Here’s a random assortment of learnings, thoughts and insights into how we took an idea, and turned it into a whole new business venture, using a podcast – The Business Oddcast – as a launch pad. It wasn’t all planned, and we’ve met some incredible people along the way and the belief in our work has grown into something so much bigger than a podcast. Here’s the journey thus far and what we learned and thoughts for future growth…

Lets begin… Get a cuppa, draw close…

When I started the Business Oddcast with the amazingly talented and very tangenty, @Hannah Logan our goal was just to record the interesting chats we had, and gain some insights into my very recent diagnosis that, aged 57 being diagnosed as Autistic and what it all meant. Something which FINALLY explained EVERYTHING. The podcast explores the lived experience of Hanna and I as two late diagnosed neurodivergent brained business owners. The whole project was meant to be a bit of a self-therapising, look and laugh at the facts, foibles and fun-stuff that help you and hinder you when running your own business.

That’s the backstory.

So… where are we 1 year later?

There’s a fact, 1% of podcasts make it to episode 21. I have been the 99% who previously gave up. Why I gave up is the exact same reason we are now at Ep35 of the Business Oddcast. I gave up because I got bored, the endless deadlines, having to do it all, and be professional (perfectionism the blessing and a curse). But with the Business Oddcast it’s not a chore and my brain never gets bored plus it’s a fun project to be doing. What helps is having a co-conspirator aboard as that helps keep the morale up. Plus it’s fun to bounce ideas, and gauge thoughts with someone who’s judgement you have grown to absolutely trust. Without Hannah, there would be no Episode 35, I doubt it would’ve broken double figures.

Number one lesson? Have a topic you care about, be passionate, share ideas, stop being safe.

Now here’s something “gurus” always skip over when they tell you how easy it was to do £blah in blah by just doing yadda, yadda etc… Failing to share with you their extensive network, or other leveraged advantage that you the course buyer or event goer has no hope of replicating in the short term.

Here’s the full-disclosure – Preparation for this podcast started decades ago, learning the writing, editing, presenting and technical skills has been the work of 30+ years. I’m the confluence of years building the necessary skill set and it just so happens that Podcasting, and the work we do is the perfect fit. It wasn’t a conscious choice, but I let gravity pull me into things. I have 100% learned to listen to my intuition, where my wandering brain goes means it is usually onto something.

Oh, you want the list? Oh OK, after leaving school to join a 5 year apprenticeship to become an aircraft and mechanical fitter at the RAE, I went into engineering and burned out aged 25… Then followed my own intuition. Leading me to…

• Writer for the BBC R4 Show Week Ending
• Writer for Talkback Productions – guest editing scripts
• Poster in the V&A’s permanent collection
• 10 bestselling posters
• 1m+ units over 100+ product lines sold globally
• TV, Film, Stage acting credits as well as stand up and a comedy tour
• Recurring character in BAFTA Nominated World Record Breaking PC Game -Crazy Neil
• Highest Paid Lookalike in the UK – Ali G, Borat, Little Britain
  • Co-presented Football Focus
  • Worked with Madame Tussauds
  • 3 Stadium tour with William Hill
  • Worked in most large Luminar Group nightclubs
  • Blue chip, City of London clients
• Worked all over the UK, the US, and Europe as an event MC – hosting events up
  to 15K attendees, appeared on TV, in print and across news networks.
• Interest in PCs, led to owning a web dev company
• Interest in audio production – recording and sound

That’s the very edited highlights, over 31 years of setting myself up for success, and I am not saying that your journey means you cannot do this, but I am just being honest by saying that it’s more than sitting in front of a mic and talking and I’m acknowledging the journey.

Lesson 2 is perhaps, two fold never say “no” to new things, and just because that “thing” isn’t immediately obvious as to how it might be useful or relevant to you, give it a go, open up new neural pathways, let your brain go for a run!

Success is not linear, from Episode 1 to Episode 31 we accrued 1000 downloads, we just released Ep35 today 08 Jul 2026 and passed 2000 downloads yesterday, I’m hoping that recent uplift will give the new Eps a bit of a boost in the algos, fingers crossed., because in business you sometimes need the wind to blow in your favour, a drop of good fortune, perfect timing and right place/right time is always part of the magical mix of a successful business idea.

This comes from the man who sat in reception at Woolworths HQ waiting for a meeting they had asked for, to pitch them a £1m business idea they were excited about. We noticed a steady stream of people leaving the offices and then the receptionist relayed the message, meeting cancelled, Woolworth’s was closing. Same happened at BSkyB, which became Sky. We were sat waiting to pitch a TV show idea to Janet Street Porter when Kelvin McKenzie forced her out, and took over. We arrived, chaos was occurring, the news of JSP’s departure and regime change happening before our eyes. There wasn’t even a receptionist to tell my co-writer and I any of this, we wandered the offices trying to figure out what was going on.

Lesson 3 is – timing is everything, selling into a collapsing market is doomed, try to figure out which way the tide is moving and go with it, you’ll get more done, quicker. But resist trends, AI may seem like a big force but it’s a trend, and like anything bubbles burst, fads fade and before you know it the next tech marvel will be touted as the saviour of civilisation and the wheel will turn.

Next is the big one, the one that will definitely test your resolve, regularity. Yep, said it. You are going to have to keep a regular release schedule. We failed this, well, not failed, but had to adjust recently, a weekly release is punishing. It’s all consuming, you are planning the next one before the previous one is released, and you also have one being edited, so it’s a never-ending round of recordings, editing and releasing. We did it for months, then realised not much else was happening around the project.

We retrenched and realised we were the ones pushing the weekly schedule, so we relaxed – and our release schedule is thus:

• Week 1 – Podcast setting theme for month
• Week 2 – Blog post – Hannah deep dive on something relevant
• Week 3 – Resource or other useful guide/download
• Week 4 – Blog post – Stu deep dive on something relevant

Have we succeeded?

What does that even mean? I consider it a resounding success, people tell us what we shared resonated and changed their outlook. We’re in the top 1% of podcasters given we passed the 21 episode mark! New and interesting business conversations have arisen and are ongoing. So, yes, overall we think we have done and are continuing to do something worthwhile.

Whilst our monthly podcast is still happening, and the blogs are going out we have also expanded the offering, with the Neuroinclusive Workplace Circle at SiGNAL, and starting to have very promising planning meetings with organisations such as Hampshire Country Council and Havant and East Hants Mind and others. Our NIW training ideas seem to have resonated and is quite unique, this is a promising development.

Lesson 4 is sometimes you have to build the audience before you create the product or service, let the “mood of the room” direct where you develop the next phase, that boils down to; sell what people want to buy – gain their trust, then you can perhaps develop other products in collaboration.

35+ episodes in we know what we do is valued and has an audience. We now need to share the lived experience of our 1800+ neurodivergent community, the Odd Squad, and help employers see how valuable a resource we are, but more than that. Building a neuroinclusive workplace is just better for everyone, not a “attaboy” for the show pony NDs in your business.

And here endeth today’s sermon, because that’s a lot of words, right?

What you up to right now? What’s got your attention? What’s pulling you towards it?