The Elite Business Podcast

Hosted by elitebusiness

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100

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Jun 2026

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About the show

At Elite Business, we’re passionate about championing new business. Providing fresh perspectives and representing disruptive solutions, we’re interested in the startups and SMEs that are spearheading Britain forward. From tech unicorns to entrepreneurs transforming healthcare with AI, we cover the movers and shakers making enterprising exciting. Our online platform covers up-to-the-minute content and presents a unique angle on the things enterprises need to know, from maximising the potential of mobile to setting the world alight on social media. We also gather the best and brightest voices in the community to share their experience.

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June 15, 2026Episode 11626 min

What can a £400 billion industry teach you about building a brand?

At Elite Business Live 2026, five of the beauty world's most compelling founders and brand leaders came together to answer that question — and the lessons go far beyond skincare and makeup. Hosted by Oli Barrett, this panel brought together: Chloe Walsh – Founder of Clamana David Allerton – Founder of SE-LF Lucie Macleod – Founder & CEO of Hair Syrup Ning Cheah – Founder & Director of The Beauty Crop Sarah Lee – Head of Discovery Commerce at The INKEY List Together they unpacked what's really driving growth in modern business — from founder-led content and community building to the rise of discovery commerce on TikTok and beyond. In this session you'll discover: ✅ Why your brand needs a clear reason to exist (not just a product) ✅ How authentic founder storytelling outperforms traditional advertising ✅ The community-building strategy that turns customers into advocates ✅ What "discovery commerce" means and why it's changing every industry ✅ Why the best marketing can't save a product that doesn't solve a real problem Whether you're in beauty, tech, finance or hospitality — the principles driving the world's most exciting brands are the same. And they're all here. #EliteBusinessLive #EliteBusiness #EliteBusinessMagazine #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #StartupAdvice #FounderStory #BeautyBusiness #BeautyIndustry #BeautyFounder #BeautyEntrepreneur #BeautyBrand #FounderLedMarketing #DiscoveryCommerce #TikTokMarketing #SocialCommerce #CommunityBuilding #BusinessPanel #UKBusiness 🎤 Elite Business Live 2026 | The Beauty Economy: Where Style Meets Business Subscribe for more insights from the UK's leading business event. https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

June 8, 2026Episode 11531 min

Anthea Turner on reinvention, resilience and starting again #EBL2026

What happens when one of Britain’s most recognisable TV personalities steps away from the spotlight and launches a business from scratch? 🤔 At Elite Business Live 2026, Anthea Turner sat down with Ollie Barrett for an inspiring conversation about reinvention, entrepreneurship, confidence, personal branding, and why it’s never too late to start a new chapter. From selling her first 100 pots of skincare via Instagram to building an award-winning beauty brand, Anthea shares the lessons she’s learned from decades in television and her journey as founder of By Anthea. In this session, Anthea discusses: ✅ Why reinvention is often a necessity, not a choice ✅ Building a business from passion rather than a formal business plan ✅ The importance of finding your tribe and listening to customers ✅ How personalisation creates lasting customer loyalty ✅ Why awards can help accelerate business growth ✅ Overcoming imposter syndrome and building confidence ✅ The power of personal branding for entrepreneurs ✅ The simple networking advice every founder should follow Whether you’re launching a new venture, growing an existing business, or considering your next chapter, this conversation is packed with practical insights and inspiration. 🎥 Subscribe for more interviews, founder stories, and business insights from Elite Business Live. #EliteBusinessLive #AntheaTurner #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #PersonalBranding #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #FemaleFounder #StartupLife #BusinessSuccess #FounderStory #Reinvention https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

June 1, 2026Episode 11432 min

🏬 Is the UK high street really dying, or is it simply being forced to evolve?

