We speak to a boss whose business has bulked up on the global wellness trend. Tom Ryder got into fitness supplements as a side-hustle when he was a scaffolder for Liverpool City Council — now he runs Applied Nutrition, which is valued at more than £350million. He tells Sean Farrington how growing up with his grandparents in public housing shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Sean Farrington Producer: ...
Feb 14, 2025•17 min
The digital nomad lifestyle sounds like a dream - working from a beach in Bali or a café in Barcelona. But how do you actually make it happen? In this episode, we meet the people who’ve taken the plunge and hear about the ups and downs of life on the move. Hear from employers managing a remote global workforce and investigate why the lifestyle isn’t always what you see on social media. Plus - we also look at the tax implications. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: bus...
Feb 13, 2025•17 min
Reusable bottles are everywhere – on your desk at work, at the gym, on a day out, doing a job in the fight against single-use plastic. But if we have multiple versions of refillable water bottles, are they just becoming fast fashion? The global, refillable water bottle industry is worth $10 billion and it is growing at a rate of about 5% a year. Several brands have become household names with international offices across continents. But these types of bottles are energy-intensive. Research sugge...
Feb 12, 2025•17 min
We’re in the Central American country to hear a tale of two lakes. One, Lake Amatitlan, is badly polluted and there's concerns that the other – Lake Atitlan - once nominated as one of the seven new wonders of the world and - is in danger of going that way too. We hear about the costs needed to clean up these important tourist attractions, and hear about the loss of income for local businesses. Produced and presented by Jane Chambers (Image: A worker picks up rubbish on the shore of Lake Amatilan...
Feb 11, 2025•17 min
Countries considered hostile to the West are threatening to cut under sea cables, which carry 95 percent of the world’s data. China, Iran and Russia are suspected of threatening to sabotage cables, carrying 95% of the world’s data, which makes the network vital to the global economy. Russell Padmore examines how the lines laid on ocean floors are the backbone of the internet, so they need to be protected, but international military cooperation is limited. Produced and presented by Russell Padmor...
Feb 10, 2025•17 min
We speak to one of Japan's very few female CEOs. Makiko Ono leads Suntory Beverage and Food, part of the Suntory conglomerate that makes soft drinks including Orangina, Lucozade and Ribena. She shares her 40-plus years journey at the company; including how she led company's first acquisition to opening doors for the next generation of women in business. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Amber Mehmood (Image: Ma...
Feb 07, 2025•17 min
Ed Butler travels to Kantamanto market in Accra, Ghana. 15 million used garments arrive in Ghana every week from all over the world - most ends up at Kantamanto but a lot can't be sold because it's in poor condition. That ends up as landfill. Just weeks after Ed’s visit, a disastrous fire raised it to the ground, so he’s been back in touch with some of the vendors he spoke to as they try and get the market, and their livelihoods, up and running again. Produced and presented by Ed Butler...
Feb 06, 2025•17 min
After Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister last month, what does the in-tray look like for Canada’s next leader? The country is facing a major challenge from new US president Donald Trump who introduced 25% tariffs on Canadian exports - now postponed for 30 days - and is even questioning the country's identity. But Canada also has a list of problems to address from within, such as rising property costs and new rules on immigration. We find out how people are feeling – and what happens next....
Feb 05, 2025•17 min
The country’s sick leave policy is one of the most generous in the world. Employees get full pay for the first six weeks they’re off, after that their health insurance policy will pay them a large portion of their salary for a further 18 months. This means the culture around taking sick leave is different to other countries, and the average worker takes 20 days off sick each year. We find out why, and look at the impact on business and the German economy. Produced and presented by Hannah Mullane...
Feb 04, 2025•17 min
Thousands of homes burned to the ground in the recent wildfires in Los Angeles which will likely become the most expensive natural disaster in US history. Many victims did not have insurance, because they couldn’t afford California’s increasingly expensive policies or because they were dropped by their insurer. Lexy O’Connor meets some of those affected and finds out what’s fuelling California’s insurance crisis. Presented and produced by Lexy O'Connor (Image: Two people survey the damage during...
