Crisis spawns Necessity. Necessity fuels Innovation. McKinsey & Co have reported that the pandemic response is that Companies are deprioritizing innovation to concentrate on four things: shoring up their core business, pursuing known opportunity spaces, conserving cash and minimizing risk,  However in past crises, companies that invested in innovation delivered superior growth and performance postcrisis.  JFK once observed that the word “crisis” in Chinese is made up of two characters—danger, and opportunity. He may not have been entirely correct on the linguistics, but the sentiment is true enough.  How do companies find creative ways to continue fund their innovative projects?  Dr Vivien Badout, CEO of DRIAD innovation consultancy for deep-tech start-ups and SMEs.  and expert in innovation grant funding joins us to help answer that question    Website  https://www.driad.co/  Youtube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCceXHh0iIjRgPWkZ_Clschg

Ian Livingstone CBE is calling for schools to embrace games-based learning and digital creativity to help address  the question of the growing skills gap facing employers. Ian has had a hugely successful career built on his passion for games and gamebooks.     He has partnered with the Aspirations Academies Trust. They have teamed up to launch The Livingstone Academy Bournemouth which will be rooted in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM)     Ian share's with us what happens when a game-obsessed entrepreneur meets education thought leaders and how they are preparing to up-skill the next generation.    https://www.livingstone-aspirations.org/

2020 was one of the most challenging many of us will face in our lifetime. Whilst a little different, Christmas typically allows time to reflect and restore our energy levels with family .   Batteries re-charged, how do we look forward to 2021 with positivity?     New Lockdown measures announced last night (5th Jan 2020) means we need to dig deep.   Even as lockdown eases, work patterns  are set to remain blended  with home and socially distanced office working.     What tools and self-care can we deploy to maintain those energy levels for both ourselves and our employees?    Emma-Louise Fusari founder of In-House Health provides employers with anonymised health data of their workforce to design targeted health initiatives and employee wellbeing.    She’s taken her wealth of experience in chronic disease management and delivering public health programmes, to get on the front foot of mental and physical wellbeing    She joins us today to share insights today on how to face the challenge of lockdown and eventually  a healthier happier 2021    Show Notes :  BusinessCloud Well-Being Story  https://www.businesscloud.co.uk/opinion/five-gadgets-to-improve-your-wellbeing-in-2021/  Check out In-House Health and Digital Nurse  In-House Health   Is burn out the real virus blog : https://inhousehealth.co.uk/is-burnout-the-real-virus-impacting-tech/    LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedigitalnurse/ Check out the radio show Check Up Tuesday https://www.fabradiointernational.com/fab-radio-schedule/tuesday/inhouse-health-radio-show

Modern digital marketing is truly a maze. How do we navigate this? There are cutting edge changes in algorithms and fast paced roll out tactics which will make your head spin. Then the strategic copycat nature of the wider social media industry where  TikTok style features pop up as Reels in Instagram and so forth.   Tim Hyde, founder of Social Media Marketing agency, TWH Media to joins us today to help navigate the minefield and shares simple ideas on how to capture your audience attention   A recent survey by Engine has found that people are spending on average 10-30% more online as a result of the pandemic.  There is growth across all ecommerce categories in particular subscription and convenience services, which has seen growth in  revenue  200% and conversion 140%   Tim is one of Manchester’s home grown success stories, He started his journey at LADbible at just 18 years old as the 11th staff member. ‘Employee of the Year’ at 19,  before joining Social Chain and then launching his own consultancy. He  help us get to grips with the rapidly growing focus on online retail and ecommerce    TWH Media - https://www.timwillhyde.com/ Brands Journal https://brandsjournal.com/the-valuable-role-ecommerce-social-media-marketing-will-play-in-keeping-businesses-afloat-during-lockdown/ Small Business.co.uk https://smallbusiness.co.uk/5-tips-to-maximise-black-friday-sales-during-lockdown-2551604/

If there’s one positive to come of this year it’s that there’s been an eCommerce explosion with 61% of Brits admitting to shopping more online during lockdown. (*Retail Times)  But currently up to 40 per cent of clothing bought online is returned, compared with 5 to 10 per cent of in-store purchases. Fashion prediction platform Dressipi is working to change that. It’s working with retailers like John Lewis, River Island and Topshop to help them predict what customers will buy and not return.  Co-founders Donna North and Sarah McVittie join me on this episode to talk about how technology is shaping the future of fashion. Host: Patricia Keating Guests: Donna North and Sarah McVittie co-founders Dressippi  https://dressipi.com/ For more information on personalisation and data in fashion:  https://dressipi.com/how-river-island-used-personalisation-to-deliver-revenue-increase/ https://dressipi.com/closer-look-at-our-data-insight-hub/ Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester  ABOUT FAST FORWARD: Hosted by Tech Manchester’s director Patricia Keating, FastForward shares the stories and expertise of business experts and founders at all stages of their business journey. It’s crammed full of practical advice on how to take your startup to the next level.

