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9 to when?

9 to when?

By iwoca

A podcast built for the captains of small business-shaped ships – braving the squalls and showers that come with being a master of your own destiny. Hosts Jamie and Mat dissect business news, explain finance-related conundrums, and trash bull business quotes in this weekly talkshow. Tune in, have your fill and give us feedback on podcast@iwoca.co.uk
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Week 8. Railways guardians, off-road high heels and Abe Lincoln

9 to when?Sep 12, 2019

00:00
39:34
Week 33: How a bad family holiday inspired a passionate entrepreneur | Emma Watson, Little Hotdog Watson
Jun 08, 202028:39
Week 32: How to launch a subscription box business in three months | Ahlam Alharthy, Grow With Me

Week 32: How to launch a subscription box business in three months | Ahlam Alharthy, Grow With Me

In this episode of 9 to when? Jamie speaks with Ahlam Alharthy of Grow With Me.

Ahlam’s story:

‘I really wanted to know how I could best nurture my daughters brain development and wanted her to have good quality toys that were open ended so she can learn whilst playing. But it was extremely difficult to find the time to do that at the early stages of motherhood. Once life got less crazy, I became completely obsessed with baby development and play and that’s when Grow With Me was born. I wanted to create a play box not only because I would have loved it myself at the time but also to help other mums like me.’

Mar 05, 202030:46
Week 31: Why the best discussions don't happen in meeting rooms | Nigel Berman, School of the Wild

Week 31: Why the best discussions don't happen in meeting rooms | Nigel Berman, School of the Wild

In this episode, Jamie chats with Nigel Berman from School of the Wild — a different kind of team building company. They discuss the power of the great outdoors, Nigel’s path to becoming  a business owner, and how nature itself can be used to reset teams.

Feb 27, 202029:33
Week 30: Running London's most coveted cat cafe | Lauren Pears, Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium

Week 30: Running London's most coveted cat cafe | Lauren Pears, Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium

Show notes

Lauren Pears is the proud owner of Lady Dinah's cat Emporium – an Alice in Wonderland themed cat cafe based in Bethnal Green, London. They currently have 16 cats and an enormous waiting list for weekend visits. 


Starting out

- Lady Dinah’s has been running for around six years. The first two years were stressful! 

- When starting out, Lauren faced a lot of challenges. One of these was a disconnect between herself and investors

- Lauren also underestimated the hype – when she opened her booking system in 2013, she received over 20,000 bookings within the first seven days

- The flip side of this was that people were forgetting about their bookings, and while it was booked out according to the online system, Lauren had an empty cafe

- No shows are a massive problem, and as a result Lauren now requires customers to purchase their ticket upfront 

- Along with the usual cafe staff, Lady Dinah’s have cat carers who are trained to look after the cats while customers are enjoying their time


Interior design - Alice in Wonderland

- Lady Dinah’s is named after Alice’s cat in Lewis Carroll’s famous book, ‘Alice in Wonderland’

- Upstairs, the cafe is themed as the Mad Hatter’s tea room. It features a giant top hat that the cats like to walk around, and rope bridges connected to the walls

- Lauren learned quickly that cats destroy everything, so anything you build has to be cat-proof

- Her creative team have helped her build the interior, including turning a structural column into a hand-sculpted tree


Social media 

- Lady Dinah’s have a strong digital following on social media, with over 250,000 followers across various platforms

- Marketing has been an 'unsolvable problem' for Lauren since she first opened the cafe

- Lauren has found it hard to get someone who isn’t regularly in the cafe to do marketing for her, so for a long time did it herself

- In order to free up a little bit of her time she has had to learn to delegate social roles 


Negative customers 

- Lauren has inevitably had to deal with customers who don’t know how to interact with the animals properly 

- She believes it’s essential that as a business owner you stick up for your staff

- Negative reviews on Trip Advisor are hard to navigate, and are frustrating when a customer’s account doesn’t align with the truth or is unfair

- For small businesses, negative reviews can be really damaging 

- Ultimately, there is a bigger margin for failure as cats are unpredictable – some customers are more understanding than others


From video games to cats

- Before starting Lady Dinah’s, Lauren was working in the game industry

- After a number of different jobs working on some exciting games, the 2008 economic collapse meant that Australia was no longer a cheap place to develop games 

- After a brief break from the game industry, Lauren was drawn back and made the leap to move to London where she worked at Sony Playstation for around two years  

- Her time in the games industry means that she has been able to take on the techy / analytic side of Lady Dinah’s with relative ease


What’s one thing you wish you knew when you were first starting out?