Feb 03, 2025•19 min
Whether its for medical expenses, college funds, charity campaigns, chances are you've been asked to donate to a fundraiser online. GoFundMe is one of the biggest of the crowdfunding platforms, generating an estimated $30bn in funds since it launched in 2010. CEO Tim Cadogan tells us about joining as CEO in 2020, and the challenges of running a profit making company in a charity space. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones (Image: Tim Cadogan. Credit: Getty Images)...
Jan 31, 2025•17 min
Advances in technology mean more people have devices which offer incentives and rewards for achieving fitness goals. From hi tech gyms to interactive home works outs, we explore why some companies are embracing this approach. It’s boosting user engagement and transforming workouts, but are trackers and leader boards a positive step? And is this what the future holds for fitness? Produced and presented by Sean Allsop (Image: A fitness class. Credit: Getty Images)
Jan 30, 2025•18 min
Ed Butler travels to northern Ghana in search of one of the country’s growing exports. Cashew nuts have become a feature of crop production, but there are problems. How does Ghana best add value to cashews in a way that benefits the country and doesn’t just see it exploited overseas? And could solving the cashew issue help Ghana's economy in other ways? Produced and presented by Ed Butler (Image: A worker at a cashew processing company sorting nuts in Ghana)...
Jan 29, 2025•18 min
In November 2024, FC St Pauli became the first major football club to stop posting on X (formerly Twitter). In a statement, the leftwing Bundesliga club cited concerns over racism and conspiracy theories on the platform. It has moved to alternative social media site Bluesky instead. So is this part of a wider trend? We hear from companies who are finding alternatives to X, or staying on but reducing advertising spend. Plus we hear from those who say with hundreds of millions users, X still has a...
Jan 28, 2025•17 min
Squatting has a long history in Spain, often fuelled by high rates of homelessness. And the country’s ongoing housing crisis means that despite being low in numbers, squatting is now a highly politicised topic. We hear from private companies set up to evict people, from businesses making products to prevent squatters moving in, and from squatters themselves about their experiences. Produced and presented by Stefania Gozzer (Image: A worker takes a mattress off the balcony during the eviction of ...
Jan 27, 2025•17 min
We hear how his British accent and 'scouse cockiness' led him from physical education teacher in the UK, to a sportswear executive in the US. And how a career change in his 40s led Peter Moore to a job offer he couldn't refuse, as CEO of the football club he'd supported since childhood, Liverpool FC. Produced and presented by Matt Lines (Image: Peter Moore and Virgil van Dijk with the FIFA Club World Cup in Doha, Qatar on 21 December 2019. Credit: Getty Images)
Jan 24, 2025•17 min
A 2020 Academy of Social Sciences report found that sociologists, economists and philosophers help companies improve productivity, enhance problem-solving and heighten social impact. So it makes sense that businesses would want social scientists involved in strategy and decision making. But how does it work in practice? Are there conflicts between hard commercial realities and ‘softer’ social issues, and how do companies resolve these? We speak to Dr Melissa Cefkin, an anthropologist and former ...
Jan 23, 2025•18 min
For decades, two multi-national giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have been competing for one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. Now they face tough competition from Asia’s richest man. Mukesh Ambani’s company, Reliance Retail, has launched its own cola brand - Campa Cola. With its vast retail network and aggressive pricing strategy, we find out how this has intensified the so called 'cola wars' in the country. Producer/presenter: Devina Gupta (Image: A group of young people drinking soft drinks...
Jan 22, 2025•17 min
Today we’re in Jeddah, looking at how Saudi Arabia went from a Kingdom where cinemas were banned to a rising star in the film industry. We hear from Saudis revelling in new-found freedoms and foreign filmmakers lured in by cash incentives. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Emily Wither (Picture: US actor Johnny Depp poses for a picture with a fan on the red carpet of the awards ceremony of the Red Sea Film Festival in...
Jan 21, 2025•18 min
We are in the Central American country of Guatemala to hear how temporary work permits to the United States are changing some Guatemalan’s lives. We find out how this circular migration is benefiting both businesses in the US, and the economy back home in Guatemala. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter/producer: Jane Chambers (Photo: Sandra Noemi Bucu Saz in her plot of land that she rents with her family in Guatemala. Credit: Jane Cham...
