Dean Bonds from Long Term Teachers

Dean Bonds from Long Term Teachers

In this episode of the Cornwall Innovation Centre podcast, Rebecca Loto speaks with Dean Bonds, regional director of Long Term Teachers for the Cornwall branch. Dean explains that Long Term Teachers is a recruitment and staffing agency that supports schools across Cornwall and Devon, with an additional office in Bristol. The company recruits teachers and support staff across all levels - primary, secondary, and special education needs - helping schools fill staffing gaps caused by maternity leave, illness, or other absences. They continuously recruit newly qualified teachers, teachers returning from retirement who want to pick up supply work, and build a pool of qualified professionals to support schools. The demand for supply teachers has increased significantly since Covid, driven by teacher shortages, budget constraints, and the need to maintain quality education even when permanent staff are unavailable. Dean emphasises that schools must still deliver quality education to students, particularly during critical years like GCSEs and SATs, regardless of whether their permanent teacher is present. Dean shares his background, explaining that he was headhunted two years ago by the company's directors, Tom and Matt, to open the Cornwall branch. He had been working in education recruitment at a competitor for ten years and has a deep passion for the sector, though his brother's role as a head teacher was what first connected him to the education world. A key theme throughout the podcast is the importance of personal relationships and reputation in the business. Dean highlights how personal connections are the foundation of his work, through industry knowledge, transparent and honest service, and genuine relationships with both schools and teachers. Rather than treating teachers as job titles, Long Term Teachers takes time to understand them as individuals: their specialties, niches, hobbies, and interests. This personal approach means they can better match teachers to schools' specific needs. For example, a maths teacher might also be musical, allowing schools to maximise their use of that person's skills throughout the day. He emphasises that in competitive markets where many companies offer similar services, people ultimately buy from people. Schools and teachers choose Long Term Teachers because of the relationships they build and their understanding of individual needs. This personal branding and genuine care for outcomes is crucial in education recruitment. Being based at Penryn Innovation Centre has provided valuable networking opportunities for Long Term Teachers. Dean mentions meeting different businesses and walks of life, and specifically recalls a coffee and chat event where someone's wife was coming to the end of a teaching career and subsequently registered with them - a connection that wouldn't have happened otherwise. He appreciates the diversity of businesses at the innovation centre and notes that connections made there can be both business and personal. You can find Long Term Teachers at the Pool Innovation Centre.

Tony Kirk from T&A Kirk Accountants

In this episode of the Cornwall Innovation Centre podcast, Rebecca Loto speaks with Tony Kirk, co-founder of T&A Kirk Accountants, a firm run jointly with his wife Amy. Tony discusses the unique advantages and challenges of running a business with a life partner. While there are challenges in separating work and family life, the main advantage is having someone to support you through the difficult decisions that all businesses face. Tony explains how having Amy as both a business partner and wife provides emotional support during tough times, allowing him to discuss strategy and challenges without worry of judgment. Running a small business can be isolating, but having a partner shares the burden and eases the stress of decision-making. The conversation explores how Tony and Amy maintain a healthy work-life balance while working together. They implement monthly "date days" where they leave the office, go for a walk, have lunch, and dedicate time to discussing business strategy, planning, and all matters on their minds. They write notes and discuss ideas openly. Tony emphasises how important this practice is for preventing stress from building up and allowing them to compartmentalise work and family time. When they miss these planning days due to being busy, they notice the impact on both the business and family life. Tony stresses the importance of carving out strategic planning time and mentions that many business owners wait until they're less busy to work on strategy, which never happens. He recommends that all business owners, whether working with a partner or not, find someone to support them, whether that's a friend, advisor, or colleague, to help think through the bigger picture. The discussion covers T&A Kirk Accountants' client base, which is predominantly small businesses and sole traders. Tony explains how working with these clients gives him insight into the wider business climate and sentiment across different sectors, which many businesses don't have the opportunity to experience if they work directly with consumers. Tony discusses the benefits of being based at Penryn Innovation Centre, including the use of meeting rooms for client meetings, a comfortable safe environment for staff, security for handling confidential data, and opportunities to network with other business owners. He values knowing his staff are in a secure environment, particularly when he travels around the country meeting with clients. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on Making Tax Digital (MTD), a new HMRC requirement forcing quarterly tax reporting for self-employed sole traders instead of annual filing. Tony acknowledges there will be a period of pain during the transition, with some sole traders still unfamiliar with the requirements as of the interview date. Tony encourages business owners to have conversations with their accountants about quarterly returns rather than simply filing them without understanding what the figures mean. He stresses that accountants love these conversations and can help identify red flags or opportunities within the data. He also recommends that business owners move toward thinking about their business and planning quarterly, allowing them to understand their cash flow and business health much more regularly and with less overwhelming pressure at year-end. To learn more about T&A Kirk Accountants or discuss accounting and tax services for small businesses, you can find them at Pool Innovation Centre.

