The Bottom Line

Entrepreneurs: Your Questions Answered

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Evan is joined by a panel of top entrepreneurs to answer your listener questions. How do you make your business stand out in a crowded market? Where c...

Product Innovation: Better, Or Just New?

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From smartphones to trainers, confectionary and cleaning products, we live in a culture of constant updates. Companies reformulate, redesign and refr...

How Do You Deal with a Workplace Bully?

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Across our professional careers, many of us will come into contact with a difficult colleague or hard-to-please superior. But what happens when diffic...

Private Renting: Who Wants to Be a Landlord?

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The UK’s private rental market has grown dramatically over recent decades, creating what often feels like a tale of two nations: ‘Generation Rent’...

Dynamic Pricing: Who Profits?

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone wants to get the best price they can when they buy, whether that’s a product, a service or an experience. But the ‘best price’ can look...

What Happens When Brands Change Hands?

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From headline deals like Vodafone-Three or home builder, Barratt buying rival, Redrow, corporate mergers and takeovers are on the rise. Evan Davis an...

Airport Lounges: For the Many or the Few?

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the years after the COVID pandemic we are travelling more and expecting more from our journeys. Travel is increasingly viewed as an end-to-end expe...

Is AI the New Dotcom Bubble?

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Right now, Artificial Intelligence feels unstoppable. Investors are piling in, expectations are sky-high and claims about a radically different futur...

What Is the UK Good At?

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Every country likes to think it’s world-class at something. The Italians claim style, the Germans have their engineering and the Americans have Sili...

The Decisions That Made Me: Ben Branson (Seedlip)

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Frustrated by the lack of sophisticated non-alcoholic drink options, Ben Branson began experimenting in his kitchen, distilling herbs from his garden ...

The Decisions That Made Me: Margaret Heffernan

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Heffernan didn’t start out in business. Until her mid-30s, she was enjoying a successful career at the BBC, producing and directing TV dra...

The Decisions That Made Me – Joey Gonzalez (Barry’s)

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Joey Gonzalez took his first class at Barry’s, West Hollywood, he says “it was love at first sweat”. The music, night-club vibe and high-i...

The Decisions That Made Me: Sameer Vuyyuru

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sameer Vuyyuru has spent his career at the cutting edge of technology. From building semiconductors at Texas Instruments to launching an AI-startup i...

The Decisions That Made Me: Harry Destecroix (Ziylo, Science Creates, SCVC)

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Harry Destecroix was studying for his PhD at Bristol University when he co-founded Ziylo. Based on 20 years of Bristol chemistry research, the spin-ou...

The Decisions That Made Me: Sophie Mirman

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sophie Mirman was thrown in at the deep end when – at the age of 13 – she was in a car accident with her parents. They were both badly injured and...

The Decisions That Made Me: Jesper Brodin (IKEA)

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Jesper Brodin landed a job as IKEA’s purchase manager in Pakistan, he was only 26. And had no idea he was the only applicant. He’s now spe...

The Decisions That Made Me: Heather Vernon (Woburn Partners)

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Vernon never expected to become an entrepreneur. Her goal after university was to become a teacher, through the Teach First graduate programm...

Hypotheticals: How Would You React If You Were Boss?

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Three business leaders tackle fictional dilemmas that test their instincts, experience and nerves. To make it more realistic, none of the guests have...

Productivity: How Can British Business Work Smarter?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Productivity drives prosperity, yet the UK continues to lag behind countries like the US, France and Germany. We work harder, yet produce less than ou...

Introverts: Can Quiet Voices Conquer The Corporate World?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever feel the world is stacked in favour of the extrovert people – the most gregarious, the most outwardly confident, the perhaps sometimes s...

Human Resources: Is HR Out of Control?

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once known as “personnel”, Human Resources seems to have become a real centre of power in modern business. No longer just handing out payslips or...

Chaos Management: Do Fewer Rules Make For Better Workplaces?

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can chaos ever be good for business? From Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies to Elon Musk’s disruptive leadership style, some of the wo...

Spinouts: How Can Universities Turn Research Into Successful Businesses?

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when university research becomes a business? It’s called a spin-out and it’s built Silicon Valley, with Stanford University at the ce...

Direct to Consumer: A Better Way to Sell?

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's easier than ever to create a website for your business and talk directly with customers, but what are the pitfalls to avoid? Three business leade...

