Share Sounds from Company Casebook

Linda this week visits Regent Foreign Exchange to talk about its online service, Currency Cart. Boss Alexander Chagoubatov says most businesses are paying far more than they should for foreign currency transactions - maybe up to eight times what some big banks would charge. Most of Regent FE'ss clients are businesses, but they do deal with individuals as well, through their separate website www.currencycart.com

Age is no barrier to setting up and running a small business. Husband and wife team Margaret Salmon and Paul Brown set up their company when they were in their mid 50's and mid 60's respectively. Ten years on she's 66 and he is 73 - and Only By Nature, their sugar free frozen yoghurt business is going from strength to strength. The frozen yoghurt, retailing at £3 per tub, is being stocked by several large supermarket chains.

Think Snapchat meets Ebay - and you've got a new video E-commerce platform called Yeay which promises to provide 'the ultimate shopping experience' - all done on mobile phones. Sellers make and upload themselves from their mobile phones using the Yeay app. For buyers, to keep it simple there's an integrated payment system as well. Backed by one of German's top venture capital firms, it's the brain child of former TV producer Melanie Mohr.

This week Linda is with geo, a Cambridge-based company and a pioneer in smart heating (smart meters, thermostats and solar). Now celebrating their tenth anniversary, the company has delivered over two million systems in the UK and Europe. They sell via utilities, distributors and now direct to consumers.

This week, Linda Lewis speaks to the founder of Jardine of London, Mary Jardine. Mary is a former model agency boss who is on a quest to produce her own luxury handbag company, creating and designing products in Britain that she aims to rival other luxury handbags on the market.

eSolidar is an online, global market place that allows charities to raise funds and awareness through sales and auctions. Described as one of the most outstanding digital initiatives for social good, the company has been growing rapidly and is now looking to the UK for expansion. Linda Lewis went along to their UK headquarters in London to find out how they work. First Broadcast: 10/07/16

Bio-Bean have opened a factory in Cambridgeshire to process waste coffee grounds and are busy turning tonnes of it into sustainable fuels. Their latest product is Logs, made from compressed coffee. Founder and chief executive Arthur Kay, who guides Linda Lewis through the process of converting coffee beans into fuel. He also explains how the company has already won a string of awards, including the first prize in Sir Richard Branson's annual VOOM competition.

BillHub is a fin tech company that provides a platform for sending, spending and managing household bills between housemates. Bill payers can also take photos of their bills using a mobile phone and upload them to the hub. Founder James Harrison meets Linda Lewis and explains how the company aims to provide a product for the ‘generation rent’. BillHub, he says, aim to be transparent, safe and secure product for all.

Pockit is a Digital bank alternative for low income, under served bank consumers in the UK. They've already got over 60,000 customers and are processing more than a quarter of a million transactions every month. Linda Lewis meets its founder, Virraj Jatania, who explains how the company works, how it was set up and their company values.

Linda Lewis meets Simon Gosling, Managing Director of Energy Net, a conference company which has been producing events and investment summits for Africa for nearly 20 years. Simon explains his latest initiative, Off the Grid Club, which aims to connect poor areas of Africa to the electricity grid. Linda also meets the supporters and founder members, taking part in the Off the Grid Club, such as the Solar Turtle Company.