The SME Growth Podcast by Wellmeadow

In Episode 56 of the SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry is joined by guest Adam Cooper for a fascinating interview on a variety of business topics.

Adam, a fractional CFO, discusses the potential of fractional roles, the power of podcasting for business and how SMEs can use referrals to drive growth.

There’s also the usual news and round-up of interesting UK business topics!

What makes a good business leader? How can you be a better one?

In Episode 54 of The SME Growth Podcast, join hosts Richard Buckle and David Parry as they take a look into 5 key characteristics shared by effective business leaders. These include vision, decisiveness and adaptability. It’s an interesting discussion on leadership, and how this can drive a company's vision.

Did you know that a huge 56% of business owners are struggling with their mental health?

In Episode 53 of The SME Growth Podcast, join host Richard Buckle and mental health professional Lisa Gunn in a candid conversation about the topic of stress in the workplace. Gain valuable insights and discover practical tips to navigate the challenges of running a business while prioritising your mental well-being.

In this episode of the SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle, the hosts of the show, talk about the latest UK business news and how it affects small and medium-sized enterprises.

They also discuss the potential growth opportunities that webinars present and reflect on a recent webinar that Wellmeadow delivered.

If marketing is about building trust with your audience, how do you create a meaningful connection? In this episode, Dave and Rich discuss the power of storytelling to communicate a business' message. Using a recent case study, they give practical tips and insights into how businesses can use video to tell a compelling story that builds brand awareness and drives engagement.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, host Dave Parry is joined by BBC radio presenter Ed Nell to discuss the benefits of producing a podcast for a business.

The episode explores different approaches to podcasting, such as incorporating news segments and providing genuine value to listeners, while also addressing the challenges of sponsored content and maintaining authenticity. The hosts stress the importance of meticulous planning, covering aspects from podcast naming to distribution strategies. The conversation touches on podcasting styles, tips for keeping episodes interesting, and common challenges faced by podcasters. A must listen to any business looking to explore podcasting or even just creative ways to increase lead generation. 

In the latest episode of The SME Growth Podcast, hosts Dave Parry and Richard Buckle discuss selling strategies in the dynamic, constantly evolving world of professional services firms, sparked by a recent article in the Harvard Business Review. Taking a look at selling styles, selling strategies and the innovative shifts needed in approach for modern selling, we uncover key strategy insights that can also be applied to B2B selling for SMEs.

In this episode of the SME Growth Podcast, Nathan Blissett, a former professional footballer turned successful mortgage advisor, shares his journey from the football pitch to the financial world and the founding of dwello. Nathan chats to host Dave Parry about the importance of mentors, practical experience, and mastering the technical aspects of the highly regulated mortgage advisory field.

He also highlights dwello's innovative marketing approach to disrupt the mortgage market by targeting a younger demographic, offering fresh and modern branding, and focusing on first-time buyers and business owners.

How can accounting firms elevate their marketing game? Professional services firms, including accountants offer marketers some specific challenges, including the lack of obvious visual promotion and the need to build lasting, personal relationships.

But there are successful strategies that can be used to stand out. In the latest episode of the SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry talks to guest Mel Edwards from accounting firm Dyke Yaxley on how to craft a powerful marketing mix for an accounting firm.

In the latest episode of the SME Growth Podcast, hosts Dave Parry and Richard Buckle discuss the art of maximising the value of discovery calls for SMEs. We take a look at the crucial role these calls can take in understanding prospects, building relationships and ultimately, driving growth. From rapport building to transparent pricing discussions and when and (when not to!) swear, we share some top tips backs by research to boost the value of your calls.

Listen to gain the insights and strategies to help your SME thrive in today’s evolving, but always competitive business landscape.

With $14 billion dollars spent annually on exhibitions globally, they can be a powerful addition to a company's marketing strategy. But what’s the real value in exhibiting, and how do you make sure you’re getting them right? In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, hosts Dave Parry and Richard Buckle take a look into the world of exhibitions and share some valuable lessons and tips from a recent exhibition Wellmeadow attended.

In the ever-evolving landscape of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), marketing is a formidable challenge, particularly for those in the manufacturing sector. In this episode of our SME Growth Podcast, we sit down with host Dave Parry and special guest Chris Greenhough from SDE Technology, to unravel the intricate challenges that manufacturers face in the realm of marketing.

In the latest episode of the SME Growth Podcast, hosts Richard Buckle and Dave Parry dive into the captivating world of hype and its impact on emerging technologies such as AI.

In this episode of The SME Growth podcast, host Richard Buckle welcomes guest HR consultant Andrea Miller to discuss the importance of setting expectations and boundaries in the workplace after the controversial Hermoso kiss. Employers need to consider this, especially as the Christmas Party season approaches. They emphasise the need for self-awareness, training, and clear work event policies to ensure everyone understands and respects personal space and boundaries. They also discuss the employer's duty of care, vicarious liability and share a couple of anonymous Christmas party anecdotes.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle from Wellmeadow continue their discussion on why HubSpot’s CRM is a great solution for salespeople who typically dislike CRM software. This is part 2 of 2 on the topic and this time they discuss the benefits of automation in the sales process, using canned responses, sending reminders and notifications, and automating tasks throughout the sales pipeline. They highlight the importance of data analysis and predictive analytics in driving decision-making and working efficiently. Finally, they discuss helpful tools and plugins available to integrate with a CRM, including OrgChartHub – for identifying all the stakeholders in a business, GeoMapper for mapping your customers, prospects or any other subset of your data and Fathom for automatically recording online meetings and putting summarises in to your CRM for you.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle explore why salespeople often dislike CRM systems but find HubSpot’s CRM different. Many salespeople see CRMs as administrative burdens, diverting time from selling, when what they need is a user-friendly beneficial solution. Dave and Rich discuss their top choices for useful functionality which help salespeople to do their jobs, such as email integrations, cookie identification and prospecting. This is part 1 of 2 of episodes focussed on CRM functionality and the benefits for anyone in a sales role.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, host Dave Parry is joined by special guest Khalid Said, Executive Vice President at IMIG, to share some practical experiences of successfully building a continuous improvement culture within an organisation. Khalid explains how the structured approach he uses helps to ensure everyone is taken on the journey and the culture builds across the whole organisation. He also talks about the process to identify internal champions and how to make the change process stick, long after any outside help has stepped back.

