How do you build a creative business from scratch and ensure it steadily grows without compromising on quality, craft, or values?

In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Penelope Chilvers, English footwear designer and founder of the eponymous luxury brand, and they talk about building a resilient business rooted in craftsmanship, customer closeness, and long-term thinking.

Penelope shares her unconventional journey from training as a painter to launching a footwear business in London as a single parent. She reflects on learning her trade from the ground up, building a brand without formal business training, and why necessity — not strategy — drove her early entrepreneurial decisions.

Penelope talks about the importance of craftsmanship, materials, long-term supplier relationships, and how staying close to customers has shaped everything from design to retail strategy.

James and Penelope discuss growth, from opening stores and expanding internationally, to raising investment and introducing clothing alongside footwear. Penelope shares why steady, organic growth has served her better than chasing trends, how slow fashion has become a competitive advantage, and why durability, purpose, and trust now matter more than ever.

This is a thoughtful conversation about learning your craft, respecting the people who help you build, and creating a business designed to last.

Timestamps:

02:59 From painter to designer

07:59 The first big orders

15:00 Sustaining quality and craftsmanship

22:52 Family and business dynamics

29:50 Expanding into the American market

35:52 Men's range and iconic products

47:58 Slow fashion and ethical production

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This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

How do you create a modern PR strategy that builds brand relevance and marketing-led businesses able to thrive through cultural and technological change?

In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Francesca Gamble, founder of GTN Consultancy, to explore the future of PR, marketing, and business in an AI-driven world.

With a career spanning global agencies, luxury fashion brands, and major cultural moments — including Dolce & Gabbana, Stella McCartney, and the London 2012 Olympics — Francesca shares her journey from agency leadership to launching her own independent consultancy. She explains what it really takes to build a modern PR and marketing business without hype, awards, or ego, and why so many agencies fail by prioritising image over impact.

The conversation dives deep into brand partnerships, celebrity collaborations, and equity-based deals as powerful growth strategies for challenger brands. Francesca breaks down why great products still fail without strong marketing, how cultural relevance directly drives sales, and why results matter far more than industry accolades.

Looking ahead, Francesca offers a bold and timely perspective on the future of PR and advertising in the age of AI. As automation accelerates across marketing, media, and communications, she argues that being human, authentic, and culturally aware will become the ultimate competitive advantage. A no-nonsense conversation about entrepreneurship, independence, brand relevance, and building a business that lasts in a rapidly changing world.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

04:38 Starting a PR business

10:08 The role of PR in modern marketing

17:54 Celebrity partnerships and brand collaborations

32:28 The importance of flexibility and client relationships

42:24 The reality of entrepreneurship

51:03 Successful celebrity brand partnerships

58:00 The future of PR and female founders

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All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

What if the future of food isn’t bigger, faster, and more centralised, but local, decentralised, and community-powered?

In this episode of the All About Business podcast, James is joined by Pete Russell, Founder of Ooooby and Co-Founder of DECENT, to explore how technology, ethical entrepreneurship, and optimism can transform the global food system from the ground up.

Pete shares his journey from running a highly profitable industrial food business to building one of the UK’s leading local food platforms, connecting independent farmers and producers directly with their communities. The conversation dives deep into the realities of entrepreneurship, scaling purpose-led businesses, and the challenges of building alternatives to industrial food supply chains.

A key theme of the episode is steward ownership, a business model that separates profit from control. Pete explains how steward ownership protects mission, prevents mission drift, and ensures long-term impact over short-term returns, offering a compelling alternative to traditional shareholder capitalism.

James and Pete also explore the future of commerce and AI, with Pete presenting a bold vision of a shift from the attention economy to the intention economy. As artificial intelligence reshapes how we discover and buy products, Pete argues that traditional marketing and advertising may become obsolete, replaced by systems that prioritise values, trust, and genuine human needs.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

02:03 Meet Pete Russell: The Visionary Behind Oooby’s Food Revolution

03:06 What Is Oooby? Decentralizing the Global Food Supply Chain

06:25 Farm-to-Table Logistics: How Oooby Empowers Local Farmers

10:12 The 1.9% Disruptor: Why Low-Margin Tech is Saving Small Farms

14:45 Debunking the Myth: Why Local Food Costs Less Than Supermarkets

19:30 The Awareness Gap: Why Traditional Food Systems Still Dominate

27:05 17 Years of Resilience: Pivoting Through Near-Death Business Challenges

33:40 The Software Pivot: Solving the Logistics Nightmare of Local Food

40:00 Future of Food: AI, Agentic Commerce, and Decentralized Platforms

56:15 What wakes you up on a Monday?

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Find out more about Oooooby and how to sell local food online

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

Building a billion-pound business is one thing, but what does it take to scale globally, exit successfully, and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs?

In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Richard Harpin, founder of HomeServe, the home emergency repairs and improvements launched in 1993. Richard talks about his journey from early failures to growing a FTSE 100 multinational across the UK, France, Spain, the US, Canada, and Japan that sold for £4.1 billion in 2022.

Richard shares how a plumbing insurance model sparked the subscription-based affinity partnerships, the challenges of international expansion, and why copying successful ideas while focusing on execution was key to cracking markets and achieving organic growth.

