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In this episode, we bring you an update as to what’s been happening since our last episode at the end of last year. We’ve seen massive changes in social media since the ‘insurrection riot’ at the US Capitol buildings a few days ago. Twitter and many other social media platforms have now banned Donald Trump for his involvement in allegedly stoking the violence. Since then, tens of thousands of other accounts related to QAnon have also been deleted, and we assume, banned. This sparks one of the biggest clean-ups that social media has probably ever seen. Also, a new bank has launched in Birmingham, called Birmingham Bank - the first bank to bear the Birmingham name for over a century. This bank will have a strong focus on the SME sector.  Westside BID have also announced a match-funding scheme to help businesses located in the Westside area of Birmingham invest in crucial products & services, offering 50% of funding required. More info in links below. Covid-19 vaccine continues its rollout, with more and more locations announced for where the public will be able to be vaccinated. Even Asda is opening its first store in Birmingham to create a vaccine clinic within the George dept. More Asda stores likely to follow, but the first ever will be in Birmingham. AstraZeneca also gearing up to be able to provide 2million vaccine doses a week by mid-February. Finally, NHS Birmingham & Solihull has launched the Midlands’ first one-stop mental health service to help those with mental health issues, regardless of severity - something everyone should be aware of. More info below. Resources referred to during this episode: https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2021/01/12/birmingham-bank-launched-to-serve-sme-businesses-throughout-the-midlands https://westsidebid.co.uk/2021/01/12/bid-launches-financial-match-funding-safety-net-for-westside-businesses/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55638558 https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/special-features/10-million-people-need-mental-19575369 https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-astrazeneca-on-track-to-deliver-two-million-vaccine-doses-a-week-by-mid-february-as-it-calls-for-priority-access-12186734 Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

As our final episode of 2020, we thought we’d issue an extra little episode before Christmas as a brief roundup of this year, but more looking ahead with positivity and optimism to 2021. We also make a few predictions about what the world of work, online tools and social media may be like in 2021 and ongoing, hopefully making it more beneficial and positive for all. Will there be more fact checking on Twitter and Facebook, with them deleting more of the disinformation out there? Will more and more businesses be more open to the idea of flexible working and rethinking the 9-5 for the employees that could do with such a schedule? Will more businesses hire more freelancers, creating ‘virtual teams’ rather than having businesses host an array of skills in-house at all times? And why oh why didn’t LinkedIn get in on the video conferencing game this year, given they have a primed and ready audience for it! Late to the game, LinkedIn, you’re late to the game… And we look at a good news story about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott who’s done a massively good deed… Finally, on behalf of all at Team BrumPod/Brummies Networking, I want to thank you for being a listener of BrumPod throughout 2020 - we very much appreciate you being here. Have a very (as much as possible) Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. And we’ll see you all again in early January 2021! Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com Sound Effects courtesy of freesfx.co.uk

[Apologies for the crackly audio in the early part of the episode - was due to broadband connection interference with our guest. This improves greatly just before 11mins in.] In this episode, we talk to Councillor Waseem Zaffar from the ‘Brum Breathes’ department at Birmingham City Council who are launching the Clean Air Zone in the city. Waseem explains what exactly a Clean Air Zone is, who will be affected, who will be charged, and who will be exempt from the charges.  Will everyone have to pay? Is it the same as a Congestion Charge Zone? Will it affect my business? There’s been a lot of rumour going around about who will be the most affected, so thankfully Waseem is on hand to explain in detail how it’s all going to work, and dispels a lot of myths along the way! The Clean Air Zone scheme looks set to enhance the air quality in the city centre greatly, as well as help promote and support alternative transport choices, including electric cars. For more information on the Clean Air Zone, do check out the council’s dedicated website to it, at: https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the world of electric cars and where they’re going, with motoring journalist Richard Aucock from MotoringResearch.com. We take a look at how far electric cars have come on, technology wise, in just a few short years - and what the future of driving electric will be in the NEXT