs. Peter Higgs is the BNI area…

Ep5. How to Stand Out From the Business Competition Ever wondered why some companies just seem to stand out and dominate their market place? In this episode top UK business coaches Lewis Haydon and Andy Hemming discuss how great companies make an impact.  In this…

Ep4. Digital Marketing Secrets with Steve Hooper — And, what I would do differently if I did it all again… What would you differently if you were start your business again? This is the question we ask to Digital Marketing expert Steve Hooper in today’s…

Ep3. Coach vs Manager vs Leader: Who is better for your business?… There has never been a more critical time for business managers, leaders, and coaches to step up! With the change that has being going on in the world, businesses need managers, leaders, and…

Ep 2. How to get MORE SALES into your business… WITHOUT BEING A MARKETING EXPERT! How much money is your business leaving on the table because your marketing and sales process is not where it could be? When we think about how to get more…

Episode 1: Higher Vision, Higher PROFITS! — How to build a business vision that will inspire your team and lead your business to higher success! Ever wondered what takes a business from GOOD to GREAT? In this episode we help business owners in and around…