People Tell Richard Stuff

If you don’t know Matt Seaman, you’ve definitely seen something created by one of his companies. Matt is the CEO of GoMedia, who provides on-board entertainment for the rail industry. Before that, he was one of the founders of Freeview, which of course anyone in the UK would know. Matt has a strong background in building out TV platforms, and his story will be interesting for anyone starting or growing a business. What I found especially interesting was GoMedia’s initial phase, where Matt and his team were balancing building out the platform and striking partnerships with both train companies and content partners. We talked about: Matt’s background in TV platforms; How Matt spotted the opportunity for rail entertainment; Dealing with content partners and studios; Keeping content secure, especially in the early days; How Matt and his team built trust with both content and train partners; Meeting the quality demands of the consumer; The need to continually innovate and provide new content; The challenges of providing WiFi to large numbers of train travellers; How GoMedia makes money; Raising money to get the company off the ground; The importance of good partners and a good team in a startup; Bulding business in the UK vs. going international; Making bets on the future of mobility; Why huge companies like to work with SMEs; Using data now and in the future; How train companies can make the customer experience better through small steps; And Matt’s vision for GoMedia in five years. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 54 Matt Seaman, CEO, GoMedia The post Matt Seaman, CEO, GoMedia appeared first on Reevoo.

On this show I’ve spoken to a few people whose remit is to innovate from within big established brands. Sebastian Peck is one such person – he’s the MD of InMotion Ventures, the innovation arm of Jaguar Land Rover. InMotion is split into two very distinct parts; a traditional incubator, where his team have free reign to be creative problem solvers; and an investment arm which operates much like a traditional VC on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover. It’s a fascinating operation and a huge opportunity for Sebastian, who’s been in the role a little over a year. We talked about: The way our cities are built around cars, and how that’s starting to change; InMotion Ventures’ two distinct parts; What Sebastian sees as Jaguar Land Rover’s 3 pillars of innovation; The challenges and benefits of being associated with such a huge brand; How to keep the right amount of distance as an investor; A particularly exciting InMotion investment and a top-secret original project; Allowing for serendipity with investments and partnerships; What’s holding back the concept car-sharing in western countries; Is it less attractive to own a car for millennials? Or is it just more difficult? The top things Sebastian looks for in a pitch; Navigating the politics of a big company like JLR; The impact of Tesla on the industry and public perception; And some big bets for the future of mobility. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 53 Sebastian Peck, Managing Director, InMotion Ventures The post Sebastian Peck, Managing Director, InMotion Ventures appeared first on Reevoo.

My latest chat was with Rob Weston, global brand and marketing director at M&S. Rob and I spoke about all the things that keep his job exciting, from the changing customer in retail, to the power of data and AI. Rob’s role at M&S is broader than most in retail, covering food, fashion and banking, and has recently expanded to include ownership of the customer – giving him an interesting perspective on the overall customer experience. Keeping up with the pace of change in retail is a fascinating topic. Bringing the customer experience back to when your local shopkeeper could easily figure out with a conversation what was most important to you. Rob shared his thoughts on how technology can be leveraged to get to that level of personalisation across digital channels as well as in-store. We talked about: Keeping up with the pace of change; Focusing on the trends your customers actually care about; Picking which few things to do really well; Keeping an eye on growing markets, like the ageing population; Beyond just mobile, what it means to have the world in your pocket; Personalisation as a balancing act; The importance of seamless to and fro of goods; How a rental retail model is emerging; Personal recommendations as the most powerful form of advertising; Offline analytics becoming as good as online; The concept of ‘one basket’; Loyalty propositions; The future of efficient bricks and mortar; And remembering the questions you’re trying to answers. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 52 Rob Weston, Global Brand & Marketing Director, M&S The post Rob Weston, Global Brand & Marketing Director, M&S appeared first on Reevoo.

