Advertise on podcast: GREATER Manchester Business Stories

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

Praetura  Ventures are a VC firm based in Greater Manchester that lead with a 'More than Money' promise.  Alongside the funds they invest in some of the most exciting businesses in the North West they also put a huge focus on nurturing those businesses, and the entrepreneurs leading them, to inspire even greater success. Some phenomenal success stories are already coming through their stable (Bankify, Peak, Sorted, Pixelmax and many more) and Dave shares his desire to kick Praetura on to the next level as well as doing more of what he loves to do best - identifying and working with amazing entrepreneurs (in the North West mainly of course!). Find out more about Praetura at https://www.praeturaventures.com and enjoy the wisdom Dave shares by heading to https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-foreman-praetura. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  :-) Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

You may already know the wonderful Jennie Johnson MBE from the hugely successful Kids Allowed chain of nurseries that she founded in 2003.  In this conversation Jennie starts by sharing the story behind her switch from a successful IT career into the world of Entrepreneurship and how she pioneered a completely new approach in a well established sector. However we quick move on to her failed attempts to retire having sold Kids Allowed and then the lightning bolt of inspiration that led to her new venture My First Five Years.  This is a great conversation to learn the value of being a second time entrepreneur because you can see Jennie's confidence, superb team-building and huge ambitions are setting My First Five Years up to be even more disruptive and even wider reaching than Kids Allowed.  I can't wait to follow the journey! Check out My First Five Years on the App Store, www.mffy.com or on Instagram @myfirstfiveyears, Twitter @myfirst5years and TikTok @myfirst5years Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  :-) Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

This episode is about Vegan chocolate that tastes like chocolate chocolate.  In fact it's the story behind the fastest growing Vegan chocolate brand in the UK and they just happen to be based in Greater Manchester. But behind the delicious end products this conversation tells the inspiring story of Love Raw the business that Rimi Thapar has built with her husband Manav (whilst starting a young family at the same time). Love Raw are absolutely smashing it and if you haven't checked them out already them immediately head to @loveraw on the socials and https://eatloveraw.com. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  :-) Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

Except for when they’re taking down an evil corporate entity in a John Grisham novel lawyers tend to get a bad reputation.  But the reality is that lawyers often work long hours, under extreme pressure and in situations where a single mistake can have huge consequences.  And alongside all this pressure they’re often working with clients who are going through a particularly stressful event.  So what I found really refreshing in this conversation with Matt Fleetwood was that in talking about the rapidly growing law firm he’s building in GM – Beyond Group – he focus much less about the services they provide and much more about how he’s building a business that’s run differently, that genuinely cares about it’s people and that’s run by a leader in Matt, who is keen to learn from those around him regardless of their experience or perceived seniority. That’s driven by Matt’s personality but also some of the more challenging moments in his career prior to launching Beyond Group.  Matt’s really open about his journey as a leader so I hope this is another great conversation to sit down and listen to. Check out Beyond Law Group on Instagram & Twitter @BeyondLawGroup and LinkedIn. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  :-) Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

Having worked as a buyer with Sainsburys and the Coop Ben Davies had seen too many products launch into supermarkets and fail to meet expectations, often with costly consequences. Realising that technology provided the opportunity to build a platform that could help rapidly inform retailers and brands he set about creating Vypr - an intelligence platform that captures responses from the public at scale.  Vypr is now plugged in to the NPD process for numerous companies, large and small, testament to the loyalty the service has already inspired. Ben shares the journey of Vypr, which hasn't been easy at times, and also looks to the future as the business is starting to rapidly scale. Check out Vypr here - https://vyprclients.com - or download the app from the App Store and start earning for answering Vypr steers yourself! Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  :-) Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

On 'The Buzz' we hit our guests from the main GMBS podcast with 20 rapid-fire questions to find out more about their personal connections to Greater Manchester through music, leisure, sport and of course food & drink. Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations. Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles

Former teacher Rachel has launched Fearne & Rosie to help combat the growing issue of kids 'sugar loading' at breakfast.   Her jams and condiments business makes a range of lower sugar products that contain more real fruit and Rachel shares here how she built a team or partners and advisors to make the business a reality. Now sold in Waitrose, Morrisons & Ocado Rachel is embarking on the exciting step of raising investment through Crowd-funding to support their next stage of growth - so check them out on Seedrs this March & April. Follow Fearne & Rosie at - https://www.instagram.com/fearne_and_rosie/ and https://fearneandrosie.co.uk Do drop us a line with questions and interview recommendations  :-) Email [email protected] Instagram @gmbspodcast Produced & Presented by Joe Taylor Sound & Music Editing by Andy Blackaby-Iles