In 2012 Jolyon Bennett risked his home to launch his vision: a sustainable mobile phone accessories business. Some nail-biting moments followed but Jolyon's was handed a big break by John Lewis, just weeks before his money ran out.  John Lewis sold 2,000 units in the first week and Juice became the fastest selling brand they had ever launched. Juice is now on a mission to not only ensure his company is manufacturing in a more sustainable way, but he is also rolling out an incentive to help others to do the same - including supermarket giant Tesco.  This year Juice became the first mobile phone accessories manufacturer to completely remove single-use plastic from its packaging. The company also launched completely compostable phone cases and is now working towards bringing their plant-based plugs to market.  Jolyon has been on an incredible journey from leaving school with a backlog of three months detention to leading the call for more sustainable business models. In this episode he shares what he's learned along the way and explains why more CEOs need to make the change to build a better world for all of us.  Host: Patricia Keating Guests: Joylon Bennett founder Juice https://www.juice.co.uk/ Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Sixteen years ago Gayle Carpenter took a risk. She left the security and support of full-time employment as a design director to start her own creative and brand agency.    Just two weeks after launching Sparkloop Gayle found herself pitching to Red Bull UK. She won the contract and still counts Red Bull among her clients today along with some other household names including The Prince’s Trust, Prudential, Checkatrade, Homeserve and Asics.   Gayle has kept her vision, kept her team small and focussed, and has offices in London and Bath to maximise business opportunities.  In this episode she shares her personal business journey and the principles of how to create an authentic brand as well as giving her advice for women in leadership roles. Hint: It really is time to ditch the power suits! Host: Patricia Keating Guests: Gayle Carpenter, founder Sparkloop www.sparkloop.com Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Have you ever been hit with expensive transaction fees while using your card abroad? Having been burned on holiday by expensive card transaction charges the founders of Currensea decided there had to be a more convenient product.  The former investment bankers launched their new venture in January 2020, a perfect time, when many of us are planning annual holidays, to launch a product to cut the cost of transactions abroad.  However, just a few months later the world as we know it stopped and the travel industry was grounded.  The founders of Currensea had no choice but to adapt to the shifting landscape. And despite the obvious challenges the fledgling company onboarded 5,000 customers in quarter one alone and has achieved quarter-on-quarter cardholder growth of over 230%.  How have they done it?  Currensea’s founders James Lynn and Craig Goulding talk to Trish about their journey so far and discuss why there is never a good time to start a business! Britain in Business report How COVID-19 and Brexit are affecting SMEs and advice on how they can power through this challenging time. Includes insight from Mastercard, Visa’s former CEO and the founders of Currensea. https://www.currensea.com/britain-back-in-business/ Host: Patricia Keating Guests: James Lynn and Craig Goulding www.currensea.com Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Most founders have experienced failure, or will do so at some point in their journey. As Samuel Beckett wrote in Westward Ho: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Currently around 60% of new businesses fail within their first few years and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to send business failure rates sky rocketing.  Jan Cavelle built a multimillion pound business from absolutely nothing. She also lost it all when her furniture went into administration in 2017 after 20 years of trading. But she has rebuilt her portfolio and now back on the road to success. Jan talks to Trish about her journey, the advice she now shares with fellow entrepreneurs and why we must all stop viewing failure as a problem.  Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Jan Cavelle https://jancavelle.co.uk/ Scale For Success by Jan Cavelle, released in April 2021 by Bloomsbury. Pre order your copy below:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scale-Success-Insights-Growing-Business/dp/1472985559/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1605550492&refinements=p_27%3AJan+Cavelle&s=books&sr=1-1 Listening Time: 43 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