few years; both in terms of the car tech itself, and the infrastructure needed to support it. From the inception of the 1st Nissan Leaf with its very limited range, we now have electric cars capable of 350+ miles. How far away are we from having cars that could travel further? How long until battery technology makes the next leap and bound to be able to fully charge a car in just a few minutes? What are the best cars to look out for at the moment and in the future? What’s best to go for now? Full EV? Plug-in Hybrid EV? The choices are mind-boggling. If you’re someone who is wanting to buy their first electric vehicle and want some rock solid information and advice, then this episode is for you. Richard Aucock explains all, and gives us his top picks of cars to look out for, debunks some common misconceptions, and explains everything you want to know about electric cars - in simple terms! Where to find Richard Aucock online: https://www.motoringresearch.com https://twitter.com/richardaucock Resources referred to in this episode: https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/2030-petrol-diesel-car-ban-explained/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/17/boris-johnson-announces-10-point-green-plan-with-250000-jobs Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this special edition episode, we wanted to turn the podcast over to you! So we've invited a handful of folks we know well to submit their own audio promo pitches, as a way of introducing them to you, the wider world. Since England is in Lockdown 2, we feel it's more important than ever to keep up your marketing and networking, to ensure you've got a good pipeline of work coming in during these uncertain times. And one way to do that is giving folks the opportunity to introduce themselves to a new audience, namely, you! They're a great bunch of people who we feel you should know about, so please do have a listen to their intro speeches during this episode to find out more about them; and then of course do check out their web links too - all links below. We will undoubtedly be running another  'shoutout episode' again in due course, maybe in the new year. So if you fancy having your promo introduction featured in a future episode, you can submit it easily via our SpeakPipe page: https://www.speakpipe.com/brumpod Just keep your intro speeches to no more than 30 seconds, and ensure you include all the key info; who you are, what you do, how you can help, where can people find you. (Legal disclaimer: By submitting an audio clip you give us the rights to use it on this podcast). Here are the people who have featured today: Leila Smith - https://www.promiseprandcreative.co.uk Sean Dyer - https://bravenewbeast.co.uk Sara Tomaszewska - https://littlemediaagency.com Will Woodhouse - https://www.fixmybrokenmac.co.uk Luke Burton - https://theconnectionworldwide.com Maria Goodwin - https://www.birminghamhospice.org.uk Henrik Court - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrikcourt/ Theo Thompson - https://www.nourishsocial.co.uk Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we’re launching a new initiative, the ‘Brummies Jobs Exchange’ - our way of helping to link up people who are either seeking new employment if they’ve say been made redundant due to COVID19 etc - or indeed if you are a company who have roles available looking to be filled, we want to try and help you fill them. This isn’t a commercial venture, and we’re not acting as recruiters - we are simply helping provide a platform and an audience via our Brummies Networking LinkedIn Group, website and social media channels. (All links below). We encourage everyone to be on the lookout for these types of posts, and we’ll be encouraging every post we see to be posted also in our LinkedIn group so it acts as a hub, where you’ll hopefully be able to link yourselves up with each other, to help each other out as best we can. Create your job seeker/job available posts in the Brummies Networking LinkedIn group, by starting it with ‘CAREER’ at the start, to make it clear and obvious; and hopefully then you’ll get some interest and assistance from fellow members. Especially important during these trying times, with the impending Lockdown 2 now coming into effect. (Lockdown 2 was mentioned during the episode, & was only confirmed by Parliament post-recording) We also encourage you to submit your guest blogs to us which we can promote on the website. A further bit of self-promotion for you. And please do make use of our Speakpipe page where you can send us your business elevator pitches in audio form, which we can incorporate into future episodes. Max. 30s or so, keep it brief, to the point; who you are, what you do, how you can help, what sort of clients you’re looking for - you know the drill. And remember, we’re also running our weekly Twitter hour every Tuesday 11am-12 - just use the hashtag #brummiesbizhour to join in; and like the above, post your promos, what you do, how you can help, the types of clients you’re looking for etc. We’re all in this together folks, so let’s all do whatever we can to help each other out as best we can, especially during these precarious times we’re living in. Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we're offering up more of a slightly shorter and snappier 'updates episode', just to give you the heads up about the latest news re. COVID19 in the Midlands, and what West Midlands Mayor's latest announcement is. We also talk about the impact the local lockdowns and new Tier system is having on the region as a whole - with hospitality being hit quite hard yet again.  Apple have also recently announced the new iPhone 12 series of phones, with launch happening Friday 23rd October. Why is this relevant? Because this is Apple's first foray into the realm of 5G - which can only mean that because iPhones are arguably the world's most popular phone, it is now likely that now is the time 5G sees much greater expansion of availability, meaning we will all get to benefit from what 5G can offer. Not just in the sense of faster download speeds for movies and music; but what it means for the bigger picture - i.e. enhanced capabilities for autonomous vehicles, reducing the latency/lag which is prevalent with 3G/4G technologies. Lots of exciting developments are heading our way over the next 12 months or so. We also give a shoutout to Midlands company BCRS Business Loans, who have launched a LinkedIn challenge to encourage everyone to support local small businesses by taking part in simple challenges - from leaving a SME you've used a great review, or giving them a public shoutout on your social media - and whatever else you can think of to give a leg up to any great small, local and/or family run businesses near you that you love. It's these little things that can make such a positive impact on a small business, and they'll really thank you for it! References from this episode: https://twitter.com/andy4wm/status/1318616191997534214 https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/10/750000-uk-hospitality-jobs-at-risk-survey-reveals/ https://www.bcu.ac.uk/research/collaborate-with-us/5g/how-5g-will-change-birmingham-in-real-time https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=bcrssmechallenge Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we’re talking to Alistair Hayward-Wright, from Hayward-Wright Accountancy Group, who helps us to decode and decipher Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Winter Economy Plan, the scheme that will replace the furlough and SEISS grant payments ongoing. It’s been an incredibly tough time throughout COVID-19 for all businesses, both the self-employed and those who are salaried. With numerous inevitable redundancies being mentioned on LinkedIn and beyond, now is the time to really focus on future plans to ensure your business stays afloat, and ideally, thrives as best it can. There are now several changes afoot which business owners will need to become familiar with, as it will affect all employees and the amount of hours they’ll need to work before the scheme takes effect - a process that is quite different to the current furlough scheme. Likewise for the self-employed, the SEISS grants are, in some fashion, being extended; but with a lesser amount being paid out than before - so for many, it may be a slight top up to your income, but perhaps not much more than that. Therefore, lots of preparation and planning is key to ensure you stay ahead of the game. So, if you’re like us, and trying to get your head around all this information isn’t exactly bedtime reading - then tune in, as thankfully Alistair will lead us through it bit by bit to hopefully make it a little simpler to grasp. Where you can find Alistair online: https://www.haywardwright.co.uk https://twitter.com/HaywardWright https://www.facebook.com/haywardwrightltd https://www.linkedin.com/company/hayward-wright/ Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking.   https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com Sound effects courtesy of http://www.freesfx.co.uk

In this episode we talk to Leila Smith from Promise PR and Creative, a PR agency based in Solihull.  Leila set up her agency during the pandemic! So we explore how that went, and what brought her to that point. We explore the world of PR versus marketing - how and why they're different, and how to decipher what a business might need. Lots of businesses during the pandemic and lockdown period starting cutting back spending on PR and marketing, so Leila explains why it's more important than ever to kick things up a gear to ensure businesses stay communicative and relevant.  She also tells us about her experiences with business networking, and the importance of the human connection. Plus, we also discuss the scenario of negative PR, and how to combat that effectively; with a good example that came to light on LinkedIn and Twitter in the last couple of days.  You can find Leila online at the following places: https://www.promiseprandcreative.co.uk https://twitter.com/CreativePromise https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-smith-83a67a117/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/promise-pr-and-creative/ https://www.instagram.com/promiseprandcreative/ Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we speak to special guest Lisa Brown from Lisa B Interior Design, a design agency based at the Custard Factory, Birmingham. We discuss what the state of the design industry has been like during COVID, as well as hearing her backstory about how she got to where she is now.  