9 to when?

We've been away for a little while! Before the world was rudely interrupted by coronavirus, the 9 to When? podcast had a bit of a switch-up. Our beloved host, Jamie, moved onto pastures green and Tom – a member of our accountants team – kindly offered to take over the show. Unfortunately, Tom only got to record one episode before we had to cancel our other guests due to lockdown restrictions. This was the first episode of Tom's series – a fantastic interview with Emma Watson, proud owner of children's hats company – Little Hotdog Watson. We loved Emma, and were keen to release her interview regardless of the circumstances. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Unfortunately, this episode's release is a one off, but we hope to add more episodes to this series when things are a little easier. Stay safe, Dan.

In this episode of 9 to when? Jamie speaks with Ahlam Alharthy of Grow With Me. Ahlam’s story: ‘I really wanted to know how I could best nurture my daughters brain development and wanted her to have good quality toys that were open ended so she can learn whilst playing. But it was extremely difficult to find the time to do that at the early stages of motherhood. Once life got less crazy, I became completely obsessed with baby development and play and that’s when Grow With Me was born. I wanted to create a play box not only because I would have loved it myself at the time but also to help other mums like me.’

In this episode, Jamie chats with Nigel Berman from School of the Wild — a different kind of team building company. They discuss the power of the great outdoors, Nigel’s path to becoming a business owner, and how nature itself can be used to reset teams.

Show notes Lauren Pears is the proud owner of Lady Dinah's cat Emporium – an Alice in Wonderland themed cat cafe based in Bethnal Green, London. They currently have 16 cats and an enormous waiting list for weekend visits. Starting out - Lady Dinah’s has been running for around six years. The first two years were stressful! - When starting out, Lauren faced a lot of challenges. One of these was a disconnect between herself and investors - Lauren also underestimated the hype – when she opened her booking system in 2013, she received over 20,000 bookings within the first seven days - The flip side of this was that people were forgetting about their bookings, and while it was booked out according to the online system, Lauren had an empty cafe - No shows are a massive problem, and as a result Lauren now requires customers to purchase their ticket upfront - Along with the usual cafe staff, Lady Dinah’s have cat carers who are trained to look after the cats while customers are enjoying their time Interior design - Alice in Wonderland - Lady Dinah’s is named after Alice’s cat in Lewis Carroll’s famous book, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ - Upstairs, the cafe is themed as the Mad Hatter’s tea room. It features a giant top hat that the cats like to walk around, and rope bridges connected to the walls - Lauren learned quickly that cats destroy everything, so anything you build has to be cat-proof - Her creative team have helped her build the interior, including turning a structural column into a hand-sculpted tree Social media - Lady Dinah’s have a strong digital following on social media, with over 250,000 followers across various platforms - Marketing has been an 'unsolvable problem' for Lauren since she first opened the cafe - Lauren has found it hard to get someone who isn’t regularly in the cafe to do marketing for her, so for a long time did it herself - In order to free up a little bit of her time she has had to learn to delegate social roles Negative customers - Lauren has inevitably had to deal with customers who don’t know how to interact with the animals properly - She believes it’s essential that as a business owner you stick up for your staff - Negative reviews on Trip Advisor are hard to navigate, and are frustrating when a customer’s account doesn’t align with the truth or is unfair - For small businesses, negative reviews can be really damaging - Ultimately, there is a bigger margin for failure as cats are unpredictable – some customers are more understanding than others From video games to cats - Before starting Lady Dinah’s, Lauren was working in the game industry - After a number of different jobs working on some exciting games, the 2008 economic collapse meant that Australia was no longer a cheap place to develop games - After a brief break from the game industry, Lauren was drawn back and made the leap to move to London where she worked at Sony Playstation for around two years - Her time in the games industry means that she has been able to take on the techy / analytic side of Lady Dinah’s with relative ease What’s one thing you wish you knew when you were first starting out? - Don’t try and behave like a boss, the boss’ you’ve already had are the reason you left - Be the boss that you want to work for The big biz whiz quiz Lauren scored 7/10