If you want someone at the helm to help navigate your SME through an economic storm, then Catherine Birkett CFO of Go Cardless is certainly someone you would want on board your ship.  She's helped businesses though two recessions, guided a telecoms company though the dot-com crash in 2000 and steered the disruptive technology fintech GoCardless through the highly competitive payments industry. In this episode Catherine shares her approach to navigating the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst an unfamiliar challenge, she believes the approach of scenario planning, keeping a level head, accepting mistakes, engaging stakeholders and keeping an eye on the bottom line is the key to survival.  Listen now to hear some valuable insight on how to guide your scaleup though this economic shock.  Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Catherine Birkett, CFO GoCardless https://gocardless.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-birkett-b897b812/?originalSubdomain=uk Listening Time: 43 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Running a business during a global health crisis is presenting business leaders with huge continuity challenges; making sure staff are safe, securing financial sustainability, assessing the resilience of supply chains and reinforcing crucial systems to support unprecedented levels of remote working.      Restrictions are loosened and then tightened again, making it increasingly difficult to plan for the future. But business can’t stand still.     So, as we head into a second national lockdown, what lessons can we take from this pandemic to prepare for the new normal? And how can organisations thrive in a post-crisis world?    John Courtney is a strategy consultant and serial entrepreneur. He’s currently the CEO of boardroomadvisors.co.uk and is a non-exec director for five early stage businesses.  He measures his mistakes by his hairline and in this episode he shares what he's learned over his career journey and explains how to create an actionable plan to get out of the Covid-19 crisis by analysing strategy, tactics and actions.  Useful links: Scale-Up Growth Diagnostic - https://boardroomadvisors.co/scale-up-growth-diagnostic/ Essential Guide to Scale-Up Challenges [E-Book] - https://boardroomadvisors.co/the-essential-guide-to-scale-up-challenges/ Business Strategy Toolkit [Free Download] - https://boardroomadvisors.co/business-strategy-toolkit/ Host: Patricia Keating Guest: John Courtney, founder Boardroom Advisors https://boardroomadvisors.co/  Listening Time: 40 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Whether you are looking to expand your team or applying for a new job, there is an expectation that the recruitment process is fair.  But what happens when the final hiring decision is distorted by unconscious bias? Could you be biased without even realising it? Dr Elsa Zegeng is a scientist and entrepreneur who is currently part of the executive team at recruitment startup Jobseekrs. Its primary purpose is to mitigate unconscious bias in the recruitment process and give everyone a chance at all job opportunities; regardless of race, name, ethnicity, gender or other factors.   With more organisations actively looking and taking steps to create a more inclusive workforce, Elsa shares her thoughts on what is already being done and what actions can be taken to make a long-lasting and meaningful change.  Listen now to discover how you can uncover your own unconscious bias.  Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Dr Elsa Zegeng, Jobseekrs https://jobseekrs.co.uk/ Additional links:  https://solidarityintech.co.uk/ https://burncic.org/ https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html Listening Time: 50 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

In 2012, Mark Wright  landed in UK from his native Australia with a passion for business and just £172. Fast forward to today and Mark is now an award-winning, influential entrepreneur and self-taught digital marketing specialist.  Viewers of the BBC TV show The Apprentice will remember him as the 2014 winner. He secured the £250,000 investment and Lord Sugar as a business partner to found the hugely successful digital marketing agency, Climb Online. The company now boasts a multi million pound turnover.  But the road to success hasn't all been smooth. In the early days long hours and consistent pressure lead to Mark suffering from serious health problems. In this episode he share his tips to handle startup stress and why alongside hard graft and laser focus it’s so important to schedule time out from work.   This was scheduled to be our 105th episode but we liked it so much we decided to bump it up to number 104! Host: Patricia Keating Guests: Mark Wright, founder Climb Online https://climb-online.co.uk/ Listening Time: 50 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

According to a recent report by O2, the Covid-19 lockdown gave rise to around 200,000 new businesses. We know that crises give rise to unique conditions that fuel innovators to create rapid, impactful solutions. That is certainly true of Valerie and Noel Moran. The couple founded Prepaid Financial Services in 2008, during the height of the last recession. At the time no one believed it would work. But with bootstrapping, hard graft and a ton of belief they proved the naysayers wrong. In 2019, PFS was sold for 327 million euros. Following the deal Valerie became the first black woman to be listed in the Sunday Times rich list. In this episode Valerie and Noel talk to Trish about how they built the company from nothing, the importance of promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace and how they are now giving back by supporting youth charities in their local community and in Valerie's native Zimbabwe. If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward Host: Patricia Keating Guests: Noel and Valerie Moran founders https://prepaidfinancialservices.com/en/ Listening Time: 45 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

When looking for furniture for her first apartment Deirdre McGettrick found it hard to look for specific items. Like so many founders she thought there had to be a better way.  So, in Deirdre left the corporate world behind to enter the highly competitive £25 billion furniture and homewares market and Ufurnish.com was born.  The business is now a team of 13, is partnered with more than 100 retailers including John Lewis and Dunhelm and has just raised £1.8 million in investment.   Covid-19 has also had a positive effect on furniture sales with more people spending time in their homes. In this podcast Deirdre shares her startup journey; from launching the business and having to rebrand to making key hires and why she is passionate about helping people to make their house into a sanctuary. If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Deirdre McGettrick, founder www.ufurnish.com Listening Time: 45 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

