Award-winning voice actor Mark Ryes talks to business owners across the UK and beyond about the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on their business - and how they've been coping, changing and adapting to life in lockdown.
As a professional magician Marco Seymour has always performed to a very varied audience, and on a daily basis would meet and perform to many people in a host of different social situations. When covid-19 hit - the bookings all postponed or cancelled.Marco chats about how the pandemic has changed the way he works and recalls one particularly unfortunate show overseas when it wasn't just his suitcase that didn't arrive.You can contact Marco through his websites: www.marcosmagic.co.uk for family and children's partiesand www.marcoseymour.co.uk for adult /close up magic and cabaret
Cassie Bouverie worked in the tech industry followed by 12 years running a B&B in central Edinburgh. Now she runs a website privatehousestays.com which allows Scottish B&B owners to take bookings commission free. She's taking on the big boys like Air B&B and booking.com trying to make it fairer for the accommodation owners.The pandemic has been dreadful for all B&B owners, and it's hit Cassie and her plans hard. She talks about her dream to go nationwide with her bespoke booking software, and to create more jobs in the staycation market.You can contact Cassie through the website - www.privatehousestays.com
We all know that alongside hospitality, the events industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Physical events have been replaced by virtual ones, with varying degrees of success, and now there's talk of hybrid events for the back end of 2021.Beckie Towle is the Chief Amazement Officer and founder of The Events Raccoon - an event management agency in their fifth year of trading, producing events for the UK market and around the world. Just how difficult was it when all the physical events were cancelled, and how do you persuade people to "go digital"?You can contact Beckie through the website - www.theeventsraccoon.co.uk
Some parts of the construction industry have been hit hard by problems with the supply chain on concrete and timber during the pandemic. How building companies have responded to those challenges will determine their long term success after covid.Charlotte Hiskins from SH Carpentry & Construction in Oxfordshire explains what they had to do to get through the tough times, and thinks 2021 could be quite a positive year.You can contact Charlotte through the website - www.sh-construction.co.uk
Covid compliance and mental health awareness have never been more prevalent, and whilst some companies are responding to the Health & Safety challenge well... some are not. After a 26 year military career, Harold Floyd now runs Elite Force Safety with the aim of 'Bringing Military Standards to Safety in the Workplace'... but as a business that only started at the beginning of 2020, it's not been without some obstacles along the way.You can contact Harold through the website - www.eliteforcesafety.com
Do you know how much you spend on household bills - or what all your direct debit payments are for? Our next guest on Surviving Lockdown has some great financial tips for you.Stephanie Richards set up Raynham Henderson Wealth Management in 2019. It's a family-led financial adviser practice assisting individuals, families and small companies with their financial needs. The pandemic has forced all of us to look at our finances, especially after a market blip in spring last year - but Stephanie remains positive about the outlook.At a time when people are wondering about furlough, grants, SEISS, savings and fiscally protecting themselves - financial advice is paramount. You can contact Stephanie through the website - partnership.sjp.co.uk/partner/stephanierichards
Think of some of the most breathtaking photographs from high in the sky as well as action shots in sport - and you've described the Edinburgh based business Thomas Haywood Aerial Photography. Thomas is a photographer with over ten years' experience, a qualified drone pilot and CAA-approved aerial photographer. When the pandemic hit - the focus of his business had to change slightly, and he understood that helping others and networking were the keys to survival.You can contact Thomas through the website - www.thomashaywood.com Thomas produces a charity calendar each year, and you can get yours by ordering on the charity page:https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thaywoodphtocalendars20201
If you've ever wished you could access cash for your business in days not weeks, or always make sure you have cash in your business then you should listen to what Ian Roberts, owner of Cashflow Creators has to say.With a proven track record of helping businesses to stay afloat, or close down and restart as a way of protecting employees - he helps companies unlock the secrets of commercial finance. With more firms than ever facing trouble times because of the pandemic, Ian saw huge growth in his business across 2020, and is confident for the future.You can contact Ian via email at ian@cashflowcreators.co.uk or via Twitter @CreatorsCash
Capturing moments that can be treasured forever is the passion of Aina Gomez who runs Family Memento Photography.With a focus on families, Covid-19 restrictions meant that most shoots had to be postponed or cancelled, forcing Aina to change the direction of her business. As well as moving into product photography, she also launched a theatre school at the height of the pandemic. Aina chats to Mark Ryes about her reasoning for doing it at one of the most challenging times in history.You can contact Aina via familymemento.co.ukand if you want to find out more about the theatre school contact oxford.razzamataz.co.uk
Running a business during the pandemic has been hard enough - but starting one from scratch is a monumental task - yet that's what Francesca Eckersley has done with Frananda Yoga. Her journey to yoga began in 2014, when she walked into a Tai Chi class for the first time. Up and running since October 2020, her online yoga business is a testament to hard work, determination and true grit.You can contact Francesca via www.franandayoga.comWhether you're new to Yoga or a regular yogi, Frananda Yoga offers weekly classes and courses to suit you. To find out more, visit franandayoga.com and sign up to the monthly newsletter.