At Elite Business Live 2026, one of the event’s most thought-provoking and passionate panel discussions tackled a question that continues to divide retailers, business owners and consumers across the country: ❓ “Do you feel the UK high street is dying?” The audience response was striking. 📊 87% voted YES. But while the audience verdict suggested the future of the high street looks bleak, the panel itself painted a far more nuanced picture. According to some of retail’s most experienced founders, CEOs, branding specialists and industry leaders, the high street isn’t dead. It’s simply being forced to justify its existence in a world where almost anything can be bought online with a few taps of a screen. Hosted by entrepreneur and broadcaster Oli Barrett, this fascinating discussion explores why physical retail still matters, how consumer behaviour has fundamentally changed, and what businesses must do if they want to survive and thrive in the next decade. Featuring: 🎙️ Amy Knight – Co-Founder, Must Have Ideas 🎙️ Arjun Sofat – Co-Founder & CEO, Free Soul 🎙️ Daniel Rubin – Chairman, Dune Group 🎙️ Jackie Naghten – Retail Branding Expert 🎙️ Mike Greene – Entrepreneur & Retail Strategist Throughout the session, the panel challenges many of the assumptions surrounding the decline of the high street and highlights an important truth: consumers still crave connection, trust, expertise and memorable experiences. The retailers succeeding today are the ones creating meaningful customer experiences, building emotional connections and understanding how digital and physical channels now work together. From the rise of social commerce and influencer culture to the ongoing pressures of business rates, staffing costs and changing consumer habits, the conversation offers a candid look at the realities facing modern retail businesses. Whether you’re a retailer, entrepreneur, marketer, franchise operator, founder or simply interested in the future of business, this discussion provides valuable insights into how customer expectations are evolving and what businesses must do to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace. 💡 Is the traditional high street disappearing? 💡 What does successful retail look like in 2026? 💡 And what can every business learn from the brands getting it right? Watch the full discussion and join the debate. 👇 Do you think the UK high street is dying, evolving, or entering a completely new era? Let us know in the comments. #Retail #HighStreet #RetailStrategy #RetailMarketing #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #CustomerExperience #Ecommerce #Omnichannel #RetailTrends #TikTokMarketing #SmallBusiness #UKBusiness #Leadership #EliteBusiness https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

May 26, 2026Episode 11328 min

📈 From £0 to £80 Million: The "Boring" Secret to E-Commerce Success | Amy Knight

Can you turn a £0 investment into an £80 million e-commerce powerhouse in just seven years? Yes, you can. In this exclusive keynote speech, Amy Knight, the powerhouse founder of Must Have Ideas, pulls back the curtain on how she grew one of the UK’s fastest-growing e-commerce businesses. If you are looking for a magical AI app, a secret supplier, or a trendy marketing hack - you won't find it here. Amy explicitly breaks down why looking for a "silver bullet" is holding your business back. Instead, she reveals how nailing the "boring basics" and doing ordinary things extraordinarily well is the true driver of explosive growth. 🔍 What You’ll Learn In This Video: • The Power of Data Over Opinion: Why relentless data analysis (and checking your dashboard first thing in the morning) is non-negotiable for scale. • The Website That "Shouldn't Work": How standard e-commerce advice failed, and why long-form, deeply informative product pages crush the competition. • Obsessive Customer Service: How prioritising customer understanding over Amazon-style scale creates lifelong VIP shoppers. • The "Founder Face" Advantage: Why replacing a celebrity brand ambassador with the company's real founder revolutionised their ad conversion rates. • The Framework Connection: Why none of these strategies work in isolation, and how to build a unified, unstoppable growth engine. 💡 About Must Have Ideas: Founded by three friends around a dining room table in 2018, Must Have Ideas has grown into a titan of the UK e-commerce space, processing over 13,000 orders a day. Recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s fastest-growing brands, they continue to disrupt the retail space by focusing heavily on data, customer experience, and authentic connection. Enjoyed the video? Don't forget to LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE for more valuable business insights! #ecommerce #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #DataDriven #Startups #MustHaveIdeas #AmyKnight #ebl2026 https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

May 18, 2026Episode 11229 min

From burnout to brilliance, how sustainable leadership is redefining business success. #EBL2026

