An Unorthodox CEO

In this episode, listen as Steve chats with his friend Colin about his journey to working for HP, how he has navigated success & stress. Plus, find out how delegation and letting go allowed himself a better work life balance!00:00 Intro03:34 How Colin & Steve met07:00 Colins journey to HP & his first Jobs12:04 The job & friend that led Colin to the sales world17:45 How Colin views success19:30 What HPs purpose & ethos is21:20 Local leaders & their importance in big businesses23:56 What Large Format Printing is & the benefits27:40 Managing Stress, Pressure & Failure35:50 The success Colin saw after proper delegation37:00 The changes Colin made personally & professionally45:00 Colins Pictures46:39 How print has changed over the years & the impact of AI52:05 Working on Gangshow together56:47 How Colin de-stresses1:02:10 Quickfire Questions1:08:30 Outro

On this weeks episode Steve chats with Andy Clarke one of our agents! Listen as they talk through his journey to becoming an agent, what life working in beds is like & how Andy has been on both the retail and agent side! Andy mentions the difficulties of being on the retail side but the enjoyment he got from it! Plus how his resilience led him to his first agent job!00:00 Intro01:08 There is always room to learn07:50 Changing depending on the client10:00 Job titles & peoples perspectives12:50 How Andy got his first Job & some big learnings20:00 Working at Army Navy21:50 His Apprenticeship in the print world24:05 How resilience got Andy a Job he wanted30:00 What being an Agent used to be like & how the industry has changed37:27 The shift from searching from beds to sleep40:00 Why Sussex Beds dont service all price ranges42:00 Long term advice is important43:05 Why Andy opened his own shop48:20 Biggest learning from being in retail51:20 Innovation in the bed industry57:42 The Green Era & working for a flooring company58:50 Recycling in the bed industry1:00:40 What does Andy think retailers need to do to stay relevant & how its changing1:07:05 Most challenging part of Andys job1:12:15 How Andy distresses1:15:05 Quickfire Questions

This week, Steve chats with Richard Cripps about life as a solicitor, the challenges of being a Managing Partner, and what it was like navigating the acquisition of Rix & Kay. Discover the differences between a Managing Partner and a Managing Director, hear how Richard balances pressure with leadership, and why some of the hardest decisions were also the right ones for the business.00:00 Intro02:28 Why Richard became a solicitor & growing up07:10 Where he trained & his first job08:48 What partnership was and is now10:56 Taking partnership for the first time & joining Rix & Kay12:28 Differences between Managing Partner (MP) & Managing Director15:04 The challenges of being a MP - wearing lots of hats20:10 Why mid size solicitors are having to adapt23:20 What a Solicitors fall back position of comfort is24:12 How the market has changed for Soliciting businesses27:40 Richards thoughts on AI in Law31:40 The process of Rix & Kay being acquired37:00 Toughest challenge faced as MP39:11 Why Richard joined Vistage & the benefits43:57 Life as a Partner at Knights - how Richard managed the change45:54 How Richard switches off50:00 Advice for anyone striving for senior roles in Law53:05 Quickfire Questions1:00:05 Outro

This week's episode, Steve chats with Oliver Towner all about what it's been like taking on a 150-year-old family-run business, the ins and outs of the funeral industry & its biggest misconceptions. Plus, Oliver shares what it was really like working his first funeral, navigating Covid & why sustainability is a growing factor in all funerals.00:00 Intro01:58 Growing up in a family business03:12 What Oliver did before joining the business05:30 First day working on a funeral & the day to day jobs08:38 Biggest misconceptions about funerals & funeral directors10:30 Furniture side of funerals13:00 Oliver taking on the role as Managing Director & the transition from taking over from his dad19:50 What covid was like in the funeral industry23:35 Hardest point of Olivers time so far25:31 Olivers release from the pressures28:50 Olivers ‘Baptism of fire’30:27 Olivers plans for the business34:10 Biggest changes Oliver has made35:20 Sustainability in the industry38:52 Why Towners dont do any specific marketing42:30 How data works in the funeral industry44:54 Biggest risks going forward in the industry47:00 Grief & Death - why dont we talk about it53:00 Quickfire Questions59:40 Outro

This week on An Unorthodox CEO we are joined by Sarah Southerden Lee's wife and friend of Steve & Paula! Listen as Steve & Sarah chat all about how she found her way into finance & how she worked her way up. Plus, find out how Sarah met Lee & how many pairs of shoes she owns...00:00 Intro01:40 Sarahs life growing up03:15 How she found her way into finance08:15 Best part of Sarahs job10:40 Working from home & productivity13:40 Becoming a Team Leader17:20 Anxiety & overcoming it20:21 How Sarah met Lee22:54 Sarah, Lee, Steve, Paula & their friendship23:51 Sarahs thoughts on Lee joining the business26:00 Looking in on the challenges of Sussex Beds28:20 Quickfire Questions34:30 Outro

On this week's episode of An Unorthodox CEO, Steve chats with his friend Colin and original member of Sussex Beds all about what the business was like in the 80's and how its change to now. Plus, they chat about Colin's job in Windows, some contentious quickfire questions and how Steve & Colin work together on the Gangshow!00:00 Intro02:20 How Steve & Colin met04:50 Why Colin ended up working at Sussex Beds07:10 Colins jobs at Sussex Beds08:10 What is was like moving from general furnishings to beds10:20 Funny memories from the opening days11:47 Opening ‘Little Bexhill’13:10 How the opening of Haywards Heath changed the business16:22 Colin became Steves manager18:50 Hiding in wardrobes…20:00 The opening of Eastbourne Shop & the sport shop21:30 Colins jobs in the Window industry22:50 Watching Sussex Beds evolve & what that was like & why good team is so important24:10 Stage Managing Gangshow27:19 Performing in Gangshow & other shows28:54 Quickfire Questions36:31 Outro

On this weeks episode, Steve and Mark chat through his life before Sussex Beds and the jobs that led him into sales, how he has worked his way up with at Sussex Beds starting as a Sales Advisor and his journey to Regional Manager, plus how he de-stresses after work!Question: Ketchup on Lasagna? Yes or No... Let us know in the comments!00:00 Intro01:56 Life before Sussex Beds04:38 How made his way into Sales09:53 Starting as a sales advisor with us14:40 Going from a big to a small business16:20 Becoming Uckfield Store Manager18:45 Taking the leap to manage a brand new store20:37 Becoming a Regional Manager & the kind of manager Mark wanted to be26:00 80% people management and how that works27:10 Hardest part of his job29:44 How Mark has changed over the last 10 years33:40 Mark & his family36:20 Hobbies & how he de stresses45:55 Quickfire questions54:00 Outro

In this episode of An Unorthodox CEO Steve chats with Oliver Bowen all about the premium bed world. Oliver has been in the industry for over 20+, listen as they chat about how he got into the industry, the businesses he worked for and what he has learnt along the way.00:00 Intro01:50 How Oliver got into beds05:50 His time at And So To Bed & why the business changed11:00 Why looking for the ‘why’ is so important13:10 Olivers role at Feather & Black 14:19 Working out where the brand should sit in the market18:24 Moving to Hästens - working in the luxury sector22:30 Olivers job now working with Carpe Diem23:50 How Carpe Diem design their beds25:12 How Carpe Diem started27:15 Biggest challenge of bringing in a premium supplier into the UK29:30 Your team on the floor make a huge difference31:30 What has changed most in the bed industry over the last 20 years35:37 Quickfire Questions44:30 Outro