From Bedroom to Boardroom | With Rob Spence

Read the Room: Why Our High Streets Are Dying and Who's to Blame | Episode Twenty FourFollowing last week's raw, difficult episode, Rob is back — still frustrated, still honest, but this time pointing his anger somewhere specific. Businesses are closing around him, and he wants to talk about why.What We CoverKnight and Garter — Leicester Loses a Good One Knight and Garter, one of Leicester city centre's last genuinely good independent restaurants (run by award-winning operator Sam Hagar), is closing. Not because of bad management or poor food — but because business rates imposed by Leicester City Council have become unsustainable. On top of VAT, rising food costs, fuel costs, NI increases, minimum wage hikes, and a drop in footfall — the business rates were the final straw.The High Cross Hypocrisy The same Leicester City Council recently wrote off approximately £3 million in business rate debt accumulated by the High Cross shopping centre. A generic chain-store mall that — by Rob's count — has around 30% of its units vacant. The contrast is stark: independent operators who actually make Leicester worth visiting are being squeezed out, while a largely empty shopping centre gets its debt wiped.The Big Difference Company Also in the news: the holding company behind the Leicester Comedy Festival has struggled to pay its comedians and has now been locked out of its own venue after falling behind on rent. Rob connects the dots — if people aren't coming into the city centre, venues can't trade, can't pay rent, can't keep the doors open. The ripple effect hits staff, suppliers, local breweries, and everyone downstream.Simpsons, Birmingham It's not just Leicester. Simpsons — a Michelin-starred restaurant that held its star for 25 consecutive years — has also closed, citing the same unrelenting cost pressures. When businesses of that quality and reputation can't survive, something is seriously broken.The Bigger Argument Rob's point is simple: you cannot have workers if there are no businesses to employ them. Councils that keep raising rates while letting city centres decay are killing the very ecosystem they depend on. The answer isn't another event in the town square — it's making city centres accessible, attractive, and worth the trip.A Direct Invitation Rob calls out Sir Peter Soulsby of Leicester City Council by name: come on the podcast. Explain the thinking. If anyone working in local government or high street regeneration is listening, Rob genuinely wants to hear the other side.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

The Hardest Day in Eight and a Half Years | Episode Twenty ThreeNo studio. No plan. Rob is recording from his car, minutes after letting three members of his telemarketing team go. In eight and a half years of running his business, he's never had to do this before. This is as raw as it gets.Note: the audio quality reflects exactly where and when this was recorded. That's the point.What We CoverWhat Just Happened Three good people — Rob's words — have just lost their jobs. He's clear it isn't their fault. He largely takes the responsibility himself, while also naming the factors that backed him into this corner.The Two Clients Who Didn't Pay Regular listeners will recognise both of these:The first signed a six-month agreement, allocated Paragon's resources were built around that contract — and then walked away three months in, with no legitimate cause. Because Paragon had already invoiced for the work, HMRC expected VAT on income that never arrived. Rob is taking them to court.The second signed a three-month agreement. Paragon delivered results, went above and beyond, communicated throughout. The complaints only surfaced when Rob started chasing payment. He's taking them to court too. He has the contract, the evidence, and every confidence he'll win both.The Economic Backdrop Non-paying clients don't operate in a vacuum. National insurance increases, rising wages, business rates, utility bills, insurance — the costs of running a business have climbed significantly. Rob spoke recently to a charity whose bottom line had increased by half a million pounds year on year from these rises alone. Add the natural summer slowdown in sales and marketing, and several pressures converged at once.How It Feels Rob is genuinely struggling with this. He's not trying to make it about himself — he's very aware that three people are going home today without jobs — but he's honest that this is the hardest thing he's had to do since starting the business. He doesn't know how larger companies cycle through redundancies repeatedly. To him, this isn't a number. It's people's mortgages, their families, their dignity.He ends with a direct apology to those who lost their jobs today — and a promise to himself that he'll do everything in his power to never be in this position again.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

Adapt or Get Left Behind: Why Change Is the Only Option | Episode Twenty TwoEpisode SummarySomething is changing at Paragon. Rob isn't ready to say exactly what yet — it's still too fresh, too raw — but this episode is his way of processing it out loud. A reminder to himself, and to anyone listening, that staying still is its own kind of risk.What We CoverChange Is Coming — Details To Follow Rob is candid from the off: there are decisions being made in the business right now, some already done, some in progress. He's not ready to spell them out. But he knows they're overdue. Eight and a half years in, the core of what Paragon does and how it does it has stayed largely the same. And while that's not failure, it's starting to look a lot like stagnation.The Kilner Family Warning The story that brought it into focus came from Clarkson's Farm. It turns out Jeremy Clarkson is related to the Kilner family — the famous glass jar makers who once dominated their market. Their mistake wasn't bad products. It was failing to embrace technology while competitors did. They went from market leaders to irrelevant. A warning Rob takes personally.Paragon Sales Solutions has been a market leader in telemarketing and lead generation for nearly a decade. But leading in a market that's shifting under your feet isn't enough. The current climate — economically and politically — is making that clearer by the day.Why Business Owners Resist Change Rob gets honest about the psychology of it. Fear of what clients will think. Fear of what the team will think. Fear of what family will think. But the world is big and your business is small — and if you're so worried about outside perception that you won't evolve, you're already losing.Nervous, but Excited That's where Rob lands. The change is happening. He's not sure how it'll look from the outside yet, but he knows it's necessary — and there's something energising about that, even when it's scary.Key TakeawayEvery business either changes or gets left behind. The Kilner family didn't fail overnight — they just didn't move fast enough. What's the change you've been putting off in yours?Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

