The Sales & Presentation podcast, hosted by Trevor Lee, asks Ally about various aspects of her life and work. Among the more revealing insights Trevor uncovers, in her long corporate career, Ally was at one point not just a Sales Manager and Branch Manager – running a £3.5m business with a £1.1m profit requirement – but also an ‘Enthusiasm Monitor’. (As her colleagues would testify, her job might no longer include this title, but she fulfils the job description more or less daily anyway.)

Ally’s 15 years with Rentokil Initial saw her thrive in a sales-and-profit-led culture. Then, early this century and with a young family, she decided to return to her native Cornwall, and happened to see an ad for Project Manager at what was then Unlocking Cornish Potential. Since them, Ally’s spent 20 years piloting UP from a start-up in which she was sole employee to a peak of 55 staff helping businesses find the right graduates, and helping all sizes and ages of business to develop, plan and prosper.

While Ally inevitably talks about the difficulties afflicting (and still awaiting) many businesses, she also speaks – with characteristic enthusiasm – about some incidental upsides. Unlocking Potential has become adept at delivering webinars and will blend face-to-face with more online learning in future. She also noted how many people are still starting businesses, even in this climate, and told Trevor that established businesses who were strong pre-Covid-19 will be those best placed to bounce back, even in recessionary times.

The full interview, just over 15 minutes, is available here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/157957/4213643