Podcast host and Partner, Adam Walford, leaning on a chair and smiling down the camera.

Talk Straight | Think Smart with Howard Kennedy

Talk Straight | Think Smart with Howard Kennedy

In the first series of our Talk Straight | Think Smart podcast, host Adam Walford chatted with a range of entrepreneurs to find out their stories.
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Starting a business isn't an easy thing to do and there are often challenges along the way. But nothing could have prepared business owners for COVID-19.

In our Talk Straight | Think Smart podcast we interview the owners of some of the UK's best-known brands and businesses. From how they started their company, to how they've grown it. We hear the challenges they've faced along the way and hear the lessons they've learnt.

The first series was recorded in early 2021 as we eased out of the third lockdown. The vaccine rollout had just begun giving businesses a taster that life may start to return to normal. In the interviews, we heard how our inspirational guests navigated the onset of the global pandemic and what they expected the future to look like for them and their business.

Whether you're a fan of furniture, game for mini-golf, enthusiastic for kids entertainment, hungry for healthy food or mad for menswear, our guests will keep you captivated with unique stories from their entrepreneurial journeys.

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I love hearing what makes these entrepreneurs tick. Understanding what motivates them, drives them, and makes them successful.

Adam Walford
Consultant and host

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S1. E5. Spencer Craig

Spencer Craig grew up surrounded by people who ran their own businesses but he didn't realise until later in life how much that would impact him. That's why starting Pure felt like the natural thing to do when he spotted a gap in the market.

Listen here

Spencer Craig spotlight.
Brian Harrison CEO and Co-Founder, Swoon.

S1. E4. Brian Harrison

When Brian Harrison looks back at his early career, the common theme is that he was working in industries that were being particularly disrupted. Driven by the frustrations of working for a big corporate, he and co-founder Debbie Williamson came across another industry that needed transformation; furniture.

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S1. E3. Jeremy Simmonds

From day one Jeremy Simmonds and his co-founder were clear their business was all about fun. They don't have a list of corporate values but they make sure the customer experience is front and centre of everything they do.

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Jeremy Simmonds headshot in restaurant/bar.
Hannah Feldman spotlight image

S1. E2. Hannah Feldman

Hannah Feldman initially thought twice about going on a hen night on a Sunday. But she went for it, and it led to the transformation of her career. She moved from law, and banking and corporate finance, to founding a start-up and then scaling up.

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S1. E1. Simon Carter

Simon Carter was always surrounded by good taste growing up, and both his parents had their own businesses. Is it any wonder he went on to build his own successful men's fashionwear brand? 

LISTEN HERE

Picture of Simon Carter sitting relaxed in an armchair.