- Don’t try and behave like a boss, the boss’ you’ve already had are the reason you left

- Be the boss that you want to work for


The big biz whiz quiz

Lauren scored 7/10

Feb 19, 202039:02
Week 29: N26’s Brexit, cat jumpers and the glorification of failure

Week 29: N26’s Brexit, cat jumpers and the glorification of failure

Nearly seven months in now, Jamie and Mat get chatting again after an extended break from talking to each other in the Alps. They discuss the challenges of family business, what can be learned from digital bank N26’s exit from the UK, spotlight an entrepreneur making mementos from dead pets before concluding with the timeless Brilliant or Bonkers – where Mat has a tough time tricking Jamie about who said this week's quote

If you've got any feedback, or want to be featured on the show then send your thoughts to podcast@iwoca.co.uk or visit our [insights](https://www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/) page for content for small businesses.


Show notes

Jamie and Mat have both been out in France on a company retreat taking a break from office life. 


News

Rushden based shoe firm, DB Shoes, run by two generations of identical twins turns 100

- The business was initially set up by a pair of identical twins in 1920: Jack and Bill Denton

- In 1990, Jack's grandsons David and Charles Denton (also identical twins) took over the business and helped protect its future

- This year, the business turned 100


Challenger bank N26 has closed 200,000 UK accounts

- They cited not having enough time to put group structure in place prior to Brexit as their reason for pulling out of the UK

- According to N26: “The timings and framework outlined in the EU withdrawal agreement mean that the company will in due course be unable to operate in the UK with its European banking licence.”

- They appear to be focusing more on their primary market – Germany – where they are based 


Business spotlight: 9 Lives Twine

'The business that lets you keep your pet forever'

- Theresa Furrer spins your old pet fur into jumpers, scarves and hats so that you can continue to enjoy their soft fur after they pass away

- She works 60 hours a week by popular demand

- A lifelong knitter, she didn't want to continue using sheep wool because of the sustainability issues associated. So, she appealed for cat and dog fur so that she could continue making her fur jumpers

- She also runs a business called Close By Me Jewellery that takes the ashes of pets or loved ones, turns them into a resin and then sets them in gold or silver jewellery


According to Theresa: "The poodle is the worst dog to spin. If I can get this poodle [done], I can do anything.


Check out the New York Times article here.


Brilliant or Bonkers


"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." 


– Henry Ford








Feb 12, 202033:02
Week 28: How to go after hyper growth | James Gibson, Revolut

Week 28: How to go after hyper growth | James Gibson, Revolut

Show notes

In an info-packed interview, James Gibson – Lead Product Owner at Revolut – runs Jamie through the principles and processes the global money app have used to build and sustain their growth, which last year topped The Tech Track 100 (with an 507.56% annual sales rise over three years).

They cover roadmapping done right, hiring the right people and finding the balance between robust stretch targets and unrealistic expectations of success.

Of course, there’s also the big biz whizz quiz for James to fight his way through, before at last concluding on Brilliant or Bonkers, where we look at an American literary giant and ask the question: if you’re on the side of the majority, should you reflect and reform?

The ingredients for growth

Revolut was named is the fastest growing UK tech company in 2019 and their growth strategy is centred around three things: KPIs (key performance indicators), people and roadmapping:

KPIs – Do you know what you’re optimising for, are you pushing everything in the right direction? 

People – Are you hiring and nurturing the right people? How is your team developing? Without the right people, you’re never going to get to where you want to be

Roadmap– What are you going to do with those people to reach your goals? Being critical about bad ideas, just focus on the ones that are going to support KPIs

According to James, the key to Revolut’s success is structuring everything carefully, and then being ruthless in that approach. Using smart experimentation to work out the best way forward is at the heart of Revolut.


Hiring problem solvers

- Despite being a banking app, Revolut typically don’t hire individuals with banking experience. Instead, they hire people from tech companies who think outside of the box in order to drive growth and success. 

- Being creative and doing things differently is one of the keys to growth as doing what everyone else is doing will result in you growing at the same rate as them.

- Accountability:people who own the problem they are given and don’t blindly accept advice from others just because they outrank them 

- Analytical: anyone can think of a product, what’s hard is not to work out what you **could**, it’s working out what your **should** do.