Super excited to add to the list of podcast guests who make me look uncool – Rand Fishkin joins me on the show this week. Rand goes by the ludicrous title, Wizard of Moz. He’s founder and former CEO of SEO software startup Moz, host of Whiteboard Friday, co-author of a pair of books on SEO, co-founder of Inbound.org, and serves on the board of the presentation software firm, Haiku Deck. Rand’s currently writing a book for Penguin/Random House on the ups and downs of startup culture, due out this year. Rand is also planning another big move this year, which he talks about – and gives the one piece of advice he thinks is crucial for startups starting today. We talked about: • A brief overview of Moz, and its journey from consultancy to product company; • The business move that transformed Moz; • Why Moz was successful in the early days; • What should come first – audience or product; • The only thing that can kill SEO; • Rand’s thoughts on Google becoming a ‘suggestion engine’; • Facebook’s ‘algorithmic radicalisation’; • What SEOs can learn from Google’s intent; • How to get in front of people before they have a need for your product; • What net neutrality will mean for brands; • Influencer marketing and disclosing endorsements; • Regulation like GDPR in the EU; • How SEO should be handled internally, • And how to handle things like voice search. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 51 Rand Fishkin, founder, Moz The post Rand Fishkin, founder, Moz appeared first on Reevoo.

Thanks for listening in 2017 – we’ve had a great time doing People Tell Richard Stuff. As an end of year treat, I’ve put together a 45min compilation of a few of my favourite bits from this year. Here’s what I’ve picked: Brian Solis, digital analyst, speaker and author We talk about a few huge acquisitions that took place in 2017 – Amazon/Whole Foods and Wal-Mart/Bonobos – and what that means for each. We also discuss how hard it can be to effect culture change in these big companies, especially when it comes to digital innovation. Justine Roberts, co-founder & CEO, Mumsnet Justine is quite candid about the early days of Mumsnet, where she would ask and answer her own questions to drive activity on the site. I ask her about how the site has grown and how the strategy has evolved, especially with Google and Facebook rocking the boat. Edward Griffith, co-founder & CEO, LoveCrafts Edward grew LoveCrafts as a multisided platform – ecommerce plus social marketplace. That’s a tricky thing to balance, so I asked him about why he started with the ecommerce and grew from there. We also talk about international expansion and how LoveCrafts is managing growth. Jonathan Wall, group ecommerce director, Shop Direct Jonathan is really excited about how AI and chat bots can help with customer service. We talk about that, and all the different components that come together to create a sleek, delightful customer experience. David Walmsley, chief customer officer, House of Fraser David represents the ‘conscience of the customer’ within House of Fraser, so we talk about listening to customers and bringing all departments of the business together around a common aim – meeting customer expectations at every touchpoint. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 50 The best of 2017 The post The best of the podcast 2017 appeared first on Reevoo.

Nicholas Lovell, author of best-selling book The Curve, welcomed me into his London home for this episode of the podcast. The Curve emerged from Nicholas’ work in video games, where so much is given away for free. He developed a business model that allows different types of fans to engage with (and pay) your brand in different ways. Now, Nicholas advises creative businesses on strategy and has been working on a really cool book series called ‘The World of Supersaurs’ which comes with an incredible AR app. It’s not just games companies that will enjoy this episode – The Curve model and Nicholas’ thoughts on “earning the right to talk to people” will chime with content marketers as well. We talked about: • ‘Free’ as a tool for competition; • How the concept of ‘free’ should be used in a long-term plan; • The concept of the ‘superfan’ and how to create them; • How Nespresso transcended the supermarket to go direct-to-consumer; • How content can contribute to identity and remove buyer’s remorse; • Why you need to start by considering what your customers want; • How content marketing is a good starting point; • The ‘content trap’; • The different types of risk; • ‘The World of Supersaurs’; • On the content and completion of his next project ‘The pyramid of game design’; • And the difference between free-to-play and freemium. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 49 Nicholas Lovell, author and advisor to creative businesses The post Nicholas Lovell, author and advisor to creative businesses appeared first on Reevoo.

