Episode 356 of Business Live features Mike Lawrence, workplace health and wellbeing consultant. This interview was originally recorded on 17 December 2020 and is re-broadcast this week.Working from home means many entrepreneurs and employees feel isolated; others experience overwhelm and burnout, or never stop working. Mike has strategies to protect and support you and your colleagues&apos; health and wellbeing. Mike "could talk for a week about some of the challenges I&apos;ve had to overcome." As a young man he had to move to London to access employment opportunities: covert racism in Sheffield proved an enormous barrier. Has that changed? Mike now works with many corporate firms and large organisations, enabling them to address discrimination, bias and barriers to inclusivity. He describes initiatives and action, underway and needed, to create a level playing field for all. Mike also describes how he found mentors, how he rebuilt his own confidence after a challenging period, the impact of Viktor Frankl&apos;s book, Man&apos;s Search for Meaning,  and gives realistic, practical advice for business leaders about listening, asking questions and building trust.Find Mike Lawrence Health and Wellbeing online. And here&apos;s the book mentioned in the interview.

Business Live: Jamie Veitch's Sheffield Live radio show

How to protect yourself from burnout, isolation or hitting a festive tipping point with Mike Lawrence

Manjit Sareen is CEO and co-founder of Natterhub and a serial entrepreneur. Since her co-founder Caroline Allams was on the show earlier this year the business, which teaches children to be safe and savvy online, has announced a high-impact collaboration with Microsoft.Manjit explains how Natterhub offers an innovative, immersive and safe environment for children and how it has developed since launching last year.  Although Manjit and Caroline had been working on the product for several years the onset of the pandemic pushed them to launch earlier than originally planned in 2020 – she tells me why.Natterhub was the first start-up company to join TwinklHive, which invested into the business too. It has won customers in more than 60 schools and is poised for explosive global growth thanks to a new integration with Microsoft means for Natterhub. Manjit describes how this came about.For serial entrepreneur Manjit, developing, launching and growing Natterhub is an exciting and new chapter in an extraordinary business career. But the idea behind Natterhub had nearly been shelved just before she and co-founder Caroline became business partners. A serendipitously-overheard conversation led to their partnership and a world-leading business.This week Natterhub scooped the Gold award in the Digital Education Awards, yet another accolade for the 9-person, lean firm named one of the top SaaS (software as a service) companies in the UK by TechRound earlier this year.We also explore some of Manjit&apos;s earlier entrepreneurial experiences and she has advice for entrepreneurs on how to secure investment and the value of an experienced CFO to your team. And Manjit is running a new fundraise for the firm and always open to new partnerships; she tells folk what she&apos;s looking for and how to reach her.Finally we return to some of Natterhub&apos;s functionality and recent initiatives such as a youth board and  its Rate My YouTuber web page, which reviews the content of popular YouTubers, to help parents make informed decisions about the content their children are viewing online.Timings:0 - 38:27 Introduction then interview with Manjit Sareen, Natterhub.38:27 Funding updates: the overseas trade show fund from the UK Tradeshow Programme (UKTP) – uo to 40% / £4000 grants to exhibit at approved events; the British Design Fund – £100,000 to £200,000 investments into eligible businesses.40:30 Upcoming online events from Sheffield Adventure Film Festival ShAff Online and wrapping up.This is episode 355 of Business Live. Love the show? Please leave a rating or review on your podcast platform of choice – thank-you!

How to unlock explosive growth and secure investment with Manjit Sareen, Natterhub