- Spark: An element of creativity, someone who brings fresh ideas to the table 


Achieving KPIs

- As a team, you’re given your target for the quarter but are then given a huge amount of freedom in how you reach that KPI

- You then get to pitch different ideas so you can work out how to get from A to B

- While you have more freedom, you also have more accountability and responsibility for your projects

- Leadership at every level– you own what you do and are judged on your results


What’s a realistic target? 

- Set stretch targets that are more general, as you progress, they don’t look as unrealistic 

- Revolut has grown quickly through this strategy 

- Revolut is looking to launch in the US and Singapore in the coming months, these have been huge goals for them

- Gradually, elements of these projects have come together and now it seems far more feasible 


James’ key takeaways

- Know what your goals are and make sure everyone in your company knows too

- Hire the right people

- Make sure you have razor focus on what you decide to push forward 

- Investing your time and effort in the right things when you’re small is probably the most important thing you can do

Feb 06, 202031:23
Week 27: Jess Stern, Mustard Made

Week 27: Jess Stern, Mustard Made

This week, Mat sits down with Jess Stern, co-founder of Mustard Made. Mustard sell great looking, easy to assemble lockers in a variety of colours. They talk about the difficulties of a business partner on the other side of the world, the importance of attention to detail and dropping her product off two meter cherry pickers. 


Jan 29, 202031:48
Week 26: Is an unexamined business worth running?
Jan 23, 202032:27
Week 25: Julian Fisher, jisp

Week 25: Julian Fisher, jisp

How do businesses connect their online and offline customer offerings? This week, Jamie interviews Julian Fisher of jisp to understand how his company is redefining the retail experience as we know it. 

Jan 15, 202032:41
Week 24: Stock, Shoeblast, and the decline of Christmas (pudding)
Jan 09, 202037:02
 Week 23: Aimée Ramos, GoodEye Vintage

Week 23: Aimée Ramos, GoodEye Vintage

This week, Jamie talks to Aimée Ramos, owner of GoodEye Vintage (https://goodeyemarket.com/) about her attempt to put a stop to fast fashion. They discuss growing up in New York, tarot card readings and her biggest business challenges.

Jan 02, 202036:18
Christmas Special: Festive shopping stats, slanting toilets, and the big biz quiz(mas).
Dec 18, 201933:31
Week 21: William Adoasi, Vitae London
Dec 11, 201931:12
Week 20: Light-harvesting helmets, lead gen, and Lord of the Rings
Dec 04, 201933:49
Week 19: David Brear, 11:FS

Week 19: David Brear, 11:FS

Today, Jamie chats with David Brear of 11:FS, a challenger consultancy with big plans to revolutionise the world of digital banking. 


Nov 27, 201935:00
Week 18. Start-up funding, head-buzzers and the supposed unchangeability of the self
Nov 20, 201932:30
Week 17: Alex Angel-Benscher, Vurchoo Jewellery

Week 17: Alex Angel-Benscher, Vurchoo Jewellery

This week on the podcast Jamie interviews founder of Vurchoo Jewellery, Alex Angel–Benscher. Alex runs an ethical jewellery company that takes designs from drawings done by children in Rwanda, Guatemala, India and Cambodia, and turns them into beautiful jewellery. Alex kindly gave listeners 15% off anything on his website so go and check it out as he has some really great pieces. His website is: 

Nov 14, 201936:41
Crowdfunding for businesses | 2019 guide
Nov 13, 201925:24
Week 16: Government grants, self-cleaning door handles and Hamlet
Nov 07, 201934:28
Small business grants: what's on offer and how to get it
Nov 06, 201916:09
Week 15: Email marketing, anti-nightmare mist and the spy, Coco Chanel
Oct 31, 201932:29
Week 14. Business theft, flying taxis and the origins of cynicism
Oct 24, 201936:54
Week 13. Dishwasher whisky, SEO and George Mallory

Week 13. Dishwasher whisky, SEO and George Mallory

With his co-host’s return, Jamie takes the opportunity to talk about cute sofa names (and why they sell so well), Mat explains the intricacies of whisky in a dishwasher tablet format, SEO comes up squarely on the 1st page, and both of them gush over Mt Everest’s most enigmatic pioneer.

Show notes:


“People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of no use.'There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron... If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.”

—George Mallory

Oct 17, 201934:13
Business overdrafts – what you need to know
Oct 16, 201915:30
Week 12: Sno-flex, retiring retirement, and the fastest man in Raynes Park.
Oct 10, 201933:55
Working capital: an essential guide for small business
Oct 09, 201919:58
Week 11. Clam pillows, Hunter S. Thompson, and the beauty of being unique.