At Elite Business Live 2026, one of the event’s most powerful panel discussions challenged the traditional view of burnout, revealing why burnout is rarely a personal weakness and more often a systems problem built into modern business itself. 🎤 Featuring Rebecca Drew, Dr Alka Patel, Jo Eckersley, Laura Fullerton and Terese Bryson, this thought-provoking conversation explored how founders, SME leaders and entrepreneurs can achieve high performance without sacrificing wellbeing, health or long-term resilience. 🤖 As AI accelerates workloads, hybrid working reshapes culture, and business leaders face increasing pressure to do more, faster, this session unpacked the new rules of sustainable leadership. 💡 Key topics include: • The early warning signs of burnout every founder should recognise • Why many businesses are unintentionally designed for burnout • The difference between stress and true burnout • How AI could increase pressure before it improves productivity • Why recovery is becoming a strategic business skill • Human-centred leadership strategies for sustainable growth • Practical wellbeing tools including biohacking, nervous system recovery and resilience building ⚡ Discover why energy management may matter more than time management, why hustle culture is failing modern leaders, and how sustainable businesses are built by sustainable humans. 📈 If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, business owner or team leader navigating growth in an AI-driven world, this panel offers essential insights into leadership, resilience and performance. 🚀 Subscribe for more expert insights from Elite Business Live 2026, featuring leading voices in business, entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation. #EliteBusinessLive #Burnout #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #FounderWellbeing #BusinessGrowth #AI #SustainableLeadership #MentalHealth #SMELeadership https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

May 8, 2026Episode 11127 min

The time is now: Simon Woodroffe on risk, rejection and building YO! Sushi!

🔥 Simon Woodroffe reveals how YO! Sushi! was built through risk, rejection and relentless action. At Elite Business Live 2026, the entrepreneur behind YO! Sushi!, YOTEL and YO! Company shares powerful lessons on stepping outside your comfort zone, embracing uncertainty, creating remarkable businesses and why perfection is the enemy of progress. From boarding school rebel to Dragons’ Den investor, Simon’s journey is packed with honest insights, humour and unconventional advice for founders, entrepreneurs and ambitious business leaders. In this fireside chat, discover: 🚀 How YO! Sushi! almost never happened 💡 Why business plans rarely go to plan 🔥 The power of discomfort in business growth 🎯 Simon’s surprising advice on pitching investors 📈 Why remarkable ideas beat big marketing budgets Whether you’re launching a startup, scaling an SME or searching for your next big idea, this conversation is packed with practical entrepreneurial wisdom. #SimonWoodroffe #YOSushi #EliteBusinessLive #Entrepreneurship #StartupAdvice #BusinessGrowth #DragonsDen #FounderMindset #SMEs #Leadership https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

May 1, 2026Episode 11027 min

Raw, Real, Relentless | The unfiltered truth about building a business | EBL with Joseph Valente

What does entrepreneurship really look like behind the polished Instagram posts and funding headlines? At Elite Business Live, Joseph Valente hosted one of the most honest founder conversations of the event, bringing together Vicky Owens, Nicola Gunby, Alfie Watts, Kathryn Burn and Fran Gresswell for a raw look at what it actually takes to build, scale and survive in business. From 500 investment rejections to walking away from “safe” careers, personal branding breakthroughs, AI authenticity, online criticism and building traction in crowded markets, this panel unpacked the realities most founders rarely talk about. In this video, discover: • Why success is built on resilience, not overnight wins • How personal branding can transform business growth • The truth about fundraising, rejection and persistence • Why authenticity matters more than ever in the AI era • How founders can turn criticism into competitive advantage Whether you’re launching your first business, scaling a startup or building your personal brand, this session delivers practical lessons from founders doing it in real time. Watch now for honest insights on risk, resilience and what it really takes to stand out. #EliteBusinessLive #Entrepreneurship #StartupSuccess #PersonalBranding #BusinessGrowth #FounderJourney #AIinBusiness #JosephValente #SmallBusiness #Leadership https://bit.ly/m/elitebusiness