With the job market contracting due to covid-19 - the recruitment industry has had it tough. In some cases, really tough. Helen Fallon is the MD of Global CTS Recruitment, based in Oxfordshire. She deals directly with senior directors and business owners, offering an essential human touch - making sure the right candidate is matched to the right employer. Some sectors are far from getting back to business, and for Helen, it's a question of staying positive despite these unprecedented times.You can contact Helen through the website - www.globalcts.co.uk
Sian Pages runs a franchise of Not Just Travel - and as a travel consultant, she's dedicated to organising bespoke trips of a lifetime. 2020 was supposed to be Sian's year - her business was three years old, clients were booking some really complicated but rewarding trips - and then covid hit. The travel industry came to a standstill. Hear how Sian has coped with the roller coaster ride of being in travel, and how she's looking forward to what the future will bring.You can contact Sian through the website: sianpages.notjusttravel.com
Sarah Palmer-Granville is a commercial interior designer who launched SPG Interior Design last summer, working on her own projects as well as freelancing into other designer consultancies.When lockdown hit - she saw projects being postponed and cancelled - but through networking and tailoring her business to post-covid solutions, has managed to keep striving ahead.You can contact Sarah through the website - www.spginteriordesign.co.uk
Prepare for a delicious success story! Oli Barton set up Jolly Good Brownies in 2018. When Lockdown hit - orders went to full capacity - to the point where she's looking for a new home with enough space to set up a separate brownie kitchen to expand the business! Find out how Oli coped with Lockdown, and has come out stronger.You can order brownies and contact Oli through the website - jollygoodbrownies.co.uk
After 20 years as a teacher - Fiona Millington-Pipe took the bold step of taking her photography business Fiona Millington Photography full time at the start of lockdown. The thing she loves most about photography is the change in her subjects as their confidence grows from having their picture taken. With no financial help from the Government, it's not been easy - but Fiona is going strong and has great plans for her business going forward.You can contact Fiona through the website - www.fionamillingtonphotography.com
Ceri Owen looks at houses when they're about to go on the market, and performs a kind of magical transformation called staging - giving the best chance of achieving a sale, and achieving it quickly. Her business, sort style and stage was relatively new when covid struck - and so she quickly had to turn to virtual staging. She talks to Mark about the property market, how things have been really tough, and why there's a glimmer of hope in her sector.You can contact Ceri through the website - www.sortstyleandstage.com
David Wall is Director and Co-Founder of Dusted – a UK Top 100 design agency who deliver meaningful brand experiences for companies in finance, technology and professional services. With strong views on remote working and how business in general is looking, David explains how Dusted managed to thrive even in the most difficult of times.You can contact David through the website - www.dusted.com
Seánna Holland is the co-founder of Packsmart - a fulfilment company for small to medium sized businesses. They pick and pack products for retailers who don't have their own warehousing and distribution solutions. During lockdown the business saw a growth in demand - and they're even planning expansion. Some would say it's a risky move in the current climate - but the team at Packsmart is confident.You can contact Seánna through the website - www.packsmartltd.com
Rob Jefferson is Director of Marketing at Knapton Wright - a creative marketing agency helping businesses achieve their marketing goals. They take a creative, results-led approach to digital marketing, PR and advertising - but when covid-19 struck how did the business keep their own name out there, as well as helping their clients.You can contact Rob through the website - www.knaptonwright.co.uk
Getting your core message across to potential clients can be a big task - and it's one Steve Atkinson of ScreenForge Web Design in Hull relishes. He's much more than just a web designer. Mark caught up with Steve in Italy, to talk about how his business fared through lockdown, and how rough he thinks the next 12 months might be for business.You can contact Steve through the website - www.screenforge.co.uk