Decisions That Made Me: Greg Jackson (Octopus Energy)

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Greg Jackson left school at 16 to write computer games, later joining Greenpeace before returning to study economics ...

Decisions That Made Me: Charlie Bowes-Lyon (Wild)

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, Charlie Bowes-Lyon co-founded Wild with childhood friend Freddy Ward, frustrated by the lack of sustainable options in personal care. Their f...

Decisions That Made Me: Mark Dixon (IWG)

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Dixon left school at 16 and began selling hot dogs before building a bread roll business. In 1989 he founded Regus, spotting the need for flexibl...

Decisions That Made Me: Thomas Beahon (Castore Co-Founder)

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Beahon played youth football for Tranmere Rovers from the age of eight, but when he realised he’d never make the very top, he walked away to cha...

Decisions That Made Me: Anthony Eskinazi (JustPark Founder)

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When he finished university Anthony Eskinazi was destined for a graduate scheme with a top accountancy firm, but he couldn’t resist a business idea ...

Decisions That Made Me: Joanna Jensen (Childs Farm Founder)

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When an investor pulled the plug on a £3m cash injection for Joanna Jensen’s fledgling business, it could not have come at a worse time. The Childs...

Decisions That Made Me: Nick Grey (Gtech, Founder and CEO)

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Nick Grey started his cordless vacuum business 20 years ago he took a big risk by handing a lot of control to a much bigger rival. The entreprene...

Decisions That Made Me: Zak Brown (McLaren Racing, CEO)

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zak Brown didn’t graduate high school – he was thrown out for fighting - but he loved sport. He watched his first Formula 1 race when he was 10, a...

The Bottom Line Business Awards 2025

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Which business leader, or company, has had the most outstanding 12 months? What's been the biggest disaster or blunder? Evan Davis and guests look bac...

Car Parks: Who's Making Money From Your Ticket?

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's an industry that has few fans, but how does it really work, and will there be enough spaces in future for the UK's growing fleet of cars?Evan Dav...

Scaling Up: What Turns a Start-Up into a Success?

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to grow a new enterprise? Evan Davis hears about the decisions behind creating a multi million-pound business. Founders share the ...

Care Homes: How Will They Cope Without Migrant Workers?

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Care homes are to be barred from recruiting overseas staff, as part of government plans to cut net migration, but will the sector be able to tempt eno...

Presentations: How to Avoid 'Death By PowerPoint'

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Few things in working life are as familiar or as dreaded as presentations, but done well they can persuade and even inspire. So what are the tricks to...

Cyber Attacks: On The Front Line Of A Hack

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cyber criminals have seriously damaged some household names recently - M&S, Co-op, North Face, Harrods - but what really happens behind the scenes...

Pay: What If You Knew What Your Colleagues Earned?

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Discussing pay is one of society’s big taboos - it’s just not the done thing to ask other people what they earn. And it can be even more hush-hush...

Introducing… The Bottom Line

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The definitive business podcast from the BBC. Each week host Evan Davis is joined by company bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, who lift the ...

Made in China: How To Get A Product Manufactured In The Far East

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports have shaken up the global economic order, but why have so many brands turned to China to make their pro...

Decisions That Made Me: Richard Farleigh (former Dragon, entrepreneur)

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Farleigh grew up poverty-stricken in outback Australia as one of eleven children. When he was an infant, he was taken into care and spent the ...

Decisions That Made Me: Erinch Sahan (DEAL, Social Enterprise expert)

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The child of immigrant parents to Australia, Erinch was taught to want a stable life. He was having a successful career at Proctor and Gamble, but one...

Decisions That Made Me: Sophie O’Brien (Pollen Careers, CEO)

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 14 years of having a successful career in media, Sophie found herself unemployed. She thought with her skills and experience finding a new role ...

Decisions That Made Me: Sir Kenneth Olisa (technology entrepreneur)

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when coding and IT was in its infancy, Sir Kenneth fortuitously took a computer class to get out of cross country running; that choice would...

Decisions That Made Me: Chris May (Mayden, Founding Director)

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When a family member gets sick, it can mean major changes to our lives. For Chris May, it meant he needed a role that could be done entirely from home...

Decisions That Made Me: Claire Daniels (Trio Media, CEO)

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grief hits everyone differently. For Claire Daniels, it changed her life; she had been working as the head of marketing for a technology firm and beli...