What holds people back from using their creativity in the workplace? Why have "closet creatives" stopped expressing their creative side in day-to-day life? And what are the impacts on health, wellbeing, problem solving and productivity when you rediscover your creative voice?Emily Moncuit helps people find their creative voice through the art of sketching and drawing.She&apos;s been working with global corporates, running lunchtime sessions for their employees with profound impacts on feeling good, building connections, productivity and the ability to apply their thinking to solve challenges, which we explore in this conversation.And she&apos;s launched Emily&apos;s Notebook, her sketchbook community crammed with free resources to help people build a sketchbook habit and build their creative confidence. It also offers courses and Emily&apos;s " Sketch from Scratch Kits." Too often we&apos;ve disconnected creativity from the workplace, and suppressed it in our day to day lives because of negative experiences. "Creativity has sometimes been linked to the thing that you do as the by-product of your life," says Emily – and we discuss whether it&apos;s really the "taboo" some people think.Last time Emily was on Business Live she worked for the CBI, now she runs a startup. Whatever the size of your business or social enterprise, I think you&apos;ll find Emily&apos;s points about the psychology of creativity fascinating.Also in the show today: FIVE funding and grant opportunities for businesses and social enterprises, and an upcoming event where you can meet a co-founder.Timings and links:0 - 2:15 introduction,2:15 Interview with Emily Moncuit. Check out www.emilysnotebook.co.uk which is packed with free tips, and Emily’s Sketch from Scratch Kits – a wonderful gift to yourself or a loved one? We also discuss Sir Ken Robinson&apos;s famous Ted Talk.25:51 Funding and grant opportunities:  New Low-Carbon Business Support Project | The Co-op Carbon Innovation Fund (for social enterprises and charities across the UK) | Grants of up to £24,999 in the South Yorkshire Business Productivity Programme | The Digital Innovation Grant programme for SMEs in South Yorkshire | The Social Enterprise Support Fund.30:29 Startup Meetup next week – you can meet a co-founder.31:30 What&apos;s coming up on the show, how to get in touch, and wrapping up.

Unleash your creativity, feel fantastic and reap personal and business rewards with Emily Moncuit

Royal British Legion Industries is a charity supporting the Armed Forces and its veterans, people with disabilities and people who are unemployed.Michelle Ferguson runs its two social enterprises, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company.The firms make road and rail signs, the RBLI&apos;s much-loved Tommy figures, and even offer ecommerce fulfilment services.Michelle tells me more about what Britain’s and Scotland&apos;s Bravest Manufacturing Companies make, who their customers are, and how the social enterprises support injured veterans, and people with disabilities and health conditions.We discuss why some veterans may struggle to find employment, or with other challenges;  and what more we can all do to support disadvantaged groups through positive business choices.And Michelle has some essential advice for employers – if you want support to ex-service personnel, and you recruit via a process including interviews, you must be aware of this.Also in the show today: a funding opportunity and an event for social entrepreneurs.Timings:0 - 35:25 Michelle Ferguson, Royal British Legion Industries&apos; interim director of social enterprises35:25 Social entrepreneurs in England, take a look at the new Social Enterprise Support Fund –£16.3m is available to help rebuild trading income36:20 Details of The Time is Now! - A Social Enterprise Exchange / Sheffield Social Enterprise Network Conference on 18 November37:35 Wrapping up

The bravest social enterprises supporting Veterans with Michelle Ferguson, Royal British Legion Industries

Social media is more than the platforms whose name changes are headline news. Sheffield Forum launched in 2002, and by last year received over 245,000 visitors per month.People love to discuss local news, seek and give advice and recommendations, and engage in friendly or robust debate on Sheffield Forum. Some users have even met their life partner through the Forum; many have forged enduring friendships and relationships.But when its founder announced in 2020 that, after 18 years, Sheffield Forum was for sale, many users feared the end was nigh for their much-loved community.Chris Sellars and Beca Allsopp joined me today. The new stewards of Sheffield Forum after Chris&apos; investment and joint venture vehicle, Bulldozer, acquired it last year, they&apos;ve allayed users&apos; fears while bringing new ideas. We discuss:why Bulldozer took ownership of a much-loved community and their plans,the first Sheffield Forum: Live – "bringing stories worth sharing to our Sheffield community and celebrate the talent in this city," it features talks covering music, science, art, faith, poetry and should be fascinating,Bulldozer&apos;s mission and aims as an investment and joint venture vehicle,practical tips for people seeking an investor or JV partner,Beca&apos;s Psychology Masters – which proved rather timely in its subject.Enjoy today&apos;s episode, number 352 of the show, and check out Sheffield Forum, Bulldozer, and the Sheffield Forum:Live event.