We also pose the question, just HOW creative is the general public when it comes to starting a new project? What to do when there's no forthcoming information from a prospective client! And of course, how to handle the situation when residential clients spar between themselves with competing ideas!  Lisa also explains what the general design process is, how to go about approaching a designer, & what you need to know to get the best result; as well as detailing the differences between approaching interior design in a residential vs. commercial setting. You can find Lisa online at the following places: Website: https://lisabinteriordesign.co.uk Portfolio: https://lisabinteriordesign.com https://twitter.com/InfoLisaBDesign https://www.instagram.com/lbidesign/ Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote (Voice Over Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas (Business Coach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones (Self Storage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we talk to Jordan Patel from Art.Quarter, which will end up being, we think, Birmingham's most adventurous multi-use site yet; currently being built, it will end up housing commercial units, office space, retail outlets and pop-up shops, food and drink outlets, technology centres, AR and VR gaming centre, amongst many other things! All in the heart of Digbeth, the home of Birmingham's creative industries. We find out how the build and overall project is going, especially with the inevitable setbacks with COVID19, who this venue is for, and how it can be utilised. Jordan also goes on to explain how the Art.Quarter project is going to be able to start supporting young & start-up businesses by offering countless routes of business support, to give the best chances possible of making it a success. It's an ambitious, gargantuan task! But as you'll hear, with Jordan's passion and determination, we wish him every success with it. We're convinced it certainly will be... So sit back, listen, and enjoy! You can find out more about Jordan and Art.Quarter online at the following links: https://www.artquarteruk.co.uk https://twitter.com/artdotquarter https://twitter.com/jordanartdot https://www.instagram.com/jordan.patel/ Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode we take a look at the issue of returning to the office after so long. How different are things going to be now? Is your workplace geared up and ready?  Is it safe? How do you feel about it all? What are the expectations, and your rights as an employee if things don't seem to be up to scratch? Has all this changed how we work forever? There's certainly been a major environmental impact given a study we touch upon, as well as people's mindsets having changed and been slightly re-evaluated.  We look at various scenarios, and offer our own thoughts on the situation. But of course, if you're needing advice as an employee or employer and need more information on your rights, please do speak to someone qualified in that field, in law/HR etc, don't take anything in this podcast as official advice! Always speak to a professional. Resources and information we discuss in this episode: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-almost-one-in-three-workers-ready-to-keep-working-from-home-after-lockdown-12025311 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53484767 https://www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/returning-work-coronavirus/ Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

With special guest: Anthony Tattum from Big Cat Agency. In this episode, we talk to Anthony Tattum, CEO of Birmingham based creative agency, Big Cat. We discuss how, in a post-COVID world, the hospitality industry needs a radical rethink in how they operate, to optimise earnings and efficiency, given how there will be so many restrictions for months to come. Many businesses have managed to adapt really well through lockdown, operating in a different capacity to what they're used to, by offering additional or amended services; takeaways, produce boxes, meal kits etc. Something which has been near-essential to survive. Anthony gives some brilliant advice and case studies of successful businesses' transitions, and how YOUR business can replicate some of these ideas to survive and thrive in the months and years to come. Here's where you can find Anthony: http://bigcatagency.com https://twitter.com/anthonytattum https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonytattum/ Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, we talk to Daniel O'Brien, an insurance broker from Aston Lark. We discuss the current state of the insurance industry in the midst of the pandemic, what cover you THINK you have, what cover you NEED, and lots of top tips and advice that all business owners should be aware of to ensure you're fully covered for all eventualities once we reach that golden egg that is 'the new normal'. We cover areas such as what business owners and facilities managers need to consider when re-opening on July 4th, how the exposure to risk has changed now, how companies are adapting their business models in the wake of COVID19, and where we go from here - what are the things to look out for?  Thankfully, Dan explains all. Tune in and subscribe to ensure you receive all future episodes automatically.  You can find Dan at the following places: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-o-brien-dip-cii-a7a91358/ https://twitter.com/EmotionalRug https://www.astonlark.com Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

