DRIVE - The business podcast by Richard Osborne

From imagination to income: David Machikiche on rediscovering creativity to inspire entrepreneurship

Founder of Rich Design UK, David Machikiche has used his creative curiosity for manufacturing alongside his experience in sales and business development to forge a new path to entrepreneurship. In this week’s episode of DRIVE, David describes how his highly-competitive education, ability to take risks and travelling the world for his career led to the rediscovery of his creative nature – and ultimately, growing his own e-commerce business from the ground up.
 
Growing up in Zimbabwe and subsequently moving to the UK at the age of 21, David built a successful career across many organisations, from recruitment to finance and sustainability. Drawing on his expertise in negotiation, sales, deal structuring, project management and leadership to name a few, he felt it was time to build his own business model.
 
Led by a deep fascination for the manufacturing process right through to seeing a product in the customer’s hands, David stepped out of the limiting world of employment and into the entrepreneurial hot seat. With the ability to work towards his own goals, David uncovered his long suppressed flair for creative design and innovation. It was this, paired with his experience in sales and business development that fed the inspiring formula to launch Rich Design UK.
 
Authentically candid about the realities of owning a developing business, David talks us through his relentless drive to never give up. Fuelled by his childhood love for breaking things apart and making them stronger, he explains what success means to him. Tune in to find out more.
 
More information about Rich Design UK can be found at:
 
@richdesignuk
 
And, you can connect with David on socials:
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-machikiche-00967160/ 
 
Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb 
 
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Starting the wellbeing revolution for less than the price of a coffee

Harry Cramer began his career in the world of motorsport, before spotting a gap in the occupational health market and taking a leap of faith to build something new for the world of workplace wellbeing.
 
He now works with schools and businesses around the UK offering best-in-class health and wellbeing services, in his roles as CEO of Smart Clinic and Managing Director of Split Dimension.
 
Growing up, Harry saw his single mum working several jobs to give him the best opportunities in life. He quickly learned that working hard was a good life choice, and began mopping floors and stacking shelves as a youngster before pursuing a passion for motorsport alongside studying for a degree in psychology.
 
This was a passion he returned to after selling his karting business, when he decided to pursue a career in mental health. With no prior experience aside from his degree, Harry took on a job for an insurance company, working in occupational health. 
 
From there, he spent as much time as he could learning about the sector, and soon discovered there wasn’t anything out there that was fit for purpose or was providing a solution to the problems he was seeing. 
 
At 24, Harry started Smart Clinic and spent several years building his own system that was focused on providing an optimal service for clients. It was a big risk and the first few years were difficult – but it all paid off.
 
In today’s episode, we hear from Harry on why he made the move to focus on workplace wellbeing and how he’s building a wellbeing revolution for less than the price of a coffee.
 
Discover how he helps businesses all over the UK to build happier, healthier and ultimately, more productive and efficient workforces, and hear more about his philosophy that founders don’t need to know everything. 
 
You can find out more about Smart Clinic and Split Dimension via their websites: 
https://smartclinic.com/
https://www.splitdimension.co.uk/ 
 
Or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-cramer-ba5b3833/  
 
Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb 
 
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Ex Dragons’ Den investor Theo Paphitis talks building an empire and supporting small businesses

Most small business owners are familiar with Theo Paphitis, perhaps best known for his stint as an investor on Dragons’ Den. The owner and chairman of high street brands Ryman, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue has been championing small businesses through Small Business Sunday since 2010, with over 3,500 members across the network. 
 
But what many don’t know is that Theo left school at the age of 16 with no qualifications after struggling with dyslexia, and began his career as a filing clerk in a Lloyds of London brokerage. He quickly discovered his passion for retail, setting up his first company aged 23 and the rest, as they say, is history.
 
In 2015, he launched the Theo Paphitis Retail Group, comprising over 300 stores and 4,000 employees serving millions of customers every year. Alongside his retail empire, Theo followed his passion for sport, standing as chairman of Millwall FC for eight years as well as Director of the Football League. He later founded the Theo Paphitis Charitable Trust which assists smaller charities which have difficulty obtaining funds, such as those helping children or providing palliative care. 
 
