I think parents especially will be able to identify both with Kate’s story and the needs the coaching business she has set-up aims to meet.

Kate was working her way in her dream career in the travel industry, when along came her first child and to balance all the extra challenges she now had to juggle, she requested to go part-time in her existing role but was flatly refused which left her with some decisions to make.

Kate talks her through what led her to the world of Sleep Coaching, including her personal experiences, the new skills she’s had to gain to change career and how she’s established a business all around herself and what she can offer to parents of new babies and children.

Head over to surreysleepcoach.com and you can find out more about Kate and the various coaching packages she offers which Is all around helping families establish better sleeping routines that work for them using a holistic approach.

Thanks so much Kate – I’m sure there are many potential coaches out there that will find your story very inspiring and useful.

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Toby has not one but 4 business arms – The Silent Disco Company, The Cinema Hire Company, The Karaoke Hire Company and Flashbands – all brands where you can hire fun stuff for events.

Toby started his entrepreneurial life at the young age of 15 (actually probably younger!) and talks about how he went about making money hosting children’s birthday parties at the weekends whilst at still at school. He then moved into DJing before coming across the Silent Disco phenomena. We talk about his journey and how he managed to follow the money and the snowball effect that came from that.

It's another account of setting up and running a business that’s really detailed and honest. Toby covers so many aspects from tips for sourcing from China, managing tax challenges, his approach to competition, the importance of surrounding yourself with other likeminded people, managing a business with a family and so much more.

It was a real privilege to interview Toby in person and get all of his insights and anecdotes of his unique story – I hope you enjoy. 

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Deep Dish aims to bring beach volleyball and indeed beach life to all. It has 3 centres in the UK in Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and St Albans and also organises beach volleyball centred vacations to Gran Canaria, Portugal and Valencia in Spain.

This includes the popular Beach Tour which last year hosted over 2000 university students at the ultimate sporting escape to train and play and party.

Get the feel for Deep Dish immediately if you head to deepdishbeach.com. It looks so much fun! And importantly it welcomes and has something for all ages and all abilities from complete beginners to Olympians.

Jake takes us through the challenges of managing and funding life as a professional athlete which included building up an informal version of Deep Dish alongside his pro-volleyball journey for quite some years.

He talks about how that period helped him to prepare for life as a business owner and then when he retired from the professional side of his sport, he turned to develop Deep Dish full time.

This was not long followed with some tough times like, anything centred around socialising and being together, during the pandemic, but then swiftly followed by a surge in success in recent years and the company has been growing rapidly ever since.

Now Jake is entering a new challenge, as by the time this podcast goes out, he’s going to be a Dad so congrats and good luck to becoming a father Jake and great to learn about your story up until this next chapter.

Another business set-up story to learn from and be inspired by folks.

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The Plan Group is an independent insurance broker with over 80 employees, across 3 offices in Redhill, Kent and just outside Bridgend in Wales. The company provides insurance cover for all sorts of things. operating under several brands including Plan Insurance which offers things like business and motor insurance, Yellow Jersey and Pedal Cover which are specialist bike insurance brands and more recently Eavi the UK’s first policy for e-scooters.

In this interview, Grant recounts the various entrepreneurial ventures of his father prior to Plan, how his Dad and his older brother were able to take on this small high street insurance shop in Catford back in the late 80’s, his own memories of working in the family business in his childhood and in the holidays as a student, and the more recent journeys he’s been to make the decision to leave a TV career and join the family business and how he was able to scale up the Plan Group to where it is today.

This is as much a podcast on understanding the insurance sector as it as about setting up and running a business so good for anyone who wants to learn about that too whether as a consumer or someone looking to get into working in Insurance world.

Thank you so much Grant for being so honest and sharing your story and that of your families and I wish The Plan Group continued success especially with your new insurance products that you continue to pioneer. It’s another good one listeners!

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Amanda started and runs My Aerial Home based in Sydenham in South London and It’s a school of aerial, dance and circus with classes for absolutely all ages and all abilities who want to learn aerial skills - think trapeze and the big hoops in the air. In fact, head over to the website myaerialhome.co.uk and you’ll immediately see what its all about.

