Episodes

  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | What Does It Really Mean to Become a B Corp?

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | What Does It Really Mean to Become a B Corp?
    21 Oct 2026

    What actually is a B Corp and why are more businesses choosing to become one?

    In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I’m joined by Laura Hothersall from Truth, an independent consultant who helps businesses of all sizes and industries through the B Corp certification process.

    This one is also personal for me, as Laura played a central role in helping Celtic Financial Planning become a B Corp.

    We talk about what B Corp actually means, what businesses are assessed on, and why it goes far beyond simply having another badge on your website.

    B Corp looks at how a business operates across areas including its people, customers, governance, community and environmental impact.

    We also explore why that increasingly matters commercially.

    Can B Corp help build trust with customers?
    Can it strengthen your brand?
    Can it help attract and retain better people?
    And are consumers and recruits starting to care more about the values behind the businesses they choose?

    We also discuss the fact that B Corp standards are becoming tougher.

    That creates more work for businesses going through the process, but it also helps protect the credibility of the certification.

    From my own experience, the process forces you to look closely at how your business really operates — from policies and suppliers to employees, customers and decision-making.

    In this episode:

    🌍 What B Corp actually is
    📋 What businesses are assessed on
    🏢 Why more companies are becoming B Corps
    🤝 How Laura helps businesses through the process
    👥 Why values increasingly matter to employees and recruits
    🛍️ Why consumers care about how businesses behave
    🏆 The commercial advantages B Corp can bring
    📈 Why the standards are getting tougher
    💬 My own experience taking Celtic Financial Planning through certification
    🚀 Why becoming a B Corp is really the start, not the finish line

    One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is simple:

    B Corp isn’t just about getting certified. It’s about building a better business.

    A fascinating conversation about purpose, culture, sustainability, recruitment, trust and what businesses need to think about if they’re considering the B Corp journey.

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    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.

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    18 min
  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | Are Financial Advisers Doing Enough Due Diligence?

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | Are Financial Advisers Doing Enough Due Diligence?
    7 Oct 2026
    How do financial advisers prove that the platforms and investment solutions they recommend are genuinely right for their clients?And is simply reviewing a handful of providers really enough anymore?In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I’m joined by Tony Peters from Due Diligence Solutions, a specialist who has spent more than a decade helping financial advice firms independently review platforms, discretionary fund managers and their wider investment propositions.Tony started his career as a financial adviser before eventually running his own business with more than 20 advisers. Around the time of the Retail Distribution Review, he spotted a growing challenge for advice firms: properly researching and documenting why they had selected particular platforms and DFMs. That ultimately led to the creation of Due Diligence Solutions.Today, Tony and his team research more than 30 platforms and 246 discretionary fund managers, helping firms create the evidence and audit trail behind their decision-making.And that evidence is becoming increasingly important.We talk about why there is no single platform that is right for every client.Different clients have different requirements — whether that’s cost, trusts, direct equities, gilts, bonds or more complex planning needs. Tony explains that his role isn’t to tell an adviser which provider to use, but to independently filter the market and produce an appropriate shortlist based on what that particular firm and its clients actually need.We also discuss the increasing scrutiny around provider selection.With consolidation across financial services, changing ownership of platforms, Consumer Duty and greater attention from both regulators and professional indemnity insurers, being able to demonstrate why a firm selected a provider is becoming every bit as important as the selection itself.Then there’s the rapidly changing DFM market.Tony has seen a much greater emphasis on performance, cost and value for money, particularly over the last few years.We discuss whether Consumer Duty initially created something of a “race to the bottom” on cost and why the industry is increasingly coming back to a more sensible question:Is the client actually receiving good value for the outcome they’re getting?Another fascinating part of the conversation is the distinction between a firm’s Centralised Investment Proposition (CIP) and its Centralised Retirement Proposition (CRP).Accumulating wealth and drawing an income in retirement are very different phases of somebody’s financial life, with different risks and objectives.Tony believes firms need to be much clearer about that distinction — including how clients transition from one proposition to the other.In this episode:🔍 What good due diligence actually looks like📊 Why researching only a handful of providers may not be enough💻 How platform due diligence has changed over the last decade🏦 Why there is no single platform that works for every client📈 How the DFM market is evolving💷 Cost versus genuine value for money⚖️ The impact of Consumer Duty on investment propositions🏢 Consolidation and what happens when providers change ownership📝 Why a strong audit trail is becoming increasingly important🚦 How Tony's traffic-light system identifies strengths and weaknesses in providers🎯 Why client and investment propositions should drive provider selection👴 Why accumulation and retirement propositions need to be treated differently🤝 The value of an independent second pair of eyes🏛️ Tony's ongoing conversations with the FCA about what “good” looks like🔮 How Due Diligence Solutions is expanding into pensions, bonds, ESG and other areas of financial planningOne of the points I particularly enjoyed was Tony’s view on independence.Due Diligence Solutions isn’t owned or sponsored by a platform or DFM, and Tony is clear that maintaining that independence is fundamental to the credibility of the work they do.Because ultimately, due diligence shouldn’t be about creating a document simply to satisfy compliance.It should help advisers challenge what they’re doing, understand the market, identify better alternatives and demonstrate that the decisions they make genuinely support good outcomes for their clients.A fascinating conversation about financial advice, platforms, DFMs, Consumer Duty, regulation, independence and what good due diligence really looks like.#TheBeardedIFA #TheBeardedIFADiaries #FinancialPlanning #FinancialAdvice #DueDiligence #IFA #ConsumerDuty #Investments #DFM #FinancialServices Send us Fan MailSupport the show🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.
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    27 min
  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | Why Strong Branding Builds Trust, Customers & Better Businesses

