What barriers do women face in the workplace? How can women help other women? Are there enough women in leadership? On the series 2 finale of the 0121 podcast, we interviewed Marketing Director Kirstie Smith and Operations Director Cheryl Thomas from Digital Cake. Digital Cake is a Birmingham-based agency founded by e-tailers for e-tailers. It's an e-commerce focused package created to take ambitious brands to the next level with personalised branding, web and app development, and digital marketing strategies. The two colleagues and best buds are some of the most entrepreneurial people we've interviewed, with a collection of different businesses and initiatives across the city, including Girl Code, Social Circle and Forward 2022. We find out what they've learned from their side hustles, the barriers facing women in business, the resources that exist for women, and why it's important for Birmingham businesses to work together and support each other. We'll see you soon for series 3, where Lee and Adam will be back with more shenanigans and more about Brum! Leave us a review letting us know what (or who) you want to see in the next series.

content warning: this episode includes discussions about mental ill-health and suicide. How do you talk about mental health and wellbeing in the workplace? What can leaders be doing to support their team and themselves? Is there enough awareness of mental health and wellbeing? On this episode of the 0121 podcast, Adam and Andy interview Katie Buckingham, founder of Altruist Enterprises: a nationwide workplace stress management and resilience training provider. We want to use this podcast to tell the stories of Birmingham-based entrepreneurs and influencers who are doing their part to positively impact the West Midlands. In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, which took place from 10th-16th May, Katie seemed like the perfect guest to ignite a conversation about how to treat mental health in the workplace. Katie Buckingham is a seasoned public speaker and innovator of bespoke mental health courses. Though she first experienced anxiety aged ten, the lack of awareness around mental health and wellbeing in schools and workplaces meant that she didn’t receive support until the age of 16. One year later, she began raising awareness of mental health and well-being by delivering workshops in schools, colleges, and youth groups. Katie’s passion for mental health and wellbeing led her to found Altruist Enterprises in August 2013. They aim to increase knowledge, encourage conversations, and build confidence around mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. We talk about how Katie founded Altruist, discuss the 'five ways to wellbeing', and explore how businesses can be supporting their workforce's mental health and wellbeing. Remember to leave us a review to let us know who you'd like to see on the podcast next.

How do you turn passion into profit? How do you turn creativity into a career? What is the first UK children's pamper salon like? How important is social media to your personal brand? Welcome to the 0121 podcast, where we tell the stories of the Midlands' most exciting entrepreneurs and influencers, and champion the great city of Birmingham. This episode is hosted by Adam and a special guest while Lee is taking paternity leave! (#BringBackLee) This week, we interviewed creative entrepreneur Tru Powell, creative director of Aston Performing Arts Academy, board member of the Hippodrome, and founding partner of Kandy Girl: the UK's first children's pamper salon. Tru Powell is a multi-award-winning creative entrepreneur, publicity coach, and personal brand strategist. Born and bred in Birmingham, Tru has had a passion for enterprise, the arts, and events, since a young age. In this episode, we talk about how Tru subverts stereotypes at the Aston Performing Arts Academy, breaks barriers with the Hippodrome, and conquers challenges with Kandy Girl. Listen until the end to hear Tru's top tips for personal branding! Remember to leave us a review to let us know who you'd like to see on the podcast next.

How do you use social media to grow your mentor base? Can you teach law over social media? Which social platform is the best for publishing educational content? We’re Lee and Adam, best friends and co-founders of Birmingham-based social media publishing group, Electric House. We created the 0121 podcast to champion Brummie entrepreneurs and influencers, and shout about what makes our city so great! This week, we interviewed Chrissie Wolfe, founder of Law and Broader- a cross-platform initiative using social media to share educational content about the legal profession. Chrissie moved to Birmingham for university, fell in love with the city, and couldn’t bring herself to leave. After “wiggling” her way into a post-graduate program in law, Chrissie began Law and Broader to mentor and support other people trying to get into the profession. In this episode, we talk about Chrissie’s story from getting ‘spectacularly bad’ A-levels, to becoming a lawyer, and sharing what she’s learned over social media. We also cover the topic of fitting the mould, accessibility, and how to combat imposter syndrome.

What is coaching? Do coaches need coaches? What tools are there for coaching? What is a coaching business? We’re Lee and Adam, co-founders of Social Media publishing group, Electric House. We love Birmingham- we’re the most diverse city outside of London in the UK with a fascinating history and an inspiring future. We created the 0121 podcast to tells the stories of Birmingham’s most exciting entrepreneurs and influencers. On this episode, we interview Daniella Genas, the founder of She’s the Boss. Daniella is a multi-award-winning strategy and innovation expert, entrepreneur, speaker, and business advisor, with over a decade of practical and academic experience in the field. She’s the Boss is a coaching, consultancy, and training business. The aim is to equip ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners with the tools to build profitable, sustainable systems and driven businesses. The outcome is a proven business growth by up to 75%. Listen to the end to find out more about the entrepreneur gender gap, the benefits and processes of coaching, and why you should throw your vision board in the bin.