SMEs are the engine of the economy. They account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation. In a post-Covid world SMEs are fundamental to getting the economy back on track.  OakNorth is a multi-billion dollar global fintech focused on unlocking the potential in SME lending. It understands the importance of supporting small and medium businesses through the pandemic. The bank itself has seen stratospheric growth from its inception in 2013.   In this episode OakNorth's Chief Information Officer explains how the fintech are leading the way by approving more than £60 million in new loans since lockdown began in March and how Covid-19 will shake up the financial sector. Sean also takes us on his own personal journey from jazz student to developer to the Vice President of Goldman Sachs - all within five years! If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Sean Hunter, CIO OakNorth https://www.oaknorth.co.uk/ Listening Time: 30 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester  Update Description

For this special 100th episode of FastForward we speak to Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council. We have heard stories from many visionary entrepreneurs and leaders on this podcast, but what does it take to lead an entire city? And just how do you take a city that's in economic collapse and transform it into the most livable city in the UK? (Economist Global Livability Index 2019) Sir Richard was elected to leader of Manchester City Council in 1996, a date now etched in the city's history following the IRA bombing. Over the last 24 years he's overseen rebuilding and regeneration projects and helped to cement the city's reputation as a global economic player. In this episode Sir Richard takes us on a journey though the past two decades, looking over some of his highlights and the many challenges he's faced and is continuing to encounter, particularly the impact of Covid-19. And with the transformation of Manchester still a work in progress Sir Richard explains why he wants future generations to say that the city is still not good enough. If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council  https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/leaders/sir-richard-leese/ Listening Time: 60 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Business opportunities can appear anywhere at any time. But it’s one thing to spot an opportunity and another to take advantage of it and work to turn it into a success.   When the government announced the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme in August 2020, Michael Lawes and Jordan Ryan Madeley, founders of Sancus Group, saw an opportunity to use their already-developed platform to make a positive difference.  Seizing an opportunity got this small startup noticed by none other than the Chancellor of the Exchequer, within days they had built the Eat Out to Help Out app that was topping the app store, above Twitter and Uber, and was being used by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK.   But, after the national press ran the story, the app was overwhelmed with the number of users. Undeterred, Sancus Group worked around the clock and pulled in a few favours to get the app back up and running. In this episode, Michael and Jordan share what the experience has taught them and how seizing one opportunity can pave the way for many more.  If you enjoyed this podcast feel free to leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fastforward Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Michael Lawes and Jordan Ryan Madeley, Sancus Group https://sancusinsights.com/ Listening Time: 35 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

If there was ever proof of the power of a positive mindset, Susan Morrice is it. She’s been on an incredible journey that’s taken her from Belfast to Belize, where she became the first person to discover oil, proving all the major oil industries wrong. They’d even spent $400 million in the process.  How did she do it? With the power of mindset. The belief that there was oil to be discovered and all that was needed to hit the jackpot was a different approach.  Susan used the ‘whole mind’ way of thinking to build her businesses Belize Natural Energy and created the private aviation company in XJet. A visionary and pioneer in the field of natural and sustainable energy she now travels the world sharing her experience and championing the Educo Holistic Model.  She shares her journey with Trish and explains why it’s important for entrepreneurs to be cheerleaders for each other. Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Susan Morrice, geologist, explorer, entrepreneur http://www.susanmorrice.com http://www.belizenaturalenergy.bz Listening Time: 45 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester

Rachel Morgan Trimmer is an incredibly successful entrepreneur. She’s been in business for more than 15 years, built a global travel company and is a specialist career coach. Yet sometimes just getting though each day can be tough.   Rachel is a high functioning autistic and has ADHD. For years she went through life believing she was not normal and suffered severe and complex mental health issues as a result.   Now, Rachel views her neurodiversity as her superpower – because seeing the world in a different way to others is a help rather than a hindrance. Stats show that workplaces that employ neurodiverse people are 50% more productive than those that don’t. Through her coaching business Sparkle Class Rachel is using her experiences to help her clients – whether neurodiverse or neurotypical.   In this candid interview Rachel shares her experiences and struggles with Trish as well as the tools and techniques she's learned to deal with her differences.  Host: Patricia Keating Guest: Rachel Morgan Trimmer, founder Sparkle Class www.sparkleclass.com Listening Time: 45 mins Follow Tech Manchester: Twitter: @tecmcr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/ Facebook: Tech Manchester