Nearly seven months in now, Jamie and Mat get chatting again after an extended break from talking to each other in the Alps. They discuss the challenges of family business, what can be learned from digital bank N26’s exit from the UK, spotlight an entrepreneur making mementos from dead pets before concluding with the timeless Brilliant or Bonkers – where Mat has a tough time tricking Jamie about who said this week's quote If you've got any feedback, or want to be featured on the show then send your thoughts to podcast@iwoca.co.uk or visit our [insights](https://www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/) page for content for small businesses. Show notes Jamie and Mat have both been out in France on a company retreat taking a break from office life. News Rushden based shoe firm, DB Shoes, run by two generations of identical twins turns 100 - The business was initially set up by a pair of identical twins in 1920: Jack and Bill Denton - In 1990, Jack's grandsons David and Charles Denton (also identical twins) took over the business and helped protect its future - This year, the business turned 100 Challenger bank N26 has closed 200,000 UK accounts - They cited not having enough time to put group structure in place prior to Brexit as their reason for pulling out of the UK - According to N26: “The timings and framework outlined in the EU withdrawal agreement mean that the company will in due course be unable to operate in the UK with its European banking licence.” - They appear to be focusing more on their primary market – Germany – where they are based Business spotlight: 9 Lives Twine 'The business that lets you keep your pet forever' - Theresa Furrer spins your old pet fur into jumpers, scarves and hats so that you can continue to enjoy their soft fur after they pass away - She works 60 hours a week by popular demand - A lifelong knitter, she didn't want to continue using sheep wool because of the sustainability issues associated. So, she appealed for cat and dog fur so that she could continue making her fur jumpers - She also runs a business called Close By Me Jewellery that takes the ashes of pets or loved ones, turns them into a resin and then sets them in gold or silver jewellery According to Theresa: "The poodle is the worst dog to spin. If I can get this poodle [done], I can do anything. Check out the New York Times article here. Brilliant or Bonkers "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." – Henry Ford

Show notes In an info-packed interview, James Gibson – Lead Product Owner at Revolut – runs Jamie through the principles and processes the global money app have used to build and sustain their growth, which last year topped The Tech Track 100 (with an 507.56% annual sales rise over three years). They cover roadmapping done right, hiring the right people and finding the balance between robust stretch targets and unrealistic expectations of success. Of course, there’s also the big biz whizz quiz for James to fight his way through, before at last concluding on Brilliant or Bonkers, where we look at an American literary giant and ask the question: if you’re on the side of the majority, should you reflect and reform? The ingredients for growth Revolut was named is the fastest growing UK tech company in 2019 and their growth strategy is centred around three things: KPIs (key performance indicators), people and roadmapping: KPIs – Do you know what you’re optimising for, are you pushing everything in the right direction? People – Are you hiring and nurturing the right people? How is your team developing? Without the right people, you’re never going to get to where you want to be Roadmap– What are you going to do with those people to reach your goals? Being critical about bad ideas, just focus on the ones that are going to support KPIs According to James, the key to Revolut’s success is structuring everything carefully, and then being ruthless in that approach. Using smart experimentation to work out the best way forward is at the heart of Revolut. Hiring problem solvers - Despite being a banking app, Revolut typically don’t hire individuals with banking experience. Instead, they hire people from tech companies who think outside of the box in order to drive growth and success. - Being creative and doing things differently is one of the keys to growth as doing what everyone else is doing will result in you growing at the same rate as them. - Accountability:people who own the problem they are given and don’t blindly accept advice from others just because they outrank them - Analytical: anyone can think of a product, what’s hard is not to work out what you **could**, it’s working out what your **should** do. - Spark: An element of creativity, someone who brings fresh ideas to the table Achieving KPIs - As a team, you’re given your target for the quarter but are then given a huge amount of freedom in how you reach that KPI - You then get to pitch different ideas so you can work out how to get from A to B - While you have more freedom, you also have more accountability and responsibility for your projects - Leadership at every level– you own what you do and are judged on your results What’s a realistic target? - Set stretch targets that are more general, as you progress, they don’t look as unrealistic - Revolut has grown quickly through this strategy - Revolut is looking to launch in the US and Singapore in the coming months, these have been huge goals for them - Gradually, elements of these projects have come together and now it seems far more feasible James’ key takeaways - Know what your goals are and make sure everyone in your company knows too - Hire the right people - Make sure you have razor focus on what you decide to push forward - Investing your time and effort in the right things when you’re small is probably the most important thing you can do

This week, Mat sits down with Jess Stern, co-founder of Mustard Made. Mustard sell great looking, easy to assemble lockers in a variety of colours. They talk about the difficulties of a business partner on the other side of the world, the importance of attention to detail and dropping her product off two meter cherry pickers.