You Can Rebuild a Business. You Can't Get This Time Back | Episode Twenty OneAn unplanned, slightly chaotic episode — recorded at 4pm with the England pre-match build-up on in the background, because Rob left the original recording on the SD card at the studio. Classic. But amid the chaos, a genuinely honest reflection on what being your own boss is actually for.What We CoverThe Accidental Home Studio Rob forgot the SD card. So he's cobbled together a setup at home — microphone straight into the laptop, sitting by a sunny patio door — and is recording with England kicking off at 5pm. The irony isn't lost on him.Why He's Working From Home More Often Rob's partner returned to work a couple of months ago doing two days a week in clinic. To avoid paying for childcare until funded hours kick in September, Rob looks after their daughter — now nearly 11 months old — one day a week. His partner's mum covers another day. Between them, they've carved out a solution that saves money and, more importantly, gives Rob time with his daughter that he'd otherwise miss.When she's awake, the laptop is closed. He's fully present. Work happens in the nap windows. He admits it adds some stress — his output is lower on those days — but the trade-off is obvious to him.The Real Reason to Own a Business Rob pushes back on the culture of bragging about absence. The business owners who wear it as a badge of honour that they haven't seen their families, missed bedtimes, skipped breakfasts for meetings. His take: that's not success. That's a priority problem.His daughter won't remember these days — but he will. She'll see the photos and the videos and know he was there. And that, to Rob, is a bigger flex than any business win.You can rebuild a business. You can restart a career. You won't get the first year back.What Entrepreneurship Is Actually About Not just money. Not just growth. Time. Flexibility. The ability to solve a childcare problem by showing up. That's the real upside of being your own boss — and it's easy to forget when you're buried in the doing.Key TakeawayBeing present isn't a weakness. It's the whole point. If your business can't survive you being a parent for a day, you've got a leadership problem — not a family problem.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

A Company of Giants: Why You Should Always Hire People Better Than You | Episode Twenty Rob's back from holiday and keeping this one short. But the topic is anything but small. A principle he once believed in, drifted from, and is now recommitting to: always hire people who are better than you. Two stories — one from Henry Ford, one from David Ogilvy — and one honest admission about where drifting from this has cost the business.Key TakeawayStop hiring people you have to carry. Hire people who make you faster, sharper, and more dispensable — in the best possible way. A company of giants starts with the courage to admit you don't need to be the best person in the room.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

You're Allowed to Switch Off: A Holiday Reminder for Busy Fools Everywhere | Episode Nineteen Short one this week — Rob's on holiday. And that's exactly the point. This is your reminder that stepping away from the business isn't weakness, it's essential. Recorded before he left, with his phone already cleared of emails and LinkedIn.Before You Go Away A few practical suggestions from Rob:Remove email and LinkedIn from your phoneUse a VA or PA service to handle admin in your absenceGet a call answering service to cover incoming calls (Paragon Sales Solutions offers this, by the way)Build the team and systems that mean the business doesn't need you for a weekKey TakeawayHumans come first. Work comes second. Send this episode to the busy fool in your life who needs to hear it.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

Stand Your Ground: The Invoice Dodgers Who Will Always Lose in the End | Episode Eighteen. Rob opens this one at full volume — and for good reason. Two companies are currently refusing to pay their invoices, and he's not staying quiet about it. No names, but plenty of detail. If you've ever been stiffed by a client, this one will feel very familiar.Key TakeawaysInvoicing someone and not receiving payment doesn't exempt you from paying VAT — HMRC treats a raised invoice as income. Know this before it catches you out.Watch for the red flags: changing goalposts, complaints that only appear when you chase money, sudden silence, Companies House changes.If you're struggling to pay a supplier, have the honest conversation. Most business owners will find a solution. What they won't forgive is being lied to.Fight your corner. Court exists for a reason.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

The BNI Hypocrisy Problem | Episode SeventeenBNI has wound Rob up again. In this week's unfiltered episode, he takes on the hypocrisy at the heart of some BNI chapters — not the concept itself, but the behaviour that contradicts everything the network claims to stand for. Two specific incidents this week brought it all to a head.Key TakeawaysBNI works for plenty of people, especially those in trade. Rob isn't disputing that.What he won't accept: using your platform to devalue other businesses, or ignoring your own members to use AI instead.If you're in BNI and you refer Rob business that converts, he'll pay you properly. No gold star required.There's more to business growth than one networking group; keep your eyes open.Got Thoughts?Are you a BNI member? Does Rob have a point, or is he being unfair? Drop a comment on Spotify — he's genuinely up for the debate.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl

A slightly scrappier episode this week — Rob forgot to record and wasn't letting that stop him. Hunched over a laptop with a mic, he talks about reigniting his passion for content creation, launching a brand new TikTok channel, and the business lesson that ties it all together: if you don't do, you'll never learn.Key TakeawaysContent creation is a skill that compounds — the earlier you start experimenting, the faster you improve.Combining two existing interests (reselling + content) is a smart, low-friction way to build something new.Creators build; voyeurs consume. Which one are you?You don't need perfect equipment. This episode was recorded on a laptop and a mic, and it still went out.Find Rob on TikTokSearch Animal Spence on TikTok — physical media, reselling, and whatever else Rob decides to throw at it.Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvlProductionThis podcast is brought to you by Paragon Creative Studios — a full in-house production team based in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside. Whether you want to hire a studio by the hour or need a complete team to write, produce, record, and distribute your podcast, Paragon Creative Studios has you covered.