Decisions That Made Me: Julian Metcalfe (Itsu and Pret A Manger)

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An early passion for the high street meant Julian Metcalfe was determined to get into retail from the get-go. He and his partner Sinclair Beecham foun...

Decisions That Made Me: Sonnaz Nooranvary (House of Sonnaz, upholsterer)

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sonnaz Nooranvary thought she’d have to be a doctor or a lawyer to please her parents, but struggled academically thanks to a combination of dyslexi...

Decisions That Made Me: Alan French (Thomas Cook, CEO)

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When high street travel firm Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, it triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, with 150,000 holidaymakers needing t...

Running a Business: The Bottom Line Answers Your Questions

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How would you invest £100k? Do entrepreneurs have super-human levels of optimism? How can you keep ownership of a great idea? In a first for The Bott...

Self-checkouts: Have Shops Reached Peak Self-Scan?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Self-checkouts have become a staple in supermarkets, fast food chains and other shops, but now some companies are reconsidering their use. Evan Davis ...

London's Stock Exchange: why aren't companies listing in Britain anymore?

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a year in which a number of big companies decided to list in New York rather than the UK, Evan Davis asks what can be done to attract firms to t...

Repairs: How Can Businesses Make Money From Fixing Things?

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the success of the BBC programme The Repair Shop, Evan Davis examines the business opportunities of companies which offer to repair things from c...

DEI: Are Businesses Dumping Workplace Diversity?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Major US businesses have begun ditching or scaling back their diversity initiatives. Will UK firms be next? Evan Davis is joined by three guests who s...

Robots On the Doorstep: Is This The Future Of Food Delivery?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Davis talks to the Estonian Ahti Heinla, co-founder of robot delivery firm Starship Technologies, which is hoping to expand across the UK. Evan ...

Unbossing: Can We Work Without Managers?

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can businesses operate without managers? It's an idea Amazon, Meta and Citigroup are exploring. Evan hears from the leaders of three companies who've ...

A Four Day Week: Less Work for More People?

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Davis explores if working the traditional five day week could be replaced by working four, eight hour days. Could working more efficiently benefi...

Decisions That Made Me: Sir John Hegarty (The Garage Soho, Founder)

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The advertising exec behind some of the most successful adverts of recent decades shares some of the decisions that have influenced his career, includ...

Networking: Will It Actually Help Me Get a Job?

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Davis gets up-to-date tips on finding a new job and hears how the process of making yourself stand out to an employer has changed over the years....

Decisions That Made Me: Dana Denis-Smith (Obelisk Support, CEO)

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Career clarity can be hard to find in the middle of a demanding 9 to 5, but sometimes getting away from it all for a while can make you realise what y...

Jordan Brompton (Myenergi, Co-founder)

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When your background differs from the people working with and around you, it’s easy to feel judged by the assumptions people make about you from cla...

Julian Douglas (VCCP, Global CEO)

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When do you start that side hustle you've always talked about doing? What if it gets you fired from work? And even if you do leave, make your success ...

Rob Law (Trunki Suitcases, Inventor)

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When your business is about making products, and the factory you use gets into trouble, that’s potentially a big problem. Do you try to find another...

Tom Pellereau (Stylideas, Inventor)

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When inventor Tom Pellereau was on the verge of launching his latest invention for his fashion company, Stylideas, he couldn't have known what a key d...

Elmarie Marais (GoCrisis, Founder)

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you’re unhappy at work? Maybe you’re burnt out from long hours? Or you see the way your employer does things and think to your...

Ideas: How To Turn Your Dreams Into Business Reality

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You've had a brilliant business idea. At least, you think you have. What do you do next? Evan Davis speaks to three successful entrepreneurs- includin...

Marketing: How Effective Is Fear In Advertising?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do advertising agencies use fear to get us to part with our money? Advertising agencies and marketing people use different techniques to push our ...

Google: The Couple That Took On The Tech Giant

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Shivaun and Adam Raff's shopping and price comparison website all but vanished from Google's search results just days after launching, the pair b...

Evacuation: How to Rescue a Business From a War Zone

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When a company finds itself facing war or natural disaster how can it get staff out of harm's way, and is there any chance of ensuring business as usu...

Debt: Do Collectors Deserve Their Bad Reputation?