Dee Beckett of Mosaic Business Growth likes to cut through business jargon to help SME's achieve growth. From more than twenty years in director level roles, she's become more than just a business coach - the companies she works with include her as part of the team. Since Covid-19 hit, her focus has been to get her clients to think differently about the way forward, and she tells Mark that it can happen in a number of ways.You can contact Dee through the website - www.mosaicbusinessgrowth.co.uk
Steve Ray is an innovator in print and property. He's MD of Reynolds Press in Warwickshire, a bespoke printing service with decades of experience. Even before covid-19 hit - Steve and his business partner Ray were looking into ways of taking the business forward. Their mantra is STRATEGY! Steve says that they had a plan already in action which somewhat sheilded them from the effect lockdown had elsewhere. You can contact Steve through the website - www.reynoldspress.co.uk
Mike Neary is the Managing Director of Managing Excellence Through Training or METT. They offer a pragmatic approach that deals realistically with health, safety and environmental issues, tailored to meet the individual training needs of their clients... and they have a 100% pass rate on all their courses! When the pandemic hit, their face-to-face training obviously had to come to a halt - so how has the team moved forward and what does the rest of 2020 look like.You can contact Mike through the website - www.metttraining.co.uk
Now more than ever it's a good idea to have fresh pair of eyes look over your business - including your plans and strategies. Kevin Riley from ActionCOACH Warwick has over two decades of business experience, and helps people look at what they're doing with a new perspective. He thinks that every business is able to survive covid-19, and explains how you needn't be as hard hit by the impending recession as you might think.Since March, Kevin has talked to many people new to business coaching, and indeed he offers free 30 minute coaching calls or free in-depth 90 minute business analysis coaching sessions so you can decide whether or not coaching is right for you.You can contact Kevin through the website - warwick.actioncoach.co.uk
Peak Pursuits aims to offer education through adventure - so if you or your kids have ever wanted a go at abseiling, canoeing, climbing or a whole host of adventures - Peak is the place. Paul Ball is the Managing Director, running six activity centres across the Midlands and North West. They also provide Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions, and have four registered Independent day schools. The start of lockdown meant shutting the activity part of the business... so how has Peak coped, and how does Paul see the next twelve months as lockdown measure ease?You can contact Paul and his team through the website - peak.co.uk
Two mates from school, a love of gin and an old horse trailer - just a few key ingredients of The Little Gin Company. Since 2015 Nicola Tavener and Emma Bishop have been running bespoke gin tasting events, taking their trailer to events up and down the UK and making their own brand of gin. When covid-19 hit, the cancellations came thick and fast - so Emma and Nicola explain how they adapted their business to cope.You can contact Emma and Nicola through the website - www.thelittlegincompany.com
Donna Nixon is the owner of 52 Degrees North Travel, an independent travel agency based in Stratford-upon-Avon. As with the entire travel industry, when covid-19 hit, Donna was thrown into a mix of getting people home safely, processing refunds and then the uncertainty of whether we'll ever travel on holiday the same way again. She talks to Mark about the uncertainties of the industry post-lockdown, and the concerns of travellers going forward.You can contact Donna through the website - www.52degreesnorthtravel.co.uk
After becoming a RAF aircraft engineer and then persuing a career in banking, Craig Evans has achieved his dream - running Coastal Foraging experiences in West Wales for groups of people from all over the world. He teaches them all about the coastal environment and it's inhabitants, plus they get to cook and eat what they forage in a sheltered cove on the beach. Wales however is still in complete lockdown, so the business is at a standstill, but Craig is optomistic about the future.You can contact Craig through the website - coastalforaging.co.uk His YouTube channel is "Coastal Foraging with Craig Evans" which has 87 thousand subscribers and over 10 Million views.
