My guest this month is Michelin-starred Chef Restauranteur Paul Heathcote.

To listen to the podcast, click on the grey arrow below.

Now Paul, who originally hails from Bolton, is one of the North West’s most successful catering entrepreneurs - his business interests include a diverse collection of fourteen restaurants as well as a highly successful outside catering business, that counts Liverpool FC and Chester Racecourse as two of its key clients.

In the interview, Paul gives us an insight into what it takes to become a Michelin-starred chef - he starts by talking about his early career that included stints at The Connaught in Mayfair and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons under Raymond Blanc.

He then goes on to colourfully describe how he started up his own restaurant and grew that into the successful, multi faceted catering businesses that today employs over 450 people.

To play Paul’s quick video ‘message’, click in the middle of screen below.

To find out more about Paul and his business visit www.heathcotes.co.uk

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 22:59 (MP3 15.8Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this month is Simon Nixon, Founder and CEO of the World’s biggest price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com

To listen to the podcast, click on the grey arrow below.

Simon founded the business, which is based in Ewloe on the outskirts of Chester, in 1999 - and the launch represented another step in a career spent building businesses in the financial sector, that began when he dropped out of Nottingham University in the late 1980’s.

In the interview, Simon talks to us about his business journey so far - from his early entrepreneurial days as a lateral thinking financial consultant and trailblazing mortgage magazine publisher to how he created Moneysupermarket.com and his future plans for the company - which by the way, when it went public in July 2007, became the second largest internet flotation of all time, just behind Google! 

To play Simon’s quick video ‘message’, click in the middle of screen below.

To find out more about the ‘Making Millionaires’ initiative that Simon mentioned, visit the contact page at www.moneysupermarket.com

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 14:56 (MP3 10.2Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this month is Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

Professor Cooper is one of the most respected and widely published academics in his field - frequently quoted in the UK national media, his high profile students include Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco.

One of his numerous areas of expertise, is the study of how best to communicate in the workplace and his ideas were encapsulated in the book ‘Shut Up and Listen!: The Truth About How to Communicate at Work’ published in 2004.

To play Professor Cooper’s quick video ‘hello’, click in the middle of screen below.

In the interview, Professor Cooper talks about his views on the fundamentals of successful communication at work - he starts by outlining what it takes to get staff to buy into change programmes, examines the role of storytelling and goes on to explain why it’s so important for managers to communicate face to face with passion and authenticity.

To find out more about Professor Cary Cooper check out his profile at Lancaster University Management School or read his Wikipedia profile. 

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 21:43 (MP3 14.9Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this week is Warrington based international speaker and inspirational author Paul McGee A.K.A. ‘The SUMO Guy’.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

Now you’re probably wondering why Paul’s called The SUMO Guy, it’s absolutely not because he’s a master of the ancient Japanese form of wrestling…it’s actually because S.U.M.O. is the title of his best selling book Shut Up, Move On: The Straight-Talking Guide to Creating and Enjoying a Brilliant Life.

Now the book was a big hit on the business charts when it was released in 2006, and the six S.U.M.O. principles outlined in it have drawn praise from the likes of Sir Digby Jones and Sir Clive Woodward.

In the interview, Paul explains how he developed the whole concept of S.U.M.O. and outlines how the six principles can be applied to help you succeed in business.

To play Paul’s quick video ‘hello’, click in the middle of screen below.

To find out more about Paul McGee visit www.thesumoguy.com and to pick up a copy of Paul’s book from Amazon.co.uk click here.

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 13:18 (MP3 9.15Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this week is Cheshire based Steve Purdham, one of the most successful internet entrepreneurs in the UK.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

In 1996, Steve was one of the founders of Congleton based Surf Control a leading global internet security software company, that at the height of the ‘dotcom’ boom was valued at over $1 billion.

The business was one of the few to survive the ‘bubble’ bursting and was purchased for many millions in 2007, by major US competitor Websense.

Steve’s love of music might be one of the drivers behind his latest internet venture, as CEO of We7 the free music download site, that counts ex-Genesis front-man Peter Gabriel as a founding investor.

In the interview, Steve talks candidly about what drove him to build Surf Control into a global brand with annual revenues in excess of $100 million, he outlines his thoughts about the future of We7 and shares some of his hard earned business advice.

To play Steve’s quick video ‘hello’, click in the middle of screen below.

Steve’s top business advice includes:

• FOCUS CLEARLY ON WHAT YOU ARE DOING - don’t get distracted
• AVOID PROCRASTINATION - too many people work out ways not to do things
• KNOW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS - know why they’ll part with their money

To find out more about We7 visit www.we7.com

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 12:41 (MP3 8.72Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

This week my guest is a working mother who went one step further than most working parents, when she set-up her own childcare company in 2003.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

The dynamic lady in question is Jennie Johnson, MD and Founder of award-winning Manchester HQ’d Kids Allowed. In just five years, Jennie’s built a company that has a projected £3 million turnover this year and is widely recognised for setting new industry standards through its innovative approach to childcare. 

