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The Next 100 Days Podcast

The Next 100 Days Podcast

Di: Kevin Appleby & Graham Arrowsmith
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The Next 100 Days Podcast is a leading UK business show. Through this podcast, Kevin and Graham reveal strategies you can use to improve your business and take it to the next level. In addition to featuring their own advice, Kevin and Graham host amazing guests from across the business world. Often the guests are successful, but lesser-known business owners and entrepreneurs, enabling the show to bring fresh content and stand out from many of the US based business shows. Graham and Kevin believe that business change comes about when a business owner focusses on just one thing that will make a real difference to his business. That might be product development, a new product launch or a marketing campaign. Focussing for less than 100 days, or focussing on too many things generally won't deliver the results you need, Equally, its difficult to maintain effective focus for much longer than 100 days without re-assessing priorities. The Next 100 Days Podcast is your source to learn how to move your business forward, with practical advice and guidance that you can put into action and make a difference in your own organisation within the next 100 days.Copyright 2026 Kevin Appleby & Graham Arrowsmith Economia Finanza personale Gestione e leadership Leadership Management
Episodi
  • #548 Misbah Gulzar – DEI

    #548 Misbah Gulzar – DEI
    Oct 23 2026
    Misbah Gulzar of Equitas Consultancy Services explains what diversity, equity and inclusion really mean, why so much corporate DEI is performative, and why she would never want to be hired to tick a box. Graham pushes back hard, Kevin brings a London 2012 case study, and the result is one of our most candid conversations yet.Summary of the PodcastMisbah Gulzar is a DEI consultant and the founder of Equitas Consultancy Services. Before going independent she spent around 20 years in the prison service, including time as an equality manager. Graham met her at The Legacy Bench in Manchester and, as someone who is "generally against interference, however it's framed", invited her on to test his own views.Misbah sets out what each letter of DEI stands for, uses a simple wall analogy to explain the difference between equality and equity, and argues that diversity of thought is good for business. Graham challenges whether equity and diversity can or should be imposed. The conversation covers merit, unconscious bias in recruitment, the Equality Act, and how the prison service handles the placement of transgender prisoners.Key TakeawaysDEI brings differences together: Misbah describes DEI as being about uniting differences rather than separating them. There is no hierarchy of characteristics.Performative DEI: Many large organisations look diverse on the surface, but their C-suite and senior leadership remain predominantly white, male and middle class. Because leadership sets the tone, that limits real change.Equity is not "more": Using the wall analogy, equity means giving each person the support they need to reach the same starting point, such as reasonable adjustments for someone with dyslexia, not giving them an advantage.Merit first: Misbah would never want to be hired as "the token female or the token Asian person". The aim of DEI is to remove the barriers, such as non-inclusive panels and bias against unfamiliar names, so that merit can be judged fairly.Diversity of thought: Graham and Kevin both accept the business case for diversity of thought. Where they part company with Misbah is on legislating for it.Why DEI Divides OpinionThe DEI space has become harder in recent months, with Donald Trump calling for it to be removed altogether.Misbah believes DEI is often poorly explained. People who don't see themselves in it switch off and assume it has nothing to do with them.Of the three letters, inclusion is the one everyone agrees on, Graham included. With inclusion comes belonging.Equality vs Equity: The Wall AnalogyThree people of different heights are watching a match over a wall. Equality gives each of them the same box to stand on. Equity gives each of them what they need to see over the wall.Some needs are invisible. A student with dyslexia who receives a reasonable adjustment is "not getting more than them", just reaching the same level as everyone else.Graham's counter-argument: life isn't fair, people make good and bad decisions, and give everyone £10,000 and a wealth hierarchy will soon reappear.Misbah's response: we are all a product of our environment, and our starting points are different.A Practical Example: London 2012Kevin ran the performance management system for London 2012, which tracked promises made in the bid and by the then Mayor of London, including local jobs.One borough had a large ethnic community with no history of working in construction, which made the job targets hard to reach.The answer was the National Training Centre for Construction Skills on the edge of the Olympic Park. It needed a change of mindset as well as training, and Kevin admits it achieved only limited success.Diversity, Merit and the Equality ActMisbah argues that diverse teams bring different experiences and ways of tackling problems, which benefits output, business acumen and profit.Kevin recalls a former Disney executive, an earlier guest, who brought someone from customer support into product development to shake things up.The UK has no US-style positive action. The Equality Act protects characteristics such as age, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation, gender identity and maternity, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments.Complex Cases: Transgender PrisonersGraham raises his discomfort with gender identity and pronouns in the workplace, and Kevin raises concerns about shared facilities. Misbah acknowledges it is a complicated and contested area, and says she is not an expert on it.In the prison service, transgender prisoners are protected by legislation and a prison service order. Placement decisions go through multidisciplinary case boards involving psychologists, healthcare and sentence planning.Misbah agreed that colleagues should be given time to adjust to new pronouns: "just be mindful of it".Working with MisbahMisbah will moderate a panel at Black Business Week. You can find her at equitasconsultancy.com and on LinkedIn.The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-HostsGraham ...
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    50 min
  • #547 - David Hori - Scaling Businesses