The pub trade was first to close in lockdown... but how are pub owners finding these challenging times? Natalie Coleshill runs The Milford Arms pub in Isleworth, which also has 11 B&B rooms. In this updated edition of the podcast, we hear about the difficulties leading up to lockdown - and now what Natalie and her team are doing in preparation for re-opening on July 4th.Find out more about The Milford Arms at www.themilfordarms.co.uk
After 25 years working for big business and large corporates Amy Hobson decided that it was time for change and set up Focus Your Future. She helps small and micro businesses not just use digital marketing but to understand how it works and how they can use it to grow their business. Amy explains that launching a business at the start of lockdown, and being a mum of four boys meant there were certainly challenges along the way!You can contact Amy through the website - www.focusyourfuture.co.uk
Jason Williams is a Director and Veterinary Surgeon at Bicester Vets in Oxfordshire. He joined the practice in 1995 and became a partner in the year 2000. It's a high quality, modern small animal veterinary practice based in the heart of the town. With the onset of covid-19, Jason talks about the strict changes that had to be put in place.You can contact Jason through the website - www.bicestervets.co.uk
In 2008 Allan Chester launched UK Postbox - the UK's premier mail scanning, virtual address, and parcel solution. They enable businesses to operate on an international level while offices remain closed, through their virtual mail management solution. Allan talks about the surge in demand at the onset of covid-19, and the changes he and his team had to put in place.You can contact Allan through the website - www.ukpostbox.com
When covid-19 hit - the events industry pretty much came to a halt. Then people started thinking about virtual events... which was lucky for ReAttendance because they'd just developed a platform to allow fully bespoke virtual events - their first major booking being the fully virtual One Voice Conference in May. Chloe Prince is the Commercial Director of ReAttendance and chats to Mark about what's now possible in a virtual conference venue.You can contact Chloe through the website at www.reattendance.com
When your goal is to get people to "never work a day in their life again" - recruitment may seem an odd choice - until you realise when you love what you do, you don't really see it as work! Sarah Naylor of Naylor George Recruitment has just such a goal - but since lockdown, opportunities have been few and far between. So how does Sarah see recruitment in the next few months?You can contact Sarah through the website at www.naylorgeorge.co.uk
Luisa Diaz is a fully qualified counsellor and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She was just opening her own private practice in North London when covid-19 struck - forcing her to adapt her plans and change to more remote therapy. Luisa joins Mark to talk how lockdown can affect many people's mental health and about the challenges facing her own business.You can contact Luisa by email - it's luisadcounselling@gmail.comFind out more from Luisa's page on BACP's counsellor directory:https://www.bacp.co.uk/profile/8f3a9ee7-5390-e711-80e8-3863bb351d40
With the economy contracting, and unemployment already on the rise - recruitment services are having a tough time. Mark Callahan is the CEO of Recruiterlink, a company that changed the way they did recruitment long before lockdown - which has put them in a stronger position now. Mark tells us how he thinks the sector has fared after the onset of covid-19, and what it'll be doing in the months to come.You can contact Mark through the website at www.recruiterlink.com
Crafting has seen a massive upsurge during lockdown. Fiona Gurney is the owner of Woolyhippo, which started in 2010 on a market stall. They're now an online company selling their own brand of wool internationally from their website. Fiona joins Mark to talk about hugely increased demand during lockdown - and the problems that can bring.You can contact Fiona through the website at www.woolyhippo.com
Working from home, stuck in the house, home schooling, on furlough - all things that have played havoc with our collective confidence during the Coronavirus pandemic. Dannie-Lu Carr is a Leadership, Communications and Creativity specialist working internationally to help executives and employees get better with communications, access their creativity and master their all round leadership skills. As Dannie tells Mark, when one-to-one training is off the agenda, new ideas have to be implemented - and quickly.You can contact Dannie through the website at www.dannielucarr.com
The IT and Technology sectors have been in huge demand since lockdown - but has it been easy to cope with the extra demand? Simon McAlpine, Chief Commercial Officer of the award-winning Infinity IT Solutions, talks to Mark about the challenges faced by a huge upsurge in both demand and cyber criminal activity.You can contact Simon through the website at www.infinityit-solutions.com