Today's Guest - Sarah Burns from Handled PA- https://handled-pa.com In this episode we talk to Sarah Burns from Handled PA, a virtual PA service based in Birmingham. As someone who runs an entire team completely virtually online, as well as of course their clients, she is well positioned to give some great advice as to how businesses might manage remote working and flexible working environments ongoing post-COVID19, in what has been referred to as 'the new normal'. There is talk of some businesses re-evaluating their entire structure post-pandemic, and whether they will continue with large premises with everyone working on-site. Lots of businesses are already planning for lots of employees to be able to work from home permanently, the likes of Facebook, Twitter and BT already committing to enabling massive changes in the future. Throughout this episode, Sarah will guide you through how she manages her team members, how the move to online can work best for you, with lots of tips and tricks, as well as telling us about useful online platforms that you might benefit from too in your business. Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

We're now in Week 7 of Lockdown here in the UK. We chat about how things have changed, and where things might be going once Lockdown is lifted. Will businesses still flock on their normal commute into city centres? Or will there continue to be more working from home? Big businesses to scale down their operations to maintain smaller centralised hubs? It would make sense maybe. Our main topic is about the dangers of businesses not diversifying - with Primark being the prime example in recent days, them having ceased to make any money overnight since Lockdown went into effect. From £650 million in sales per month, to £0. Why? Because they have zero e-commerce or m-commerce systems in place, they are 'bricks and mortar' only. So what would your business do if ever faced with this again? Have you come up with ways you can diversify? If you haven't, it's well worth taking a look at again. Always better to be prepared for any eventuality. We take a look at some great examples, in the form of some pizza and beer companies. What's not to like? ALSO - the Government portal for registering and for checking your eligibility for the self-employed income support is now live. We chat briefly about that, about how nice and easy it is to do. If you're self employed, please do check it out and see if you're eligible. They will then contact you in due course when it's time to make your claim. Here's where to see for yourself: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/self-employment-support/enter-unique-taxpayer-reference Resource referred to in the episode re. Primark: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52365191?at_custom4=D2E9F15C-83BC-11EA-A11C-41974744363C&at_custom2=twitter&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_campaign=64&at_custom3=%40BBCNews&at_medium=custom7 Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode, our special guest is Martin 'The Warrior' Warrillow, a stroke awareness campaigner, blogger and podcaster.  Martin suffered a stroke in 2013 after dealing with a tremendous amount of job related stress. After collapsing whilst crossing a road & nearly being hit by an oncoming bus, he managed to drag himself to safety, with half his body paralysed, with only a foot between him and the passing bus.  During this period of global lockdown, stress is going to be playing an ever-increasing role in many people's lives. Hopefully this episode will help in some way, giving you the tools to try and combat it. Stress has played a significant role in Martin's life, turning it upside down. He talks about the dangers of stress, the warning signs, and how to cope with it.  This is his story. Find Martin online: https://www.askthewarrior.com https://twitter.com/warrior_martin https://www.facebook.com/groups/askthewarrior/ http://thewarriorpodcast.libsyn.com Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

This episode's guest - Greta Geoghegan from Digital Glue - https://digitalglue.agency With the continuing coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis dominating every headline and website, we try to cut through things to offer some help and support for small businesses.  In this episode, we're talking to Greta about how small businesses can utilise marketing and social media to their advantage to help get them through this period of uncertainty. What platforms might be useful for you. What tools she recommends for various tasks. And the importance of building community at this time of nationwide lockdown. How can businesses create and maintain a sense of community and togetherness when social distancing is the new normal? Plus, we look at the 'new fangled' social media platforms like TikTok - should your business be on them? Some say so. Greta explains all. Finally, we get Greta's take on marketing trends that will be likely throughout the remainder of what will be a very odd year all round. Tune in and subscribe now.... Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