In their six month milestone episode, Mat and Jamie go head to head on the topics of falling bank lending to UK businesses, a hammock that hangs from your desk, the fad of multi-use products, abseiling water-bottles, and a quote so old Mat can’t place it for love nor money. Show Notes https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/scrappage-scheme https://www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/regional-lending/ https://www.upliftdesk.com/under-desk-hammock-uplift-desk/ Quote "An unexamined life is not worth living." Music: Death of Loves | John Hall | Opsound

How do businesses connect their online and offline customer offerings? This week, Jamie interviews Julian Fisher of jisp to understand how his company is redefining the retail experience as we know it.

In the second show of the third decade of the second millennium, Mat talks about the supply chain and coping with changing consumer interests, Jamie gets Sports Direct and JD Sports royally mixed up, and neither of them can agree on a quote by the 20th century’s greatest fighter. News Christmas pudding sales slump in challenging festive period From JD Sports to Games Workshop: best market performers of decade Business spotlight Shoeblast! The smart shoe care system Brilliant or bonkers “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” Music: John Hall | Death of Lovers

This week, Jamie talks to Aimée Ramos, owner of GoodEye Vintage (https://goodeyemarket.com/) about her attempt to put a stop to fast fashion. They discuss growing up in New York, tarot card readings and her biggest business challenges.

In a special edition of 9 to when? Jamie surprises Mat with a Christmas quiz (how many festive businesses can you guess are real or fake?), they discuss employees taking the pee with excessive toilet breaks, and both can’t decide if small business owners should be more Santa or more Scrooge. Show notes Shoppers to spend £4.4bn with small retailers this Christmas Toilet designed with ‘inconvenient slope’ could wipe out extended loo breaks taken by workers Music by: Death of Lovers by John Hall Christmas by Blowfelt OPSOUND

In this episode, Jamie chats with William Adoasi of Vitae London, a unique watch company that doesn't break the bank. Vitae is Latin for life, and the business' aim is to be the fashion brand changing lives: for every watch they sell, they help support a child in sub-saharan Africa through education. Find out more at https://vitaelondon.com/.

In the latest episode, Jamie talks about extreme capitalism and whether a business should always have a social purpose, Mat looks at a new invention to charge your phone on the go – from your head – and they both geek out over Lord of the Rings, but get a bit stuck on how it best relates to small business. Show notes: UK 'has particularly extreme form of capitalism' Light-harvesting helmets promise to deliver 'endless power' “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

Today, Jamie chats with David Brear of 11:FS, a challenger consultancy with big plans to revolutionise the world of digital banking.

Mat and Jamie reunite to talk about start up funding options, slick new channels for social media pioneers to explore, concluding with an all round discussion about the merits of what Eminem thinks about his past. Show notes North West named biggest start-up region outside of London SOMNIBEL, the new device for the treatment of sleep apnea “People can try to reinvent themselves. I don’t think you can really change who you are, though, because who you are is pretty much where you came from and what you’ve done up to now.” – Eminem

This week on the podcast Jamie interviews founder of Vurchoo Jewellery, Alex Angel–Benscher. Alex runs an ethical jewellery company that takes designs from drawings done by children in Rwanda, Guatemala, India and Cambodia, and turns them into beautiful jewellery. Alex kindly gave listeners 15% off anything on his website so go and check it out as he has some really great pieces. His website is: www.vurchoo.co.uk www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/podcast-17/

Read the article here: https://www.iwoca.co.uk/finance-explained/business-crowdfunding/

In an after-hours special, Jamie explains word of mouth marketing for small businesses, Mat goes growth, growth, growth with the government’s new grant and they both look into one very specific line of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but are they overthinking it? Government announces £35m fund to grow rural businesses Small business grants: what's on offer and how to get it James Dyson Award: Fish-scale plastic and self-disinfecting door handle could net award for top invention The complete guide to creating customers with word of mouth “And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,” — Hamlet

Read the article here: https://www.iwoca.co.uk/finance-explained/small-business-grants/

