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Laurie Stirling is an award-winning Business Ops Strategist who helps business owners transform their business to no longer depend solely on them. With over 20 years experience as an entrepreneur, business analyst, CFO & COO in the creative & technology industries, she empowers founders to step into their CEO role & scale efficiently, delegate confidently & take real time off without the business suffering. Her ‘Step Back to Scale’ system & Group Accelerator programme combines clarity through data, delegation & distilling knowledge & IP, to create businesses that are profitable, growing & self-sustaining. Laurie is passionate about helping overworked entrepreneurs regain balance, increase impact & build the life they want. Find out more at https://www.lauriestirling.com

In this episode, Jeremy Lee (Founder & Host of the 'Just Between Us' podcast) shares some of his amazing experience of building JLA Speakers, the biggest UK speaker agency in the corporate & public sector & being agent to the 'great & good' which includes comedians, politicians, entrepreneurs & cultural figures... After cutting his teeth booking talent into bingo halls & holiday camps, Jeremy founded the speaker agency JLA in 1990, flogging a new wave of stand-ups for recession-weary audiences. The agency soon started signing up politicians & luminaries, turning into 'The UK's leading speaker bureau.' (Financial Times). Aside from comedians he has represented pillars of the Establishment & anti-Establishment as well as experts in this, that & the other. The client list included Mark Carney, William Hague & Boris Johnson before he entered No.10; heads of the army, police & MI5, plus mainstays of the TV schedule from Ian Hislop & Steph McGovern to Brian Cox. He’s flattered Hollywood legends, heard lots of secrets & been sworn at by a prominent (current) Ambassador. The explorer Ranulph Fiennes called him 'the doyen of the speaker circuit' in his autobiography. Along the way he rocked the boat on the Agents' Association Council & the governing body of pool, for whom he had a brief stint as an ITV presenter. He also succeeded in losing money on a Gyles Brandreth stage musical & Tony Hawks' film of Round Ireland with a Fridge. To fulfil a promise to himself he stood for Parliament in 2024 as an anti-extremist Independent. After a five week campaign combined with moving house (that's his excuse), the good people of Bury St Edmunds saw fit to give him a modest 819 votes. Since then he’s launched the ‘Just Between Us’ podcast as an excuse to chat to his favourite talent & share a lorry load of behind-the-scenes stories. And to avoid being mistaken for the bestselling chef who shares the same name. (Find out more at https://www.jeremy-lee.co.uk) Listen & enjoy!

In this interview, Sophie Tunnah (Founder & Director, Literally Marketing Ltd) shares key insights from her time as a senior marketer across various industries including travel, ecommerce & tech at both multinational & startup levels. She also discusses how digital marketing & social media has changed over the past 20yrs & what you need to do to be visible, build trust & demonstrate expertise online. Find out more about Sophie & her work at https://literallymarketing.co.uk

In this interview, award-winning personal trainer & fitness professional, Katie Bulmer-Cooke talks to Paul Lancaster about why it's important for busy business owners & leaders to stay (or get) fit & healthy if they want to be successful at work & in their personal life plus her own experience of starting & growing a business & appearing on BBC's The Apprentice. If you'd like to work with Katie on a 1-2-1 basis or bring her into their business to work with your team, visit https://www.katiebulmer.com

Cheryl Burgess (Co-Founder & Director, Opexcell Limited) is a dynamic Operations Leader with 15+ years of cross-sector experience in aviation, telecommunications & energy from waste who helps businesses turn operational challenges into strategic opportunities. Find out more at https://opexcell.co.uk

In this episode, Mitali Deypurkaystha (Founder, Impact Icon AI) & Paul Lancaster discuss how you can use AI tools to be more productive & efficient without having a negative impact on your colleagues or the community you belong to! Find out more about Mitali & her work with Private, Public & Third Sector organisations at https://impacticon.ai

In this episode, Nicky Jolley (MD, HR2day Limited) talks about some of the common pitfalls & HR problems that business owners & leaders face, the UK Government’s incoming Employment Rights Bill, when & why you should bring in external HR expertise. She also shares how she started out in business & her experience working as an in-house HR manager before that. For more no-nonsense HR help & advice from Nicky & her team, visit https://hr2day.co.uk

In this episode, Jane Fisher (Founder, Fresh Perspectives North East) & Paul Lancaster (PLATFORM | UK Startup & Scaleup Week) discuss the benefits of taking yourself, your leadership team or your staff outdoors in order to improve wellbeing, happiness & boost productivity too! Find out more at https://janefisherassociates.co.uk

In this episode, Graeme Tennick (Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Tennick Accountants) talks to Paul Lancaster about why he started out in business, why the accounting profession is dying & what accountants can do about it! He also explains the importance of having clear professional & personal goals, the pros & cons of the North East of England as a place to do business versus other regions & the benefits of attending in-person events (like PLATFORM + UK Startup & Scaleup Week). Find out more about Graeme & his team at https://tennick.co.uk

In this video, Ivan Hollingsworth talks to Paul (Lancaster) about how he helps individuals, teams & organisations to thrive. And how in a highly complex & challenging world the need for person-centred coaching, mentoring & learning & development has never been more important.

In this short episode, Paul talks about how he has personally benefited from coaching & mentoring over the years, explains how his '5 Star Focus' programme (1-2-1 coaching / mentoring for business owners & leaders) works, what the 'PLATFORM Premium' mastermind group sessions he runs with Neil Stephenson are all about, who they are for & how you can get involved. Find out more about the '5 Star Focus' programme at https://ukstartupweek.com/5starfocus/ & 'PLATFORM Premium' at https://ukstartupweek.com/platformpremium/

After co-hosting & keynoting at our UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival in Sunderland in June 2025, Alfie Joey joins Paul Lancaster for this episode of his 'SuperConnector Show' podcast to discuss what it takes to be a great speaker & the importance of good communication & storytelling in business. Follow Alfie on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/alfie-speakeasyguy-joey/ & Instagram at www.instagram.com/speakeasyguyalfiejoey/ for more great tips & advice!

In this episode, John Forth (Business Adviser, Mentor & Coach for the North East BIC & IS THIS YOU?) talks to Paul Lancaster about why Sunderland (& the wider North East of England) is such a great place to start & grow a business, the power of networking & collaboration & how coaching & mentoring can help you achieve the success you want in your personal & professional life.

In this episode, Okare Shaba (Founder, Padocare) shares his entrepreneurial journey which began in Nigeria & moved to Sunderland in the North East of England where he is now building a HealthTech platform that helps organisations in the care industry streamline operations, save time & money. He also discusses with Paul the power of networking online & offline, how to use LinkedIn effectively, the importance of focus & pursuing your dreams. Find out more at https://padocare.com

In this video, Roan Lavery (CEO, FreeAgent) shares insights on how he & his co-founders started & scaled the Edinburgh-based company to be the UK’s #1 bookkeeping software for small businesses. He also talks about SaaS / tech product development, marketing, funding, investment, building a team, leadership, AI, the Edinburgh / Scottish tech ecosystem & FreeAgent’s future growth strategy. Find out more & try FreeAgent software for free at https://bit.ly/SWFreeAgent