"5 Things I Know Now" A Dorset Growth Hub Podcast

Anna Frizzell is part of the Sustainability Team at the Dorset-based RNLI - the largest UK charity that saves lives at sea through lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and flood rescue. Anna spends her times analysing at all areas that the charity can improve their impact on the earth including the materials that the lifeboats are made with, the fuel they use to be powered and even the materials of the volunteers uniform and protective equipment.

With a background working with small and medium sized businesses to analyse where they can make improvements within their day-to-day operations, Anna provides her top tips for making sustainable changes.
This episode was recorded as part of the BEYOND 2020 audio conference in October 2020.
Find Anna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-frizzell-41a6bb24/
Connect with Dorset Growth Hub: https://www.dorsetgrowthhub.co.uk/

On the growth journey that many SMEs take, it’s easy to overlook corporate governance as an area that keeps you on the right track. To some it feels like an unnecessary barrier, but consider Dr Donald Nordberg’s alternate approach; it helps you in the same way brakes on a car help you drive faster...

Donald, Associate Professor of Strategy and Corporate Governance, joins Rich Burn to round out this month’s in-depth focus on Strategy and Planning. Vouching for the benefits of having a board behind you, Dr Nordberg considers how corporate governance is a broad category into which we throw a variety of operations, and the ideal ways to set a strategy and have it permeate through a small business.

This episode of The Dorset Growth Hub podcast covers:

• Corporate governance’s role in keeping directors in check
• The potential danger of obstructing opportunities
• A need for cognitive dissonance and diversity of opinion on a board
• The role of a cash cow and the origin of the dog in a Boston Matrix
• Propagating your strategy through the business
• How often SMEs should self-evaluate their position and direction

Join our supporting events at: https://www.dorsetgrowthhub.co.uk/podcast

The art of marketing in the wine industry is a challenge when bottles look so similar, which makes this Coffee & Catchup’s lineup ideal for anyone looking to stand out.

Fran Bridgewater FCIM and Garry James, CMO of FOUNDRY, both join us to share in the latest from Fran’s new brand Volcanic Wines, the latest developments with Poole’s FOUNDRY and Podcast Labs, and even share a few tipple tips ahead of the Christmas period...

This episode of The Dorset Growth Hub podcast covers:

• FOUNDRY and Podcast Labs’ latest collaborations at FOUNDRY Poole and beyond
• Fran’s latest venture with Volcanic Wines, and how they’re crafting their latest selections
• How vital it is to nail marketing in an industry with lookalike products
• Tips for wine connoisseurs to enjoy wine at its very best

With an ever-changing economic landscape, any support for small businesses is absolutely vital, a huge focus for this latest Coffee & Catchup episode of The Dorset Growth Hub Podcast.

Nick Gregory guides us through the latest in finance, funding and mentorship with Dorset Business Mentors’ Alistair Bayliss sharing more on the process, and Steve Mayell sharing some grant and loan opportunities for SMEs in the local area.

This episode of The Dorset Growth Hub podcast covers:

• How mentors can help small businesses, particularly at an early stage
• Low Carbon Dorset’s pot for funding green and energy saving projects
• Recent economic developments to stay aware of as SMEs
• A raft of resources from Dorset Business Mentors and SWIG Finance

If the past year has done anything to business strategies, it’s ripping up the playbook that we might have taken so much care in writing up. The key to staying on top of the times, according to Aetha Design’s Director Sophie Parsons, is staying agile, flexible, and keep moving forward.

Having secured a number of valuable clients well outside of their original scope, Aetha Design is a perfect example of how taking projects which initially may seem ill-fit could actually lead to a thriving, family-like business partnership!

Sophie also delves into their tailored approach to new product development, the amazing opportunities on offer from crowdfunding sources, and the ‘dating game’ of identifying the right client relationships to nurture.

This episode of The Dorset Growth Hub podcast covers:

• Approaching new product development fresh each time
• Taking on challenges outside of initial targeted sectors
• Considering a business strategy with agility in mind
• Making best use of crowdfunding platforms
• Identifying good and poor client fits for your business
• The lessons learned from failing fast
• Sophie’s advocacy for university placement years

Join our supporting events at: https://www.dorsetgrowthhub.co.uk/podcast