The school has built up a global reputation for itself over the last 15 years as it attracts people - especially dancers and performers - from all over the world that come and attend its professional aerial training courses. And you can also come and watch the Aerial performances and shows that it regularly puts on at its Sydenham centre.

Excitingly too, Amanda has recently established a production arm where the team create Aerial shows for Cruise liners such Cunard and P&O.

This is a story of someone who after working in the fun but unstable industry of television, reached their forties and after sheer desperation as Amanda puts it, managed to turn the hobby she loved into a business she loves. My Aerial Home is a female-led and female-run business full of passion energy and pizzazz and when you listen to this interview with the lovely Amanda, I sure you'll understand why!

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And that one day came and an opportunity presented itself.

They now run Teakunique, a UK supplier of the finest grade Teak outdoor furniture that they sustainably source from Indonesia. You can view their range and buy online at teakunique.co.uk and they have a showroom by appointment near Midhurst in West Sussex.

This is the story about how that opportunity came about, the steps the cousins took to act upon it and then what running a premium furniture business is all about… from the supply, import and storage challenges to the marketing and selling aspects… as well as the realities of running a family business with your own family commitments. It’s really informative and practical and it was lovely to find out all about Rachel and Victoria’s journey. So all the best for the Summer season to the team at Teakunique – hope it’s a good one and happy listening all.

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To those not familiar even to those who are, Brown & Green has 7 sites and counting across South London in some great locations including in Crystal Palace Park and Triangle, Mayow Park, Norwood Junction, Horniman Play Park and where it all began which is Gipsy Hill train station.

The largest of these is called LIFE and is based in Crystal Palace Park and this also includes an event space for hire where Laura and Jess offer wedding catering and event planning too.

And to top it all off, if you’re in the area, you can order the delicious food from Brown & Green on Deliveroo!

There’s a lot of juicy stuff to come listeners…

• We hear about Laura and Jess’s adventures before B&G from Saturday jobs to reality TV!
• The hard work and steps that went into setting up their very first station coffee shop and making it work.
• To how they began to scale up including lots of detail around how they went about navigating tenders with councils and government organisations.

And that’s only some of the highlights...!

The common theme throughout? Their infectious just do it attitude. So thanks so much Laura and Jess for sharing that with us… Happy listening all.

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After a career in the London insurance sector, she took some time out to study Positive Psychology and from there went on to establish her own business under her own name and you can check her out at clairebennett.com.

Claire’s niche is offering an array of coaching and workshops focused around bringing the theory and practical aspects of positive psychology into small businesses so both owners, staff, the self-employed work towards a state of thriving and away from surviving. As part of this she heavily focuses on wellbeing especially for those who work from home as this shifts to become the new norm for many of us.

This episode is a double whammy as we get her story about setting up her business with some interesting client stories, but also lots of tips and advice for everyone really around productivity, time management and how to work well. Happy listening and Happy Christmas!

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Shirley is now the owner of OTC Beverages, which produces premium non-alcoholic beverages based on traditional Carribean flavours. Flavours include sorrel, lime juice with butterfly pea flower and of course Ginger beer.

The drinks are available both online on OTC’s website otcbeverages.com and social media sites and also in over 30 independent retail outlets across London.

OTC Beverages has received lots of industry recognition and awards and the includes the highest possible grading by the Great British Food Award judges.

But how do you go about building a drinks business in such a competitive market place from production through to building a brand, let’s find out from Shirley and her OTC journey so far.

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All available to hire from www.jumpingjacksbouncycastles.co.uk along with soft play kits, ball ponds, candy floss makers, sumo suits, a burger van and lots more.

This is the business run by husband and wife team Robert and Emma. Shortly after having twins, the two seized an opportunity to buy Jumping Jacks from a contact of Roberts who was looking to sell. This was not an insignificant decision and it meant having to sell their family home and move in with Emma’s parents, with two one year olds in tow, to fund the purchase.

At the time the business came with one van, 50 inflatables and 3 freelance staff. Within two years they now have 4 vans over 100 inflatables, over 10 delivery and event staff to call upon.. as well as many family members including Sam, Robert’s sister who joins Emma today.

