Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds

22.Corporate Agony Aunt, Headhunted by Gary Neville, From Overdelivering to The Overlap: Izzy Panton

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Izzy Panton—strategist, speaker, personal brand advocate, and proud Bury native—whose unconventional path from enterprise rentals to executive roles, viral TikToks, and media partnerships is anything but ordinary.
Izzy opens up about growing up with strict parents and the pivotal moment when she realised she didn’t need permission to take up space. She shares how hard work, relentless self-belief, and leaning into her unique identity helped her break through rooms where she didn’t initially belong.
From renting cars in Bolton to leading recruitment at UA92 and now heading up sponsorships for The Overlap, Izzy’s story is a masterclass in knowing your worth, building your personal brand, and redefining success on your own terms.
She talks candidly about career pivots, navigating impostor syndrome, what it really means to build a legacy, and why stepping back after becoming a mum became the biggest power move of all.
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/isobelle/

21. Brothers In Business, From Burnley, Building The Next Social Chain?: Morgan and Niall Ratcliffe

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we’re joined by the Ratcliffe brothers—two Northern lads who turned a football scholarship and a borrowed laptop into a fast-growing marketing agency with clients across the UK.
Morgan and Niall share how growing up in Burnley with zero exposure to entrepreneurship shaped their mindset, how they navigated food banks and remote jobs in the U.S., and why success came not from privilege but pure graft.
They open up about what it’s really like building a business as brothers—from sharing a single-bedroom flat to running a 20-person team—and why moving to Manchester became a defining moment for their brand.
 
🔗 https://www.noticed.co/

20. Lucy Wilkinson - "It's Not Just Entertainment–It's Therapy"

In the latest episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Lucy Wilkinson—one of the region’s most iconic children’s entertainers—to talk about how she built a joyful, purpose-led business from the ground up.
Lucy shares how growing up as a natural performer, being underestimated, and following an unconventional path led her to a career that blends entertainment with therapy. She opens up about the emotional depth behind clowning, what adults often get wrong about play, and how she uses laughter as a tool to help children feel safe, seen, and heard.
We dive into:
How she turned a love of entertaining into a mission-driven business
Why being a clown is about emotional connection—not just comedy
The moment she realised her work was a form of therapy
What she’s learned from over 20 years of bringing joy to others
This episode is packed with heart, humour, and a powerful reminder of how play can heal.
🔗 ⁠https://www.loubylou.co.uk/⁠

19. Jordan Stachini - "I quit my job, moved cities, and figured it out as I went."

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Jordan, a dynamic entrepreneur whose journey is defined by bold pivots, relentless drive, and a passion for empowering others.
Jordan shares how a leap of faith led to the creation of a thriving business, the lessons learned from navigating challenges, and why embracing vulnerability is key to authentic leadership.
From candid reflections on mental health to actionable advice for budding entrepreneurs, this conversation offers a raw and inspiring look at the realities of building something from the ground up.
We also explore Jordan's mission to create meaningful impact through mentorship and why fostering genuine connections is at the heart of their success.
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanstachini/
🔗 https://wearecoandco.com/

18. Chris Maguire - "I realised the harder I worked, the luckier I got.”

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Chris Maguire, a journalist, editor, and entrepreneur who has spent decades breaking stories and uncovering the truth.
Chris shares how he knew from the age of nine that he wanted to be a journalist, how he hustled his way into top newspapers, and why he once sat in a van for hours just to get a photo of a crime suspect.
We also dive into his time covering the Fred and Rose West case—one of the UK’s most infamous crimes—why journalism gave him the confidence to start his own business and the shift from journalist to entrepreneur—and how he’s building BusinessCloud into a trusted media brand.
This episode is packed with stories, insight, and raw honesty about journalism, risk-taking, and the business of storytelling.
 
🔗 www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-maguire-30a96931/
🔗 www.businesscloud.co.uk/
 

17. Paul Cheetham-Karcz - "I work seven days a week… because I love it."

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Paul Cheetham-Karcz, founder of Sedulo, to talk about his journey from a working-class upbringing in Stockport to building a £20M+a-year financial consultancy.
Paul shares how growing up in a council estate, rejecting a “job for life” mentality, and taking huge financial risks shaped his success. He opens up about his struggles with anxiety, why he believes in writing your own eulogy, and how he scaled Sedulo to work with top businesses and sports teams.
We dive into:The biggest risks he’s taken—including signing a 10-year lease mid-COVIDHow he went from knowing nothing about finance to running a £20M+ firmWhy most successful people are the most anxious people he knows His mission to break the poverty cycle through his foundation
This episode is packed with honest insights on business, mindset, and resilience.
🔗 https://sedulo.co.uk/🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-cheetham-karcz/

16. Jennie Bailey - “I sold my first 150 pairs of shoes… before I even had any.”

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Jennie Bailey, founder of Calla Shoes, to talk about how she turned a personal struggle into a thriving business.
Jennie shares how an unexpected redundancy and an unplanned pregnancy pushed her to take the biggest risk of her life—starting a footwear brand from scratch, without any experience in shoemaking.
She opens up about the challenges of breaking into a centuries-old industry, why she sold her first 150 pairs of shoes before she even had them, and how Helen Mirren unexpectedly became a customer.
We also dive into the realities of building a product-based business, the financial risks most founders don’t talk about, and the magic moments that make the journey worthwhile.https://callashoes.co.uk/

15. Lewis Kemp - "Do You Want a Business or an Ego Boost?”

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Lewis Kemp, founder of Lightbulb Media, to talk about his unconventional journey from a council estate in Bolton to leading a thriving marketing agency.
 
Lewis shares how his early experiences-like door-knocking in the rain and facing constant rejection-shaped his resilience and business mindset.
 
He opens up about being diagnosed with autism at 30, how it reshaped his self-awareness, and why he believes success isn’t about vanity metrics but about freedom. We also dive into hard-hitting lessons on scaling a business, the real barriers to growth, and why he refuses to work with clients who let their egos get in the way.
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-kemp-manchester/
https://lightbulbmedia.co.uk/

14. Lucy White - “I Never Had the Attitude That I Couldn’t Do Something”

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, Lucy shares how her upbringing in Salford shaped her entrepreneurial journey—building businesses with nothing but determination, learning on the go, and taking risks without fear.
 
From launching an events company with no experience to co-founding a distillery with her sisters, Lucy's story is one of grit, blind confidence, and figuring it out along the way.
 
She talks about overcoming setbacks, navigating business partnerships, and the lessons learned from failure, success, and everything in between.
If you’ve ever thought, I have no idea how to do this, but I’ll figure it out, this episode is for you.

13. Ryan Williams - “Social Media Excited Me-I Knew I Had to Take the Leap”

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, we sit down with Ryan Williams, the entrepreneur behind the viral media sensation It’s Gone Viral.
Ryan shares his journey from struggling with academia to discovering his passion for IT and ultimately building a thriving social media empire.
We explore how Ryan turned a side hustle into a multimillion-pound business, the challenges of balancing family life with his growing brand, and the lessons he’s learned about risk-taking, resilience, and innovation. He also reflects on selling the business, navigating personal challenges, and his vision for inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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Ryan's LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/ryantwilliamsofficial/
 
Blood, Sweat and Tweets - Ryan & Jenna Williams
www.waterstones.com/book/blood-sweat-and-tweets/jenna-williams/lolo-stubbs/9781916237780/