"Absolute tosh!"

Our very own Steve Ward doesn't hold back. He covers launching BEF 21 years ago, initially as an 18-month project and his own journey from apprentice engineer to commercially-savvy business developer to CEO of BEF.

"I knew what it was like to go to banks and ask for money," says Steve, who is characteristically forthright about the new breed of 'alternative' high-interest short-term loan firms which, he says, are "bleeding SMEs dry."

Steve gives a horrifying example about a business which was paying £28k every month to a short-term lender – but now, after refinancing with BEF, is paying just £2.5k each month.

He talks about the impact of banks such as Lloyds working with community development finance institutions (CDFIs) like BEF, building on Unity Trust Bank's and Triodos' long-term support for the CDFI sector.

And he offers three important tenets for a successful and empowering leader.

Plus, Steve tells us why he is inspired by Robinson Crusoe and other social reformers and spills the beans on his five degrees.

What next?

• More about the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF): https://www.befund.org/about

FUNDED: Brilliant Entrepreneurs and Founders is a podcast by the Business Enterprise Fund a social enterprise dedicated to breaking the "finance shackles" faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises & social enterprises.

Find BEF online at https://www.befund.org and on LInkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-enterprise-fund/

• This podcast is produced and edited by Jamie Veitch https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/
• The music is "Aerosol of my Love" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Artwork design by Research Retold https://www.researchretold.com

Apollo Cloud has experienced remarkable growth, tripling its turnover in two years and winning around 80 customers, including a multinational, multi-billion dollar turnover company.

The technology business provides omnichannel telephony and comms services to customers who value the power of communication, including professional services, logistics and other firms, and educational organisations.

Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Michelle Atkinson reveals the power of putting the "special" back into being a specialist as she describes Apollo's philosophy, unique selling proposition, communication and customer service approach.

Michelle and her co-founder's shared love of the NASA Apollo Space Programme informed the business' name, and she describes a memorable trip to Cape Canaveral, plus:

• their work with schools in North Yorkshire, and providing bespoke services to the education sector

• achieving quality certifications including ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications within Apollo's first nine months

• Apollo's sustainability and tree-planing initiatives

• their startup and growth funding: initial finance came from the founders themselves, but they also secured a six-figure sum from the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) which accelerated their growth

• when chatbots and automated systems are often "unbearable" for customers, human connection is even more valued

• Apollo's quality commitment and hiring philosophy

• plans for the future, including potential acquisitions

What next?

• More about Apollo Cloud: https://www.apollocloud.co.uk/
• More about the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF): https://www.befund.org/about

FUNDED: Brilliant Entrepreneurs and Founders is a podcast by the Business Enterprise Fund a social enterprise dedicated to breaking the "finance shackles" faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises & social enterprises.

Find BEF online at https://www.befund.org and on LInkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-enterprise-fund/

• This podcast is produced and edited by Jamie Veitch https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/
• The music is "Aerosol of my Love" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Artwork design by Research Retold https://www.researchretold.com

"I thought, right, I'm 43 and this is the thing that I need to do. This is my thing," says Chris Withers, inventor of the board game combining sports challenges with maths, Mi-box Live.

The former teaching assistant has designed and created an innovative board game and app that transforms mathematics learning into a fun, interactive experience.

Drawing on his background in education and his own experiences at school – "I was a good sportsman, but struggled to read and write at school. So I struggled to understand maths questions, even though I could do the maths," Chris designed a game that combines sports themes with mathematics to engage children in a way traditional worksheets hadn't.

Mi-box Live addresses a crucial gap in educational resources by making mathematics enjoyable, social, and accessible to players of all abilities.

With features that allow players of different skill levels to compete fairly, the game creates a unique learning environment where children are celebrating for engaging in maths, sometimes playing for hours without realising they're practicing essential skills.

In this episode, Chris covers:

• How his experiences as a teaching assistant inspired the creation of Mi-box Live
• The evolution of the game from simple classroom materials to a professional product
• Securing £50,000 from Innovate UK and a £70,000 loan from the Business Enterprise Fund
• Why the sports theme and competitive element are crucial to the game's success
• How the app enables family members of different abilities to play together
• Working with manufacturers in China to develop and refine the physical product
• His approach to protecting intellectual property across multiple territories
• Early success stories including children playing "two hours of maths on Christmas morning"
• Research showing improved speed and accuracy in mathematics after playing the game
• Building a two-pronged market approach targeting both schools and parents

What next?

• More about Mi-box Live: https://miboxlive.com
• More about the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF): https://www.befund.org/about

FUNDED: Brilliant Entrepreneurs and Founders is a podcast by the Business Enterprise Fund a social enterprise dedicated to breaking the "finance shackles" faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises & social enterprises.

Find BEF online at https://www.befund.org and on LInkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-enterprise-fund/

• This podcast is produced and edited by Jamie Veitch https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/
• The music is "Aerosol of my Love" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Artwork design by Research Retold https://www.researchretold.com