This week SmallBizPod #55, the small business podcast, includes an interview with Jon Smith, CEO of First Artist Corporation on rapid response, growth by acquisition, listing on AIM and the business of premiership football. There’s also a round up of listener comments and a tremendous song to finish the podcast.

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Listen now:
Download audio file (Sbp55.mp3)

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For those who’d like to download SmallBizPod or listen to it now, right click on the download link or left click on the grey arrow button above to play now.

Show Notes

Summary

Intro:

• 00:00 Alex on what’s coming up in the show.
• 1:43 Thanks to Sage for their sponsorship of SmallBizPod.

Features:

• 03:13 Interview with Jon Smith, CEO of First Artist Corporation, a sport, entertainment and marketing management company he founded in 1986. Jon and Alex talk about results of a Vodafone survey which reveals British business is slow to respond to enquiries. Jon provides an insight into time management, growing a business through acquisition, AIM listing, dealing with the media, and the business world behind premiership football.

Comments:

• 20:51 Thanks to the latest people to put their pin in the SmallBizPod Frappr map including: Blake Duerden from Wimbledon, Brian McSwiney from Cork, Graeme from Dundee and a guy from Houston, Texas.
• 21:53 Comment on the blog from Blake Duerden on the ubiquity of Google, being inspired by SmallBizPod and the diary of a wantrepreneur.
• 23:36 Comment from Richard Boyd on Sage’s sponsorship.
• 24:08 How to comment on the blog, by email or by leaving a phone message. Also check out the SmallBizPod Facebook Group and the launch of a small business news section of the site.
• 26:14 Andrea Drottholm emails seeking advice on how to set commissions for a sales team and ensure staff are delivering benefits not just costs.
• 27:48 Paul Cheatle returns to offer his advice on when is the best time to quit your day job and start your own business.
• 29:08 Andrew Banks on better titles for SmallBizPod in iTunes.

• 30.40 Music – Everything is OK by Halou.

Everything is OK by Halou (Vertebrae)

Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

Tags: small business podcast, acquisition, growing business

Continued here:
SmallBizPod #55 – Saturday 29 September 2007

This week SmallBizPod #54, the podcast for anyone starting a business who needs inspiration and small business advice, returns to the subject of marketing with some very practical insight from serial entrepreneur and author Robert Craven.

Right click here to download

Listen now:
Download audio file (Sbp54.mp3)

If you’d like to subscribe free using an RSS feed or better still iTunes, just follow the podcast screencasts to find out how easy it is to make sure you never miss an episode of SmallBizPod.

For those who’d like to download SmallBizPod or listen to it now, right click on the download link or left click on the grey arrow button above to play now.

Show Notes

Summary

Intro:

• 00:00 Alex on what’s coming up in the show.
• 0:55 Alex welcomes Sage as new sponsors of SmallBizPod.

Features:

• 02:27 Interview with Robert Craven of Directors Centre and author of a new book called Bright Marketing. Robert talks about how he surveyed 15,000 small business people to identify what practical advice people really wanted on the subject of marketing. Alex and Robert talk about measuring your business in terms of finance, marketing and operations (FiMO), the importance of selling, how the best forms of marketing need not be expensive and avoiding mediocrity by avoiding ’safe’. Robert also talks about upside down marketing, strangers, friends and lovers and getting your pricing right.

Comments:

• 37:25 Congratulations to Kelvin Jones of ‘Diary of a Wantrepreneur’ fame on his recent marriage.
• 38:04 Thanks to all those who have signed up to the SmallBizPod Facebook group and commented: in particular Matt Johnson who comes up with an idea for a future podcast.
• 39:06 Check out and complete Ivy Ho’s MBA questionnaire on entrepreneurship, if you can.

• 34.18 Music – rpg by Transient with many thanks to Monotonik.

Tags: small business podcast, business marketing, startups

Read more:
SmallBizPod #54 – Monday 17 September 2007

As some of you will already have noticed Sage, the business management software and services company, is the new sponsor of SmallBizPod’s podcasts. I’m really pleased to have them on board for the next six months.

As I say in the latest podcast, it’s good to be working with Sage because it’s a company which from its very beginnings in 1981 focused on developing products and services by listening very carefully to what customers said they wanted. That’s an ethos that has helped them deliver software and services successfully to over 700,000 small businesses in the UK alone.

That’s an ethos that I hold dear here at SmallBizPod too and which is why all of you out there are welcome to contribute to the podcast and help shape its content.

Here’s what Dawn Baker, head of marketing for Sage’s small business division said today about linking up with SmallBizPod:

I’m pleased to announce that we’re sponsoring the SmallBizPod podcast this year, which is hosted by Alex Bellinger. This podcast, which focuses on entrepreneurship and the issues that affect small businesses, is listened to by thousands of people around the world and we’re delighted to be associated with an innovator like Alex. We’re always trying out different ways to connect with our own customers and I hope we can learn lots from him.

I’m flattered, of course, and will try and keep my ego under control! But what’s most important for everyone who listens to the podcast and supports SmallBizPod is that Sage’s sponsorship means we’ll be able to continue developing the podcast and bringing you more great interviews and entrepreneurial inspiration.

Excerpted from:
Sage Sponsors SmallBizPod