The First Five Miles

Tonia Smith is a business transition coach. Having built an accomplished international sales career, she is now on a mission to help ambitious, professional women transition from their jobs to launching their aligned business – simply by monetising their unique experiences and expertise. Contact Sonia via www.thetoniasmithbrand.com, her Instagram or email contact@thetoniasmithbrand.com to secure your complimentary coaching session for Entrepreneurial Leader listeners!

Should you raise capital for your startup? How do you choose a business model that works for you? What mistakes should you absolutely avoid? This and more on this episode with ABoxOfStories.com founder, Dhruv Bonnerjee.

If you want to be highly successful in life and business, there is no question that you need an incredibly productive routine. Entrepreneur Tiffany LeBaron is the Founder of The Good Habit Box Co, a subscription box service encouraging positive lifestyle decisions. This episode covers finding business trends, getting started on big ideas and making your dreams a reality balancing life and family as a female entrepreneur.

Katherine Beltran is a business coach for new entrepreneurs that are stuck around the social media question. She helps them to build the foundation of their business with Instagram, advising on marketing and business strategies so they get paying clients and start to grow a serious business. In this interview, we demystify social media strategies for growth, including what and how often to post, how many followers is enough and how do you combine a business account with a personal angle.

What do you buy when you buy a business? And when you sell an enterprise, what is it you actually sell? Conversation with global business appraiser Bharat Kanodia on the key principles that give a company its value. For more information and advice, make sure you visit Bharat's YouTube Channel, What's It Worth?

Jack Mantle is the founder of JEM Paediatric Physiotherapy. He started out servicing the Great British National Health Service but, after some years within the enormous NHS machine, decided to go his own way, now doing wonderful things within his own practice. In this conversation we cover the importance of play in learning, going above and beyond in the line of duty, and how not to get lost when serving as a cog inside a big machine.

Marilise de Villiers' seemingly high-flying career came at a high price. Behind her incredible performance at work was burn-out, disillusionment - and bullying. Now an entrepreneur, best-selling author and high performance and mindset coach, Marilise is helping others step into their integrity, live aligned to their purpose and beat the bullies, including the secret one that lives in you. Listen to this to understand how to spot - and beat - bullying, ‘the silent epidemic'.

Not all leaders are created equal. Some rise to leadership positions through skill-based expertise, not people skills. How do we coach people to grow into people- and value-driven leaders that lead in alignment with their personal integrity? Conversation with exec leadership coach and keynote speaker, Jevin Koleth of JMK Leadership.

This year, I interviewed incredible entrepreneurs across industries and across the globe. Fitness visionaries, influencers, authors, dancers, BAFTA winners. Here are these conversations distilled into 5 high-concentration, pure gold nuggets on 5 easy ways every effective entrepreneur and entrepreneurial leader needs to take to engineer a life of success.

The second part of the interview with restauranteur and co-founder of the much-acclaimed London-based Chuku's, Emeka Frederick. In this half of the interview, Emeka talks about the key 3 questions you need to ask yourself before you open your own business, handling money and building a culture. It's entrepreneurship 101 gold from the co-founder of the first Nigerian tapas restaurant in the world. 

What's harder than starting a restaurant business? Starting it as your first business in your twenties, having just walked out of a lucrative corporate career in management consulting - and turning it into a raving success. Emeka Frederick and his sister Ifeyinwa are the duo behind the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant that Secret Eats London said "combines art and food and draws it together with love", Chuku's. In this first half of the interview we talk about 'the moment' the business was born, making the plan and flipping burgers in the name of research. 

Keisha Blair is a best-selling author, founder of the Institute of Holistic Wealth and trained economist. Inspired by her life events, Keisha is the author of the viral article entitled, "My Husband Died at 34: Here are 40 Life Lessons I Learned From It”, which has been viewed by more than 50 million people worldwide. Her book, Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons To Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity and Happiness is an Amazon best-seller and is essential reading on how to live in all-round abundance. The is a conversation on healing, stepping into your power and turning your darkness into light.

Deivone M Tanksley Sr. is a musician, community leader and hospitality entrepreneur with an incredible story. Deivone is the founder of DMTS network, a platform he uses to focus on the big topics: race, culture, equality, economics and education. This is a powerful, open conversation addressing some of the most uncomfortable topics.

Entrepreneur, zero waste hero and kindness champion Eve Bell of Baba and Boo on becoming an accidental entrepreneur, the power of teamwork, and how to make introversion your super power.

Former McKinsey consultant and health technology CEO Rachel Carrell on how great childcare is a foundation for a great society and making the executive CEO to Entrepreneur / Founder transition.

Shenuma Kashta and JoJo Graham are incredible leaders individually but, in coming together, they have created a movement beyond themselves. Leaders of Change is a learning platform for leaders, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who want to build steadfast businesses and create a big impact in the world. Talking conscious leadership, unlearning building a business by the old rules and what it means to build a dream versus chasing one.

Born in Cameroon as the eldest of seven, Christ Warren is now on a mission in the States, using financial services education and his personal leadership thought platform to drive societal change. Mission number 1? Saving America. Full video interview on IGTV. More leader profiles, articles and Q&A on TheLeadershipBlog.UK.

