Tough Cookies Podcast

The Podcast about Bristol and South West entrepreneurs

Welcome to the Tough Cookies podcasts where we interview individuals who build, scale and support startups in the South West of England.

Subscribe to the Tough Cookies Podcasts

Get the latest episode from the Tough Cookies Podcast and learn about the South West entrepreneurs and enablers

Keeping Bristol weird (Marty Reid from Engine Shed)

To mark the re-opening of Engine Shed this week we’re releasing our Tough Cookies episode featuring Marty Reid. Marty had only recently taken on the role as Head of Engine Shed the time of recording, and chats through his decision to leave the corporate world behind after 10 years at Rolls Royce. His previous work and studies had taken him all around the world from Munich to Canada to Japan — but he found his focus shifting moving towards working with smaller companies, within the tech sector and on a more regional basis. He landed a role leading Future Space, the innovation centre at UWE, before joining Engine Shed.

Market research & customer feedback: 3 startup mistakes to avoid - Behind the Screens #7

This week Nic and Nathalie sit down to talk about getting involved in and giving back to the community as entrepreneurs. They look back at everything they’ve done, successfully or otherwise, over the last decade to cement their place in the Bristol ecosystem.

Beyond building apps - CookiesHQ and the community - Behind the Screens #6

How setting personal goals can boost your business - Behind the Screens #5

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt organisations across the globe. Business plans, forecasts and even products aren’t looking the same as they were when the year began. Goals we set for ourselves may have looked optimistic and achievable in January, and now look near impossible come July. Could using this midpoint in the year to compile a different set of goals help people regain a sense of control that was lost to lockdown turmoil?

Trust communication & collaboration: How we manage a remote team - Behind the Screens #4

This week Nic and Nathalie sit down to talk about the challenges and benefits of working and managing a team remotely. They’ve always embraced flexible remote working – but how do they feel about having been forced into managing a fully remote team by Covid-19?

Organising the chaos: How we manage a flexible project scope on a fixed budget - Behind the Screens #3

CookiesHQ are looking for a new Project Manager, so this week Nic and Nat sit down to talk through how we approach new projects and what skills a person might need for the role – offering an insight to the inner workings here at Cookies.

Our job is to make other people happy, and it's addictive - Behind the Screens #2

This week, Nic and Nathalie sit down to talk about the challenges of starting, running and growing a service business. Well… that was the plan

Did we really have to think about closing Cookies because of a virus? - Behind the Screens #1

Nat and Nic reflect on the period of uncertainty triggered by lockdown, the management challenges that arose at Cookies and how they are juggling work and family life.

The past, present and future of the Bristol entrepreneurial scene - (Nick Sturge)

Nic and Ben discuss the resources available in Bristol for startups, what it’s like to live in the city and how people can connect with one another.

Transparency and trust: We know there's a gender pay gap but what are you going to do about it? (Zara from GapSquare)

With a shift currently happening in the workforce due to automation, Nic and Zara discuss how society should also be innovating the way people are paid using the technologies and data available to us. They touch on whether people should be paid for the value of their work, not the time.

The making of a performance growth agency (Ashley Wheeler from HdE)

Nic sits down with Ashley Wheeler, co-founder and CEO of HdE: A Bristol-based performance growth agency for the tech and digital sector. They discuss what “performance growth” actually means for businesses, Ash’s career before setting up his own company and the tech cluster in Bristol.

How to shape innovative university students (Katie Martin from The University of Bristol)

Nic sits down with Katie Martin to talk about how The University of Bristol supports students to launch their own companies and chase their dream career in business.

Business development and Loop program (David Corlett from Workbrands)

This week Nic sits down with David Corlett, Business Director at Workbrands. They speak about David’s career journey and the world of branding and business development. They discuss the new Bristol Loop programme, a growth programme for startup and scaleup founders.

Bristol startup ecosystem and a new investment programme (Ben Shorrock from TechSPARK)

Nic and Ben discuss the resources available in Bristol for startups, what it’s like to live in the city and how people can connect with one another.

The Podcast about Bristol and South West entrepreneurs

Subscribe to the Tough Cookies Podcasts

It all starts with a chat