Dorset Business Matters is a conversational podcast shining a light on the vibrant local business community across Dorset. Episodes feature candid chats with local business owners and entrepreneurs about the realities of running a business today, from the highs of success and innovation to the challenges of growth and sustainability. The show explores what makes Dorset a unique place to do business, celebrating the people, stories, and ideas driving the economy forward. Informal and inspiring, Dorset Business Matters offers listeners an authentic glimpse into the passion of local enterprise.
Dorset Business Matters | Building a Global Business from Dorset: Leadership, Culture and the Power of Trust
Can you build a successful international business from Dorset, attract world-class talent and create a workplace where people genuinely love what they do?
Andy Strong, founder of Strong Search, is proving that you can.
In this episode of Dorset Business Matters, Simon Ellson sits down with Andy to explore his journey from aspiring DJ and mobile phone salesman to building a specialist international recruitment business serving some of the world's most exciting software, SaaS and AI companies.
With a team based predominantly in Dorset, clients around the world and ambitious plans for expansion into the United States, Andy challenges the traditional thinking about where businesses need to be based and how they should be managed.
But this conversation goes well beyond recruitment.
Andy shares his refreshingly practical approach to leadership, building a high-performance culture and trusting people to deliver results without constantly looking over their shoulders.
We explore:
Why Dorset is a great place to build an international business.
How Strong Search helps technology companies find exceptional talent across global markets.
Why leadership and culture determine whether businesses succeed or fail.
The thinking behind unlimited holidays, hybrid working and giving employees genuine autonomy.
Why recruiting the right people is about relationships, not simply filling vacancies.
The importance of having a business plan before you start.
How to build a team capable of running your business while you're on holiday.
Why working longer hours doesn't necessarily mean achieving more.
Andy's ambitions for Strong Search and its expansion into the US market.
One of the most interesting insights from our conversation is Andy's belief that great leadership isn't about controlling people. It's about creating an environment where they can make decisions, take responsibility, learn from mistakes and succeed.
And perhaps the ultimate test of that philosophy? Being able to take a proper holiday without the business falling apart!
Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, leader or simply interested in what makes successful businesses tick, this episode offers plenty of practical lessons and food for thought.
Dorset Business Matters celebrates the people, businesses and entrepreneurial stories that make Dorset such a remarkable place to live and work.
Hosted by Simon Ellson, business and executive coach.
Listen now and discover why building a great business starts with building a great team.
#DorsetBusinessMatters #AndyStrong #StrongSearch #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #DorsetBusiness #BusinessGrowth #Recruitment #Leadership #BusinessPodcast
28 Sept 2026
EP-1003 - Women of a Certain Age with Sue Coombs
In my coaching practice, I meet all sorts of business owners. Every business has a story behind it, but every now and again I meet someone whose story really strikes a chord.
Sue Coombes is one of those people.
Sue describes herself as a “Nannapreneur” and is the woman behind Woman of a Certain Age and Friends, a business focused on helping women over 45 rediscover their confidence, prioritise themselves and recognise that getting older certainly doesn’t mean being finished.
But this conversation goes much further than business.
We talk about getting older, feeling invisible, self-confidence and self-care. We explore the roles we adopt throughout our lives, the expectations placed upon us and what happens when you finally start asking: “What do I actually want?”
Sue also shares her own journey through self-employment, caring for her disabled husband, training with the Samaritans and a succession of small businesses before eventually realising she had found something that genuinely felt like her thing.
We also stray into some bigger territory: life after COVID, loneliness, the pressures facing both women and men, corporate life, identity and why so many of us spend years being the person we think we're supposed to be.
Perhaps the biggest question running through our conversation is a simple one:
Who are you, and what do you want to do with the time you've got?
A very different episode of Dorset Business Matters, and one that struck a chord with me.
🎙️ Dorset Business Matters with Sue Coombes.
21 Sept 2026
EP-1002 - Vagabond Pilates
Thirty years in the military. A life-changing cancer diagnosis. Two successful Pilates studios. This is not your usual fitness story.
In this episode of Dorset Business Matters, Simon speaks with Millie and Tim Gough, the husband-and-wife team behind Vagabond Pilates.
Millie explains how Pilates supported her recovery after major surgery and the unexpected end of her military career. Tim shares his journey from the Royal Marines and Special Forces to becoming a passionate Pilates instructor.
They discuss building a business without a grand plan, creating a genuine community, raising standards in an unregulated industry and why Pilates is about far more than flexibility. There is also an honest conversation about purpose, identity, mental health and learning to build a life after the military.
A powerful story about resilience, reinvention and finding meaningful work when the original plan disappears.
If this got you thinking, there’s more where that came from. Dorset Business Matters podcast on Spotify. My books on Amazon. Both worth your time. Neither will waste it.
🎙 Dorset Business Matters — Spotify | Apple | 📖 Head Down Balls Up · Who the Hell Are You Anyway? · The Messy Middle — all on Amazon
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