Taking Care of Business

That’s a wrap on Taking Care of Business Series 11! In this episode, host Paul Cheetham-Karcz looks back at the variety of guests we’ve had on this series, discusses what he’s learnt and reflects on his own year in business. Featured in this series: Roger Martin-Fagg Behavioural economist and author. Montirex Liverpool-based sportswear brand. Robbie Hughes Cosmetic dentist and owner of Dental Excellence. Kirk Miller High-performance coach. Claire Sofield Managing Director at Four Recruitment. Danny De Brabander Terminal cancer, Sepsis survivor. Make sure to check out all the episodes from this series. Taking Care of Business will return in 2023 with Series 12, so be sure to subscribe, share and tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

On this week's episode of Taking Care of Business, Paul Cheetham-Karcz sits down with a man who has been told on 3 separate occasions that he has terminal bowel cancer with potentially just months to live. However, Danny De Brabander continues to defy statistics over 3 years later and is still fighting against his diagnosis. Currently, Danny shows no visible signs of cancer. They discuss facing adversity at different stages of life, how it feels to be told you're going to die, and how adjusting your mindset can improve your outlook on life, whatever your circumstance. Danny goes on to mention the Wirral-based charity he has set up called TEAMDDB. Inspired by Danny’s journey, #TEAMDDB was set up to fundraise for other local charities, and to support the local community. Please see their website linked below for more information: www.teamddb.co.uk

In this week's episode of Taking Care of Business, Claire Sofield joins Paul Cheetham-Karcz to discuss how she runs her business Four Recruitment, whilst also solo parenting her 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter. They discuss how Claire started her recruitment business, her determination to have a child of her own, fertility issues, IVF and the ups and downs of solo parenting. Whilst there is still some stigma in the workplace regarding fertility and pregnancy, Claire speaks openly about how women should be able to celebrate pregnancy and not dread telling their employer like so many do.

In this episode of Taking Care of Business, Paul Cheetham-Karzc discusses how to make meaningful and lasting changes in life with high-performance coach Kirk Miller. They discuss how Kirk works with high-performance business leaders to increase their health and fitness while also improving their mindset when it comes to other aspects of life such as business and mental well-being. They mention how Kirk started off with a childhood passion for football, featuring on the front page of Men’s Health magazine, to starting his online community Built To Last. In this episode: 02:39 - Kirk’s childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer 11:50 - Finding your own identity 17:00 - What makes you unique: Identifying your superpowers 17:50 - The reality behind Kirk's feature on the front page of Men’s Health 24:00 - Recognising your flaws and taking the correct action 28:50 - Kirk’s first steps into business 30:20 - The principles behind his Built To Last community 36:30 - Managing unrealistic expectations 43:35 - Don’t be a hero, be consistent 53:20 - What does the future hold for Kirk?

How a young dentist from Liverpool dared to be different in an otherwise very traditional and stagnant industry. In this episode of Taking Care of Business, Paul Cheetham-Karcz catches up with Dr Robbie Hughes, owner of Dental Excellence. They sit down to discuss what drove Robbie to change the way things are done in dentistry, from his use of social media to the physical location of his dental practice. Robbie also mentions how he’s viewed by the rest of his industry and some of his most famous clients, such as Liverpool FC manager, Jurgen Klopp. In this episode: 02:20 - Marketing on Instagram 07:05 - How Robbie got into dentistry 10:33 - Building a client base 17:09 - Motivations to make change 22:55 - How does the rest of the industry view Dental Excellence? 32:15 - How did Robbie get involved with celebrities like Jurgen Klopp? 38:20 - Goals and future plans for Dental Excellence 43:30 - What does downtime look like for Robbie?

