The Bottom Line
BBC Radio 4
The definitive business podcast from the BBC. Each week, the BBC's Evan Davis is joined by bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, to lift the lid on how their businesses work, and what it’s like to be in charge. They discuss a big issue, a big challenge, or a big question facing their industry. From managing AI to managing millennials, from supermarkets to supercharging a new product.And our guests will share their stories of success and failure along the way. Podcasts are published every Thursday. And as well as being a podcast, we are also available every Thursday afternoon and Tuesday evening on BBC Radio 4. You can now also listen to The Bottom Line on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Bottom Line”. It works on most smart speakers.The Bottom Line has published a spin off series - Decisions That Made Me - where Evan asks entrepreneurs and business leaders about the most crucial moments in their lives and careers. You can watch these episodes here: https://t.ly/oJ8lW. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with Evan and the team on email at bottomline@bbc.co.uk.The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University and is an EcoAudio certified production.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 26, 2015 • 28min
Waiting in Line: The Business of Queuing
The science and psychology of the queue. This week Evan and his guests look at how businesses manage queuing. We're often told that queuing is one of those quintessential British habits which embodies our sense of fair play: that we should wait our turn. Despite technological innovation. queuing remains one of those unavoidable things we all have to do: be that on-line, waiting for a bus or to pay for our groceries at the check-out. But what does it mean for businesses? How do they go about managing queues and our expectations of those as customers? Producer: Jim Frank.
Feb 23, 2015 • 28min
Inventors
Artificial snow, a plastic hairbrush and a non-spill baby beaker: How do you turn an idea into a successful business? Three entrepreneurs discuss with Evan Davis the process of designing a product and getting it onto the market. How do you finance the project and what's the best way to protect your design from copycats? We'll hear how one inventor risked everything in a legal battle against a company that stole her design. And discover how to create more than 200 types of fake snow. Guests:
Shaun Pulfrey, Founder and CEO, Tangle TeezerMandy Haberman, Founder, Haberman ProductsDarcey Crownshaw, Founder and MD, Snow Business Producer: Sally Abrahams.
Feb 12, 2015 • 28min
Gold
It's soft, shiny and rare. A symbol of love, of power, of wealth - gold has been prized for thousands of years, its value rises and falls as the economies round it fluctuate. Yet there's only a limited supply of it and demand is high: for jewellery, technology, by central banks and investors. But after more than a decade of rising prices, the value of gold is down. So how to make money from this precious metal? Evan Davis and guests follow its journey from the gold mines of west Africa to the workshops of an east London jewellery maker. What are the risks, responsibilities and rewards for those who mine it, invest in it and manufacture with it?Guests:Nolan Watson, CEO, Sandstorm GoldMark Bristow, CEO, Randgold ResourcesElizabeth Hunt, Director, Allied GoldProducer: Sally Abrahams.
Feb 5, 2015 • 28min
Trading Places
Naked bath bombs, in-store coffee shops and customer satisfaction charts: Evan Davis and guests discuss some of the secrets to retailing success. Each of them runs of a chain of stores but with hundreds, even thousands of outlets both here and abroad, how do they maintain their brand identity? And what persuades customers to buy their products ahead of their rivals'?Guests:
Mark Constantine, Founder and Managing Director, Lush cosmeticsDebbie Robinson, Managing Director, Spar UKRobert Forrester, Founder and CEO, Vertu Motors plc.
Jan 29, 2015 • 28min
The Price of Time
How should we price services? By the hour? By results? Or by the difficulty of the task? And what impact does each model have on how businesses are run? In the first of a new series Evan Davis and guests look at the history of how we've priced our time and expertise and why this may be about to change. Guests :
Christopher Saul, senior partner, Slaughter & May
Debbie Klein, UK CEO, The Engine Group
Russell Quirk, Founder, EMoov.
Nov 20, 2014 • 28min
Upside-down Management
What is the role of a business leader? To tell staff what to do or allow them to decide for themselves? One theory about management is that it should turn itself upside-down and permit those closest to the customer to dictate all sorts of business decisions including pricing, marketing and how to deal with complaints. This programme, first broadcast in 2013, won the Wincott Radio Journalism of the Year Award.Guests
John Timpson, Chairman Timpson Group
Nikki King, Honorary Chair, Isuzu Truck UK
Sir Gerry Robinson, Chairman Moto Hospitality
Producer : Rosamund Jones.
Nov 13, 2014 • 28min
Family Rivals
Taittinger champagne, Clarks shoes, Theakstons beer - three famous and successful family businesses that have passed down through the generations. So what prompted members of those families to leave the original firms and set up rival brands of their own? Producing champagne, making shoes and brewing beer. What's it like to compete with the companies they've known all their lives? And how easy is it to make their mark?
Guests:Paul Theakston, Founder and Chairman, Black Sheep BreweryVirginie Taittinger, Founder, Virginie TGalahad Clark, Founder and Managing Director, VivobarefootProducer: Sally Abrahams.
Nov 6, 2014 • 28min
Live Long and Prosper
Very few companies survive for centuries. Evan Davis hears from a luxury jeweller, a removals firm and a diversified business that makes money from ships, finance and groceries. Between them they have nearly a thousand years of business experience. What strategies have they embarked on to ensure that they live long and prosper? Has their history become a burden or a motivator? And have they sacrificed growth for corporate longevity? Guests:
Sir Michael Bibby, MD The Bibby Line
Michael Wainwright, CEO Boodles
Stuart Burnett, Partner Shore Porters SocietyProducer:
Rosamund Jones.
Oct 30, 2014 • 28min
Wearable Technology
From smartglasses to smartwatches, tech companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are investing big money in technology that you can wear. They're designed to keep us eternally connected, fully fit and super smart. But will they go mainstream or are they still the preserve of the gadget geeks? Evan Davis and guests discuss how fitness bands that measure how far you walk and how deeply you sleep could transform our healthcare. And hear about the intelligent fabric that's set to revolutionise the way US and British soldiers are kitted out. Guests:Andy Griffiths, President, Samsung UK and Ireland
Asha Peta Thompson, Co-founder, Intelligent Textiles
Joss Langford, Technical Director, ActivinsightsProducer: Sally Abrahams.
Oct 23, 2014 • 28min
Flash Sales
Flash sale companies are growing fast. Evan Davis and guests discuss how this new retail sector is changing the way we shop. How does the business model work? Just how low can the prices go? And are these internet discounters a help or a hindrance for luxury brands?Guests :
Victoria Walton, co-founder Sportpursuit
Jamie Jackson, executive vice-chairman MySale Group
Ilan Benhaim, co-founder Vente-PriveeProducer : Rosamund Jones.
