Start-up Story - Charlie Low and Dale Comley of Nohma

Lifelong friends, graphic designer Gary Cadogan and agency creative leader Stuart Davis started their London-based sustainable children's footwear brand Dubs in August 2022, after the pandemic had forced the UK into lockdown. At the time, Stuart was struck by just how fast his young daughter’s feet were growing, and frustrated that the new shoes he bought didn’t last more than a few months. Worse still, most of them didn’t fit properly to begin with. Two million pairs of children’s shoes end up in landfill every week in the UK. This figure alarmed Gary and Stuart. So, they set out to design and launch a range of children’s shoes that were stylish, comfortable and immortal. In this fascinating episode, Stuart retraces his start-up journey with Gary, remembering the highs and lows, as well as the key lessons they have learned. For more great tips on how to start and run a business, sign up to the Ping newsletter.

What with rising costs, slimmer margins, increased employers’ NICs, the ever present blight caused by late payment and sluggish economic growth, as well as difficulty accessing finance, funding and skills, things continue to be tough for small businesses in the UK. Many owners need all the help they can get – so how does Sir Keir Starmer’s government plan to make life easier for small businesses in the UK in 2026 and the rest of this parliament? In this very special episode, we’re joined by Blair McDougall MP, who became the Minister for Small Business in September 2025. He only entered parliament in July 2024, after being elected MP for East Renfrewshire, but before that he had worked as a special government adviser to the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The minister tells us about a new £10bn landmark lending package for SMEs that want to invest to expand their overseas sales, as well as detailing what other plans the government has to support small businesses in the UK. For more great tips on how to start and run a business, sign up to the Ping newsletter.

A large number of UK businesses, many of them small, sell to customers in other countries and although it can generate a fantastic revenue stream that can fuel significant growth, it does bring specific challenges. One of the key challenges for UK-based businesses is accepting payments in other currencies, which provides many pitfalls, especially if you lack experience and knowledge. Small businesses can end up paying high bank account fees and charges, while not gaining much interest from their deposits. To provide small UK businesses with a better option, iFAST Global Bank offers a multi-currency business account. So, what is it, how does it work and how does it benefit small UK businesses that accept payments from overseas? In this episode we speak to Steve Chu, Head of Commercial Banking at iFAST Global Bank. He explains what a multi-currency business account is and when your business would need one. For more great tips on how to start and run a business, sign up to the Ping newsletter.

Research suggests that 80% of businesses with employees that use digital tools use accounting software. But that figure falls to about 50% for those with fewer than 20 employees, while among the solo self-employed, just 33% use accounting software. Non-users miss out massively on numerous business benefits. Accounting software saves time and money through automations and reducing manual data entry, while improving accuracy and reducing bookkeeping errors. It enables better cash flow management, cost control and decision-making thanks to the real-time financial insight it provides. It also simplifies tax and compliance, while making your business more professional and your financial data more secure. Many more sole traders and landlords are going to have to start using accounting software after Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is phased in from April 2026. Whether you’re a new user or you’ve been using accounting software for years, you’ll want to get the very best value from your accounting software. In this episode we speak Jonathan Dowden, Product Marketing Director, Small Business, at Sage, the Newcastle upon Tyne-headquartered global accounting and business software company. Jonathan provides tips on how to make the most of your accounting software. For more great tips on how to start and run a business, sign up to the Ping newsletter.

More than 320,000 businesses are started each year in the UK, but only 40% of them survive five years. Whether linked to funding, finance, pricing, invoicing, marketing, premises, suppliers or a long list of other things, many people make classic mistakes when starting their own business. Some mistakes are relatively small and easily corrected. Even if they’re bigger and more damaging, it may be possible to take remedial action and get a new business back into a better position. However, in some cases, new businesses never really get off the ground and fail in their first year because of a classic start-up mistake. In this episode we speak to business adviser, coach, and mentor, Jenny Bracelin, who herself has started five businesses. She talks about six classic start-up mistakes and explains how you can avoid them. For more great tips on how to start and run a business, sign up to the Ping newsletter.