iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

X, known as Twitter before Elon Musk bought it, represents an overlooked opportunity for businesses, according to one tech start-up. @etnshow is an expanding and ambitious new media company, which aspires to mix tech news coverage with entertainment. www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/is-...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Some nose and mouth tape to help with your breathing during sleep. Some magnesium supplements. A ‘brain bar’ snack to help you concentrate. Some lube for… ‘nocturnal activities’! Some of the items in my goody bag when I went to a Wellness event for UK start-ups... www.linkedin.com/pulse/secret...

linkedin.com

The secret to success in the Wellness space

Some nose and mouth tape to help with your breathing during sleep. Some magnesium supplements.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Ever feel like an idea is stalking you? I was at four separate events this past week with entrepreneurs and business leaders and one theme kept coming up: AI has decoupled headcount and scaling. You can now grow businesses with fewer people involved. www.linkedin.com/pulse/secret...

linkedin.com

The secret to scaling with AI

I'm in constant contact with entrepreneurs in my role as senior correspondent at Business Leader. There's an idea I keep hearing, connected to how we scale businesses.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Social media has thrust founders, CEOs and business leaders into the spotlight. But the way we film them has changed over the past decade. It's a trend I've spotted close-up, with BBC and now Business Leader. #ceo #business #mondaymotivation www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-...

linkedin.com

What's the best way to film CEOs?

The best way to film business video content for highest impact has changed as social media platforms have evolved I thought I was doing something radical when I started the series CEO Secrets for BBC ...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Why has Mastercard woven a 'Payeux Tapestry'? Find out: www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/age...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

He's out to build his own IP and monetise it, or as he put it, "releasing my inner Del Boy, entering the digital Narnia". This time next year, he's sure he'll be a millionaire (to quote his beloved Trotter family from the sitcom). #bbc #business www.linkedin.com/pulse/bad-om...

linkedin.com

Bad omens for the BBC

When police teams are investigating organised crime they say, 'Follow the money'. But if you want to understand the evolving world of business and organisations, then I say: 'Follow the people'.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

When police teams are investigating organised crime they say, 'Follow the money'. But if you want to understand the evolving world of business and organisations, then I say: 'Follow the people'. So what’s happening at BBC News? #bbc #media #business www.linkedin.com/pulse/bad-om...

linkedin.com

Bad omens for the BBC

When police teams are investigating organised crime they say, 'Follow the money'. But if you want to understand the evolving world of business and organisations, then I say: 'Follow the people'.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

There's a real power in entrepreneurship when your business idea is centred around the activity you love. It frees you up to be inventive. Your passion drives invention and it all happens instinctively. #entrepreneur #business #motivation www.linkedin.com/pulse/cookin...

linkedin.com

Cooking good: The passion project inspired by kebabs

This week I want to tell you the story of an entrepreneur who got creative by following her passion for cooking. There's a real power in entrepreneurship when your business idea is centred around the ...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

If you are young and ambitious, it’s the best of times and the worst of times to be an entrepreneur. Gen Z has amazing opportunities, but is held back by a fear of failure. Check out my piece in @newsweek.com www.newsweek.com/gen-z-entrep...

newsweek.com

Gen Z entrepreneurs have every opportunity and one big problem: fear of failure

Gen Z must understand and embrace failure to truly fulfill their incredible potential for success in business.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

You know your company's done well when it becomes a verb. “Shall we meet in person or Zoom?” is a common refrain in business. Zoom is one of a handful of companies (along with the likes of Peloton, Docusign, Hopin) that came into its own during the lockdowns of the pandemic. But... (_/2)

businessleader.co.uk

How Zoom is scaling beyond the video call

Zoom UK & Ireland head Louise Newbury-Smith reveals how AI-powered contact centres now drive half of Zoom's new business and what leaders can learn from its approach

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Will Gen Z really perform better at job interviews when they are conducted in-person rather than by video call? I respectfully disagree, as I argue in my newsletter this week. www.linkedin.com/pulse/gen-z-... #jobs #hiring

linkedin.com

Is Gen Z really more likely to land a job in-person?

Get hiring right in business and you can unlock the key to scaling. It’s the quiet engine room of any successful company.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

It's a phenomenon I think many people will relate to (I know I do). The highly-polished document produced by a colleague at work. Yet they don't seem particularly confident when it comes to discussing its contents... www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/mot...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

“Eleven months later, just before bonus time, when everybody does their best to impress their managers, the programmer returned to Kirk, with a sheepish look. He had a confession to make.” Read more: www.linkedin.com/pulse/book-e...

linkedin.com

Book extract: A story from Fail Smarter

This week's newsletter contains some summer holiday reading for you (well, a little bit anyway, not enough for a full day at the pool). It's a short extract from my latest business book Fail Smarter.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

"I'm like, can anyone not read the subtitles here, ‘my product is awesome’.” Have AI companies perfected the art of "selling without selling"? I spoke with Tim Fung of @airtasker.bsky.social for @businessleader.bsky.social. www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/air... #ai #marketing #tech

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Location, location, location. That's what I believe when it comes to interviews in business journalism. It's never been easier to quickly set up a recorded video call. But the real magic happens when… www.linkedin.com/pulse/behind...