James Brocket joins me on this episode of the podcast – we’re talking about putting together great boards and executive teams. James is a co-founder and managing partner of the global executive search firm Calibre One. His focus is on recruiting at board and C-level, so I thought I’d ask him about how those roles are changing – especially in James’ work with startups and newer businesses. As a founder and previous CEO myself, I found this a fascinating chat. It’s great to get a perspective on leadership from someone who lives and breathes it. We talked about: • The changing expectations of a board; • What a really good board can do for a business; • How innovation is reflected at board level; • Good qualities of a board member – is it strategy, experience or a Rolodex? • How to keep board members from becoming bored members; • The role of advisory boards; • Why most boards aren’t as current as they need to be; • Support for founding CEOs and assembling a ‘support team’; • Where to find good mentors; • Diversity around board tables and on management teams (and whether businesses are doing enough); • And how to bring diversity into the search process. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 48 James Brocket, international headhunter & executive recruiter The post James Brocket, international headhunter & executive recruiter appeared first on Reevoo.

For this week’s episode we’re off to Durham in the north of England to talk to Mark Mullen, CEO of new digital-only ‘upstart’ Atom bank. Mark was previously CEO of First Direct, so he’s had extensive experience in the banking system – now he’s trying to change it. Recommended Top ten podcasts if you want to learn about… How Americans are choosing their banks Mark Bloxham, managing director, James Villas You might have heard my chats with a few of London’s new startup banks and FinTech ventures before – but Atom’s a different story. For one, they’re not based in London, which makes a nice change. But it’s Atom’s proposition that’s truly different. Rather than try and dazzle people, Atom is using its technology advantage to provide a cheaper, more efficient banking service. Watch the video here or skip to the bottom for audio: We talked about: • How Atom started, and why it started in Durham; • The advantages of existing outside the London bubble; • Finding the right talent, especially in engineering; • Regulation’s effect on innovation in banking (both for and against); • Educating the regulators; • How Open Banking will affect the industry and its customers; • The universal banking model, and the problem with a ‘one-stop shop’; • Atom’s target market (which might surprise you); • Mark’s philosophy on developing Atom and its products; • How Atom plans to acquire customers and battle inertia; • The importance of a human face or ‘beating heart’; • How vital trust is for a new bank; • And Atom’s most high-profile employee – strategic advisor Will.i.am. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 47 Mark Mullen, CEO, Atom bank The post Mark Mullen, CEO, Atom bank appeared first on Reevoo.

After a lovely summer break I’m back with new episodes – first up I’m talking to Brian Solis, digital analyst, speaker and author. In his day job, Brian is a principal analyst studying disruptive technology and its impact on business at Altimeter Group, a research firm acquired by global brand management consultancy Prophet in 2015. He also publishes a ton of his own research about digital transformation – Brian’s helped countless businesses, leaders and founders (including myself). We talked about: • Online/offline mergers and acquisitions (like Amazon/Whole Foods) and the strategy behind them; • Why removing beers from the office can be a fatal move; • Digital transformation done right – and wrong; • The right mindset for effective disruption; • The difference between startups and older businesses; • ‘Digital Darwinism’ – the evolution of tech, society and everything in between; • Examples of businesses that have revolutionised without losing revenue; • Where most businesses fail to evolve (with Kodak as an example); • Why we need a new breed of company leadership; • How innovations by tech companies change consumer expectations in all industries; • And what Brian thinks is the right approach to change. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 45 Brian Solis, digital analyst, speaker and author The post Brian Solis, digital analyst, speaker and author appeared first on Reevoo.

Today I’m sitting down with a founding partner of one of the hottest ad agencies in London – Andy Nairn from Lucky Generals. Andy co-founded Lucky Generals in 2013. The agency is responsible for almost all the good creative that’s going around at the moment, including my recent favourite: the Yorkshire Tea ‘Where Everything’s Done Proper’ campaign featuring Parky and the Kaiser Chiefs. Before starting the agency, Andy’s pedigree was impressive too. He’s won 24 major effectiveness awards, including the 2005, 2007 and 2010 Grand Prix at the IPA Effectiveness Awards. Campaign magazine named him as the UK’s top planner and one of the top ten planners in the world. We talked about: • The essence of good planning; • What the modern consumer expects; • Why good advertising can kill bad products; • What Andy thinks about the old analogue/digital thinking; • The creative process, and the role of metrics and measurement; • How tracking and accountability have changed; • Brands scoring own goals on social media (and how to avoid it); • A big Paddy Power stunt that got a little out of hand; • Programmatic and algorithm-driven advertising; • How AI will change the industry (or not change it); • Andy’s view of the next five years; • And the rationale behind Lucky Generals’ recent sale to TBWA. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 45 Andy Nairn, Founding Partner, Lucky Generals The post Andy Nairn, founding partner, Lucky Generals appeared first on Reevoo.

