This week SmallBizPod #55, the small business podcast, includes an interview with Jon Smith, CEO of First Artist Corporation on rapid response, growth by acquisition, listing on AIM and the business of premiership football. There’s also a round up of listener comments and a tremendous song to finish the podcast.

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Show Notes

Summary

Intro:

• 00:00 Alex on what’s coming up in the show.
• 1:43 Thanks to Sage for their sponsorship of SmallBizPod.

Features:

• 03:13 Interview with Jon Smith, CEO of First Artist Corporation, a sport, entertainment and marketing management company he founded in 1986. Jon and Alex talk about results of a Vodafone survey which reveals British business is slow to respond to enquiries. Jon provides an insight into time management, growing a business through acquisition, AIM listing, dealing with the media, and the business world behind premiership football.

Comments:

• 20:51 Thanks to the latest people to put their pin in the SmallBizPod Frappr map including: Blake Duerden from Wimbledon, Brian McSwiney from Cork, Graeme from Dundee and a guy from Houston, Texas.
• 21:53 Comment on the blog from Blake Duerden on the ubiquity of Google, being inspired by SmallBizPod and the diary of a wantrepreneur.
• 23:36 Comment from Richard Boyd on Sage’s sponsorship.
• 24:08 How to comment on the blog, by email or by leaving a phone message. Also check out the SmallBizPod Facebook Group and the launch of a small business news section of the site.
• 26:14 Andrea Drottholm emails seeking advice on how to set commissions for a sales team and ensure staff are delivering benefits not just costs.
• 27:48 Paul Cheatle returns to offer his advice on when is the best time to quit your day job and start your own business.
• 29:08 Andrew Banks on better titles for SmallBizPod in iTunes.

• 30.40 Music – Everything is OK by Halou.

Everything is OK by Halou (Vertebrae)

Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

Tags: small business podcast, acquisition, growing business

This week SmallBizPod #39, the podcast for anyone interested in entrepreneurship or starting and running their own business, takes a detailed look at what it takes to list your business on AIM, the London Stock Exchange‘s market for growth businesses in the UK and beyond. The show includes an interview with the deputy head of AIM, Marcus Stuttard, and also a new segment, the diary of a ‘wantrepreneur’ as well as the usual feedback and commentary from listeners.

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Click on the play button below to listen now

If you’d like to subscribe free using an RSS feed, download your free aggregator software like Juice or Doppler Radio and right click on the orange subscribe button on the top right hand side of this page copying the link into your aggregator. For those who’d like to download SmallBizPod or listen to it now, right click on the download link or left click on the grey arrow button above to play now.

Show Notes

Summary

Intro:

• 00:00 Alex on what’s coming up in the show.
• 01:32 Thank you and hello to all new listeners and how to send your feedback.

Features:

• 04:29 Interview with Marcus Stuttard, deputy head of AIM. Marcus outlines some of the practical issues facing businesses looking to list on AIM including how to work with nominated advisers, dubbed NOMADS. Alex and Marcus also talk about why a business might prefer listing rather than private equity as a means of finance, how challenging an IPO is for a business, understanding the practicalities of being under public scrutiny, disclosure and open communication. The interview also touches on some of the challenges facing AIM itself.

Comments:

• 19.10 Email comment from Daley Ervin at Arizona State University with comments on the Taylor/Labarre interview and seeks advice on reading for budding entrepreneurs from SmallBizPod listeners.
• 20:41 Email comment from Nick Jones re umms and errs.
• 21:38 Email comment from Nuno Pereira in Portugal who suggests a SmallBizPod listeners’ forum. What do you think, should SmallBizPod have a forum?
• 22:39 Email comment fro Lucie at Follet Motors on Commerzbank or Commerce Bank.
• 23:19 Email comment from entrepreneurship student Laura Hammond.
• 23:19 Email comment from Russell Barton, a photographer in Western Australia with a particularly impressive blog.
• 25:13 New faces on the SmallBizPod Frappr Map – add yours too and check out MyBlogLog.com too.
• 26:48 Comment on the blog from Rob Smorfitt re innovation – inspiration or necessity?

Features:

• 27:43 Diary of a Wantrepreneur with Kelvin Jones. Don’t forget to email your views or leave a comment here on whether or not Kelvin should attend a course on entrepreneurship?

Outro:

• 40.56 Music 2 Steps Back by Nick Zero with thanks to Rest.

Tags: entrepreneur, growth business, small business, IPO

In a first for the podcast, SmallBizPod #32 includes an interview with the CEO of an AIM listed business, Andy Egan of the Felix Group. Andy talks about his journey from stuntman to stock market and his experiences of growing this marketing, sales promotion and electronic kiosk business and taking it towards public flotation in March 2004. A fascinating insight. As usual, there’s also a round up of comments from listeners and what will probably be the last music choice from Electromancer.com.

[Please note Andy Egan stepped down as CEO of Felix Group in December 2007]

Right click here to download

Click on the play button below to listen now

If you’d like to subscribe free using an RSS feed, download your free aggregator software like Juice or Doppler Radio and right click on the orange subscribe button on the top right hand side of this page copying the link into your aggregator. For those who’d like to download SmallBizPod or listen to it now, click on the link or player above.

Show Notes

Summary

Intro:

• 00:00 Alex on what’s coming up in the show and a welcome to new listeners.
• 01:51 PodcastCon UK 2006, the UK’s only conference dedicated to podcasting will take place on Saturday 18 November.

Features:

• 02.32 Interview with Andy Egan, CEO of the Felix Group an innovative sales, promotion, kiosk and digital retail business. Andy reveals how following a severe accident as a stuntman, he moved into publicity stunts, sponsorship and found his way into the premium phone call business. From there in 1999 he invented a new terminal/kiosk delivery system for sales promotion, formed a limited company in 2002 and just two years later floated Felix Group on the AIM market. Alex and Andy talk about the business model and strategy behind the Felix Group, as well as practical advice on growing a business, getting the right people on board, launching on a stock market and communicating effectively as a listed company.

Comments:

• 24:06 Comment from Andy on the blog on interviewing business people with Irish accents.
• 25:01 Email from Ian Gotts, CEO of Nimbus, on emerging market models and why killer products don’t sell.
• 25:56 Comment from Nick Fogarty from Barcelona on new business ideas, product branding and the importance of market research. Possible collaboration between SmallBizPod and the excellent ResearchTalk podcast.

Outro:

• 29.06 Music – Best Of Life by Chris Rusu with thanks to Electromancer.com.

P.S Apologies to those of you who signed up to the Frappr map over the last couple of weeks, you will be mentioned in the next show!

Tags:
business podcast
small business
growing business
AIM