Online communities and investment readiness with Beca Allsopp and Chris Sellars of Sheffield Forum and Bulldozer

What are NFTs – Non-Fungible Tokens – and how can creators, creatives and artists start to sell NFTs of their work?Earlier this year Joe Horner, the award-winning Sheffield-based photographer, hit rock bottom in his business because of the impact of Covid. But a lack of bookings gave Joe the time to investigate the burgeoning world of NFTs. It has changed his life.NFTs boomed in 2021: Christies sold an NFT of an artwork for over $60m earlier this year, but what are they? And how can artists and creatives make and sell NFTs of their work – and even enjoy future royalties when they are sold again?Joe gives a huge amount of practical detail in this interview about what he&apos;s learned about minting and selling his work, how to value it, finding an audience, and the effect on the rest of his day-to-day career as a photographer and acclaimed artist.It wasn&apos;t a get-rich quick scheme, and Joe&apos;s clearly committed to his work and his art, but it has been transformative: "It&apos;s been life-changing...it&apos;s quite insane...what I made in a year last year I made in a week."He covers cryptowallets, platforms to trade NFTs, the best time of day to share new work for sale, the importance of a dedicated Twitter account and much more. If you&apos;re an artist or creator investigating NFTs, Joe&apos;s interview (which of course is NOT investment advice) is gold.Timings:0:00 Introduction and what are NFTs?2:20 Joe Horner interview – find Joe&apos;s Instagram here, LinkedIn page here and Flowerblocks Twitter account here39:20 Forthcoming events: The Business & IP Centre Sheffield&apos;s Start-up Day 2021 and Sheffield Forum&apos;s first Sheffield Forum: Live43:10 This week&apos;s Budget and Spending Review45:33 Sheffield named Greenest City in UK, wrapping upEnjoyed the show and this interview? Please leave a review or rating on your podcast platform of choice so more people can discover it – thanks!

How NFTs Changed Photographer and Artist Joe Horner's Life

Fancy a career where your skills will be in huge demand? No, not driving a lorry – working in one of Yorkshire&apos;s oldest and rarest traditional crafts.Stone masons, milliners and even boggart-makers are now sought-after more than ever. These and other heritage crafts offer health and wellbeing benefits and fantastic career opportunities, according to today&apos;s guest Richard Godley.Richard wears several hats, including for the WEA (Workers&apos; Educational Association) which is behind a free Heritage Skills Weekend at Sheffield’s Woodland Gallery. Richard tells us more about the weekend in this, episode 350 of Business Live. He also covers:why we should "conserve, not preserve" heritage,the WEA&apos;s activities and coursesthe National Emergency Services Museumwhat a boggart-maker actually does.Timings:0 - 2:16 Introduction2:16 interview with Richard Godley22:00 Key findings from the new State of Social Enterprise Survey 2021, available in full here24:20 Launch of TEAM SY – Tech Ecosystem Accelereration and Market-making South Yorkshire, working to "join up" the tech ecosystem so that tech and digital entrepreneurs are embedded in a thriving environment26:50 The SME Climate Commitment. More here.27:27 £10,000 of match-funding available for community businesses which are crowdfunding, via Crowdfunder and Power to Change. More in their 22 October webinar.29:07 Wrapping up, a few other updates and praise for the wonderful novel, Piranesi.

How to become a boggart-maker and why we should conserve not preserve heritage

Element Society is a youth-led charity with an enterprise mindset, says CEO Chris Hill.It has run over 200 projects since launching in 2013: "young people become role models to their peers and we train them to deliver projects." Over 5,000 young  people have changed their lives and their communities by working with Element. People attending Specialist schools don&apos;t always get the same opportunities as people at other schools, so Element has been running a Learning through Nature programme. It has extensive benefits to participants, as Chris explains, and involves working with The National Trust – "they can add something pretty special to this programme" – and SEND schools.Projects, trading, winning contracts, even selling pizza: it&apos;s all about bringing in unrestricted income and avoiding "mission drift." Has Element ever been in danger of diluting its mission to secure funding?  How does it measure its impact? How did it secure a city-centre base from Yorkshire Building Society? And what are its criteria for working with partners and building relationships? Chris explains in this, episode 349 of Business Live.Chris would love to hear from listeners if you can offer employment placements or training opportunities. Check out Element Society here.Also in this episode:28:33 Create Sheffield launches online programme to discuss "Why Creativity Matters NOW" Details.30:01 Yorkshire has fastest-growing digital industry in UK.31:08 Previous guest Yasin El Ashrafi of music social enterprise HQ CAN named joint national winner in O2 Everyday Heroes Award.32:29 Awards: The Sheffield Business Awards are open for entries. The deadline is 1 November. Enter here. Meanwhile the Star Small Business Award winners have been revealed 34:20 Sheffield Women in Tech&apos;s next event, 19 October is "Mind the Gap: Negotiating Your Pay - the ShfWIT guide" – details.