Harriet Saunders is the fund executive for the FSE Group. She delivers £40m of debt funding to SMEs in the Midlands as part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund. Passionate about scaling up businesses, exploring workplace diversity, and talking business, Harriet was a great guest for episode 7. We're Lee and Adam, Brummie best friends and co-founders of Social Media Publisher, Electric House. We created the 0121 podcast to shout about the people and businesses that make Birmingham so great, and discuss what we can be doing to better champion the city. In the episode, we talk about the approach to raising investment, the difference between pitching as a start-up and as a mature business, and how we can represent underrepresented groups better. If you found this episode valuable, please remember to follow and rate our podcast so we know how we’re doing!

Joe Schuppler is the founder of Independent Birmingham: a website, membership, app, and events company that celebrates the city of Birmingham and the brilliant independent businesses that make the city so exciting and unique. We’re Lee and Adam, co-founders of social media publishing group, Electric House, Brummie best friends, and lovers of all things Birmingham. We interviewed Joe on an episode of the 0121 podcast, which explores the stories behind the most exciting and influential entrepreneurs and influencers from the West Midlands. In the episode, we talk about how Independent Birmingham grew from a student blog into a vital cultural initiative, how the hospitality sector has adapted during the lockdown, and how independent businesses can use social media to boost their game. If you found this episode valuable, please remember to follow and rate our podcast so we know how we’re doing!

Go behind the scenes of the biggest nonprofit community hub in Birmingham city centre. How do you practice good CSR? How do you set up a charity? Hi! We’re Lee & Adam, co-founders of Electric House, a social media publisher based in Birmingham. Our new podcast series, the 0121, tells the stories of the midlands’ most exciting entrepreneurs and influencers. We want to be championing Brum, and asking questions about what the city can be doing to support its creators. Our podcast guest this week is PJ Ellis. Once a practicing solicitor who directed the Birmingham Law Society, PJ found a passion for charity and co-founded LoveBrum over a fish finger sandwich and a pint of beer. LoveBrum is a charity that supports local people and businesses in order to build an even better Birmingham. They aim to support over 36 projects per year; each project is often volunteer-led, and every penny raised from individual memberships and fundraising stays in Birmingham and goes straight to the chosen causes. In the episode, we talk about LoveBrum’s origin story, PJ’s introduction to charity work, LoveBrum’s vision, and why it’s so important to conduct charity work locally. You can watch the video version of this podcast on the Lee & Adam YouTube channel. If you found it valuable, make sure to give it a like and check out our other episodes! Thanks for listening!

In the summer of 2017, global clothing brand P&Co lost everything to a warehouse fire. After ten days, they launched their brand new Autumn collection as planned. How can ecom brands use communities on social media? How important are brand values? What’s it like to build a global brand with your best friend? We’re Lee and Adam, best friends and co-founders of the social media publishing group, Electric House. We’re also extremely Brummie and proud! Our new podcast series, the 0121, tells the stories of the midlands’ most exciting entrepreneurs and influencers. Joining us for episode 4 is Adison Clark, co-founder of the global clothing brand, P&Co. Provision and Co was created by two best friends who wanted to build something that would give them creative freedom. The brand started out with a run of 45 t-shirts all printed by hand. Fuelled by caffeine, creativity and some serious hard craft, they’ve now grown to a global lifestyle style brand offering a range of menswear, womenswear and goods. After founding the business in 2013 and growing the brand alongside his best friend Lee, Adison changed roles in May 2020 to pursue a career in digital marketing and consultancy. He now builds brands by empowering entrepreneurs to think big. In the episode, we talk about the origins and growth of P&Co, the impact of the 2017 warehouse fire on P&Co, and what happens when a CEO steps back from their business. If you want to watch the video version of this episode, you can head over to the Lee & Adam YouTube channel, and also check out more 0121 episodes there.

“Podcasts have made me change my perception of people...” says Nathan Anibaba, professional podcaster. But how do you start a podcast? How can podcasting help your business? What are the best podcasting tips? We’re Lee and Adam: best friends, business co-founders, and now co-hosts of the best Birmingham business podcast around (we’re biased). The 0121 tells the stories of Midlands-based entrepreneurs and influencers. We want to champion the city and ask the difficult questions about what more we can be doing to support up-and-coming Brummy creators. Joining us for episode 3 is Nathan Anibaba: creator and host of Agency Dealmasters podcast. After starting his professional life in sales, he soon realised that podcasting would be an efficient and powerful method of networking with agency owners who he wanted to win as clients. We talk about the origins of Agency Dealmasters and the opportunities in podcasting for businesses. We also stress the importance of podcast niches, taking risks, and test and fail when starting a podcast. Listen until the end of the podcast to find out who Nathan’s dream podcast guest is and his top three tried and tested tips for creating an excellent podcast. If you want to watch the video version of this podcast, head over to the Lee & Adam channel on YouTube. Remember to like and subscribe while you're there!