What if the most valuable move a founder can make is admitting they’ve become the weakest person in their own company and then acting on it?

David Wise spent three decades building Wise Productions into a live-events company trusted inside Britain’s grade-listed museums, palaces and galleries. In this conversation he tells me about the three quiet epiphanies that reshaped him as a founder: realising in 1999 that he needed people who did not look, sound or think like him; waking up before the 2012 Olympics with the uncomfortable knowledge that he was the weakest person in his own business and walking out of a 2019 acquisition meeting because the deal would have cost his people. The result, in December 2022, was a move to employee ownership. Expect an honest, humbling founder’s account of ego, humility, legacy and what it means to "send the lift back down".

What if the most important runway in your business isn’t financial — but emotional?

In this episode of Good Business Talking, I speak with Dr. Michael A. Freeman, psychiatrist, researcher, former CEO, founder and one of the leading voices in entrepreneurial mental health.

Dr. Freeman explores the distinctive traits that can make founders exceptional: high drive, optimism, creativity, risk tolerance and persistence. But those same strengths can also become liabilities when they tip into overwork, isolation, overconfidence, burnout or an identity that is inseparable from the business.

Drawing on his research with entrepreneurs, Michael shares a compelling reframing: mental health and wellbeing are not peripheral “self-care” concerns. They are part of a company’s essential infrastructure, alongside financial controls, leadership capability and operational discipline.

The conversation also covers the Entrepreneur Wellbeing Check, Econa’s emerging safety-net approach for founders, and why building a good business must also mean building a business that is good for the person leading it.

Why product should be king … even for impact led businesses.

Most impact-driven businesses struggle to balance profit and purpose - until now. Pranav, founder of Nemi Teas, reveals how a simple idea born from personal pain became a multi-million-pound social enterprise that’s transforming lives and outcompeting global tea giants.

Want to learn how to grow a thriving, profitable impact business without sacrificing your mission? Hit play to discover the strategy that links scaling with real social change.

In this episode, you'll uncover the secrets behind Pranav’s incredible 10x growth in four years, and how he manages to keep impact at the core of a highly scalable model. We break down the importance of product excellence, storytelling, and building long-term partnerships with companies like PWC and Goldman Sachs - proving that impact and profit are not mutually exclusive. Pranav shares candid insights on how sourcing directly from farmers and controlling supply chains let him challenge industry giants on price, without compromising his social mission. Discover Pranav’s counterintuitive approach: aggressively competing on price while staying true to impact, and why he sees profits as a vital tool, not a distraction, for growth.

His story highlights the crucial role of designed impact models - like cafés that double as community training hubs and dives into future plans for scaling impact through partnerships, new cafes, and innovative impact initiatives.

Perfect for social entrepreneurs, B Corp aspirants and business leaders eager to leverage commerce for good - this episode shows that with strategic clarity, impact-driven brands can thrive financially while solving some of the world's biggest challenges. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, practical tactics, or a fresh perspective on capitalism, Pranav’s journey offers a masterclass in leading with purpose and profit hand-in-hand.