They have also started their own events too so as well as providing hire to school fetes, birthday parties and sporting events, they put on an bouncy castle extravanga where children can come and spend a few hours and try out over 15 of their inflatables. The next one is being held on the 16th December at the Kent Country cricket Ground in Beckenham and I can recommend as great entertainment for children of any age!

Emma and Sam lift the lid on what it’s like running an events business.. from the hard work at weekends to the fun bits... let’s have a listen.

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This was the idea that Ollie Brenman had 10 years ago when he was just 18, but it wasn’t until the pandemic combined with a change of jobs for Ollie, that he was able to take the opportunity to turn his idea into a reality.

Butter & Crust delivers delicious bread, pastries and other carefully sourced breakfast goods by bike to homes across South London to arrive as first thing on a Saturday and Sunday morning.

Ollie kindly takes us through his journey in real detail from the start up days of juggling his job in finance alongside tough very early morning bike rides to more recent adventures of fundraising and his ambitious plans for his growing business. It’s a really inspiring one with lots of useful takeaways. Thanks Ollie.

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That was back in 2014 and on 3rd January 2024, The Norfolk Deli will be celebrating its 10th birthday. It is an unrecognisable business to what it was a decade ago.

Besides the shop itself having a design facelift, Mark and Rosie have worked hard to build up and expand their relationships with local suppliers. They now work with 80 producers across Norfolk which makes up 80% of the stock in the deli and they also sourced a wide selection of specialist cheeses.

Mark also focused heavily on growing the online side of things when they took over and now Norfolk-deli.co.uk receives orders from across the world.

And then in 2019, they expanded and took on a café which they named the Norfolk Deli café, 3 doors down.. and that is now run by their son, daughter in law and daughter in law’s twin sister. Mark describes it as Costa meets

Ottalenghi and you can see what he means if you have look at their Instagram @norfolkdeli.

Mark reflects on his and Rosie’s past jobs and life events in the lead up to Norfolk Deli from IT sales to acting to midwifery to having 3 children along the way.

He also talks in some useful detail about how the process of buying the business and then improving it and how it has organically transformed into the successful family business that it is today.

Thank you Mark for sharing your business set-up story and a little of your life story with us.

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Gootopia is the ultimate slime experience that can be enjoyed by children of all abilities from as young as 3 and up to teenagers..and even adults too! In fact, I personally like the sound of the 'Slime and Wine' and 'Valen-slime' events they’ve put on in the past.

Everything started when Nishi and Chris began sourcing and mixing ingredients to make the perfect slime with their children. Now available to buy from their TikTok site @gootopiaoffical, they regularly get feedback from children that Gootopia’s slime kits make the best quality slime out there.

They quickly moved into putting on slime-making events and now Gootopia runs immersive slime making workshops, parties and drop-ins from their 3 South London locations in Brixton, Lewisham and Wandsworth.

Gootopia runs all year round workshop formats called original slime, glow slime and one called slime science that has specifically been designed to align to the key stage 1 and 2 science syllabus for school groups. They also put on workshops around the annual calendar like slimetacular which is the Halloween special that’s on at the moment and you can book if you head to www.gooptia.co.uk.

Having only set up in 2018, the popularity and progress of Gootopia shows no signs as slowing down and in this entertaining account from Nishi and Chris, I think you can get a really good feel for their journey so far, some of the key challenges and events they had to go through and their experiences of running a retail business – especially as a married couple and a family. It's ‘slime’ to listen to the story of Gootopia...

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Based on Sydenham high street, the team, the majority of which have learning disabiltiies prepare on a Monday, brew on a Tuesday, bottle on a Wednesday and open to the public Thrursday, Friday and saturda and then rest on Sunday!

Behind Ignition Brewery is Nick O’Shea who is actually an economist by trade. He also credits many others that have been integral to the success of Ignition Brewery including some surprising inspiration from a nun he met whilst walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

We’re going to find out how he started this project on the side of his day job and why, what’s involved in running a brewery, what Mencap’s Tuesday club is all about and now why 8 years later, he’s decided to leave the brewery and the business he’s set up.

