Cast IQ - The Intelligent Podcast For Entrepreneurs

This week we interview Michaela Wain - serial entrepreneur and one of the finalists on the BBC’s The Apprentice. We talk about all things business and entrepreneurship and how she started her business and why she felt the need to compete in the Apprentice despite having a group of businesses turning over £3m PA beforehand.We dish the dirt on what its really like to be in front of Lord Sugar and his panel. What its really like to compete and be fired (and quite controversially).We touch on her background, the battle with anxiety and mental illness and what led her to start her business and grow her empire.I get to know why she is a voice for women in construction.She will probably kill me or sue me for saying this, but underneath the glam exterior she is someone that is uber ambitious, sharp as a razor. She’s northern, she’s sassy and takes no prisoners despite having the human touch.This is her story.

Meet Jennifer Emery, an online fitness professional based in Liverpool that is currently growing and scaling her business nationally and beyond.Growing and scaling a business can be challenging and this founders story is packed full of hints and tips to help you build bridges between any skills gaps you might have. By far one of our deeper dives into the lives of an entrepreneur and particularly one that is embracing technology throughout.We touch on imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs, burnout, mental health, resilience and professional development.We also touch on leverage and wealth creation. The four lessons she extrapolates at the end are really powerful but you get a sense that this really only skims of surface.You can connect with Jennifer here on Linkedin Her website is here

Debbie tragically lost her older brother in July 2019 who had previously been suffering from mental health difficulties for most of his adult life. Despite her grief, her growing family and full time work commitments, she launched Sean's Place.Sean's Place is a place to go in the community for men who might be struggling with mental health. They provide companionship, activities and support to men who need a place to go outside of their own four walls. As a start up social enterprise these things are never easy, there are lessons learned and challenges overcome and she's not standing still.This is Debbie's story, a story of grief but creating silver linings from tragedy.Take a look at what shes done hereYou can find Debbie on Linkedin hereYou can follow Debbie's journey on Twitter hereIf you want to watch the interview it is here

"If you are not living life on the edge, then you are taking up too much space" From the whole of the interview these words of hers resonated with me the most. She lives life on the edge...more than most. She's a survivor, she's a mother, she's an entrepreneur, she is an innovator, she's an academic, she's an award winner and she is also working on her next project whilst all that is going on. Will she ever stop? Probably not!I had the pleasure of interviewing the whirlwind that is Cody Gapare and giving her some space to tell her story. From surviving breast cancer to launching her own beauty product aimed at those undergoing chemotherapy her story is inspirational. Take some time to listen to how she did it. The lessons to takeaway are legion.You can find Cody here:Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a five star review.

This weeks episode provides a biweekly review of what is happening on some of the social media platforms and what opportunities there might be out there for founders and business owners. This week we cover the new Facebook Messenger Rooms (after eating some humble pie about giving it a scathing review). We cover the good parts and the not so great parts.We also cover the new Facebook Shops offering which we feel is going to be a game changer for small business owners and start ups. Imagine purchasing or selling products without leaving Facebook or Instagram. Its the power of community with ecommerce functionality. Feel free to check out our Facebook Page and follow us for more information.

This week’s episode features a Founders Story from Leona Burton. Leona is the Joint CEO for MIBA (Mums in Business Association) which in two years has gone global. MIBA was started by Leona and her step-sister Estelle and is officially the fastest growing networking group that supports women and mothers in business. We get to chat to the woman behind the entrepreneur and understand why she is so driven towards change for women in business. Success is never easy, and Leona’s story is no different. We chart her troubled teenage years, being a young mum of 5, the pressure of conformity, being skint, the drive to succeed whilst battling her own imposter syndrome and to finding her why. This is an interview which charts her life from council house to a global entrepreneur and co-author in two short years. As with all our Founders Stories, it is no holds barred and raw. This is Leona Burton, and this is her Founder’s Story. You can find more information about Leona here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonaburtonMIBA/Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/leona-burton-74b569195Instagram: https://instagram.com/leonaburtonofficialThe Book: The Laid Bare Book:

Winning The Day - The Power FiveIn this episode we share a super simple system to leverage big results from daily small action steps. In both times of challenge or success we can become complacent and lose momentum. Todays episode shares a system that can be implemented every day and that will yield phenomenal results and help keep us on track.The system is used by leading entrepreneurs, professionals and coaches worldwide and you can use it too.In the Cast IQ Facebook group, we have also created a free sample of a planner that will help you implement the system and track your results. It can be found at https://facebook.com/groups/podcastiq - join our free community and get other helpful bonuses.Your host is Gary Armstrong and his LinkedIn profile can be found here:

Welcome to the third episode of Cast IQ - The Intelligent Podcast For Entrepreneurs. In this episode we get the inside track on Katherine Jones the CEO for ThinK Wine Group. Whilst she now has a small but growing team she is responsible for bringing from Italy, a healthy prosecco to the UK. It is vegan, has less sugar and beyond this, tastes brilliant.  Her story wasn't plain sailing however and she has taken a few knocks. This said, she rides the punches and just keeps coming back. Its punchy, its personal, this is her story.Her website is www.thinkwinegroup.co.ukFeel free to connect with us and join the conversation on social media:FacebookInstagramDon't forget to leave a review and subscribe/follow the podcast for latest information and episodes.