Young people achieving the unbelievable and connecting with nature with Element Society CEO Chris Hill

What is a "micro-budget" film? Ben Wilkinson is the founder and director of the Spirit of Independence Film Festival, taking place on 2 October.Now in its third year the festival celebrates films across genres from all over the world. It showcases talent, demonstrates excellence in film-making, entertains viewers, and is a brilliant industry get-together for grassroutes film making.And Ben gives his definition of a micro-budget film: a maximum of £150,000 for a feature film, and £1,000 for a short. The festival will inspire others too: some incredible films are being screened this year as Ben describes.Joe Palmer, who runs video production firm Open House Pictures, is helping to grow and publicise the festival. He tells us what he&apos;s most excited by and gives an update on how his business has developed since his last appearance on this programme.The festival includes a talk: No Money? No Problem! How To Break Into The Industry When You Have No Money, and in this episode Ben and Joe both give their top tips and advice based on their experiences.Also in the show: events, funding and more.Timings:0 - 28:35 Interview with Ben and Joe. Check out the Spirit of Independence Film Festival programme and book tickets. Take a look at Open House Pictures too.28:35 Sheffield Business Awards are back! Entry deadline 29 October. Details here.29:54 Update from the Business & IP Centre Sheffield.31:18 Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards – £50,000 of funding. Details.32:29 October is anti-slavery month and businesses are being asked to support the survivors of modern slavery in Sheffield. You can donate new items for care packages and purchase items from the online wish list, here .34:00 Social Enterprises Futures, a month-long digital festival.34:52 So called "environmental" companies outperform others – but I have a problem with a definition.35:55 Business Sheffield&apos;s programme of free workshops, webinars and virtual one-to-one sessions.37:05 Wrapping up.Thanks for listening to the show – and thanks Ben and Joe for coming on air.

How to break into the film industry with no money and celebrating independent film: Ben Wilkinson and Joe Palmer

Leon Smith is Chief Customer Officer at educational publisher Twinkl. The Sheffield-based firm employs over a thousand people and has produced specialist resources to support schools and educators in welcoming pupils arriving from overseas for many years.Now, in response to growing demand, the EdTech giant has launched a curated collection of these (and new) resources, many of which are free to access, to provide guidance on how educators can support and welcome students whose first language is not English. There are also packs to help parents and educators explain current affairs and  upsetting news stories to children and young people.Leon, a former teacher, tells me more about the range of resources and the impact they are designed to have. Plus she updates us on recent developments at Twinkl – and what her role as chief customer officer involves. We delve into user experience and marketing too.Also in this episode: details of three fantastic grant funding opportunities:£50,000 grants and mentoring, coaching and business support in the Women in Innovation Awards. Deadline 13 October.Grants of up to £10,000 through the South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Mayoral Community Fund – but be quick, the closing date is 9am on Monday 13 September. Details.Innovate UK&apos;s Healthy ageing challenge – more about this on the UKRI website; closing date 17 November 2021.And some events: a couple of years ago I visited the Megatron, part of a network of underground river tunnels and Victorian storm drains beneath Sheffield City Centre. This watery cavern is an engineering marvel. Public tours have resumed so grab your chance. Plus the free People Communities Together festival.Timings:0:00 - 16:39 Leon Smith, Twinkl.16:39 New research demonstrates managers are focusing more on output than hours worked – and this improves recruitment and retention.  It&apos;s from the Working Families Benchmark Report.19:30 Grants and funding: Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards | South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Mayoral Community Fund | Innovate UK&apos;s Healthy ageing challenge.24:41 How to visit the Megatron in Sheffield on the 12, 19 or 26 September | People Communities Together Festival

