Business and a Brew
Welcome to Business and a Brew – the podcast where real conversations about business happen over a good drink. Hosted by Danielle and Simon, this show brings together two friends with years of shared experiences, lessons learned, and plenty of stories to tell.
We’re here to explore the highs, lows, and in-betweens of business, from awkward challenges to unexpected victories. No topic is off the table – if it’s part of the entrepreneurial journey, we’re talking about it. Whether you’re looking for relatable advice, fresh perspectives, or just a laugh, you’ll find it here.
Think of us as your business buddies, chatting over coffee (or something stronger), keeping it real and keeping you entertained. So, grab your brew of choice, tune in, and let’s get talking. Cheers!
Episodes
94 episodes
Sometimes mistakes can make you a fortune : The Bette Nesmith Graham liquid paper story
In this episode, Dani and Si uncover the story of Bette Nesmith Graham, a determined single mother whose everyday frustration at work sparked an idea she couldn’t ignore. What began as a practical fix would grow far be...
How Jeremy Clarkson's Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Built a Brand, Then Lost It All
One throwaway line from Jeremy Clarkson on Clarkson's Farm sent Dani down a rabbit hole, and in this episode of Business in the Brew, Si gets the whole story. It's about a humble jar you've probably got in your kitchen right now, and h...
Blubber, Big Business, and the Logic of Exploitation: The Dark History of Commercial Whaling
In this episode Dani and Si dive into the brutal history of commercial whaling and what it reveals about the cold logic of capitalism. From whale oil lighting the streets of London to blubber fuelling the Industrial Revolution, they unpack how ...
The True Cost of Cheap Clothes: Business Lessons from the Rana Plaza Collapse
In this powerful episode of Business & a Brew, Dani and Si dive into the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh and ask a hard-hitting question: do big brands really care about factory safety, or only when they’re forced to? They unpack ...
Surveillance Shopping: How Agentic Commerce Will Change the Way We Buy Everything
In this episode of Business & a Brew, Dani & Si dive into the emerging world of agentic commerce and what they dub “surveillance shopping” – a future where AI agents don’t just recommend products but actively shop, decide, and buy on ou...
The dark underbelly of the drinks industry.
In this episode of Business & a brew, Dani and Si dive into the dark underbelly of the drinks industry and uncover just how widespread counterfeit alcohol really is. Starting with a startling World Health Organisation statistic that one in ...
Paid to Care, Paid to Lie: When Funeral Directors Turn Predators : Bodies for Sale Part 2 - The New York Bodysnatchers
This episode contains descriptions of death, funeral malpractice, and the mishandling of human remains, which some listeners may find deeply upsetting. Listener discretion is advised. If you have recently experienced a bereavement, you may wish...
Paid to Care, Paid to Lie: When Funeral Directors Turn Predators : Bodies for Sale Part 1
Disclaimer : This episode contains descriptions of death, funeral malpractice, and the mishandling of human remains, which some listeners may find deeply upsetting. Listener discretion is advised. If you have recently experienced a bereavement,...
Carpet, Cabbage…and a £571m Black Hole: The Real Story Behind the Fall of BHS
In this episode, Dani and Si dive into the rise and fall of British Home Stores (BHS), blending nostalgia with a sharp look at corporate responsibility and the changing high street. They start with childhood memories of r...
Cult Brands Uncovered: The 5 Secrets Behind Obsessive Customer Loyalty
In this episode of Business&abrew, Dani and Si dive into the fascinating world of cult brands – the ones people queue overnight for, argue about online, and even tattoo on their bodies. They unpack why some companies, like Harle...
The Ratner Effect: How One “Joke” Wiped £500 Million Off a Brand Overnight
In this episode of Business & a Brew, Dani and Si dive into the infamous “Ratner Effect,” unpacking how a couple of badly judged jokes destroyed a business empire. They trace Gerald Ratner’s rise from inheriting a mo...
They Were Testing on Your Children: Inside the Treloar College Blood Scandal
Some stories are difficult to hear. This is one of them.Content Warning: This episode discusses the contaminated blood scandal, including medical negligence, institutional failures, HIV, hepatitis C, serious illness, and the death...
Don’t Buy This Jacket: How Demarketing Secretly Sells More (Ethically)
What if the smartest marketing strategy was telling people not to buy your product?In this episode, Dani and Si explore the fascinating world of demarketing, the counterintuitive strategy where brands deliberately encourage customers to ...
Ponzi by Stealth? Inside the Fall of Equitable Life
What happens when one of the country's most trusted financial institutions stops living up to its name?In this episode, Dani and Si unpack the extraordinary rise and dramatic collapse of Equitable Life, once regarded as one of the safest...
Last Orders? Inside Britain’s Pub Crisis and the Rise of the Micro Pub
Is Britain calling last orders on one of its most iconic institutions?In this episode, Danni and Si pull up a chair and explore the story behind the British pub crisis. From Roman taverns and medieval ale houses to Victorian gin palaces ...
When Doing the Right Thing Destroys Your Career: The Dark Reality of Whistleblowing
What happens when doing the right thing comes at the cost of your career?In this episode, Dani and Si tackle the uncomfortable subject of whistleblowing and ask a question that sounds simple but rarely has a simple answer: are whistleblo...
Redefining Success: Why Six Figures Isn’t the Whole Story
What does success actually mean?Not the Instagram version. Not the LinkedIn version. Not the version that tells you success is six-figure months, luxury cars, 5:30am starts, and an endless grind.Just success. For you.In thi...
First, Do No Harm? The Business Behind the Vaginal Mesh Disaster
This one is difficult listening at times, but it’s a story that needs to be told.Dani and Si take a closer look at the vaginal mesh scandal, one of the biggest medical controversies in recent UK history, and a stark example of what can h...
Icing on a Fraudulent Cake: What Really Happened at Patisserie Valerie?
Grab a brew and a custard slice, because this one is proof that sometimes the prettiest shop window hides the messiest books. ☕🍰Dani and Si dig into the very British scandal behind Patisserie Valerie, the high street favourite tha...
Why Red Bull Sells Energy, Not Energy Drinks
This one starts with a tired businessman in a taxi and ends with Formula One dominance, space jumps, and one of the most powerful lifestyle brands on the planet. ☕️🥤We crack open the surprisingly wild story behind Red Bull, from i...
Would you drink Round up weed killer?
Is there a hidden ingredient in your pint?In this episode of Business & a Brew, we dive into the surprising story behind glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup weed killer – and its journey from farm fields to your ...
BrewDog Revisited : The Rise, the Hype, and the Hard Crash
BrewDog was once the poster child for punk business – cult branding, guerrilla marketing and a loyal army of “equity punks” behind it. So how did a billion‑pound craft beer darling end up as a cautionary tale?In this episode, Danielle an...
Beware the Sand Mafia
Sand sounds harmless. Beachy. Innocent. Something you shake out of your shoes.Turns out it’s one of the most fought-over resources on the planet.We get into the world of illegal sand mining, often referred to as the “sand mafia,” ...
Can You Rename a Problem Away? The Meta rebrand story
Facebook changed its name. The internet didn’t change its mind.We unpack the 2021 rebrand from Meta, when the company tried to pivot from social network giant to metaverse pioneer. New name. New vision. Very shiny presentation. But publi...