How two young lads from Liverpool started the multi-million-pound sportswear brand Montirex, in under three years. In this episode of Taking Care of Business, Paul Cheetham-Karcz sits down with the founders of Montirex: Daniel Yuen and Kieran Riddell-Austin. They discuss where the idea for Montirex came from, and how they've built the business from the ground up. They mention how the business began while they were both in full-time employment, why they both ultimately wanted to work for themselves and what challenges they had to overcome. In this episode: 05:30 - How the idea of Montirex was born 09:45 - When did they know they were on to something? 12:50 - Increasing the product range 14:10 - Getting into Footasylum 16:32 - Asking for a loan 19:03 - Leaving full-time employment to be self-employed 19:53 - Bringing on their first employee 23:16 - How did they accelerate going into their 2nd year? 25:38 - Is influencer marketing still worth it? 28:27 - Going into their 3rd year of business 29:53 - Dealing with the challenges and stresses of running a business 36:05 - How the business is structured today 40:25 - Leading a team in business 43:50 - Looking to the future and selling internationally 46:50 - Breaking into America 47:24 - Advice for starting a business: "Do it and don't look back."

On this episode of Taking Care of Business, Paul Cheetham-Karcz sits down with leading behavioural economist Roger Martin-Fagg to discuss the current economic climate in the UK. They talk through the current political situation regarding the Tory government's leadership, and how this may affect the economy with regard to recessions, house prices and interest rates. They also go on further to consider the cost of living crisis we are currently facing, and what the short to medium-term economical future may look like for the UK. In this episode: 00:02:25 - Who is Roger Martin-Fagg 00:08:55 - The effects of Brexit 00:14:35 - Is a recession due? 00:16:37 - The definition of a recession 00:18:57 - Impacts of the pandemic 00:31:41 - How Putin’s war is affecting our energy supplies? 00:35:25 - A lack of government leadership 00:37:03 - Liz Truss and the mini-budget 00:46:10 - The current state of the economy and where it's heading 00:50:30 - Tory or Labour? 00:55:30 - What’s happening to interest rates 00:58:05 - Will house prices crash? 01:00:48 - Exchange rates and the markets 01:04:30 - Roger’s take on the looming recession Disclaimer- This episode was filmed on the 19th of October 2022

Series 11 of Taking Care of Business has arrived! In this preview episode, host Paul Cheetham-Karcz discusses his upcoming guests for this series: Daniel Yuen & Kieran Riddell-Austin Co-Founders of the sportswear brand Montirex. Roger Martin-Fagg Leading behavioural economist and keynote speaker. Danny De Brabander Stage 4 (terminal) bowel cancer and sepsis survivor. Kirk Miller International life and body coach. Robbie Hughes Cosmetic dentist and owner of Dental Excellence UK. Further guests are to be announced in the coming weeks. A new episode will drop every Wednesday from 19th October onwards, so subscribe, share and tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and more.

That’s a wrap on Taking Care of Business Series 10! In this episode, host Paul Cheetham-Karcz looks back at the variety of guests we’ve had on this series, discusses what he’s learnt and his favourite moments. Featured on this series: Alastair Campbell British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair’s leadership of the Labour Party. Tracey Neville Former England netball international and Commonwealth Games gold medalist as England head coach. Mike Bates The Atlantic Grappler and former Royal Marines Commando Lily Shippen Founder of Lily Shippen Recruitment Abbie Day Brand owner at Gypsabella Chris Brindley MBE, Former MD of Metro Bank and elite sports business mentor to the likes of Heineken, Sport England, the PFA and Man Utd. Kevin Stewart Professional footballer for the likes of Blackpool and Liverpool, as well as host of the Money Game Podcast. Make sure to check out all the episodes from this series. Taking Care of Business will return in October with Series 11, so be sure to subscribe, share and tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.

Why is it so crucial for highly paid athletes to understand their finances early in their careers? Kevin Stewart joins us on Taking Care of Business this week with Paul Cheetham-Karcz as they discuss how footballers often struggle to cope with their finances once their professional careers come to an end. Kevin speaks on why he decided early on in his career that he had to think about his future and how he didn't want to move on to coaching as many other athletes do. They go on to discuss what it was like for Kevin to play with some of his childhood heroes, such as Steven Gerrard, starting his own podcast, and what motivates him to make sure he will be financially secure for the future. In this episode: 2:15 - Realising how unprepared athletes are for life post-career 6:30 - Changing the culture within football 7:47 - The start of Kevin's career - Importance of support from parents 10:00 - Competitiveness at an early age 13:38 - Playing at Tottenham 14:03 - Release from Tottenham and move to Liverpool 16:45 - Initiations into 1st teams 17:43 - The mindset of playing with Steven Gerrard 22:24 - Leaving Liverpool to join Hull City 24:00 - The difference between being in academies to being a regular 1st team player 25:40 - Dealing with abuse from football fans 29:17 - The discipline of a businessman versus an athlete 36:43 - The difference in finances of an athlete compared to the average person 39:40 - Kevin's mindset behind understanding his finances and making good decisions early 42:15 - Learning about tax led to a passion for property 44:20 - Why Kevin started his own podcast 50:43 - Are there many similarities between the mindset of a business owner and athletes? 53:00 - Are you best suited to a team sport or an individual sport? 54:38 - A winning mindset - Having belief in your team 58:42 - Seeing players around you excel 1:00:52 - Does behaviour drive results, or do results drive behaviour? 1:03:04 - What does the future look like for Kevin?