    #547 - David Hori - Scaling Businesses
    Oct 16 2026

    David's story includes scaling businesses for 4 different founders (3 have exited in the past 5 years). These days, he's in the business of buying businesses and coaches a select group of business owners.

    Summary of the PodcastKey Takeaways
    • Podcast Guest: David Hori (Top Line Operators) discussed acquiring established businesses (e-commerce, water industry) and preparing companies for sale.
    • Four Pillars of Sellability: To reduce risk and increase value, businesses must minimise owner dependency and customer concentration, document all processes, and ensure predictable financials.

    Podcast: David Hori on Business Acquisition
    • Guest Profile: David Hori, founder of Top Line Operators, acquires small and medium-sized businesses.
    • Background: Grew three VC-funded startups from ~10 to ~60 people, leading to exits to Qualtrics, Opendoor, and Toyota.
    • Current Strategy: Buy and hold established, profitable businesses (10+ years old) with a focus on two sectors:
    • Physical E-commerce: Must be a product he can understand; avoids supplements, medical devices, and cannabis.
    • Water Industry: Well drilling, pumps, filtration. A recession-resistant, foundational service.

    The "Four Pillars of Sellability":

    Key risk factors that buyers evaluate.

    1. Owner Dependency: The business relies too heavily on the founder.
    2. Concentration: Over-reliance on a single customer or employee.
    3. Documentation: Processes are not documented and are trapped in individuals' heads.
    4. Financial Predictability: Irregular or unpredictable cash flow.

    Process Documentation ("Camcorder Method"):

    • Record all recurring tasks (e.g., payroll) using Loom.
    • Link videos in a central document to create a living, practical handbook.
    • This ensures continuity and reduces risk, making the business easier to run and more attractive to buyers.

    The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts

    Graham Arrowsmith

    Graham founded Finely Fettled in 2014 to provide data from The UK High Net Worth Database to marketers targeting affluent and high-net-worth customers. He's the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, creating lead generation AI Agents & Workflows and introducing the MeclabsAI Platform. Graham is an inCruises Independent Partner, and is building up interest from people around the world in the World's Largest Travel Membership - inCruises. You can sign up and access 21,000+ cruises, hotels and tours by clicking HERE

    Kevin Appleby

    Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com
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    46 min
  • #546 - Robin Waite - Fearless Pricing