Now, Theo is often seen on current affairs and news shows such as BBC Question Time, commenting on retail, politics, the economy and anything in between. He also shares his experiences as a dyslexic entrepreneur, helping to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
 
We’re delighted to be joined by Theo on this episode of DRIVE, where he talks about his journey from growing up in Limassol, Cyprus with dyslexia, developing ‘hacks’ to get around the challenges it presented, to growing his first business and what he learned about investing from the first season of Dragons’ Den.
 
You can find out more about Theo and Small Business Sunday on his website: https://www.theopaphitis.com/ 
 
Or connect with him on social media: 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheoPaphitis 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theopaphitis 
 
Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb 
 
For more information on UKBF and to join our FREE, online business community please visit: 
 
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Using the power of content and audio to explode your brand and scale results

Having worked with some of the biggest brands and businesses in the world, James Burtt is an in-demand audio entrepreneur and brand strategist. Through his work as founder of the Phonic Content agency, James has launched 150+ podcasts for global clients across all major sectors - most frequently providing content strategy to celebrities, entrepreneurs, actors, coaches, mentors, athletes and brand builders.
 
His trademark 'Pillar Content' model has resulted in creating multiple high-six and seven figure brands, as well as growing some of the most engaged niche audience groups across platforms such as Facebook and Clubhouse. 
 
James’s love of radio and broadcast started 16 years ago when he ventured into the world of Broadcast PR. This led to him working with some of the world's biggest household name brands – and eventually led to him becoming a radio presenter.
 
He has worked with the likes of BMW, Nandos, Stella Artois, PG Tips and Xbox, helping them to craft messages that connect with an audience, and he's featured as an expert on Business Insider and BBC Radio 5 Live. His work has also appeared on leading industry publications such as Virgin.com, Startups Magazine, Podnews and Radio Today.
 
James is an international keynote speaker who has spoken in front of thousands of delegates. Now he joins us on the DRIVE podcast to share his unique knowledge of broadcast and communications.
 
You can find out more about Phonic Media on their website: https://www.phonic.media/ 
 
Or connect with him on LinkedIn: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesburtt/ 
 
Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb 
 
For more information on UKBF and to join our FREE, online business community please visit: 
 
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Big Issue vendor turned social enterprise founder, John Hastings, on the power of digital inclusion

Having spent time in prison in his youth, former Big Issue vendor, John Hastings, had a vision to create a sustainable future for all.  Using his knowledge of IT recycling, passion for waste management and love for helping others, John founded Recycle-It!, a social enterprise that collects used computer equipment in a planet-friendly way and provides reusable equipment back to the community.
 
Now an integral part of the circular economy, Recycle-It! are committed to reducing waste and providing low-cost equipment to local people in need. Their mission is to create a positive impact on the environment and the community through their work with waste.
 
John believes that with the right help, people can feel empowered from within and build their confidence in order to succeed. Recycle-IT! provides volunteering and work placement opportunities, as well as workshops and training courses, to help grow their social enterprise and support underserved communities. 
 
In this week’s episode of DRIVE, John talks to us about his journey from Big Issue vendor to inspirational social enterprise founder, and why local community inclusion and support are key to his success. 
 
You can find out more about Recycle-IT! on their website: https://recycle-it.org.uk/ 
 
Or connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hastings-79157021/ 
 
Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb 
 
For more information on UKBF and to join our FREE, online business community please visit: 
 
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Meet the Change Maker: Julie Creffield talks overcoming adversity and negotiating change

Julie Creffield is a change maker, growth strategist, founder and keynote speaker with more than 25 years’ experience across a huge range of industries. Her no-nonsense approach to building, developing and scaling impactful ventures has seen her support more than 3000 clients in her recent work as an online business coach.
 
Growing up on a council estate as one of six children raised by a single parent didn’t stop Julie from becoming the first in her family to go to university, achieve a first-class degree and start a career as a drama practitioner, before going on to work as a trainer, facilitator and management consultant for public and voluntary sector organisations. 
 
After a string of redundancies and becoming a single mum, in 2013 Julie turned her blog into a microbusiness, which has since been featured in media around the world. Now an award-winning international keynote speaker and author of 12 books, Julie dedicates most of her time to helping other businesses pivot and profit, finding new purpose through their work. Her mission? To help 1 million ordinary people do extraordinary things with The Year to Change system.
 