In this latest and greatest episode, Jamie talks about the new trend of allowing the customer to split payments, Mat banishes halloween nightmares away with a brand new spray, and both of them disagree with good old Coco. MS launches buy now pay later service Parents can now buy a £4.95 ‘anti-nightmare mist’ to help children sleep at night Philosophy of Debt Part 1 Philosophy of Debt Part 2 The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing The best things in life are free. The second best things are very expensive. Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel

This week, Jamie’s poorly but talks about content marketing, Mat examines crimes against small business, and both of them get to grips with the topic of jealousy and whether it’s ever of any use. Show notes Call for help in tackling small business crime The race to build a flying electric taxi What is content marketing? As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion. Antisthenes

With his co-host’s return, Jamie takes the opportunity to talk about cute sofa names (and why they sell so well), Mat explains the intricacies of whisky in a dishwasher tablet format, SEO comes up squarely on the 1st page, and both of them gush over Mt Everest’s most enigmatic pioneer. Show notes: Sofa maker Loaf bakes in growth plans as sales rise Whisky firm release new dishwasher tablet-shaped cocktail capsules “People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of no use.'There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron... If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.” —George Mallory

Read the article here: https://www.iwoca.co.uk/finance-explained/business-overdraft/

Stepping up to the plate, Mark covers for Mat this week, Jamie gets Northwich and Norwich mixed up, we cover why being front of mind is one of the most important laws of marketing, and we also head to Japan for today's brilliant or bonkers quote. Show notes Northwich business owner turns 80 and says she's no plans to slow down yet Meet the Sno-flex “I no naka no kawazu, taikai wo sirazu” A frog in a well never knows the vast ocean Music: Death of Lovers by John Hall | Opsound

Read the full article here: https://www.iwoca.co.uk/finance-explained/working-capital/

Shadow Chancellor John Mcdonnell vows to shorten the working week to 32 hours with no reduction to pay The Clam Pillow “A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” ― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

In our 10th ‘anniversary’ episode Mat correctly guesses the only county in England that doesn’t have a McDonald’s, Jamie tries to explain why plastic that only comes out at night is a good idea, and they both fail to agree if teleportation is a good idea or not. News More than a third of UK bank branches have closed since 2015 England's only county without a McDonald's Innovation Vampire plastic Reasons not to buy hoverboards Finance explained What is a credit facility? Brilliant or bonkers “Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.” Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” —Winnie-the-Pooh Music John Hall | Death of Lovers | Opsound

Today, Mat runs us through the ins and outs of hunting licenses (the auction finance kind), a joke about helium balloons goes straight over Jamie’s head, and Saint Augustine weighs in on the topic of trying new things. News Recession, what recession? Small businesses are doing good Helium shortage: 'Prices just keep going up and up' Innovations Wearable diabetes sensor Rockit Rocker Finance Explained Auction finance explained Quotes “Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. “ —Ernest Hemingway “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” —Saint Augustine

Now with exciting new recording equipment, Jamie gets stuck into the pros and cons of a cashless society, Mat explains another unusually named device – which is most definitely not a black box for your phone – and both of them can’t figure out when Leonardo Da Vinci went dinosaur hunting. News Network Rail’s property sell-off is causing an uncertain future for Britain's small businesses The Daily Mail talks to traders affected by the push for a cashless society Inventions LynQ Off road high heels Finance Explained Compare the best business bank accounts Quotes “My old father used to have a saying: If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter.” – Abraham Lincoln “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” – Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (Leonardo Da Vinci) Audio: Death of Lovers, John Hall | Opsound

In this evening edition of 9 to when? Mat discusses why employed people think businesses are important, Jamie attempts to explain what happens to sound when you turn a piano on its nose, and both of them agree (for once) on whether mixing untruths into business practice is ever a good thing. News Small business in Wales are the UK’s most ‘community conscious’ Company reputation matters for three in four brits Innovations Meet the Standing Grand - a brand new piano invention The indoor smart plants that water themselves. Finance explained What is Trade Credit? Brilliant or bonkers? “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou (“Maiya Angelo”) “My dear, the real truth always sounds improbable, do you know that? To make truth sound probable you must always mix in some falsehood with it. Men have always done so.” – Stepan Trofimovich in Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky Audio: Death of Lovers, John Hall | Opsound