• Find Ignition at https://ignition.beer/ and on Instagram @ignitionbrewery
• Find the Tuesday club here: https://www.lewishamlocal.com/event/tuesday-club-with-lewisham-mencap/
• And find Nick... having a rest!

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Her company is called Single Swan and it’s a women’s clothing brand that is all about being elegantly casual.

One of her flagship pieces is the Willow jumpsuit that is made to order and has interchangeable straps so you can have a whole new look from the same item.

And she also has quite an iconic belt, the Evelyn belt made of end of the line fabric that would have otherwise ended up in landfill, which in fact, picked and featured in the times by its Fashion Director Anna Murphy for its unique and versatile design.

What’s behind the Single Swan brand is the theory of how clothing can impact your wellbeing and those around you, the concept of dopamine dressing.

This was inspired after a period in Alicia’s life where after many years working in her dream job as a primary school teacher, she encountered a number of serious health issues which meant she had to quit teaching, have a period of rest and recovering and then learn to adjust and adapt her life to live with this new reality.

Single Swan is very much a reflection of who she is and these events she went through, so let’s join her as we hear about her journey.

Find her on Instagram @single.swan and online www.singleswan.co.uk.

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The variety of lights and creativity of designs need to be seen so if you have a moment, head to Carousellights.com and have a look at their Gallery for a real flavour of what they do.

Behind Carousel Lights is Ben Reynolds and his sister Rebecca who have won numerous industry awards for their business including National Winners of the Great British Entrpreneur Awards & Community for Creative Industries and Family Business and Carousel Lights was publicly recognised at one of the Downing Street daily briefings for its Covid contribution efforts.

This interview is with Ben who prior to starting Carousel Lights had a completely different work life that started with the BA graduate scheme and ended in Marketing at the BBC.

So how do you go from there to setting up an award-winning lighting company.

That all started on Ben’s bus journey home from work the day the Beeb announced it was moving its operations away from London and up to Salford.. let’s find out what happened.

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This includes women stepping into their first leadership role or returning back into the workplace after maternity leave, to simply anyone who feels stuck and wants to start living the life they want to lead.

Jude herself was originally working in a senior leadership position for a publishing company in Central London. She found herself juggling a demanding job and the needs of two young children and ultimately experienced burnout. In our discussions, she goes into detail about this felt and then how coaching was so fundamental to helping her make a change… and ultimately the inspiration behind her starting her business.

We also have our first Average Jo promo! Jude is offering a free 1-hour coaching session when listeners book a block of 6 with her and you can head to judekempton.com/averagejo or just mention the podcast to her to access the offer.

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There’s a small team at Craft Metropolis and they absolutely love and are dedicated to finding and supplying the best craft beer in London, the UK and the world.

Olly always had a passion for craft beer but what happens when you turn your hobby into your business? Let’s find out…

Find him and the team at www.craftmetropolis.co.uk and on Instragram @craftmetropolisbrixton and @craftmetropolispenge.

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It all started for them in December 2019, when Liv & Daisy, both still in full time jobs in retail, decided on a whim to host a market in their local library in Crystal Palace.

They have now hosted more than 50 markets in some of London’s most iconic landmarks including Selfridges, Battersea Power station and The Shard working with and carefully curating the products of over 1000 small businesses.

With an eye for beautiful things and great craftsmanship, combined with lots of energy and enthusiasm, the two both now work full-time on the business and they kindly opened up to share their story about how they got here.

Find them at https://saladdaysmarket.co.uk/ and on instagram @saladdaysmarketlondon

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In his late thirties, he opened the doors of Temple of Strength Studio in Penge high street in 2019 and in that time it has quickly become a popular fitness venue with almost 500 active members. It's home to 4 personal trainers who rent the space to train their own clients and a fitness studio where there's over 10 teachers who run a packed timetable of classes such as yoga, pilates, meditation and the popular Pole fitness class.

This wasn't an overnight achievement but a 7-year journey of planning, saving, hustling, hard work and 'living' in the gym - and he credits a life coach as a really valuable investment to help him along the way. This is a punchy interview with lots of advice for those who want to look at a business in the fitness industry but also in any business.