linkedin.com

Behind the Scenes: Entrepreneurial Encounters

Location, location, location. That's what I believe when it comes to interviews in business journalism.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Maybe the most mind-boggingly complex puzzle I've ever seen, of a giant galaxy. How challenging must the work on Quantum Computing software be if this is how you relax your brain in your downtime! www.linkedin.com/pulse/behind...

linkedin.com

Behind the Scenes: Entrepreneurial Encounters

Location, location, location. That's what I believe when it comes to interviews in business journalism.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Could digital bundles be a better way to fund the BBC? www.linkedin.com/pulse/altern... #bbc #media #licensefee

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Here I show how I used my phone to make a multiplatform piece of feature journalism www.linkedin.com/pulse/behind... #mojo #videojournalism #iphone #manchester

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

"Large companies typically use only about 30 per cent of their stored data." That was one of the most surprising things that Cesar Cernuda, president of NetApp, told me in our Business Leader interview. www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/ai-... #ai #tech #sme #business

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Customer service is important in all businesses, but maybe especially so in the EV industry right now. Modern cars and especially EVs are “computers on wheels”, says Galvin, compared to “legacy cars”. www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/pol...

businessleader.co.uk

Why Polestar UK tore up the Tesla sales playbook

Polestar UK's MD Matt Galvin on the four moves that lifted sales, fixed service and made AI earn its keep

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Always back local businesses. Because they will back you. There was one person who I was really delighted to see at my book launch for Fail Smarter. My optician! But I only had the chance to catch up with her properly today, because I was so busy at the launch itself. 🧵 ...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

I spoke with Polestar cars UK MD Matt Galvin on the four moves that lifted sales, fixed service and made AI earn its keep #ev #auto #business www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/pol...

businessleader.co.uk

Why Polestar UK tore up the Tesla sales playbook

Polestar UK's MD Matt Galvin on the four moves that lifted sales, fixed service and made AI earn its keep

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

“It’s a sport that’s been ‘grandfathered’ for so long,” says Amanna. He thinks it’s due a tech makeover and admits it’s been tough to run this team, almost like an internal start-up, in parallel to his main business. #boxing www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/bow...

businessleader.co.uk

How one founder is using AI to land a knockout business opportunity

What began as a boxing apparel brand is now becoming a lesson in how founders can use AI to unlock new growth

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Can this boxer-entrepreneur help his sport land a winning punch with AI? Check out my story with Ben Amanna of @boxraw.bsky.social for @businessleader.bsky.social www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/bow...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

A lesson on how AI can speed up business, courtesy of some hand serum. Great to chat with beauty entrepreneur Margaret Dabbs for a Business Leader interview. Learn more: www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/ai-...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

“When humans give us feedback we can get emotionally embarrassed and defensive." So this CEO I met uses AI for objectivity. More in our newsletter, read here and subscribe: www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/ai-...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

"Events dear boy, events." That's what prime minister Harold Macmillan said was the thing that threw most politicians off course. But events (albeit of the more planned variety!) are one of the best things about being a business journalist. www.linkedin.com/pulse/events...

linkedin.com

Events, dear boy...

"Events dear boy, events." That's what prime minister Harold Macmillan said was the thing that threw most politicians off course.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Allison Kirkby's CEO challenge at BT, a glimpse into Sephora and a new stadium for women's football. It's all in this week's Business Leader newsletter. #business #entrepreneur #BT www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/bt-...

businessleader.co.uk

BT: The strategy to revive a 180-year-old giant

AI tech titans clash, UK drug investment boost and more in our weekly newsletter

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Cybersecurity wars: AI v AI has begun... I speak to Sumedh Thakar of Qualys www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/ai-...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

"The Artemis II astronauts took iconic photos from space, which reminded us of something important: we are a Blue Planet. Our connected lives are defined by water. And water is the theme that connects all the strands in this week’s email, including AI." www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/ai-...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

“Much of the work world we’re leaving behind isn’t worth defending.” This is the key insight that underpins their positive take on AI. An overview of the new book Open To Work by LinkedIn's CEO in my newsletter. www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-w... #ai #tech #books

linkedin.com

Open To Work: LinkedIn’s take on AI in the workplace

Earlier this year the LinkedIn team in London gave me an advance copy of the new book Open To Work by LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky and its Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman. I posted ab...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Learn how The Beauty Tech Group scaled from idea to IPO in my latest podcast for Business Leader podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Positive energy from a challenger drinks brand, a walking encyclopaedia of marketing knowledge (aka Rory Sutherland), the Business Leader Summit and a trip to Goldsmiths for 'mojo', in this newsletter. Read it, or be ill-informed. #mojo #entrepreneur www.linkedin.com/pulse/podcas...

linkedin.com

Podcast experiments, a Summit and students

I've spent a lot of time recently working on our new Business Leader Tuesday video podcast, which is hosted by Sir Richard Harpin. We're one month (four episodes) into it now.

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

"Death by a thousand cuts" – I speak to to Rohan Blacker about his time at e-commerce pioneer Sofa dot com for our latest Business Leader podcast. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r... #entrepreneur #business #retail #podcast

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Meet the CEO with a strategy to help more people from Gen Z, and side hustlers, to get mortgages. My latest podcast for Business Leader. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t... #business #banking #mortgages

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Dougal Shaw @dougalshaw.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Small and medium-sized businesses can now access sophisticated global supply chains and AI is making the process even easier. I met up with Kuo Zhang the president of Alibaba.com to find out more in our latest Business Leader podcast. Listen: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

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