Supporting educators to welcome pupils from overseas with Leon Smith, Twinkl

When shoemaker Hewlett & Co started working with Amanda Perry, the Louth-based firm made around £2,000 per month in online sales. "We knew there was something there and quite quickly took them to £150,000 months," says Amanda, founder of digital marketing agency Soup and the E-com Growth Hub.It&apos;s a remarkable tale in an episode crammed with them – Amanda says many businesses have increased sales by a factor of 25 through working with her team, and Soup itself has grown dramatically too.Soup specialises in results-driven performance marketing for e-commerce brands. The E-com Growth Hub is a community and learning platform for small product business owners. Both are getting dramatic results for clients and members."Rollercoaster" is overused in the business world, but Amanda&apos;s journey is certainly that. From indie-retail expansion to bankruptcy, baking to e-commerce and now making a big mark in growth marketing – her story is one of bounce-backability.Amanda is frank and open in this interview about the impact of liquidating her cupcake business, Fancie, and becoming personally bankrupt back in 2014. It hurt a lot of people and she&apos;s tried hard to right a lot of wrongs, she tells me. And of course it led her to dark times – she hit absolute rock-bottom.But she fought back and rediscovered her purpose. And in this episode (number 346!) she covers what she learned from the experience, her wilderness years, a turning point and how she came to set up Soup. This is powerful, hard-won stuff, so take note so you can avoid what Amanda describes.Amanda gives us plenty of implementable tips too. Listen for advice about social media, influencer, SMS and email marketing, why you need to think about customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value, and lots more. It&apos;s a corker of an episode – or should I say, a rollercoaster!Links: SOUP | The E-com Growth Hub | Amanda&apos;s website

Digital growth marketing and how to 25x ecommerce sales with Amanda Perry

Sport connects people in unique ways. How can intangible things like memories and shared experiences of sport be collected and harnessed? How can places, memorabilia and artefacts be preserved and looked after? And how does that benefit all of us?Dr. Justine Reilly set up Sporting Heritage CIC, a Yorkshire based organisation on a mission to look after, protect and celebrate the diverse sporting heritage across the UK&apos;s four nations.Sometimes bigger sports, which are more often in the public domain, overshadow other and grassroots sports, and Sporting Heritage is for all sports. It helps tell stories that haven&apos;t been told, and engages with schools, museums, community groups, businesses and sports groups to share our sporting heritage. Justine has a background in museums, culture, archeology and as a television producer. She is determined to ensure sporting heritage is diverse and inclusive. Sporting Heritage has launched the neurodiverse museum to ensure there&apos;s representation and accessibility for neurodivergent people across the museum sector.The organisation&apos;s annual National Sporting Heritage Day, in September, will be its biggest yet and is backed by well-known ambassadors. Justine gives a preview, and covers her organisation&apos;s grants programme and the biggest challenges in getting this now-thriving social enterprise out of the starting blocks. Also in the show today: business, social enterprise and freelance funding and events.Timings:0-35:30 Interview with Dr. Justine Reilly, Sporting Heritage CIC35:30 The Community Ownership Fund, and the Freelance Fund for arts and culture workers in Sheffield38:20 Enterprise Nation&apos;s August bootcamp about exporting and international trade with with Amazon and the Department for International Trade (free, registration required)39:22 Wrapping up and an event reminder

Connecting people through sport with Justine Reilly, Sporting Heritage

Seven out of ten workplace diversity and inclusion programmes fail. They don&apos;t achieve meaningful change. A partner in an international accounting firm has even said "after every single unconscious bias training that has ever been done, nothing’s ever improved."So I was fascinated to talk with Shana Gujral in this episode. She&apos;s had direct experience of diversity and inclusion programmes which don&apos;t have any effect. Shana is determined to change this and her business, Lila, is "revolutionising" diversity and inclusion.An online platform powered by behavioural science and gamification, Lila is worlds apart from tickbox exercises. It uses bite-sized, implementable chunks of activity, backed by experts and supported with nudge theory, so participants can not only learn, but they can implement actions. Businesses and employees can build inclusive cultures "where everyone can feel seen and heard."Shana is a serial impact entrepreneur and diversity and inclusion consultant who has also worked in global FMCG businesses. She also tells me about pivots, lessons from a side-hustle and a previous business, and the rocket-fuel effect of incubator and accelerator programmes (see links below).Timings:0 - 34:33 interview with Shana Gujral, Lila. Accelerators: Shana mentions the Centre for Entrepreneurs&apos; NEF+ programme, Bethnal Green Ventures, Antler and Founders Factory.34:33 Event: Sheffield Social Enterprise Network&apos;s 11 August Networking event36:29 New software training programme from EyUp Skills and iO Academy. The £11,000 programme offers fully-funded bursaries through the Diversitche Fund to people under-represented in tech. Details.38:43 The Star Small Business Awards39:24 Grants from The UK Space Agency&apos;s Space Technology Programme.