In the interview, Jennie describes how she came up with the idea for Kids Allowed and went about raising the £5 million to get the business off the ground. She also shares the highlights of her entrepreneurial journey to date and offers some invaluable business advice.

To play Jennie’s quick video ‘hello’, click in the middle of screen below.

Jennie’s top business tips include:

• DO SOMETHING YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT - that way you’ll be excited and motivated about your business
• BE PREPARED TO WORK INCREDIBLY HARD - probably for not much pay to begin with…but the value will come later if you do it well and successfully
• LOOK AFTER YOUR TEAM - trust and develop your people

To find out more about Jennie and Kids Allowed visit www.kidsallowed.com or call 0870 750 1021.

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 10:52 (MP3 7.46Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this week is Richard Tang, MD and Founder of award winning ISP, Zen Internet Ltd.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

The company, based at it’s impressive new HQ in Rochdale, was one of the UK’s first ISPs (Internet Service Providers) when Richard and his brother launched the business in 1995.

Since then, driven by its clear mission ‘to provide the best ISP service in the UK’ Zen Internet has grown dramatically and in March 2008 was awarded (for the third year in a row) ‘Which? Best Buy’ for its broadband service.

In the interview, which lasts about 15 minutes, Richard tells us how Zen Internet went from being an idea he bounced around in the pub, to a business that today employs over 300 people and has a turnover in excess of £30 million.

To play Richard’s quick video ‘hello’, click in the middle of screen below.

Richard has some great advice for people thinking of starting a business:

• FORCE YOURSELF TO GET TO GRIPS WITH YOUR STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS - it may not be fun, but understanding VAT, Annual Returns, PAYE etc. is essential from the outset
• DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT YOU’LL NEED TO PUT IN - especially in the early years  

…and for those of you already in business:  

• REALLY MAKE AN EFFORT TO DELEGATE - you can’t hold on to every task
• GIVE SPECIFIC GOALS TO EACH OF YOUR TEAM - write down objectives and responsibilities

If you want to find out more about Zen Internet visit www.zen.co.uk  

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 17:34 (MP3 12.0Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this week is Andrew Tinkler, CEO of Stobart Group Ltd.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

Now the company behind the iconic ‘Eddie Stobart’ brand was in dire straights when Andrew and his partner, William Stobart, bought the business in February 2004. Since then, they’ve dramatically turned the business around and have recently announced a series of exciting acquisitions, that see the company expanding their offer at home and abroad.

Andrew’s personal business success story is also a really inspirational tale of a local Cumbrian boy done well. Having left school at 15 with no qualifications, Andrew has gone on to become one of the North West’s most successful multi-millionaires.

Andrews top tips for business success include:

• GET YOUR PLAN RIGHT - don’t assume anything, stick to the facts
• GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON BOARD - make sure you develop and train them
• TAKE A GAMBLE NOW AND AGAIN

To find out more about Andrew and Stobart Group Ltd visit www.eddiestobart.co.uk

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 16:29 (MP3 11.3Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this week is Alan Duncan MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

If recent opinion polls and Boris Johnson’s mayoral victory are to be believed, the odds that The Conservative Party are going to form the next Government are shortening pretty rapidly!

Combined with the battering that the present Government have taken over changes to CGT, the 10 pence tax rate and the current frail state of the UK economy, it’s not hard to see why business is so high on the current political agenda.

Sensing the wind of change, I thought it made sense to speak directly to the man most likely to inherit the business ‘baton’ at the next general election, to find out more about his party’s plans for UK business.

To find out more about Alan Duncan visit www.alanduncan.org.uk or take a look at his Wikipedia entry.

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 07:15 (MP3 4.99Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button

2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’

3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.

My guest this week is Denis Wormwell, CEO of Wigan based Shearings Holidays.

Denis joined Shearings from National Express in Autumn 2007, where he was in charge of the bus division. He’s also recently unveiled plans to grow the coach and holidays company into a £225 million turnover enterprise within three years.

In this interview, Denis gives us an overview of the business as it is today and shares some of his thoughts on how Shearings is looking to reposition itself as more than just a coach operator.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

Denis’s top business tips include:

• GOOD ENOUGH ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH - don’t be complacent in business
• BANISH THE BLAND - ensure your business has a personality

To find out more about Shearings Holidays visit www.shearings.com

Subscribe FREE and remember that you don’t need an iPod to listen to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast, you can play the show live here, you can also download the file length 11:22 (MP3 7.81Mb) to your computer’s desktop by right clicking on the ‘Download’ link under the audio player above and selecting ‘Save Target As…’

You can subscribe FREE to the show in a number of ways either:

1. Via your RSS aggregator by clicking on the orange button
2. Using iTunes, just click the button which will open iTunes (if you already have it installed) and select ’subscribe’
3. Enter you email address and receive a notification straight to your inbox every time a new show is released

If you have any feedback or questions about how to listen or subscribe to Business Ears, the North West’s Business Podcast email jon@businessears.co.uk or leave a comment at the end of the show post.