I’ve had a lot of people on the podcast talking about innovation and the economy – but nobody as knowledgeable as economist John Glen. John is the director for the Centre for Customised Executive Development at Cranfield School of Management. He’s regularly commenting on UK and global macro-economics and the finance of football on BBC radio and television, and you can really see why – John has a way of explaining complex concepts with many moving parts in an extremely accessible way. John’s thoughts on skills and wealth distribution form the backbone of our conversation but we cover plenty more as well. We talked about: • Why it’s small and medium-sized firms that are the unsung heroes of the economy; • The strength of Britain’s manufacturing sector; • How to deal with Brexit uncertaincy; • Where we’ll see funding coming from in future; • Immigration and jobs in tech; • Skilling up our youth for Britain’s new jobs; • Which way the banks are betting; • The role of AI in the future of the workplace; • How technology will shape the new economy; • Redistribution of wealth; • And John’s view of the next five years. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 44 John Glen, Economist The post John Glen, Economist appeared first on Reevoo.

I’ve had a lot of people on the podcast talking about innovation and the economy – but nobody as knowledgeable as economist John Glen. John is the director for the Centre for Customised Executive Development at Cranfield School of Management. He’s regularly commenting on UK and global macro-economics and the finance of football on BBC radio and television, and you can really see why – John has a way of explaining complex concepts with many moving parts in an extremely accessible way. John’s thoughts on skills and wealth distribution form the backbone of our conversation but we cover plenty more as well. We talked about: • Why it’s small and medium-sized firms that are the unsung heroes of the economy; • The strength of Britain’s manufacturing sector; • How to deal with Brexit uncertaincy; • Where we’ll see funding coming from in future; • Immigration and jobs in tech; • Skilling up our youth for Britain’s new jobs; • Which way the banks are betting; • The role of AI in the future of the workplace; • How technology will shape the new economy; • Redistribution of wealth; • And John’s view of the next five years. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 44 John Glen, Economist The post John Glen, Economist appeared first on Reevoo.

People talk a lot about how the ‘leadership mentality’ is a critical skill for a founder – well, Ed Bussey has it in his DNA. Ed’s the founder and CEO of Quill Content, a content creation platform that specialises in providing online businesses with ‘content at scale’. A former submariner with the Navy, Ed spent time in the Foreign Office and studied at Cambridge before making a transition to entrepreneurship, starting and exiting the ecommerce site Figleaves and now Quill. Ed’s a fascinating guy, and the way he breaks down the different levels of content is worth a listen. Recommended How you can make your brand talk like a human, not a business Kris Naudts, Founder & CEO, Culture Trip The best of the podcast If you’re after the exact stat Ed mentions towards the end of our chat, it’s from the  Gartner CMO Spend Survey 2016- 17: “Investments in content creation and management have doubled over the last year from 0.3% of revenue to 0.7% of revenue” We talked about: • Ed’s mindset, and how it lends itself to leadership & entrepreneurship; • The importance of culture; • How leadership in the forces compares to leadership in the workplace; • The meaning of ‘content’ to different people, and Ed’s definition; • What level of content is most important; • How content directly drives conversion; • The surprising truth about a brand’s tone of voice; • Which teams are leading content/tone of voice strategy; • How retailers and fashion brands can use content to compete with the big marketplaces; • AI content creation; • And Ed’s trip to the North Pole. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 43 Ed Bussey, Founder & CEO, Quill Content The post Ed Bussey, Founder & CEO, Quill Content appeared first on Reevoo.