Week 11. Clam pillows, Hunter S. Thompson, and the beauty of being unique.

“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”

― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

Oct 02, 201941:26
Week 10. Vampire plastic, disappearing banks and Dante’s 9th circle of bonkers.

Week 10. Vampire plastic, disappearing banks and Dante’s 9th circle of bonkers.

In our 10th ‘anniversary’ episode Mat correctly guesses the only county in England that doesn’t have a McDonald’s, Jamie tries to explain why plastic that only comes out at night is a good idea, and they both fail to agree if teleportation is a good idea or not.

News

More than a third of UK bank branches have closed since 2015

England's only county without a McDonald's

Innovation

Vampire plastic

Reasons not to buy hoverboards

Finance explained

What is a credit facility?

Brilliant or bonkers

“Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.”

  • Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” —Winnie-the-Pooh


Music John Hall | Death of Lovers | Opsound

Sep 26, 201939:26
Week 9. Rockit rockers, Ernest Hemingway, and did someone say recession?
Sep 19, 201935:22
Week 8. Railways guardians, off-road high heels and Abe Lincoln

Week 8. Railways guardians, off-road high heels and Abe Lincoln

Now with exciting new recording equipment, Jamie gets stuck into the pros and cons of a cashless society, Mat explains another unusually named device – which is most definitely not a black box for your phone – and both of them can’t figure out when Leonardo Da Vinci went dinosaur hunting.

News
Inventions Finance Explained

Compare the best business bank accounts

Quotes

“My old father used to have a saying:  If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter.”

– Abraham Lincoln

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

– Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (Leonardo Da Vinci)

Audio: Death of Lovers, John Hall | Opsound

Sep 12, 201939:34
Week 7.  Welsh business, self-watering plants and Maya Angelou.

Week 7. Welsh business, self-watering plants and Maya Angelou.

In this evening edition of 9 to when? Mat discusses why employed people think businesses are important, Jamie attempts to explain what happens to sound when you turn a piano on its nose, and both of them agree (for once) on whether mixing untruths into business practice is ever a good thing. 

News
Innovations Finance explained Brilliant or bonkers?

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

– Maya Angelou (“Maiya Angelo”)

“My dear, the real truth always sounds improbable, do you know that? To make truth sound probable you must always mix in some falsehood with it. Men have always done so.”

– Stepan Trofimovich in Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Audio: Death of Lovers, John Hall | Opsound

Sep 05, 201938:47
Week 6.  Remote working, robot golf balls and Vincent Van G—
Aug 29, 201933:57
Week 5. Movie-making, vegan meat, and Dolly Parton

Week 5. Movie-making, vegan meat, and Dolly Parton

In this episode, Jamie acts out bits of Quenton Tarantino’s new movie (badly), Mat examines Amazon’s good small business behaviour, and both of them can’t agree on the business use-case for a bionic zoom lens.

News

Inventions

Finance explained section

Brilliant or bonkers

Marvin Schwarzs: So Rick, who's gonna beat the shit out of you next week? Mannix? The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.? How about Batman and Robin?

[pantomimes the fight choreography]

Marvin Schwarzs: Ping! Pow! Choom! Zoom!

Down goes you,

down goes your career as a leading man.

  • Once upon a time in Hollywood | Bonkers

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

- Dolly Parton | Brilliant

Aug 22, 201937:51
Week 4: Missing holidays, Romeo’s bad advice and the salmon cannon

Week 4: Missing holidays, Romeo’s bad advice and the salmon cannon

After a slight timetable change, Mat mulls over business owners too busy to go on holiday, Jamie questions the poor planning of the Post-It Note's creator, and absolutely no-one can agree if the term "bronkers" accurately describes Ernest Shackleton. 

Business News

Innovation

Finance explained

  • How does a business know if it needs finance?

Quotes - brilliant or bonkers

  • ‘Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.’ - William Shakespeare 
  • “Loneliness is the penalty of leadership, but the man who has to make the decisions is assisted greatly if he feels that there is no uncertainty in the minds of those who follow him, and that his orders will be carried out confidently and in expectation of success.”  - Ernest Shackelton
Aug 15, 201937:57
Week 3: Rental clothes, hoverboards and Henry Ford
Aug 06, 201930:07
Week 2: Spectachrome turkeys, gin and June
Jul 26, 201931:38
Week 1: Fish shops, olderpreneurs, and debentures
Jul 22, 201930:39