April 27, 2026Episode 10927 min

How businesses are putting AI into action - Elite Business Live

At Elite Business Live, leading founders, strategists and technology experts came together to tackle a question many SMEs are asking: 👉 If over 70% of businesses are using AI, why are so few seeing real impact? Featuring insights from Andrew Grill, Dave Birss, Kunal Kaul, Joe Seddon, and Julie Holmes, this session explores what it really takes to turn AI from experimentation into meaningful business results. 💡 In this podcast, you’ll learn: Why most AI adoption fails, and how to avoid the common traps The shift from cost-cutting to growth-focused thinking How SMEs can outperform larger competitors using AI Why leadership and culture matter more than the tools themselves Practical ways to start using AI within your existing systems 🚀 This isn’t about chasing the latest tools. It’s about turning AI into a way of working. Whether you’re a founder, business owner, or part of a growing team, this session gives you a clear, practical perspective on how to make AI actually deliver value. Subscribe for more insights on business growth, AI, and entrepreneurship 🔔 #AIinBusiness #SMEs #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #EliteBusinessLive

April 17, 2026Episode 10833 min

How to Use AI in Business (2026) | Piers Linney’s Practical AI Growth Strategy

AI is transforming business faster than ever—but most companies are still using it wrong. In this keynote from Piers Linney at Elite Business Live, you’ll learn how to use AI in business to increase revenue, reduce costs, and scale without hiring more staff. If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or decision-maker looking to stay competitive, this is essential viewing. 🔥 In this video, you’ll discover: •How to use AI to grow your business without increasing payroll •The best AI tools and strategies for small and mid-sized businesses •How AI automation can improve efficiency and profitability •Where AI delivers the highest ROI in business operations •How to find hidden revenue using your existing data •Why most businesses fail with AI (and how to avoid it) •How to implement AI in your company step-by-step 💡 Why this matters: AI isn’t just a trend—it’s a competitive advantage. Businesses using AI are already: •Increasing profit margins •Automating repetitive tasks •Improving customer experience •Scaling faster than competitors 👉 The reality: AI won’t replace you—but a competitor using AI might. 📈 Best use cases for AI in business: •Customer service automation •Lead generation and follow-ups •Sales pipeline analysis •Data insights and reporting •Back-office and admin processes ⚡ How to get started with AI today: 1.Analyse your current business data 2.Identify missed sales opportunities 3.Automate repetitive workflows 4.Improve response times to customers 5.Train your team on AI tools 6.Build a clear AI adoption strategy ⏳ We’re still early in the AI revolution—but not for long. The businesses that act now will dominate their markets. 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert insights on business growth, AI tools, and entrepreneurship. #AIforBusiness #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessGrowth #AItools #Automation #Entrepreneurship #DigitalTransformation #SmallBusiness #StartupGrowth #EliteBusinessLive

April 13, 2026Episode 10724 min

Mastering the Perfect Pitch | What Investors Really Want to Hear 💼 🚀

At Elite Business Live 2026, a panel of leading founders, investors, and funding experts came together to answer a crucial question for growing businesses: How do you master the perfect pitch? Hosted by Ollie Barrett, this session features insights from: • Louise Hill (Founder of GoHenry) • Richard Bearman (British Business Bank) • Louise Doyle (Founder of Needi) • Ian Merricks (Investor & Adviser) • Kieran Burke (Swoop) Together, they reveal what really happens when founders step into the room to pitch — and what separates those who secure funding from those who don’t. 🔑 What You’ll Learn: • Why your first 5 minutes can make or break your pitch • The importance of starting with the problem, not the product • What investors look for in your numbers and funding ask • Why you’re pitching an opportunity, not just a business • How to choose the right funding route (debt vs equity) • Why being honest about risk builds trust • How to develop pitching into a repeatable skill 💡 Key Takeaways: ✔ Be clear and concise, no waffle ✔ Know your numbers inside out ✔ Understand the investor mindset ✔ Show growth, momentum, and opportunity ✔ Practice relentlessly As the panel highlights, there’s no perfect script, but the best founders consistently: • Communicate clearly • Prepare thoroughly • Tell a compelling story • Take investors on the journey 👉 And most importantly: you are the opportunity. 👍 If you found this useful, like, comment, and subscribe for more insights from leading entrepreneurs and investors. #Entrepreneurship #StartupFunding #BusinessGrowth #Pitching #Investors #EliteBusinessLive http://elitebusinessevent.co.uk/