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | Why Strong Branding Builds Trust, Customers & Better Businesses
    30 Sep 2026

    What actually makes a brand work — and how much does good marketing really influence whether someone chooses your business?

    In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I’m joined by Jane Entwistle from Entyce Creative, a marketing agency that works predominantly with established businesses, either complementing an existing marketing function or effectively becoming the outsourced marketing department.

    From social media and websites through to branding, strategy, content and everything in between, Jane and her team take a refreshingly practical approach to marketing.

    And one thing comes through clearly in this conversation:

    Marketing works best when everything joins up.

    We talk about the importance of branding, why businesses need strong and consistent brand guidelines, and how a well-built brand can create trust long before somebody ever picks up the phone, sends an enquiry or makes a purchase.

    Branding isn’t simply a logo.

    It’s how a business looks, sounds, communicates and makes people feel.

    Done properly, it helps customers understand who you are, what you stand for and why they should trust you.

    And in a crowded marketplace, that trust can make a huge difference when somebody is deciding who to work with.

    We also explore some of the enormous changes happening across the marketing world.

    Social media continues to evolve.

    AI is changing how businesses create content, communicate and operate.

    Consumer expectations are changing.

    In this episode:

    🎨 Why branding is far more than just a logo
    📖 The importance of creating strong brand guidelines
    🤝 How good branding can build trust with potential customers
    📈 Why stronger brands can help convert more enquiries into clients
    🧠 The importance of having a joined-up marketing strategy
    📱 How social media continues to change the way businesses communicate
    🤖 The opportunities AI is creating for businesses and marketers
    ⚠️ The potential threats and downsides of relying too heavily on AI
    🌐 Why websites still play such an important role in a company’s marketing
    🗣️ The importance of consistent messaging and tone of voice
    ❌ Some of the most common marketing mistakes businesses make
    🎯 Why trying to market to everybody usually means connecting with nobody
    🏢 How an external marketing agency can effectively become part of your business
    💡 Why good marketing should ultimately support commercial objectives rather than simply create activity

    One of the things I really enjoyed about this conversation was Jane and the Entyce Creative team’s straightforward approach.

    Marketing doesn’t need to be filled with jargon or complicated for the sake of it.

    Understand your business.

    Understand your audience.

    Build a strong brand.

    Communicate consistently.

    And make sure all the pieces are actually working together.

    A great conversation about branding, marketing, social media, AI, business growth and how companies can create a stronger and more trusted presence in an increasingly noisy world.

    🎧 Listen to more episodes:
    https://thebeardedifa.buzzsprout.com/

    #TheBeardedIFA #TheBeardedIFADiaries #Marketing #Branding #Business #SocialMedia #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #Entrepreneurship

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    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.

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    17 min
  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | Are We Ready for the Huge Opportunities Coming to North Wales?