In this week’s DRIVE episode, Julie speaks to us about navigating change and how her own experiences of adversity and hardship have helped her activate others to fulfil their full potential. 
 
You can find out more about Julie and her work on her website:
 
https://juliecreffield.com/
 
Or connect with Julie on LinkedIn:
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliecreffield 
 
Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb
 
For more information on UKBF and to join our FREE, online business community please visit: 
 
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Peter Gradwell shares lessons learned from building a multi-million pound business

Founder of Gradwell Communications, Peter Gradwell prides himself on his ability to design products that solve broken processes. In this week’s episode of DRIVE, he talks us through how he grew his small communications business from building websites in his student flat into a multi-million pound enterprise supporting over 20,000 UK small businesses. 
 
His incredible work ethic was inspired by his entrepreneurial parents, who both ran their own businesses and helped Peter to look at the world and think, “how can I make this better?”. From a young age, he was taught to deconstruct systems into their component parts and restructure them to find a better outcome. 
 
Since building and later selling Gradwell Communications, Peter has launched two new ventures in 2020 – consulting firm, Ystwyth Ventures Limited, and UK SIM-only mobile operator, IQ Mobile. 
 
Peter’s journey is one of evolution, full of lessons learned from growing a large team, working with external investors and realising that sometimes, customers don’t always know what they need! Tune in to find out more.
 
More information about IQ Mobile and Ystwyth Ventures can be found at: 
 
https://helloiq.co.uk/ 
https://www.ystwythv.com/ 
 
And, you can connect with Peter on socials:
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergradwell
https://twitter.com/peterg
 
For more information on UKBF and to join our FREE, online business community please visit: 
 
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Carl Reader talks grappling with ADHD and building businesses

Serial founder and keynote speaker Carl Reader talks to DRIVE host Richard Osborne about his journey. From leaving school at 15 to become a hairdresser and getting a job at an accountants to building a series of successful businesses:
- Dealing with undiagnosed ADHD
- Completing an MBO at 30
- How to create a business that isn’t reliant on one person
- The power of personal brand and how to build one
It’s an incredible story and there’s lots of practical tips and inspiration for those of you that are running your own business.
Today’s podcast is sponsored by online accounting software provider FreeAgent, which helps business owners bring everything together, from invoices and expenses to your Self Assessment return. Use this link to get your first month free, followed by six months at half price. 
 
https://www.freeagent.com/try/new-tax-year/
 
You can connect with Carl on LinkedIn:
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlreader/
 
Watch DRIVE on our UKBF channel on YouTube: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb
 
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Celebrating Women in Business: International Women’s Day Special

I have spoken to some fantastic women in business over the last year on the DRIVE podcast.
Women who are doing incredible and pioneering things in industries such as tech, property management, beauty, health & well-being and business development.
Here are some highlights and inspirational moments from these great women who have been featured on the podcast.

How did Geoff Smith recover after losing one million pounds of his investors money?

Geoff Smith is a man with an incredible story that's full of ups and downs. He started his career in the door security business, which allowed him to mingle with celebrities and gain a taste for the high life. However, his life took a dramatic turn when he was approached by strangers who asked him to go overseas and bring back a box of diamonds. This experience introduced him to the world of diamond importing, which he quickly realized was a lucrative business.
At first, Geoff conducted his business through legal means, but he soon needed more money to grow his operation. He sought investment from outside sources but unfortunately, a dodgy import of smashed glass led him to lose all of the invested funds. His investors were not happy and threatened his life, causing him to go into hiding.
Despite the challenges he faced, Geoff was determined to make things right. He worked hard to pay back his investors and HMRC, and he has now built a business that provides advice on importing and exporting. He uses his experiences to help others avoid the mistakes he made, and his knowledge is invaluable to those looking to enter the world of international trade.
Discover more about DRIVE here: https://drive-small-business.podbean.com For more information on UKBF and to join our FREE, online business community, please visit: www.ukbf.co.uk Follow our socials at: https://twitter.com/ukbizforums https://facebook.com/ukbizforums https://instagram.com/ukbizforums https://twitter.com/ukbizforums https://www.tiktok.com/@ukbizforums Follow Richard Osborne’s socials at: https://twitter.com/richardosborne https://instagram.com/richardmosborne