On The Business Show on Marlow FM on 9th Jan 25, my guests were Emma Sweet of Ace Places, and Sarah Irving of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce.

I started with AC/DC’s “Back in Black” - hear it at https://youtu.be/j5rGm3kdTuk?si=k6yjcFzLxA9zOq9n .

Emma then spoke about Ace Places. They’re not just cards to play with, they’re a guide to the area, and promote organisations that you may not have been aware of. We also discussed her plan to franchise the idea across the UK.

Connect with Emma at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-sweet-rg10/ . Her website is https://www.aceplaces.co.uk/ .

Sarah then spoke about the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce - the voice of business across the Thames Valley. We discussed how businesses get heard by government, services offered by the Chamber, and the difference between them and the independent Marlow Chamber of Commerce.

Find Sarah at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahirving/ . The Chamber website is https://www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk/ .

She chose Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” because it reminds her of her time driving her MGB GT. Hear it at https://youtu.be/6RUIeX6UCT8?si=uHvcIyd4C0DC9dKI .

Sarah's article was https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/terminal-drop-off-charge - maximising profits or nudging passengers towards being more environmentally friendly? Or both??

Emma chose “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers, because it's on her cards related Spotify playlist, which you can find at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zSW20AaFTbisdLYL3mU6c?si=o_kNSujhSWecpwJygwcrXA&pi=e-rEsY76NnQYWd&nd=1&dlsi=fdd9d01523fd444a . Or hear the song at https://youtu.be/7hx4gdlfamo?si=O2lIhVQXzUifDKQa .

Her story was https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77lg1nye7do - are there good reasons to have major brands and independents sharing the High Street?

Sarah's other story was https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2ex2ekp83po - would this be good for Marlow? Will someone drag me on to it?

My story was https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/04/its-the-pits-would-you-pay-35-for-one-of-the-new-posh-deodorants – a triumph of branding over common sense?

The last song was The Prodigy with “Firestarter” - it's at https://youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw?si=KGM4LhgovGIO2VSt .

Connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/enterprisedoctor/ .

Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/enterprisedoctorbusinessshow/.

https://enterprisedoctor.co.uk/ is my website.

Clips of all episodes are at https://www.youtube.com/user/EnterpriseDoctor/ - subscribe there, and within your podcast app!

Copyright Marlow FM Ltd 2025. Reproduced here by kind permission of Marlow FM Ltd.

Today’s episode of The Enterprise Doctor Business Show features my guest Toby Burns.

Toby describes himself as an Eventrepreneur but you might know him as the man who founded The Silent Disco Company and who now runs a number of brands in the entertainment sector. He orchestrates over 4,000 events annually, partnering with organisations such as Google, BBC, and Glastonbury Festival.

We started by talking about The Silent Disco Company and his journey to make that happen, as well as the common themes that run through all of his businesses. What is the very simple key to his success? And what are the moats he’s built around the business?

You can connect with Toby at https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-burns-ba3ab8151/ and his main website is at https://thesilentdiscocompany.co.uk/ and his YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpMivNVCvofxwqiSnxGOU-Q .

If you want to connect with me, to talk about the mentoring and coaching I deliver to small businesses, or if you think you'd be a good guest on the show, please do let me know. You can do that via https://www.linkedin.com/in/enterprisedoctor/.


To contribute to (or just read) conversations about this episode, please join the podcast's Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/enterprisedoctorbusinessshow/ .

And my website is at https://enterprisedoctor.co.uk/.

On the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/EnterpriseDoctor you can hear clips of other episodes – please subscribe there!


And within your podcast app, remember to like this episode (if you like it!), leave us a great review, and please do subscribe there too, to ensure new episodes hit your app as soon as they're released.

These words and the content of the podcast are © Enterprise Doctor 2025.

On The Business Show on Marlow FM on 19th Dec 2024, my guests were web developer David Horne and sustainable & circular fashion copywriter Saf Allaf, who joined me to talk about their work, and to discuss a range of business news stories.

I played two songs for Hilary, as it was a special day. First was “Boys Don’t Cry" by The Cure - listen at https://youtu.be/ForJZO7ne3w?si=nhUW84w5Szrmqx76

David then spoke about Kehorne, explaining the difference between a web designer and a web developer. We also talked about the business they recently bought, and the work being done to ensure their inherited clients are happy, and about why AI won’t be doing his job for him!

Connect with David via https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkehorne/ and his website is https://kehorne.co.uk/.

Saf then spoke about her work as a copywriter for sustainable and circular fashion, starting by covering off what that actually is. That conversation got quite deep, because it’s an important topic! And that’s why she does what she does – because she wants to make a difference. She also spoke about Saf’s Swap Shop, which you can find out about at https://www.instagram.com/safsswapshop/.

For more on Saf see https://www.linkedin.com/in/safiya-allaf/ and her website is at https://www.safiyaallaf.com/.

David’s music choice was Paul Simon with “That’s Why God Made the Movies”, because it’s from his favourite album, and because Douglas Adams listened to it while he was writing “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Hear it at https://youtu.be/aYgPB8Dy3qQ?si=SLvP8UGgMbLvCgM- .

The business news story chosen for us by Saf was https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/01/charity-supermkt-to-open-more-pop-ups-amid-rising-demand-for-secondhand-clothes - a great example of how collaboration within business benefits all of those involved.

We then played Saf’s choice of music, “Casio” by Jungle, because she uses it as a pick-me-up and because the dancing in the video is incredible. See it at https://youtu.be/7nJRGARveVc?si=_j1tzbhfRifW-x8b .

David then chose for us https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c390zve2ejzo - showing how a French company is investing in the UK.

We finished with a story that I found at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3rq8dg77lwo - is this the first example of employees going on strike because they want to keep working from home?

The last song is a great song for a special lady – “Nothing Compares 2u” by Sinead O’Connor - hear it at https://youtu.be/0-EF60neguk?si=_1qEiyxiVMoRbeHh .

Connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/enterprisedoctor/ and join https://www.facebook.com/groups/enterprisedoctorbusinessshow/.

Clips of all episodes are at https://www.youtube.com/user/EnterpriseDoctor/ - please subscribe there, and within your podcast app!

Copyright Marlow FM Ltd 2024. Reproduced here by kind permission of Marlow FM Ltd.