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | Are We Ready for the Huge Opportunities Coming to North Wales?
    23 Sep 2026
    What does good project management actually look like — and are we doing enough to prepare local people for the huge projects coming to North Wales?In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I’m joined by Ian Wainwright from Non Fluff Project Management, a highly experienced project management specialist with more than 35 years in the profession.And Ian’s career has involved some seriously significant projects.From major rail infrastructure through to helping convert UK airspace radar systems when 3G was first introduced, Ian has worked on projects where getting things right really mattered.In the case of the radar work, the challenge was pretty fundamental — making sure aircraft could still be properly detected in UK airspace as new mobile technology was rolled out.Definitely a little more serious than missing a deadline on a spreadsheet. ✈️We start by getting back to basics and discussing what project management actually is.It’s a term used constantly in business, but good project management is about far more than Gantt charts, meetings and chasing people for updates.It’s about bringing people, resources, risks, budgets, timescales and objectives together to actually deliver something successfully.We also explore how the profession is changing.Technology, AI, changing workplaces and increasingly complex projects are all reshaping the skills that project managers need.But one of the biggest parts of this conversation is something Ian and I are both passionate about — the scale of opportunity coming to North Wales.There are major projects and enterprises planned across the region, with the potential to create highly skilled jobs, attract huge levels of investment and generate long-term economic benefits for local communities.But there is a major challenge.Do we currently have enough people locally with the right skills to take advantage of those opportunities?Because announcing billions of pounds of investment is one thing.Making sure the benefits genuinely remain within local communities is another.If the skills aren’t available locally, many of the best jobs could end up being filled by people travelling into the area or relocating specifically for those projects.That means the investment arrives — but a significant proportion of the long-term benefit leaves again.On the other hand, if we get this right, the opportunity is enormous.Develop the right skills locally now and these projects could create careers, businesses and prosperity that continue long after the original construction work has finished.In this episode:🏗️ What project management actually means📋 Why project management is much more than plans and spreadsheets🚆 Ian’s experience working on major rail projects✈️ The fascinating challenge of adapting UK radar systems during the rollout of 3G⚠️ Managing risk when the consequences of failure really matter🧠 The qualities that make a great project manager🔮 How project management is likely to evolve🤖 The impact technology and AI could have on the profession🏔️ The huge projects and investment planned for North Wales👷 Why developing skills locally needs to happen now🎓 The importance of education, training and creating clear career pathways💼 The danger of high-value jobs being filled from outside the region🏢 The opportunity for local businesses to benefit from major infrastructure projects📈 The potential economic impact on communities across North Wales❓ And the big question — are we actually doing enough to prepare?There is a huge amount to be optimistic about.North Wales has an opportunity to benefit from some genuinely transformational projects over the coming years.But major investment doesn’t automatically create local prosperity.We need the skills, businesses and people ready to take advantage of it.If we can get that right, the upside for communities across North Wales could be enormous.A fascinating conversation about project management, infrastructure, skills, education, economic development and making sure major investment creates a genuine legacy for the people who live here.Thinking of project management as a career? Check out this free training course from Ian: https://pinestar.thinkific.com/courses/is-project-management-right-for-me Send us Fan MailSupport the show🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.
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    19 min
  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | How Do You Scale a Marketing Agency Without Losing Your Way?

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | How Do You Scale a Marketing Agency Without Losing Your Way?
    16 Sep 2026

    Do you really know who your ideal client is — and when was the last time you checked?

    In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I'm joined by James from JG Consulting, who works with marketing agencies to help them scale, develop and navigate an industry that continues to change at an incredible pace.

    James brings a fascinating perspective to the conversation, having moved from the world of large corporates to setting up and running his own consultancy.

    We talk about what agencies need to get right if they want to grow sustainably, starting with something that sounds obvious but is often overlooked — knowing exactly who your ideal client is.

    More importantly, that ideal client isn't something you define once and forget about.

    As your business changes, your services evolve and the market moves, the type of client you really want to work with can change too.

    And the marketing landscape itself certainly isn't standing still. 📈

    We explore how different channels continue to evolve, from PPC and paid digital advertising through to the increasing influence of creators and influencers, and why agencies need to keep adapting rather than relying on what has worked in the past.

    We also get into the growing world of fractional expertise.

    For smaller agencies, bringing experienced people into the business doesn't always have to mean another full-time senior hire. James explains how fractional support can give businesses access to skills, experience and strategic thinking when they need it — without necessarily carrying the cost and commitment of building everything in-house.

    Then there's James's own journey.

    After years working in large organisations, he made the decision to build something of his own, create a better work-life balance and get back to working more closely with smaller agencies where he could have a direct impact.

    In this episode:

    🎯 Why knowing your ideal client is fundamental to growth
    🔄 Why your ideal client profile needs to evolve with your business
    📈 The challenges marketing agencies face when trying to scale
    🌍 How the agency and marketing landscape is changing
    💷 The benefits of bringing fractional expertise into your business
    🧠 Accessing senior experience without necessarily making a full-time hire
    🖱️ How PPC and paid marketing continue to evolve
    📱 The rise of influencers and changing marketing channels
    🏢 James's experience working within large corporate organisations
    🚀 Why he decided to launch JG Consulting
    ⚖️ Building a business around a better work-life balance
    🤝 Why working with smaller agencies appealed to him again

    Scaling a business isn't simply about winning more clients or employing more people. It's about understanding who you want to work with, where you genuinely add value and getting the right expertise around the table as the business develops.

    A really insightful conversation about marketing, agency growth, changing technology, entrepreneurship and building a business that works for you — rather than the other way around.

    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they've learned along the way.

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    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.