This week on the show I’m welcoming Tim Hughes, co-Founder of Digital Leadership Associates. This episode is all about selling. Or, as Tim might redefine it – ‘helping people buy’. Tim’s been selling for 25 years, and has seen it change up close. Tim’s probably one of the better barometers you’ll find when it comes to the sales process, and he’s right into ‘social selling’ – helping businesses get in front of people early in the purchase journey. One stat Tim quotes really hit home for me – as he says, people are 57% of the way through the purchase journey before they contact a salesperson. That means content creation and social media is now part of the sales process. Recommended Simon Francis, ?CEO, ?Flock Associates Phoebe Hugh, co-Founder & CEO, Brolly Pete Blackshaw, Global Head of Digital & Social Media, Nestlé Also, watch out for his story about how Tim’s team at Oracle cut sales cycle down from 18 months to six months (and sometimes weeks) by throwing out the PowerPoint slides and using an old-fashioned whiteboard instead. We talked about: • The evolution of sales and how the process has changed; • How to be visible earlier on in the journey; • Where salespeople can enter the process in this new world; • How to ‘bump into people’ and create serendipity using digital; • Prioritising time and resource for content and social selling; • Tim’s writing process; • What social media platforms are good for salespeople; • The changes of behaviours involved in social selling; • The theory behind posting on LinkedIn; • Throwing out the PowerPoint for a whiteboard in a sales meeting; • How large corporates sell – yesterday and today; • Books and resources Tim finds life-changing; • And the art of the close. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 42 Tim Hughes, Co-Founder, Digital Leadership Associates The post Tim Hughes, Co-Founder, Digital Leadership Associates appeared first on Reevoo.

For this podcast I sat down with Edward Griffith, co-founder and CEO of LoveCrafts. Edward has created a business that’s part ecommerce and part social network. Or, in the company’s words, “a community that would support and unite makers worldwide: a home where they can be inspired, connect, share and create.” Edward posing with an impressive knitting project Walking into LoveCrafts’ office and chatting to a couple of people busy knitting, it became immediately obvious that this was a company where people really enjoy what they do. Recommended Lopo Champalimaud, co-Founder & CEO, Treatwell The best of the podcast Kris Naudts, Founder & CEO, Culture Trip LoveCrafts’ rate of growth is astonishing for a business built in such a particular market. After starting in London in 2012, it took just three months for over 20% of its business to come from outside the UK. Edward has now built a physical presence in three countries – I was especially interested to hear his thoughts on expansion. We talked about: • Taking business ideas from your significant other; • The lessons Edward learnt from the power of social; • The struggles faced when choosing a demographic in a broad sector; • The similarities of knitting and coding; • Using tracking data to be helpful instead of creepy (with examples of who’s doing it right); • LoveCrafts’ process of building offices overseas; • And tips for entrepreneurs starting out. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 41 Edward Griffith, co-Founder & CEO, LoveCrafts The post Edward Griffith, co-Founder & CEO, LoveCrafts appeared first on Reevoo.

We’re going green for episode 40 – I sat down with Hayden Wood, one of the founders of the renewable energy company Bulb. Walking into Bulb’s office is a world away from what you’d get over at one of the ‘big 6’ energy companies. There’s a real startup vibe at bulb – so there should be, they’re trying to change the energy industry. Recommended The best of the podcast Mark Bloxham, Managing Director, James Villas Ali Mitchell, co-Founder, Huddle Bulb is stripping out all the complicated stuff and offering all customers a single tariff. Hayden explains how they keep that tariff low while making sure the energy is renewable – you’ll have to listen to find out his secrets. We talked about: • How Bulb differs from other energy companies (both practically and in spirit); • The inefficiencies Hayden and his co-founder Amit’s saw in the industry; • The politics of switching suppliers and how to empower people; • Bulb’s marketing channels, junk mail and the power of word-of-mouth; • Making energy fun and accessible through social media; • Building trust in a sector that lacks it; • Bulb’s secret to arming a community of advocates (and the benefits of it); • And how Hayden sees technology changing the energy industry. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 40 Hayden Wood, co-Founder, Bulb The post Hayden Wood, co-Founder, Bulb appeared first on Reevoo.