Sam Taylor from Green Power Solutions

In this episode of the Cornwall Innovation Centre podcast, Rebecca Loto speaks with Sam Taylor, co-founder of Green Power Solutions, a company that provides monitoring solutions for off-grid assets. Sam explains that Green Power Solutions helps operations teams gain visibility and make predictions about off-grid assets such as CCTV towers along motorways that are powered by battery or solar. The technology allows operations managers to determine how long an asset will remain operational, monitor battery status, predict solar performance, and plan engineer visits more efficiently. Historically, approximately 75% of engineer visits to these assets are unnecessary, as fleet owners often change batteries on a fixed schedule without knowing if replacement is actually needed. The conversation covers the significant financial and operational benefits of this visibility. Site visits can cost around 200 pounds for half a day, and by reducing unnecessary visits and optimizing engineer routing and priorities, clients achieve substantial savings. Beyond cost savings, the technology helps clients transition away from diesel generators to battery and solar-powered systems, supporting sustainability goals. Sam discusses how Green Power Solutions initially operated as a SaaS software company integrating with existing manufacturer hardware. However, around January 2024, when AI improvements made it easy to replicate software features, their competitive advantage disappeared almost overnight. This prompted a significant pivot into hardware development. The company now develops its own hardware specifically designed to use minimal power - critical for power-sensitive off-grid assets - while controlling the entire data journey and protecting their intellectual property. The pivot from remote-first software company to manufacturer required a physical office space for testing and development work. Sam highlights how the company now uses AI agents to enhance productivity, with a team of just three people operating with the capability of a team of ten or twelve in traditional terms. Clients' needs are also evolving due to AI capabilities, with some now preferring to access raw data endpoints rather than pre-built dashboards, allowing them to build their own interfaces with AI-assisted development. Sam reflects on AI's role in her business and the broader market. While recognizing AI's potential to improve productivity and enable small teams to compete, she acknowledges the paradox of being a B Corp committed to environmental sustainability while relying heavily on AI to deliver that sustainability benefit. She describes it as "use AI or die" for a small company unable to compete with traditional development approaches. Sam discusses the advantages of being based at Cornwall Innovation Centres, including startup agility with quarterly rather than annual contracts, the ability to scale flexibly, and a supportive environment. When the team experienced connectivity issues during testing, the innovation centre team worked with them to find solutions rather than having them relocate. Sam notes feeling valued as part of a community rather than just an office number. You can find Green Power Solutions at Pool Innovation Centre.

Adrian Kelly from LetCheck Inventories

In this episode of the Cornwall Innovation Centre podcast, Rebecca Loto speaks with Adrian Kelly, founder of LetCheck Inventories, a service that protects properties, renters' deposits and landlords' reputations through detailed inspections at the beginning and end of tenancies. Adrian explains how LetCheck removes ambiguity from the renting process by conducting detailed inspections at the start of a tenancy. These reports help property managers fairly allocate expenses between reasonable wear and tear and renter liability, making the end of tenancy administration much smoother and fairer for everyone involved. The service covers studio flats through to four or five-bedroom houses, predominantly residential properties across the UK. LetCheck started in London many years ago and now operates across 17 different locations around the UK, primarily in high-density city areas. Adrian explains that the company relocated its headquarters to Penryn Innovation Centre in Cornwall 16 years ago. Initially managing both the business in London and establishing operations in Cornwall was challenging, but over time the company built a growing team at the innovation centre. Adrian discusses being one of the longest-standing tenants at Penryn Innovation Centre for 12 years, describing how the flexibility of the space enabled the business to adapt through Covid and scale up. He values creating an environment where team members feel part of something bigger than just the mission, and the innovation centre's facilities including the cafe, parking and security make it an ideal place to work. The discussion covers the impact of regulations and compliance on the lettings market. While not directly affecting LetCheck, these changes have significantly impacted their clients. The corporate landlord market is growing faster than the private landlord market due to increased compliance requirements and costs. Adrian explains the "built to rent" model where institutional investors and operators purchase buildings, converting them into apartment blocks, with the intention to hold and rent them long-term as an annuity stream rather than selling. Adrian shares his background, having worked in banking in London for an American employer between New York and London before leaving after five or six years to start his own business. He tried several ventures including running a letting agency, but LetCheck was the business that "just kept on slowly growing" despite paying it minimal attention initially. When Adrian and his wife decided to commit fully, they bought out his business partner and scaled from there.

Sam Shrimpton from Teylu and Partners

In this episode of the Cornwall Innovation Centre podcast, Rebecca Loto speaks with Sam Shrimpton, founder of Teylu and Partners, a marketing agency that services clients from multinational corporates to SMEs. Sam explains how Teylu works with diverse clients ranging from one of the first innovators to create a subscription business in the early 2000s, to a 300 plus million turnover company across 48 countries. They explore how Sam started the business in 2017 after working in major agencies, where he identified a fundamental problem in large agencies where senior strategists do the thinking but delivery is handled by less experienced staff due to high overhead costs from expensive offices and facilities. Teylu operates on the opposite model, using a remote-first approach to keep really smart people in the company long-term by giving them the lifestyle they want. Sam discusses the philosophy of finding the ten pound insight that makes the million pound revenue, which only happens when experienced people work directly on client projects. By avoiding the big overheads, all costs go directly into the work itself, making the agency super efficient. The discussion also steers towards Sam's love of endurance racing, which he practices on a simulator, and the advantages of being based at Tremough Innovation Centre, highlighting the inspiration from being surrounded by other innovators and success stories. He values seeing the reality of entrepreneurship, where people come and go as businesses pivot or fail, providing important reminders about recognising what doesn't work and shifting to what does. Sam also highlights the unique benefits of Cornwall Innovation Centres, including beach access and quality of life, combined with professional facilities like the innovation centre's internet speeds, security, and ability to host professional events with good train connections. You can find Teylu and Partners to discuss marketing and lead generation services at Tremough Innovation Centre.