Networking in some of the top venues in the East Midlands sounds superb - but for KuKu Connect, lockdown meant things had so radically change. It could have spelled disaster for owners Stephen Goddard and Philip Brooks-Stephenson - but instead they now have some superb online events like the twice-monthly KuKu Cocktail Hour and daily videos with business tips on their Facebook page. So how difficult was that change? You can contact Stephen and Philip through the website at www.kukuconnect.co.uk and their Facebook group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/kukuconnectcorona/
Like all cities, the businesses of Coventry were hit hard when lockdown was imposed. Trish Willetts heads up Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) aiming to promote, develop and boost the city and the businesses that are based there. In such uncertain times - Trish explains what help and encouragement is available, and how she's fighting hard for her city ahead of next year when it's the UK City of Culture for 2021.You can contact Trish through coventry BID at coventrycitycentre.co.uk/about-the-bid
When lockdown was announced, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled a series of measures to help the economy - leaving accountants all over the country to take a series of panicked calls from their clients. Daniel Edwards who runs D&K Accounting talks to Mark Ryes about the packages on offer, and how lockdown has affected his business.You can contact Daniel via www.dkaccs.co.uk
Kevin Pierce is an independent whole-of-market mortgage advisor running his own business Mortgage Base. When lockdown hit, and the mortgage companies were busy dealing with mortgage holidays for existing clients, organising loans for new customers and first time buyers became increasingly difficult - not to mention people can't go and view houses! Kevin joins Mark Ryes to talk about how the mortgage business has been affected, and shares his thoughts on the housing market going forward.You can contact Kevin via www.mortgagebase.co.ukIf you're a business owner who'd like to appear on Surviving Lockdown just email voiceover@markryes.com
For the last 4 years Louise Bell has owned and managed Bell4Business, a company specialising in outsourced tasks like Social Media Management, Book-keeping, Debtor chasing and telephone answering. She's also just launched a brand new business too - but with lockdown hitting - Louise tells Mark Ryes how it's affected her expansion plan.You can contact Louise at www.bell4business.co.uk
Phill Xavier, a former murder detective, runs Xscape Health and Fitness in Manchester with his husband. Before lockdown they were based mostly in gyms along with some personal fitness training in clients' homes. As Phill tells Mark Ryes, when covid-19 hit China, his ability to sense what was coming put him ahead of the game when lockdown hit.You can contact Phil via www.xscapehealthandfitness.uk
Kevin Urquhart is one half of the PR and Publishing company, Fraser Urquhart Media – aka FU Media. He's launched the iconic SIXTY9 magazine and other luxury magazines within the Midlands He's proud to have worked with some of the biggest and most influential brands in the world – including Rolex, Jaguar Land Rover, Selfridges, Paul Smith and many more. He joins Mark to talk about the challenges of the PR and publishing world under Lockdown.You can contact Kevin through the website at www.fu-media.co.uk
Adam Winfield runs a photography business with a stong emphasis on using images for marketing, especially in real estate. When covid-19 hit, he saw bookings literally fall away but for this entrepreneur he knew he had to adapt. He chats to Mark about developing new ways of working whilst preparing for lockdown to be lifted.You can contact Adam via www.through-the-lens.co.uk
For the Events Industry - Neil Thompson is a name that brings experience and the chance for professionals to get together. He runs The Delegate Wranglers a website and Facebook forum which sets out to solve the conundrums of the events industry by bringing people together. With lockdown - the industry is practically paralysed - but as Neil explains, it's a great time to take stock and plan for the future.You can contact Neil at www.thedelegatewranglers.com
As the founder of London's thriving boutique voice agency, Chatterbox Voices, Camilla Laxton understands the changing ways of the media industry - but when covid-19 hit, production around the country slowed, stuttered and tried to find it's voice again. Keeping up with the changing needs of producers is what she does best, and here, Camilla chats to Mark Ryes about the challenges of running a London agency in Lockdown.You can contact Camilla at www.chatterboxvoices.co.uk
Brian Richmond is a fitness professional of more than twenty years, running classes in London gyms and face-to-face personal training. When the gyms closed, and 1-2-1 training was no longer an option - Brian had to think of new ways for his business to survive, and even become international. Here he talks to Mark about the challenges of bringing fitness into a online environment.You can contact Brian via brian@brianrichmondpt.co.uk
Anita MacDonald runs Meteor Tutors, an online music school which provides bespoke musical tuition across the world. In some ways she was ahead of the curve when covid-19 hit, and has some useful advice for businesses having to change to a more online proposition during lockdown.You can contact Anita at www.meteortutors.com
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