This week I’m talking to Malcolm Coles, ex-digital media director at the Telegraph, who’s now chief content officer at the new Clarkson/Hammond/May digital project DRIVETRIBE – a ‘social network for petrolheads’. Malcolm is a very articulate, outspoken and funny guy – and it was a pleasure hearing from him the vision of DRIVETRIBE. He’s lived with the frustrations of the big publishers – now the leash is off. We talked about: • How print-first publishers have approached digital in the past; • The idea of ‘tribes’ and how DRIVETRIVE organises its content; • DRIVETRIBE’s balance of user-generated and professional content; • Where DRIVETRIBE’s funding has come from, and the involvement of its three famous founders; • Publishers as ‘social networks’; • Early audience numbers and performance; • What Malcolm sees as the secret to success; • Some great examples of what DRIVETRIBE is collecting; • How DRIVETRIBE is set up internally; • And Malcolm’s 5-year predictions about DRIVETRIBE, publishers and social media platforms. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 39 Malcolm Coles, Chief Content Officer, DRIVETRIBE The post Malcolm Coles, Chief Content Officer, DRIVETRIBE appeared first on Reevoo.

In a classic case of startup culture, it was in a cosy server room where I spoke to Kris Naudts, a former psychiatrist and now founder and CEO of Culture Trip. Culture trip is a content publisher with the brains of a tech company. Kris started Culture Trip as a global company, and it’s now growing into its own clothes – and busting out of its office as you’ll hear. Kris surprised me with stories from Culture Trip’s early days, where the norms associated with building a company seemed to have been thrown out of the window. Standing in front of Culture Trip's (amazing) growth charts We talked about: • The amazing rate of Culture Trip’s expansion and the growing pains that ensued • How a pragmatic and relentless approach helped in the early days • Kris’ ‘winner takes all’ mind-set • Looking back, would Kris do anything differently? (His answer is very honest) • Why London was the best place for Culture Trip to settle • What drew Kris away from psychiatry and into the startup world • How Culture Trip lasted with a three month horizon for three years • Kris’ plans to take on Buzzfeed & Vice in the ‘quality content’ sector The post Kris Naudts, co-Founder & CEO, Culture Trip appeared first on Reevoo.

I’m taking a trip down memory lane on the podcast today as I chat to Phoebe Hugh, the co-founder and CEO of insurance startup Brolly. Seeing the Brolly crew in their element reminded me of Reevoo in its early days – and judging from my chat with Phoebe, they have an exciting road ahead of them. Brolly is billing itself as a ‘personal insurance concierge’ – basically, the old-school version of customer service delivered in a distinctly new-school way. Brolly will use AI and machine learning to suggest the right types of cover. We talked about: • The good and bad of the insurance industry in its current state; • What customers are expecting from insurers today; • The confusing role of loyalty and trust in insurance; • What ‘true personalisation’ means; • 3 key areas that Brolly is setting out to help with; • How a roof tile sums up the broken insurance system; • Brolly’s pursuit to steer insurance away from being a grudge purchase; • Whether to hire tech people or insurance people; • The people inspiring Phoebe on her journey; • And the future Brolly vision. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 37 Phoebe Hugh, co-Founder & CEO, Brolly The post Phoebe Hugh, co-Founder & CEO, Brolly appeared first on Reevoo.

There aren’t many business tales as long or storied as Shop Direct’s. And one man who has played a huge part in the narrative is today’s podcast guest, Jonathan Wall. The Shop Direct group, and in particular its main brands Very and Littlewoods, has gone through an incredible transformation in the last few years. Its famous mail order system has been ripped out, and in its place is a slick ecommerce operation. Jonathan Wall is the man behind that operation so I was very excited to get him on the show. Recommended Jeremy Fennell, Managing Director, Carphone Warehouse Top ten podcasts if you want to learn about… Marcus Hodgkinson, Managing Director, sophus3 We talked about: • Shop Direct’s journey since Jonathan joined in 2010, particularly its fashion brand Very; • Why it was a blessing in disguise to be late to digital; • Introducing a ‘fail fast’ culture to a catalogue business; • App vs mobile web, and the one main difference that came up in user testing; • What’s the right level of personalisation? And how Shopdirect achieves it; • How AI and machine learning will change customer service; • Very’s buyer persona, ‘Miss Very’, and how it permeates the culture of the company; • The HIPPO dilemma; • Cultivating an atmosphere of innovation in a large company; • And the three things that really excite Jonathan about the future. People Tell Richard Stuff: Episode 36 Jonathan Wall, Group eCommerce Director, Shop Direct The post Jonathan Wall, Group Ecommerce Director, Shop Direct appeared first on Reevoo.