    #546 - Robin Waite - Fearless Pricing
    Oct 9 2026
    Fearless Pricing author Robin Waite provides business coaching that improves the efficiency, profitability and potential of ambitious businesses throughout Gloucestershire, the UK and worldwide. He joins us for Episode 546 of The Next 100 Days Podcast.Summary of the PodcastRobin's BackgroundRan a small marketing agency in the Cotswolds for 12 years, growing it to ~£250k revenue before selling itFell into coaching accidentally after selling his business; most client conversations kept returning to pricing issuesHas dedicated the last ~10 years to understanding what motivates people and what stops them raising pricesAlso authored Online Business Startup, which sold ~25,000 copies and helped establish his personal brandCore Pricing Philosophy: Move from Hourly Rates to OutcomesRobin described the "sales cycle of doom": sell, deliver, sell, deliver — reaching month-end with no moneyHourly rates described as "fundamentally unethical" — they penalise expertise (the more experienced you are, the faster you work, the less you earn)Three-step framework for shifting to package pricing:Define the dream outcome or result for the client clearlyDetermine how long it takes on average to deliver that resultCharge a fixed fee for that outcome, not time"It depends" flagged as a warning sign that a business is too complex, working with too many client types, and delivering inconsistent resultsThe Three Web Designer ExampleStuart: 50/hr, took 6 months, delivered a poor result — penalised for inexperienceRachel: also 50/hr, but expert — delivered better work in 10 hours; gets paid less for doing a superior jobGavin: charged £10k as a fixed outcome-based fee — guaranteed 10–15 warm leads in 30 days or full refund plus £1k compensationKey lesson: when value is articulated through outcomes, price becomes a secondary concernPricing Mindset & PsychologyRobin experienced a personal pricing "glass ceiling" — moving from £1,800 to £3,200 flatlined his conversion rate; dropping back to £2,800 mentally unlocked progressKevin noted the psychological impact of crossing a price threshold (e.g., £2k to £3k feels larger than the actual gap)Breakthrough came when Robin started associating with higher-priced coaches and investing in one himself — experiencing the "tension" of buying at a high price helped him sell at oneRobin's coach (Michael) offered an outcome guarantee: "I'll work with you until you hit six figures" — demonstrating confidence through a process-driven systemMarket Context: Three Shifts Since 200412x more businesses registered in the UK than two decades ago — vastly more competitionBroadband enabled a global marketplace — now competing internationally, not just locallySocial media has added complexity and confusion to marketing without proportionate resultsMarketing: Partnerships Over Social MediaRobin challenged the over-reliance on LinkedIn and social media, noting most people spending 30–40 hours/week on it see little returnKey insight: one podcast appearance with YouTuber Ali Abdaal (~7M subscribers) generated 3,000 leads over 12 months — equivalent to 4.5 years of social media effortRobin's approach: identify 10 influential people whose audience overlaps with your target, lead with value (not commercial asks), and build genuine relationshipsCurrent high-profile partnerships include Daniel Priestley, Simon Squibb (~20M followers), and Chris Do (~3M subscribers)Robin also built the Stroud Entrepreneurs Network — grew to 80 events, 1,200 members — by focusing on education and quality speakers; validated demand first with a waitlist of 200 before launchingAI & Digital ToolsRobin uses Lovable to rebuild his entire software stack, saving ~£1,000/month while improving lead generation and conversionRobin expressed measured caution about HeyGen (AI digital twin tool) — concerned about overuse feeling inauthentic, likened to "wearing a fake Rolex"Graham has been experimenting with HeyGen; a video was well-received by marketing thought leader Dr Flint McGlaughlin from MeclabsAI.Kevin and Graham discussed how AI has commoditised articles, courses, and presentations — making in-person human connection the true differentiator and the thing that must be priced correctlyThe Next 100 Days Podcast Co-HostsGraham ArrowsmithGraham founded Finely Fettled in 2014 to provide data from The UK High Net Worth Database to marketers targeting affluent and high-net-worth customers. He's the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, creating lead generation AI Agents & Workflows and introducing the MeclabsAI Platform. Graham is an inCruises Independent Partner, and is building up interest from people around the world in the World's Largest Travel Membership - inCruises. You can sign up and access 21,000+ cruises, hotels and tours by clicking HEREKevin ApplebyKevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both ...
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    51 min
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