Together they discuss Richard’s post-exit ventures including Growth Partner, Business Leader magazine, and his bestselling book "How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps". The conversation also explores Richard's passion for inspiring breakthroughs, the role of optimism in navigating setbacks, and why doubling the UK's large companies through community-driven support, matters more than ever in a challenging economic landscape.

Timestamps

01:00 The early struggles and pivots

06:42 The breakthrough: Plumbing insurance model

17:40 The power of copying and mentorship

28:53 Challenges and opportunities for mid-size businesses

37:55 Introducing growth partner: investment in retail

48:10 The not-to-do list for entrepreneurs

01:02:29 Recruitment: Hiring your replacement

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Buy Richard’s book “How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps”

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

Winning Olympic gold is one of the highest achievements in sport, but what are the skills that you can apply to build an elite team in your business?

In this episode of All About Business, James meets Adrian Moorhouse MBE, three-time Olympian and gold medalist. Adrian talks about his journey from the pool to the boardroom, exploring big hairy audacious goals (BHAGs), the power of curiosity, and heart-driven leadership in challenging times, and why mindset, meaning, and community matter more than ever for sustained success in sport and business.

Adrian discusses his entrepreneurial transition, launching Lane Four in 1995, growing it through high-performance culture and client impact, and navigating its sale to EY in 2021, while confronting common entrepreneur pitfalls. He also shares how escaping school bullying through swimming ignited his drive and why choices over sacrifices defined his path.

Timestamps

01:20 Transition to business

04:44 Challenges and learnings

07:58 Creating a winning team

12:41 Resilience and focus techniques

17:16 From athlete to entrepreneur

32:30 Navigating the 2008 financial crisis

36:46 Mentoring and leadership insights

48:53 The intersection of sports and business

57:09 The importance of curiosity in leadership

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Find out more about The Tom Dean Swim School

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

Building a career in television is one thing, but what does it really take to produce global hits like The Crown and Outlander while building and scaling a production empire?

In this episode of 'All About Business,' James speaks with Andy Harries, co-founder and CEO of Left Bank Pictures. Together they discuss Andy's 50-year journey from a promotion scriptwriter at Granada Television, to launching his own company, selling it to Sony, and navigating the streaming revolution.

Andy explains how being rejected at 26 became the fuel for his ambition, how his early documentary work took him around the world, and what he learned directing cultural icons including the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren, and Truman Capote. The conversation dives into the business of creativity, including the high stakes Netflix pitch that led to a 100 million pound deal for The Crown, what global streamers look for when backing premium drama, and how British television has scaled to a global audience.

Andy also reflects on his transition into an executive chairman role, mentoring the next generation of talent, and why protecting British creativity and a strong BBC matters more than ever.

Timestamps

02:26 Journey through Granada

06:02 Transition to comedy and drama

09:34 The Queen and Prime Suspect

12:47 Founding Left Bank Pictures

39:35 Reaching out to Ken Braner

50:17 The Crown and Netflix partnership

01:04:35 Transitioning roles and future projects

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Find out more about Left Bank Picture and Andy Harris

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey, is one of the most famous houses in the world. But what does it really take to run it as a modern business?

In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Fiona, Lady Carnarvon, custodian of Highclere Castle, about managing a 1,300-year-old heritage estate with roots dating back to 749 AD. She shares how Downton Abbey transformed Highclere’s global profile, what it is like to live and work alongside a major film production, and how the castle evolved into a year-round destination.

Lady Carnarvon discusses her entrepreneurial approach, from Christmas events and behind-the-scenes tours to virtual experiences, bestselling books, and Highclere Castle Gin, while confronting the hard economic realities of British farming and long-term stewardship.

The conversation also explores Highclere’s ghost stories, its sense of community, and why heritage, kindness, and authenticity matter more than ever in a changing world.

Timecodes

04:29 Christmas at Highclere

09:56 Tutankhamun and Downton Abbey

18:41 Challenges of modern farming

27:11 Ghost stories and blessings

36:45 The mysterious death of Lord Carnarvon

43:38 The success of Highclere Castle Gin

48:03 Building a brand and community

56:43 Final thoughts and future plans

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All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more here

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

Some of the biggest global businesses started the same way: someone spotted an opportunity early- and then chose the right partner.

In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with serial venture builder James McHugh, founder and chairman of Tquila. James reveals the “build-operate-transfer” playbook behind multiple eight-figure exits and how he’s now riding the AI wave with agentic systems and post-keyboard CRMs.

He also shares how he spotted the Salesforce gap in Europe in 2010, repeatedly building (and exiting) high-growth tech-services including joint ventures with Salesforce, ServiceNow and now AI leaders like Anthropic and you.com.

A candid conversation on scaling fast, choosing truth-seeking AI, why governments are dangerously unprepared for mass unemployment, and what abundance on the other side might actually look like.

Timecodes

02:31 The Salesforce Opportunity: Building a Business in Europe

05:21 The tquila Story: Naming and Early Success

08:29 The Role of Partnerships in Business Success

11:13 AI and the Future: Opportunities and Challenges

23:22 The Impact of AI on Employment and Society

33:55 The Future of AI and Human Values

38:45 Driverless Cars and the Future of Transportation

47:04 The Impact of AI on Jobs and Society

49:15 The Future of Human Longevity with AI

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All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more here

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk