

Business Is Boring
The Spinoff
Think business is boring? This podcast proves it's anything but. Join Simon Pound as he talks to everyone from accidental entrepreneurs to industry leaders about their business journeys and what propelled them to where they are today. Made in partnership with Deel.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 29, 2024 • 42min
Has your workplace thought about menopause?
Menopause happens to roughly half of everyone, yet until very recently it’s largely been absent from culture and work - and when it has popped up, it’s often been in ways that are stereotyped or misinformed. Niki Bezzant is one of the people leading a new conversation, helping more people understand, plan for and talk about menopause. Through speaking events, running workshops, and writing books This Changes Everything and The Everything Guide: Hormones, health and happiness in menopause, midlife and beyond, Niki helps women and workplaces navigate the menopause journey and beyond.Follow Niki's work on Instagram here, and on the web at nikibezzant.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 22, 2024 • 50min
What happened with Ārepa
Ārepa has had a roller coaster year. The functional drinks company are on a mission to make brains work better, through their science and research-backed products. Last year, however, they went through a well-publicised process with the Ministry for Primary Industries about health claims on their labels, resulting in a media fire storm. How did that all come about? How did they move past it? And is the brain drink for real? To chat all this, founders Angus Brown and Zachary Robinson join the pod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 15, 2024 • 53min
A billion is just the beginning
Kernel recently surpassed $1B in funds under management - a massive achievement for the investment and finance platform. They started with a range of index funds and this milestone is just the beginning of how they aim to help with wealth management. What does it take to get started in fintech? How do you grow to a billion under management? What comes next? To chat all this Dean Anderson, founder and CEO joins the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 8, 2024 • 47min
Changing boating for the better
Vessev make hydrofoilng boats, marrying America’s cup foiling and boatbuilding prowess with software excellence to make smooth, sustainable travel possible. CEO Eric Laakmann is one for the water. He came to NZ as part of a sailing adventure that took him from his American home (where he’d worked at Apple as an instrumental part of the Apple Watch project) to NZ, where he decided to get involved with a great local company trying to change how boats are made and their impact on the water. They have come back from the very brink, but seeing the boat on the water - and the excitement building - it’s a great story of grit and talent and determination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 1, 2024 • 1h 4min
Creating more Māori entrepreneurship pathways
Access to opportunity is not equal. A new report looking into pathways for Māori in entrepreneurship and capital has identified many barriers and opportunities. The Te Ara Takatū report is from the Tapuwae Roa trust, and their chief executive /Kaihautū, Te Pūoho Kātene joined us to chat his career journey (including study at Stanford University, serving his iwi Ngāti Toa and his time as an Obama Foundation Leader), as well as how we can uplift and celebrate Māori achievement in entrepreneurship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 24, 2024 • 41min
What we can learn from Silicon Valley VC
Rob Coneybeer, co-founder of Shasta Ventures, shares insights on venture capital, investments in Nest and Dollar Shave Club, and interest in New Zealand. He discusses spotting the next big thing, creating links between NZ and the US, and his journey into venture capital.

Jun 17, 2024 • 59min
How Taxi is getting the NZ economy moving
Taxi is a new venture helping Kiwi businesses turn their provisional tax payments into a new source of business funding, at about half the price of a typical big bank overdraft. It’s from the founders of Tax Traders, who manage the better part of three billion dollars of tax pooling here. To talk building better businesses, giving the economy a rev up and making Aotearoa more productive, co-founder and CEO Nicola Taylor joins the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 2024 • 57min
Listen Now: episode one of Juggernaut – I Love You, Mr Lange
We thought you might like a wee taster of our brand new #1 series, Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government, hosted by Toby Manhire. Click here to follow Juggernaut so you get every episode as soon as it's released!1. I love you, Mr LangeFuelled by brandy and fury, Sir Rob Muldoon calls a snap election, sparking a 1984 campaign of contrasts – the menacing, protectionist National PM against the fresh, upbeat Labour leader, David Lange. The pretext for the election is the decision by Marilyn Waring, a young, gay MP, to back an anti-nuclear bill and quit the National caucus, prompting an earful from Muldoon. Lange, meanwhile, is joined at the hip by a hungry would-be finance minister, Roger Douglas. They are about to confront a profound crisis, and launch a revolution.Includes previously unheard interviews with David Lange from the 84 campaign trail, and new and exclusive interviews with Marilyn Waring, Roger Douglas, Geoffrey Palmer, Richard Prebble, Peter Harris, Margaret Wilson, Bob Harvey and Gary McCormick.Click here for full details of archive material used in this seriesJuggernaut was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 10, 2024 • 43min
The AI opportunity for Aotearoa
Greg Shove is CEO at Section, the next generation education online company founded by Professor Scott Galloway. He is in NZ with Spark for Business, launching a special Mini MBA to equip business leaders for the AI age. We talk to learn what business owners would be doing now, where the world of AI is at, and what you can do to take advantage of the biggest change to business since the cloud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 3, 2024 • 51min
How the design lead of Slack is building the future of work
Ethan Eismann has been a design leader at Adobe, Google, AirBNB, Uber and Slack - some of the most influential companies of our age. As part of the Spark Business Lab Future State festival he spoke to us and shared his approach to design, building great design cultures, and how he has grown and supported growth in his career. World-class advice from a world leader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