Sandra Blanco is the creator behind Sophie and Luna Bridal and Couture - stunning flower designs that last forever. Conversation on self-knowledge, creating for a better world and living aligned to your dreams. Watch the full video interview on The Leadership Blog IGTV.

What do Sir Richard Branson, the former Prime Minister and Radio 1 DJs have in common? They all love Advent of Change! Kristina Salceanu is spreading the magic of Christmas (giving) by offering the world something more than a stale chocolate to mark the passage of time. Each window opens a window of opportunity for yet another charitable cause. With the company now expanding into a full range of charity gifts, this episode covers how to handle the grind of starting a skyrocketing non-profit and when you know it's time to quite the day job.

How do you commercialise a business you built at the kitchen table? Award-winning entrepreneur Jo Macfarlane (jomacfarlane.com) has done just that. She went from sharing the joy of candle making with friends to helping people worldwide connect with their creativity. Author of 5-star reviewed Ask and Act, Jo has a simple, practical and no-nonsense business philosophy built around passion, self-discipline and getting things done. If you want to turn a passion into a business but are afraid that this will leach out the pleasure and creativity, this episode is for you. More profiles, articles and insights on TheLeadershipBlog.UK and Instagram.

Side hustle and small business series: Marc Belle went from dreaming of designing music covers in Barbados to creating an award-winning Bajan-Inspired men's cosmetics range, Mr Blackman's, named one of GQ's 7 best men's grooming products in the world. This is an honest conversation exploring navigating the fickle design industry, the labours of product development and the joys and the art of keeping the passion when your passion becomes your business. Discover more on TheLeadershipBlog. UK and Instagram.

Adam Chaudhri (cake personality: Bakewell tart) and Eloise Frank (cake personality: banana bread) are the dream team behind The Big Bakes, twice shortlisted for Small Business Entrepreneurs of the Year. The duo met working in the airline industry and decided to soar to new heights with their own business venture. They share their tips on how to make a great idea into a sweet success. More profiles, articles and interview on TheLeadershipBlog.UK and Instagram.

Ziba Lennox is the co-founder of MaZi dance fitness Chicago, founder of fashion and lifestyle blog DancingMamaStyle.com and an Instagram influencer @zibalennox. Her mission is to inspire other and share knowledge on fashion, entrepreneurship and, of course, fitness and dance. In this conversation we cover what it takes to be first in something, turning a passion into a life pursuit and the power and art of being authentic online. More articles, interviews and profiles on TheLeadershipBlog.UK and Instagram.

How do you hit - and stay at - your peak state? James Griffiths is the founder of Wild Training: the gym, online workout platform and app. James' mantra is "a life with no limit". He is the world record holder for the highest altitude workout ever, completed 1000 24kg kettlebell snatches in under 1 hour and was 2018's Southern England's strongest man under 80kg. His obsession isn't with his own fitness - everything he's done is about learning how to help others push past their limits. Wild Training is all about sharing the joy of health and fitness in unique ways that challenge traditional norms. Read more views on leadership from James here. More articles, interviews and profiles on TheLeadershipBlog.UK and Instagram.

In gaming, Richard Pring is kind of a big deal. He is a Multi-Award Winning film and video games director, producer, designer and entrepreneur, recipient of 3 BAFTA Cymru awards and more than 50 personal awards for business. He is the co-founded Wales Interactive, a hugely successful video games and interactive movie publishing and production company. He has worked on over 30 titles for gaming platforms including PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox achieving millions of sales worldwide and counting. Today's conversation is about the importance of focus and the drive to succeed, paving your own way and creating an entire industry on nothing but vision. TheLeadershipBlogUK / Instagram

Prathima Manohar is an architect and founder of the Think - Do - Tank, The Urban Vision. Prathima has spent more than a decade working with leaders and influencers across the globe on transforming the spaces we live, and the impact this has on our daily life. We talk about starting big conversations, how to reach influential people that can help transform your vision into reality - and how to just keep going. Articles, interviews and profiles on: TheLeadershipBlog.UK / Instagram

Have you ever had a great idea (or 100) but did nothing with it? Not Catriona Mann! Catriona turned her aha moment into the birth of her business BPlasticFree and her product Waxyz, an environmentally friendly reusable food wrap that is getting plenty of love in Catriona's native Scotland. This conversation explores acting on that entrepreneurial instinct and having the guts to start a small business with big dreams. More articles, interviews and profiles on TheLeadershipBlog.UK / Instagram

Claudia Spahr is the entrepreneurial founder of Holy Mama restorative retreats for mother and child, running in dream paradise destinations of Ibiza, Bali, Morocco and Goa. Claudia is passionate about female and feminine leadership and empowering mothers and women worldwide. Her passion has translated into celebrated success. HolyMama has been repeatedly nominated as one of the best holidays to take with your child by the likes of The Huffington Post, The Telegraph, The Guardian and Psychologies Magazine. We talk about Claudia about her own incredible story, her journey into business and what leading with spirit and purpose means to her. More articles, interviews and profiles on The Leadership Blog and Instagram.

Welcome to The Leadership Blog. This episode opens the conversation on what leadership is, why it matters and how we all have the potential to be leaders in our own lives. Leaders are not only to be found in business or corporate environments. Leaders come from all walks of life and we can learn from their stories and examples. Start today. Have courage and enjoy the journey!