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It must be one of the most-maligned professions out there - on a par, perhaps, with traffic wardens - but debt collectors perform a vital service to b...

Side Hustles: What's It Like Balancing Two Jobs At Once?

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Side hustlers are seemingly everywhere - some surveys suggest they account for around half of UK workers - and stories of getting rich quick and aband...

New Tech: How Smart Is the Smart Energy System?

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The UK's power grid is undergoing a huge shift towards renewable energy, but running homes and businesses solely on this new form of electricity will ...

The Bottom Line (unofficial) Business Awards

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year has its business highs and lows which we don't often get an opportunity to chew over on The Bottom Line.This year is different. To mark our...

The business of private schools

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Private schools in the UK are mostly registered as charities – but they are also businesses – businesses in the sense that they sell a service to ...

Being the new broom

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All eyes have been on the new prime minister as he, and his team of ministers, settle into their jobs running the country.In this episode we consider ...

The Business of Dying

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Managing the rituals of a loved one's death can be both bewildering and expensive. And although no-one wants to think about it being like buying a hol...

Is copyright going wrong?

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Copyright law has been around since 1710. Back then it only applied to books. Now, it covers music, sport, film, television, video games, anything rea...

Is work getting more intense?

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of employees in the UK are now able to work flexibly – fitting their job around their home life. Many in office jobs, can finish early on a...

Hype

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every brand wants attention, to be seen as a must-have, but how do some manage stratospheric levels of popularity? It might happen organically, perhap...

Electric Cars: Made in China?

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

China produces more than half the world's electric vehicles and is scaling up exports, but there are concerns its manufacturers would have an unfair a...

Duncan Bannatyne

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With the entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. The Decisions That Made Me A Leader is a mini-series from The Bottom Line. It features one-on-one ...

Krisi Smith

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Krisi Smith started Bird and Blend Tea company with business partner Mike knowing very little about tea or running a business. She drew up their missi...

The Depop Story

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Beckerman is the founder of Depop, a platform where people can buy and sell pre-loved fashion, it currently has around 35 million registered use...

Martha Lane Fox

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Martha Lane Fox was first catapulted into the public eye during the dot.com boom as co-founder of lastminute.com the online agency she set up with Bre...

Richard Walker

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Davis sits down with Richard Walker the Executive Chairman of Iceland foods a company founded by his father. Richard started at Iceland Foods in...

Timo Armoo

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Davis sits down with Timo Armoo, the founder of social media advertising business Fanbytes, which he set up when he was 21 with two friends.Aged ...

In the eye of a crisis

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Davis makes up crisis management scenarios to see how three CEOs handle a business emergency. To make it more realistic none of the guests know w...

Rethinking retirement

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A typical career, for many, involves some kind of progression, or at least the expectation of it, until we stop and retire. But is there a better mode...

Where's the life in nightlife?

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The UK’s biggest nightclub operator recently announced the closure of around half of its venues, and with them almost 500 jobs. REKOM UK, which owns...

Navigating the Say-Do Gap

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s easy for people to say they want to buy a particular product, perhaps in the name of sustainability. But how often do individuals actually foll...

Feedback

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's useful to know how you're doing at work, but feedback from managers and colleagues can often be unhelpful, upsetting, or even non-existent. So wh...

Meat

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

UK consumers are eating less meat than at any point since records began 50 years ago, according to the latest government figures, so how are farmers, ...

Many unhappy returns

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some major fashion brands have started charging for online returns, or even banning customers who routinely send products back. The companies say that...

Bringing your 'whole self' to work

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s become the mantra of many employers, and the expectation of some employees, but what does bringing your whole or authentic self to work actuall...

Meetings

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the agenda for the final programme of the current series is meetings. Virtual or in person, it's difficult to avoid a work meeting. So how do you ...

Blockbuster drugs

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New medicines with sales in the billions of dollars each year are what every pharmaceutical company dreams of, but how do you create one and can they ...

The Age of the Train?

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For most people, the aeroplane is the default mode of long distance transport Whilst the UK has only two overnight sleeper services, long distance tr...

In denial

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bad behaviour and big mistakes can destroy careers and even entire businesses if they're not addressed quickly, so why do some companies and their lea...

Rebranding

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk’s decision to rename Twitter ‘X’ has been met with confusion, and in some cases even anger, but where does it rank amongst the best an...