How do you build a team that is on board and striving to achieve the best possible results? This week Paul Cheetham-Karcz speaks to Britain's Best Boss, Chris Brindley. They discuss his leadership style and how he does things differently. He also looks back at some of his proudest achievements throughout his career, such as winning the "Britain's Best Boss" award and his time as MD at Metro Bank, the first new high street bank to launch in the United Kingdom in over 150 years. Chris goes on to talk about how he transitioned from working in finance for the likes of NatWest to working in the energy sector for British Gas to becoming chair of the Rugby League World Cup. In this episode: 00:50 - Britain's Best Boss award 05:15 - How do you deal with difficult team members? 08:20 - Chris' desire to be the best and setting standards for others 11:05 - Understanding what motivates your team members, and becoming a coach 12:03 - John Whitmore's model of G-R-O-W 14:07 - R-I-C-E-S model 18:10 - Importance of people skills 23:40 - Preparing team members for higher positions 25:00 - The influence you have on other people in your life 28:35 - Chris' aspirations after school 30:55 - Starting a leadership role at NatWest 31:50 - Greatest achievement at NatWest 33:20 - Transferring his leadership skills and reinventing himself at British Gas 40:45 - Prevention not cure - Having conversations with team members quickly 42:37 - Hiring for Metro Bank 45:00 - How Chris was approached to work at Metro Bank 48:45 - Keeping Metro Bank open on Sundays and bank holidays - putting customers first 51:14 - Why leave Metro Bank? 51:40 - Involvement with sport 53:30 - Becoming chair of the Rugby League World Cup 55:00 - What's next for Chris after the Rugby League World Cup in December?

What challenges are recruitment firms facing post-pandemic, and what is it like to start a business at a young age? In this week's episode, we are joined by Lily Shippen, the managing director and founder of Lily Shippen Recruitment. Speaking to Paul Cheetham-Karcz, she discusses how she got into the recruitment industry, deciding to start a business at just 22 years old, and how new challenges, such as working from home, are affecting recruiters today. Lily also goes on to discuss what the next 12 months may look like for her and how she wants to build a legacy. In this episode: 06:50 - Starting in recruitment 08:40 - Starting a business at 22 10:43 - Building a client base 12:23 - Looking back at the first 12 months of business 14:10 - The pressures of being a business owner 15:15 - Challenges brought on by COVID 17:49 - Effects of Work From Home on recruitment 24:48 - Have government bail outs accelerated recruitment post-COVID? 27:25 - Rise of employer review websites 31:58 - Accelerated growth in the last 12 months 34:30 - Moving to London 36:45 - Importance of building a team and developing a culture 41:03 - Taking inspiration from role models 42:41 - The challenges Lily's faced in the last 12 months of growth 44:28 - Visualising and setting goals for the future

What attributes do you need to create a life for yourself without any limits? This episode's guest has worked in covert operations for the counter-terrorism unit, is a human intelligence specialist and has worked for the Royal Marines and the Ministry of Defence. He’s also a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has founded his own martial arts centre and in December 2022 is rowing across the Atlantic Ocean SOLO. The Atlantic Grappler, Mike Bates, knows a thing or two about challenging limits. In this Taking Care of Business episode, Mike and host, Paul Cheetham-Karcz, discuss the blueprint needed to push further than you thought was impossible, with motivation, inspiration, nerve and discipline at the heart of it. The guys also discuss Mike's time in the marines and with the MOD, as well as how he's preparing to take on his toughest challenge yet - rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean on his own for charity.