Important topics covered: The value of a life coach, not wanting to get into debt, jumping out of the salaried work, PT training, side hustling to business owner, knowing your target market 'the middle' people, securing and renovating premises, wearing many hats, the importance of being uncomfortable.

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Today they run Treen - a vegan clothing retailer and brand for the conscious shopper. All their stockists share their values of being ethically made, cruelty free, organic and vegan and often using recycled materials. Treen is an online retailer but you can also visit their beautiful shop on St Stephen’s Street in the heart of Edinburgh.

There’s a whole load of pragmatic and detailed advice to budding retail business owners in this episode Thank you Cat and Harris!

Important topics covered: Business plans and ideas, mission-led and passion based business, sustainable fashion, securing shop premises and the importance of networking, pop-up shops, building a brand, Brexit stresses, digital challenges...and the rewards.

Find them on www.shoptreen.com and on Instagram @shoptreen_ :-)

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DAY (Dinner At Yours) provides catering for big event occasions such as weddings and events, but what sets it apart, and where it all began, is the private dining side where you can book Alan and his team to come to you and cook you a delicious meal. It’s essentially bringing a Michelin star restaurant into your home. Besides preparing and cooking the food, he’ll bring all the crockery and cutlery and everything else that’s needed to make it a really special experience.

Important topics covered: chef life, hard graft and never switching off, being responsive to your clients needs, taking the leap, running a business from home with kids, managing the business when you are the product, brexit impact on hospitality, word of mouth success and social media cynicism, beware of scaling too much.

Find him at www.daybyalan.co.uk

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This is a story of redesigning your life and starting from 'scratch' but this time with the benefit of work experience and education behind you. After 8 years working for film sets at Pinewood Studios, Andrew left the big smoke and moved to Hereford and through an unexpected opportunity started his own web design company. Yellow Tree Studio now evolved and also helps small and medium sized businesses digitally transform. Andrew credits his enjoyment of constantly learning and having ambitious but supportive customers for this success. Find him at https://yellowtree-studio.co.uk.

Important topics covered: What selling is really all about, how formal education can help, finding the right sort of customers so you can both grown together, the need to enjoy constantly learning!

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Topics covered: Starting from scratch on a business, starting without overthinking and learning everyday, designing the life you want, the challenges in the coffee industry, investing in equipment, local community support and goodwill, being grateful, managing supply and demand, the importance of marketing and thoughts on social media, the husband and wife partnership in business.

Sign up for the Carnival Coffee monthly subscription for delicious coffee here: https://carnivalcoffee.co.uk/

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A great example of someone who gave up their day job to pursue their passion. From side hustling as a PT, training clients in her kitchen, to building a subscription-based female fitness community that has been featured across national media, find out how Nancy scaled her business, Ladies Who Crunch. Find her at: https://www.ladieswhocrunch.co.uk/ and @ladieswhocrunch_.

Topics covered: Following your passions, hustling in and adapting to the pandemic, you can be a financially cautious, risk averse business owner and make it work, knowing when to invest in help and expertise, the role of media coverage, working on resilience with therapy and the importance of a supportive network when you're on your own.

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Have you ever wanted to set up a bike shop? Here's the story from Winnie Farquarson who set up SE20 Cycles on Penge High Street to give you an idea of how. Not for the faint hearted, he encountered many challenges along the way, but his passion and determination got him through. A great story. It's not about the bike!

Topics covered: Disability support, setting up shop without the expected financing (!), going literally door to door to get business, balancing bringing up children with running a shop, retail insurance, employing apprentices and staff, the hard work of having fun cycling, rogue landlords, finding time to build a business whilst running it.

Find Winnie at https://www.se20cycles.com/ .

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Topics covered: Sales tips, persistence and luck, running a franchise, working with your other half, valuing a business, growing a business by doing things better, disciplined project management and upselling, the surprising effect of the pandemic on a stained glass business, negotiating with landlords and estate agents, moving premises - making the decision, challenges and benefits, look after your employees, marketing tips, learning from your mistakes but NOT dwelling on them.

Check out some of the beautiful designs from Art With Glass on Instagram Art_With_Glass_ and at https://artwithglass.co.uk/.

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