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    21 min
  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | Capturing People, Not Pixels with Gavin J Priest

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | Capturing People, Not Pixels with Gavin J Priest
    2 Sep 2026

    What makes a great portrait in a world where almost any image can now be created, or completely transformed with AI?

    In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I'm joined by professional portrait photographer Gavin J Priest to explore his journey through an industry that has changed enormously during his career.

    Gavin takes us right back to the beginning, sharing how his interest in photography developed as a youngster and the path that eventually led him to become an established and respected professional photographer.

    We talk about the highs and lows of making a living from something creative, the lessons he's learned along the way and how his approach to both photography and business has evolved over the years.

    And then there's technology. 📸

    From the move to digital photography and increasingly sophisticated editing software to the extraordinary capabilities of AI-generated and AI-edited images, the industry is going through another period of significant change.

    So where does that leave the professional photographer?

    We discuss whether technology risks taking something away from photography and why there may actually be more value than ever in capturing real people, real expressions and genuine moments.

    We also explore the business side of Gavin's journey, including the importance of finding your niche, specialising rather than trying to photograph everything, and where he sees his own career heading next.

    In this episode:

    📸 Gavin's journey from a young photography enthusiast to respected professional
    👤 Why he chose to specialise in portrait photography
    💼 The realities of turning creativity into a business
    🎢 The highs, lows and lessons from years in the industry
    💻 How technology has transformed professional photography
    🤖 AI-generated images and the future of image editing
    🧐 Can we still tell what's real?
    ❤️ Why authentic photographs of real people still matter
    🎯 The value of specialising and finding your niche
    🔮 What's next for Gavin and the photography industry

    In a world where we can generate an apparently perfect image in seconds, perhaps the imperfect reality of a genuine photograph of a genuine person becomes even more important.

    A really enjoyable and thought-provoking conversation about photography, technology, creativity, business and adapting to change.

    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they've learned along the way.

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    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.

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    21 min
  • The Bearded IFA Diaries | Google Ads: Are You Wasting Your Money?

    The Bearded IFA Diaries | Google Ads: Are You Wasting Your Money?
    26 Aug 2026

    How much money are businesses wasting on Google Ads without even realising it?

    In this episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I'm joined by Dan Roberts, co-founder of Three Clicks Digital, for a fascinating conversation about Google Ads, PPC, entrepreneurship and the rapidly changing world of digital marketing.

    Dan and his two co-founders came from agency backgrounds and kept seeing the same problems: account managers stretched across too many clients, generic campaigns, a lack of communication and businesses spending significant amounts on advertising without really understanding what they were getting in return.

    So they decided to do something about it.

    They founded Three Clicks Digital, deliberately choosing to specialise in Google and Microsoft Ads rather than trying to become another full-service digital marketing agency.

    We get into exactly what PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising is, how it works and, importantly, how businesses can use it effectively to generate measurable results.

    We also discuss why specialisation matters. Is there an advantage in becoming exceptionally good at one thing rather than trying to offer everything? It's a subject that comes up regularly on the podcast, and Dan has some interesting thoughts from both the agency and business-owner perspective.

    Of course, we couldn't talk about digital marketing in 2026 without mentioning AI.

    We explore how technology is changing Google Ads, what automation means for PPC specialists, how search behaviour itself could change and where human expertise still fits into an increasingly AI-driven world.

    Three Clicks Digital is also one of the first UK agencies accepted as a ChatGPT Ads partner, so we discuss what the emergence of advertising within AI platforms could mean for businesses and the wider digital advertising landscape.

    And, as always, we go beyond the technical stuff.

    Dan shares his own journey, the decision to start Three Clicks with his business partners, the challenges of building a new company and their ambitions for the future.

    In this episode:

    💻 What PPC actually is and how Google Ads works
    💷 Why businesses can waste money on poorly managed campaigns
    🎯 When PPC can—and can't—work for a business
    🔍 Why Three Clicks decided to become specialists rather than generalists
    📊 Understanding the numbers that actually matter
    🤝 Why communication between an agency and its clients is so important
    🚀 Dan's journey into business ownership
    👥 Founding a company with two business partners
    🤖 How AI is already changing digital advertising
    🔮 What the future of Google, search and PPC could look like
    💬 The emergence of ChatGPT Ads and what it could mean for businesses

    Even if you've never run a Google Ads campaign in your life, this is a really interesting conversation about business, technology, specialisation and how the way we find products and services online is changing.

    And if you're already spending money on PPC, you might listen to this one slightly differently... particularly when we start talking about wasted ad spend! 😬

    🌐 Find out more about Dan and Three Clicks Digital:
    https://threeclicksdigital.co.uk/

    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs about their journeys, their challenges and the lessons they've learned along the way.

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    🎙️ The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations with business owners, professionals and interesting people about their journeys, challenges and what they’ve learned along the way.

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    21 min