Jan 20, 2025•18 min
The French businessman was Director-General of the WTO from 2005–2013, and European commissioner for trade for five years from 1999 – 2004. Ed Butler speaks to Pascal Lamy about the trading relationships between the US and China, and the US and the EU, what a second Trump presidency might mean for world trade. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Producer: Amber Mehmood (Picture: Pascal Lamy, photo taken in Paris, November 2022. Credit: Getty Ima...
Jan 17, 2025•19 min
We look at what a second Donald Trump presidency could mean for Africa, hearing from economists and business owners. We explore some of the existing trade pacts between the US and Africa, and consider the significance of remittances - the money sent back home by African migrants living overseas. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Michael Kaloki (Picture: Then President Donald Trump walks with the former Kenyan Presiden...
Jan 16, 2025•17 min
Donald Trump has said he will impose new tariffs on goods entering the US from Canada on his first day in office. Tariffs are a central part of the President-elect's economic vision - he sees them as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue. But some warn they could inflate consumer prices. We look at how Canada is preparing, hearing from those in key sectors like farming and car manufacturing, and explore how the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trud...
Jan 15, 2025•17 min
Even before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose huge trade tariffs on Mexico, deport millions of undocumented Latino migrants out of the United States and crack down on the flow of drugs like fentanyl from Latin America into the US. And he's threatened to take control of the Panama Canal and re-name the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. He has criticised the BRICS group of developing nations – which includes Brazil – for floating the idea of a new currency...
Jan 14, 2025•17 min
As US president-elect Donald Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, global trade has become a contentious issue. Mr Trump has threatened to impose tariffs – that is taxes at the border – on all goods imported from a host of nations, including neighbours Canada and Mexico as well as economic rival China. That risks igniting another trade war, with companies and consumers around the world affected. Has global commerce always been so contentious? Rob Young looks at some of the key developments...
Jan 13, 2025•23 min
Sam Fenwick meets the renowned fashion designer and shoemaker, Jimmy Choo. From learning the craft under his father's guidance in Malaysia, we hear about his journey building a fashion empire in London, starting from the basement of a run-down hospital. Today, Jimmy Choo, who now designs for fashion house The Atelier, wants to share his knowledge with a new generation. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Amber Me...
Jan 10, 2025•17 min
In our second programme looking at the future of the world's ports, we head to the South American country at the centre of a global tug-of-war between China and the US. One key infrastructure project, in the small Peruvian fishing town of Chancay, is caught in the middle. We speak to businesses and locals about what's happening. Produced by Natalie Jiminez Presented by Ritika Gupta (Image: Aerial view of the Chancay "megaport" in the small town of Chancay, 78km north of the Peruvian capital Lima...
Jan 09, 2025•17 min
In October 2024, dockworkers in the US went on strike for three days. Members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) walked out at 14 major ports along the east and Gulf coasts, halting container traffic from Maine to Texas. A tentative agreement was made over wages, and they've just returned to the bargaining table to negotiate "all other outstanding issues". This includes plans to introduce automation to the ports. In the first of two programmes looking at the future of ports, w...
Jan 08, 2025•17 min
At the end of October 2024, deadly flash floods and torrential rain hit the Valencia region of Spain. More than 220 people were killed. As well as claiming lives, the disaster also devastated livelihoods. Valencia's chamber of commerce estimates that 48,000 companies have been affected. Ashish Sharma visited the region shortly after the flooding, to speak to businesses and workers affected. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Produced and presen...
Jan 07, 2025•18 min
How will countries handle challenges like rising debt, inflation, and political tensions? And what new opportunities might arise as the world adapts? The BBC’s Economics Editor, Faisal Islam, and our Chief Economics Correspondent, Dharshini David, join Ed Butler to discuss the year ahead. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Producer: Izzy Greenfield (Picture: Numbers 2-0-2-5 printed on blocks of wood, each sitting on top of a stack of coins. Cre...
Jan 06, 2025•17 min