Fixing diversity and inclusion with disruptive innovator, Shana Gujral

Natterhub is an educational social media platform which prepares primary school children to thrive online.A gated, "sandbox" environment which includes more than 300 interactive lessons, it develops media literacy and is used in more than 4000 schools.How did Caroline Allams and co-founder Manjit Sareen take Natterhub from idea to Minimum Viable Product in April 2020? And how did they scale up rapidly: Natterhub is now enjoyed by teachers and pupils in more than 60 countries around the world?Caroline explains. This interview covers the power of understanding your strengths and weaknesses and working with a complementary co-founder, building a culture where you and your team can ask questions, and why it&apos;s crucial to really prioritise what matters to your audience in your Minimum Viable Product.There&apos;s lots, too, on why media literacy matters and how Natterhub develops this, plus some shocking-but-not-shocking research results from polling of over 15,000 pupils across 2,500 schools, exploring their online habits and how they feel about the internet and social media. Natterhub&apos;s website.Natterhub has been supported with investment from TwinklHive, a business accelerator created by the online educational publisher Twinkl in 2019.Also mentioned on the show: the Young Innovators Awards from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, details.  And this (free, registration required) Inclusivity and the Psychology of Othering event from Inova Consulting on 23 July aimed at businesses, entrepreneurs and organisations interested in inclusivity.

An entrepreneurship 101 with Caroline Allams, Natterhub

Julie Brown makes a living in her dream career. The contemporary artist trained at Huddersfield University two decades ago and has returned to her full-time art practice after working as an illustrator and designer.Julia is part of a new, major group exhibition at The Sculpture Lounge in the Holme Valley where she is a resident studio holder.In the interview (0-34:00) we discuss:Julia&apos;s work, how she expresses our relationship with place, and a new body of work about wind turbinesHow to get your name out there as an artistIt&apos;s easier to market yourself when you&apos;re passionate about what you doChoosing an agent who will support you and how to avoid some scams and trapdoors common in the art worldTips and advice about submitting your work to exhibitions and awardsGetting representation at galleriesHow a safety net can turn into a cage, but there&apos;s never the "perfect" time to follow your passion.Why "every decision you make needs to relate to where you want to go."Check out Julia&apos;s website here and The Sculpture Lounge.Also in the show:34:00 Funding opportunities i) the Young Innovators Awards from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, details. ii) the Fiserv UK 2021 Back2Business Grant: £10,000 grants available, details. 37:58 Forthcoming events: webinars about selling online, sustainability and SMEs and more from the Business  & IP Centre Sheffield. Plus Cliffhanger – Sheffield&apos;s "inner city event celebrating outdoor adventure," the British Bouldering Championships, and Sheffield Adventure Film Festival.39:35 If you run an online businesses selling to consumers living within the EU, you need to know about changes to E-commerce VAT. 41:09 Interesting new research about renewable energy, income inequality and energy poverty42:39 A couple of new books: Lucy Kellaway on education and teaching and Michael Pollan on coffee44:16 And I&apos;ve been reading the new issue of Positive News magazine.

How to make a living as an artist, avoid rip-off agents and follow your dream with Julia Brown

Every Friday Jamie Veitch interviews business leaders and social entrepreneurs for his live FM radio show broadcast on Sheffield Live and then available as a podcast. Hear guests' strategic and practical advice, learn how they overcame challenges, avoid the mistakes they wish they had swerved and implement tips to help your values-driven business to thrive.

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Business Live: Jamie Veitch's Sheffield Live radio show

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