Today, Jamie talks about the National Living Wage, Mat wants an AI contact book with a camera and the most unusual of unusual names and absolutely no one can remember what exactly Michelangelo painted. News Four in ten small firms increasing prices due to higher wages amid calls for Low Pay Commission independence How Companies Benefit When Employees Work Remotely Innovations Robot golf ball knows where the hole is, and rolls in no matter where it’s aimed OrCam MyMe Finance explained What is peer to peer lending? Brilliant or bonkers “I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.” ― Vincent Van Gogh “The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” — Michelangelo Audio: Death of Lovers, John Hall | Opsound

In this episode, Jamie acts out bits of Quenton Tarantino’s new movie (badly), Mat examines Amazon’s good small business behaviour, and both of them can’t agree on the business use-case for a bionic zoom lens. News Amazon has done more good than bad for small business Streaming could kill UK independent film industry, experts say Inventions Could we all be vegan in the future? Contact Lens That Zoom in the Blink of an Eye Finance explained section What’s a bridging loan? Brilliant or bonkers Marvin Schwarzs: So Rick, who's gonna beat the shit out of you next week? Mannix? The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.? How about Batman and Robin? [pantomimes the fight choreography] Marvin Schwarzs: Ping! Pow! Choom! Zoom! Down goes you, down goes your career as a leading man. Once upon a time in Hollywood | Bonkers “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” - Dolly Parton | Brilliant

After a slight timetable change, Mat mulls over business owners too busy to go on holiday, Jamie questions the poor planning of the Post-It Note's creator, and absolutely no-one can agree if the term "bronkers" accurately describes Ernest Shackleton. Business News More than 500,000 SME owners 'have not had a holiday since 2014' UK retailers demand business rate cuts to save high street stores Innovation Inventions that were created by accident Why we’re all obsessed with the fish tube Mat’s meme about the salmon cannon Finance explained How does a business know if it needs finance? Quotes - brilliant or bonkers ‘Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.’ - William Shakespeare “Loneliness is the penalty of leadership, but the man who has to make the decisions is assisted greatly if he feels that there is no uncertainty in the minds of those who follow him, and that his orders will be carried out confidently and in expectation of success.” - Ernest Shackelton

In the latest episode, Mat discusses rental caravanning and the gig economy, Jamie goes back to the future with high-flying hoverboards, the topic of merchant cash advances is casually advanced and absolutely no one seems to know what Henry Ford invented. Show Notes: Business News ”We've made £10k from renting caravans” FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2020 Innovations Hire calling: why rental fashion is taking off French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crosses the English Channel on a flying hoverboard Finance explained What’s a Merchant Cash Advance? Brilliant or bonkers? "Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain." - Henry Ford “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

This week, Mat talks about how July is killing our Christmas dinner, Jamie explains how a business lets you see the world like a Wes Anderson movie, the mammoth topic of managing cash-flow is broached, and absolutely no-one can agree who said these famous inspirational quotes… Show Notes Hot hot Europe might result in UK shortage of turkeys for Christmas UK experiences expectedly strong retail sales in June, kick-started by "secondhand goods at charity shops and antique dealers" Sunglasses that let you see the world like a Wes Anderson movie Scottish Island gets a brand new distillery after 220 years ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ — "Winston Churchill" 'It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.' — J. K. Rowling (or Albus Dumbledore) Music: Death of Lovers (Acoustic), John Hall, Opsound

In our inaugural episode, Jamie manages to get the name of the podcast wrong within the first 30 seconds, Mat explorer the ethics of shooting inanimate objects, there's a bit of business news – Richard Branson gets the okay, but Jeff Bezos doesn't. We're still learning, so please send (constructive) feedback to podcast@iwoca.co.uk or visit iwoca.co.uk/insights for more even more small business news and features. Show Notes Business news Fish and chip restaurant closes because the owners don't believe in fishing anymore The UK's first parcel postboxes are launched - good for small businesses? Are Instagrammable vegan chocolate lollies a clever idea or a cynical marketing ploy? From selling vaping kit to creating a senior dating scene: meet the UK's 'olderpreneurs' Finance explained Just what the hell is a debenture? Sayings/mantras “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well—Jeff Bezos “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later”—Richard Branson Music: Death of Lovers (Acoustic), John Hall, Opsound