In this episode we're (unsurprisingly) looking at Coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it's currently affecting small businesses. With so much fear and worry in the world right now, small businesses are having to think on their feet, adapt quickly, and do what they can to survive through this period of uncertainty. The hospitality industry is a particular worry, as the government tell the public we should be refraining from visiting bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants. So many are now turning to offer takeaways and collection/delivery services, in order to get through this period of otherwise having very few customers through their doors. We also look at the government's advice and support plans to aid businesses through this, and look at how some businesses may not be insured for this crisis - check your policies now to see if you may be affected should you need to claim for business disruption etc.  Plus we're looking at the concept of much of the UK working from home in self-isolation and for many what feels like quarantine. We mention a whole load of tools and platforms that might be of use in order to maintain business continuity and communication with your team members and customers, via methods like Zoom, UberConfererence, Slack, Skype, Microsoft Teams etc. If you're affected by COVID-19, our thoughts are with you - hope you feel better soon, and that you can get back to a normal life and business routine.  We're all in this together folks; so let's be kind and help each other. Links to items we discuss during this episode: https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/coronavirus-remote-working?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15321&utm_content=170320_JM+&utm_term=698507&m_i=Imr0%2B%2BUEkj2hdPHZJiSgAytjmUyqsuZDWuXsVTfHfX9kT%2BYtxV9u_QTpXgZGaNtY4FHPjAgPsSrvHfxgwawys2TjZW%2BBnuIIIz&M_BT=244063946052 https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/03/16/bt_broadband_network_wfh/ https://www.ft.com/content/ff00ec96-6481-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5 https://smallbusiness.co.uk/how-do-i-get-the-government-3000-coronavirus-grant-2549866/ https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2020/03/abi-comment-on-coronavirus-and-commercial-insurance/ http://bit.ly/3dcubPc Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com

We're back from hiatus! In this episode we're going a bit self-reflective, talking about how Brummies Networking has recently turned 5yrs old! But as many will know, we've been going even longer than that, just under a different guise.  We discuss how it all came about, the changes we've seen along the way, how networking attitudes have changed, how technologies have evolved for us to continue the networking far easier online, forging even closer relationships thanks to tools like LinkedIn; and how our group wouldn't be anything like it is now without our fantastic members. We even give a shoutout to some of our members personally, using them as amazing examples of brilliant & effective networking in action! We've witnessed the birth of the Birmingham Sales Squad and how they've utilised business networking to ensure that customer service is at the forefront of everything. It really is a fantastic example of how effective networking and creating a positive supportive community can really benefit everyone, especially in the service industries.  Are you mentioned? You'll have to listen to find out! We also touch on some practicalities of networking and overall health. We're not trying to ring any alarm bells, but we do give a mention of Coronavirus and general illnesses that could affect how & when people should network, and if you're feeling ill (just generally), how it's better to NOT go networking.  Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking. https://brummies-networking.co.uk Brummies Networking on Twitter: @brummiesnet BrumPod on Twitter - @brumpod Produced by Happy Content Co. https://happycontentco.com Twitter: @happycontentco Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Twitter: @birocratic BrumPod - The UK Small Business Podcast. BrumPod is designed for small businesses, because 2/3 of the hosts are small businesses! Our goal is to bring you topics that affect you as a fellow small business owner directly; everything from website tools and technology, changes in regulations, business networking tips, business growth; plus we talk to regular guests from all walks of life, discussing their journeys in working with small businesses to make other people’s lives easier. BrumPod Hosts: Richard Heathcote(VoiceOver Artist) - https://www.richardheathcote.co.uk Iwan Thomas(BusinessCoach) - http://www.iwanthomasassociates.co.uk Jason Jones(SelfStorage) - https://www.accessstorage.com