Welcome to The Business Babble, your ultimate resource for navigating the dynamic world of business. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, this podcast is designed to support your journey with expert insights, practical advice, and a thriving community.
Featuring interviews with successful entrepreneurs, industry experts, and business strategists who share their knowledge on topics like funding, marketing, leadership, and innovation. We also explore real-life case studies, providing actionable solutions to common challenges and celebrating the successes and lessons of fellow business owners.
Join our community as we share experiences, foster growth, and solve problems together. Tune in to The Business Babble to transform your entrepreneurial dreams into reality, one insightful conversation at a time.
The Power of Giving Back: Andrew Carnegie’s Legacy with Gillian Taylor
Johnny, Wicus and Mike welcome Gillian Taylor, Chief Executive of the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and Carnegie Hero Fund Trust, to explore how a boy from Dunfermline built a fortune—and used it to change lives.
From opening Pittencrieff Park to the public to supporting civilian heroes and their families, Gillian shares how Carnegie’s legacy continues today. She also discusses plans to renew the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum and use his story to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Along the way, the team talk networking, ambition, community pride and the responsibility that comes with success. Whether it’s money, time, knowledge or encouragement, this episode explores how business owners can give back and make a lasting difference.
1 Oct 2026
Is Your Mindset Holding Your Business Back?
One setback can make you forget everything that’s going right. In this episode of Business Babble, we explore how perspective shapes the way you handle pressure, lead your team and respond when business gets tough.
With the usual banter and honest personal stories, we discuss:
Why one negative moment can overshadow an otherwise good day.
How gratitude, consistency and daily habits help build resilience.
Why honest feedback matters—even when it’s uncomfortable.
Taking responsibility as a leader instead of looking for someone to blame.
The difference between caring what people think and letting it control you.
We also share a simple “dot on a page” exercise that challenges how you see problems, discuss finding motivation as the days get shorter, and catch up on the Business Babble school mentorship programme.
A candid conversation about acknowledging frustration, keeping things in perspective and taking the next step forward.
If this episode gives you a fresh perspective, share it with a business owner who could use it - and follow Business Babble for more straight-talking conversations about business and the people behind it.
24 Sept 2026
He Left Banking to Run a Pet Hotel, Now There’s a Waiting List | James Shields
How do you turn a passion for dogs into a thriving family business? James Shields joins Business Babble to share how he went from a 15-year career at Lloyds Bank to running Rowan Sands Pet Hotel, a boarding kennel and cattery near Dunfermline, Scotland.
James explains how dog training started as a side business, why buying a pet hotel that had been closed for two years was difficult to finance, and what it took to make the leap from employment to running the business full time. He also talks about working alongside his wife, building trust with pet owners, and creating a calm place for the animals in their care.
With demand exceeding the pet hotel’s current capacity, the conversation turns to pricing, word of mouth, expansion, and the challenge of growing without losing the personal touch. Along the way, James shares practical thoughts on dog training, working breeds, and what owners can do to help their dogs settle.
Chapters
00:00 Meet James Shields
04:55 Turning dog training into a business
05:48 Buying and financing Rowan Sands Pet Hotel
07:49 What makes the pet hotel different
11:43 Leaving banking behind
12:20 Growing while keeping the personal touch
14:09 Training owners as well as dogs
19:15 Running a family business
20:22 Marketing, capacity and expansion
25:17 Pricing a service built on trust
37:48 James’s biggest business lesson
Find James through Rowan Sands Pet Hotel or James Shields Dog Training on social media.
Subscribe to Business Babble for more conversations with business owners about how they got started, the challenges they faced, and what they learned along the way.
#BusinessBabble #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #DogTraining #PetBusiness
Who has been a guest on The Business Babble
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Finn Thomson
Jason Easton
Andy Low
Sabine Klaus Carter
Doug
Reach and audience
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Spotify
4.3 / 5
11 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
79
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
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Who hosts The Business Babble?
Johnny and Mike and Wicus and [Host Name] host the show. Published by The Business Babble.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does The Business Babble take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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