In this bonus episode of The SME Growth Podcast, David Parry delivers his summary of Roger Martin Fagg's June 2023 Economic Update. Find out more from Roger's perspective about the current state of the UK economy and beyond as well as his opinions on AI for businesses.

Are you struggling to create valuable content for your business? In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle dive into the world of content leveraging and share their most valuable lesson. They discuss the factors that contribute to capturing attention, such as trustworthiness, usefulness, and engagement. Learn more about the long-term benefits of content-driven inbound marketing and how it can generate three times more leads than outbound marketing. Don't miss out on this insightful conversation that highlights the potential impact of effective content leveraging on business growth.

Are you an entrepreneur or a small business owner dealing with the challenges of having one dominant customer? On this week's episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle are joined by Glenn Aston to discuss his experiences with Ultra Furniture.

In this episode, Glenn reflects on the hurdles they faced as a business with four equal shareholders and how they unintentionally became overly dependent on retaining a specific large customer. Drawing from his own journey, Glenn shares some insights and lessons learnt that could be great advice for SMEs facing similar pitfalls.

Join hosts Dave Parry and Richard Buckle from Wellmeadow Limited as they explore the world of generative AI, also known as gen AI, and its implications for small and medium-sized enterprises . In this quarterly AI update, discover how AI can drive growth and innovation for SMEs, enhance operational efficiency, and improve decision-making processes. Dave and Rich share their personal experiences with AI integration, discuss the latest AI news and emphasise the importance of creating AI policies for safe and ethical use. Gain valuable insights into leveraging AI's potential for SME growth in this podcast episode.

Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of your business? Do you find yourself overwhelmed with emails, meetings, and tasks? Look no further! In this episode, Dave and Richard provide practical tips and tools for improving productivity in the workplace.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Perry and Richard Buckle discuss productivity hacks and tips. They cover a range of topics, including personal productivity and motivation, team productivity, data analysis, document editing, and software tools. They provide practical tips and tools for improving productivity in the workplace, such as using Microsoft Excel, project management tools, and meeting management software. They also emphasise the importance of investing in professional versions of software and keeping up with new technologies and techniques to stay productive and efficient in business. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights for anyone looking to improve their productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast Dave Parry and Richard Buckle are joined by Joe Lockley, co-founder of Brightstar. Joe shares how his program uses boxing education and mentoring to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Joe talks about the challenges of growing his business too fast and the fear that initially held him back from making key decisions. He emphasises the importance of building a culture of trust and accountability within his team, with values of self-discipline, teamwork, aspirations, and respect at the core. Joe also discusses the importance of balancing the business side of things with the desire to help as many young people as possible. Overall, the episode highlights the power of boxing education and mentoring to transform the lives of young people and the importance of building a strong culture and values.

Productivity is the key to success for any small business. In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle discuss the challenges facing SMEs in terms of skills, infrastructure, business investment, and innovation, and the impact that is known as The Productivity Puzzle. Focussing on productivity and its impact on the economy, based on the Roger Martin-Fagg reports, they discuss the challenges facing businesses in terms of skills, infrastructure, business investment, and innovation. They also touch on the cultural differences between the UK and the US when it comes to business risk and failure. The speakers suggest that a culture of risk-taking and innovation, coupled with political stability, can drive productivity and economic growth.

In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, host Richard Buckle is joined by mental health professional Lisa Gunn discuss stress in the workplace as part of Stress Awareness Month. Lisa explains the concept of a "stress bucket" and emphasises the importance of managing stress well and allowing space for breaks to prevent chronic stress. They discuss the causes of stress in SMEs and the importance of self-care techniques in managing stress.

The conversation highlights the importance of recognising and addressing stress before it leads to burnout and mental health issues. So, take care of yourself, and don't neglect self-care. Remember, "If you don't take time for your wellness, you'll be forced to take time for your illness."

In this special Shakespeare inspired episode, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle set themselves the challenge of discussing the different stages of growth for a business, but to celebrate William Shakespeare's birthday, the business stages are marked against Shakespeare's Seven Ages of Man (from As You Like It).

Are Dave and Rich up to the challenge of merging the worlds of SME Growth and Shakespeare? Listen now to find out!

No SME owner expects their business to fail, but it could happen. In this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle are joined by Phil Caudle for a candid conversation about his experiences with the downfall of his business and the potential insights he can give to other SMEs based on hindsight. This interview is a great listen to any SME, offering advice to any SME that finds themselves in "the perfect storm" and insights from Phil with the hindsight of what he would have done differently. We are very thankful to Phil for joining us and being so candid and humble in his responses.

What is a qualifying sales process, and does every SME need to to utilise one? In short, no, but in this episode of The SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Richard Buckle discuss the potential benefits of having a qualifying sales process focussing on BANT. Learn more about what BANT stands for, how it could be applied to an SME and how to take the BANT methodology even further with automation and scoring processes. Not every SME may need a qualifying sales process but there is plenty to potentially implement in your business, so a great listen to anyone looking to grow and scale their business.