What does it really feel like to be a business owner in the thick of a growing brand? That's the question put to the next guest on the Taking Care of Business podcast. The founder of Gypsabella, Abbie Day, joins host Paul Cheetham-Karcz, to talk about everything from the early days of founding her fashion brand, through realising she might be on to something, and onto dealing with the challenges that come with growing a successful business. Abbie also talks about the future for Gypsabella and her plans to build a sustainable business which pushes boundaries, whilst also looking after herself.

How do you create a winning team that demonstrates persistent excellence? The answer to that question lies within building a culture and environment geared towards high performance; a topic which former England netball international and Commonwealth Games gold medalist as England head coach, Tracey Neville, knows all too well about. Tracey joins host, Paul Cheetham-Karcz, to discuss everything from how she created winning environments as England netball's Head Coach to preparing and winning gold medals. Tracey also discusses the impact of sport on her childhood, as well as the childhoods of brothers Gary and Phil, and transitioning her career post-playing days.

What are the common traits amongst the world's serial winners and leaders? That's the topic up for debate in this episode, as host Paul Cheetham-Karcz welcomes to Taking Care of Business a man who knows a thing or two about both winning and leading - Alastair Campbell. Alastair is a British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his key roles during Tony Blair’s leadership of the Labour Party. The pair discuss what Alastair learnt from the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Arsène Wenger whilst writing his book 'Winners', as well as the strategies and objectives (or lack of) in the current Conservative and Labour parties. Paul and Alastair also chat about social media's impact on politics, the trend of sportspeople infiltrating the political landscape, dealing with criticism and what the future holds for Alastair Campbell. Taking Care of Business is available to listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts. Can't find your platform? Head to www.sedulo.co.uk/tcob

Series 10 of Taking Care of Business is here! In this preview episode, host Paul Cheetham-Karcz discusses what he's learnt over the past 9 series' of Taking Care of Business, as well as looks ahead to a series featuring: Alastair Campbell British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair’s leadership of the Labour Party. Tracey Neville Former England netball international and Commonwealth Games gold medalist as England head coach. Mike Bates The Atlantic Grappler and former Royal Marines Commando Lily Shippen Founder of Lily Shippen Recruitment Abbie Day Brand owner at Gypsabella Chris Brindley MBE Former MD of Metro Bank and elite sports business mentor to the likes of Heineken, Sport England, the PFA and Man Utd. Kevin Stewart Professional footballer for the likes of Blackpool and Liverpool, as well as host of the Money Game Podcast A new episode will be dropping every Wednesday from 8th June onwards, so subscribe, share and tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.

How does behaviour affect those around you and ultimately shape an organisation? That’s the theme of this episode of Taking Care of Business, as host and Sedulo Managing Partner, Paul Cheetham-Karcz, talks to Chief Executive of Downtown in Business, Frank McKenna, exploring events surrounding Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Everton FC, as well as drawing on personal experience

What does it take to build a brand and business that stands the test of time? That's the theme of this episode of Taking Care of Business, as host Paul Cheetham-Karcz talks to the founder of Barber Barber, Johnny Shanahan, on how he has managed to create a brand amongst a very trend-heavy industry that has grown across the UK and shows no sign of slowing down. Also up for discussion are how a business can be authentic on whatever their stage is, how the barbering industry has changed in the face of recent challenges and Johnny tells us how he has approached the task of transitioning Barber Barber from a purely service-driven business to one that also supplies products.

What are the personality traits required to not only reach an elite performance level, but to maintain that level across a career? That’s the topic up for discussion as host and business leader, Paul Cheetham-Karcz, welcomes Olympic gold medal-winning British triathlete, Alistair Brownlee, to the Taking Care of Business podcast. Also covered in the conversation is the debate between competition vs participation, the difference between confidence and self-belief in all walks of life and the lessons sport can teach us on the necessity to be ruthless. Alistair also gives us his account of THAT moment where he carried his heat-exhausted brother, fellow triathlete Jonny Brownlee, across the finishing line at the 2016 World Triathlon Series in Mexico.