City Am Unregulated | Professional Development, Entrepreneur, Ceos, Communication, Leadership, Start Up, Business, Careers

It's the City A.M. Christmas special - and we're staying with our professional development roots, by telling you how to make your millions by writing a Christmas number one. Providing their tips on writing your festive smash hit are Tony Mortimer, founding member of East 17 and the man who wrote classic Christmas tune Stay Another Day, and David Courtier-Dutton, the chief executive of trends analysis company SoundOut. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dragons' Den: it's nerve-wracking enough if you get investment - but what happens if you're rejected? We're joined by Trunki founder Rob Law, who was spectacularly rejected by the Dragons but whose product has gone on to become a ubiquitous sight in airports everywhere, and Kirsty Henshaw, whose business, Kirsty's, got backing from Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne. They discuss what happened behind the scenes on the Den - and whether publicity alone is enough to make the grueling pitch worth it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economist Jim Rickards correctly predicted the last financial crisis, the outcome of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's election. Now he is predicting an economic downturn of massive proportions. Here, Rickards talks his new book, Road to Ruin, explains when we can expect the next global economic shock - and details why the global elite already have a secret plan to get through it. Spoiler: it involves your savings. (Image: Entertainment One) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can watching other people play video games ever go mainstream? We've got a special edition this week: sports business reporter Joe Hall takes the reins to look into the UK's flourishing eSports industry. Joe is at the Gfinity esports Arena for the launch of a new white paper on esports. He's joined by Jo Twist, the chief executive of UK games trade body Ukie, Spike Laurie, the UK co-MD of esports organisation ESL, and David Yarnton, a non-exec director on the board of esports events giant Gfinity. They talk about why the UK is behind the likes of Korea, how the industry can become as popular as "traditional" sports - and what fans can learn about leadership from the sport's professional players. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entrepreneur and professional idler Tom Hodgkinson talks about how he turned The Idler into more than just a magazine, and explains why laziness is an important part of creativity. Also the author of Business for Bohemians, Hodgkinson explains why our obsession with productivity is getting us down - and why he is passionate about spreadsheets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Julien Callede was standing on the platform at Gare du Nord in February 2010 with a one-way ticket to London in his hand, he had no idea he was about to launch one of the internet's best-known furniture brands. Five years and several new markets later, he explains why he chose the UK to launch his business, why all good internet retailers should have a bricks-and-mortar showroom, and why Germany is a scary place if you're an exporter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we're joined by the lingerie tycoon, Baroness Michelle Mone, as she shares the story of her meteoric rise from Glasgow's East End to the House of Lords. After selling off 80 per cent of her Ultimo lingerie brand and rumours of retirement, Michelle shows no signs of slowing down, throwing herself into the role of start-up tsar with her passion for mentoring young entrepreneurs. She also reveals her secret to creating a successful business and gives us a heads up on how her latest venture, The Social Superstore, can help you make money in your spare time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we're joined at the London School of Economics by Richard Reed, the co-founder of Innocent, to talk about his new book, If I Could Just Tell You One Thing, a compendium of advice from 62 of the world's best-known thought leaders, from Bill Clinton to Simon Cowell. He talks about why he and his co-founders launched Innocent Drinks - and why one of the best pieces of advice he ever heard was after an encounter at the urinals. He also explains what advice he will pass on to the next generation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Love is the man tasked with keeping up appearances at London's best-known hotel: the Ritz. He joins the Unregulated team in the Wimborne Room to discuss working with the Barclay brothers and his guests (including their outrageous requests), as well as talking about the changing face of London - and why supercars will never be welcome in Mayfair. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gordon Black is the man behind best-selling food craze the Nutribullet - and the richest retail tycoon you've never heard of. He joins the team from Yorkshire to tell the story of his family's business, Peter Black, and explain how it became one of Marks & Spencer's largest suppliers - as well as when to keep a business in the family, and when is the best time to sell. He also discusses how he identifies the next big retail craze - from multivitamins to Adidas bags - and how he gets into the market before anyone else. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Running a business is hard enough, without juggling a full-time job as well. This week the team is joined by Patrick McGinnis, the man who invented "fomo" (that's fear of missing out), and Terri Sjodin, author of "Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big". They discuss how to be an entrepreneur at the same time as having a career, why that fighting spirit is all-important - and why patience is a virtue when you're planning to go it alone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aston Martin may be a byword for luxury, but it has a troubled past, after seven administrations (which, incidentally, is the number of James Bonds there have been). With a Midlands twang and a background on the factory floor, chief executive Andy Palmer isn't what you'd expect from a luxury boss - but he may be just the tonic the business needs. In this special edition of City A.M. Unregulated, recorded at the Ritz, he talks Brexit, Bond and boats - as well as explaining his hands-on leadership style and what gets him up in the morning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drinking caps on: it's time to talk about craft beer. This week we're joined by the people in charge of getting craft beer brands in front of consumers: David Voxlin from Craved London and Fraser 'Jam Boy' Docherty, who co-founded Beer 52, talk about the rise and rise of craft beer and what they look for in a brand. The day after the "Megabrew" merger between two of the world's largest brewers was waved through by shareholders, they also ask what effect the deal will have on the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Handshake or double kiss? Can you wear brown shoes in town? We've all been faced with an etiquette dilemma at some point in our careers. Renée Kuo, co-managing director of Debrett's, joins us to answer those burning questions - and explains why observing the correct manners is still vital when you're trying to make an impression. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nudge theory, or the theory of marginal gains, is cited as a game-changer by everyone from FTSE 100 chief executives to gold medal-wining Olympians. This week the team is joined by Kate Glazebrook, from the Behavioural Insights Team (the company formerly known as the government's "Nudge Unit"), and Keith Hatter from K2, who explain how incremental tweaks to behaviour can transform your team's performance - whether you're trying to increase revenues, going for gold, or simply persuading people to pay more tax. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week maestro and conductor of the Iraqi Youth Orchestra joins the show to talk about his new book Upbeat and the leadership skills you can gain while working in a warzone, and how they are universally applied. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governments might insist they don't negotiate with terrorists - but when you're doing business in the world's most dangerous territories, you'll want one of the City's most tight-lipped sectors on your side. This week we talk to two specialists in kidnap insurance: Mark Harris, director of crisis response at Olive Group and Jon Gregory, global product head of kidnap and ransom at AIG. They provide their tips on how to avoid kidnap in the first place, as well as how to prepare your family if you're heading abroad - and what to do if you are snatched. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of millennials have saved deposits for homes, which are now languishing in low interest rate bank accounts. Can you make those meagre savings work harder? This week the host of the Meaningful Money podcast Pete Matthew and Michelle McGrade, chief investment officer at TD Direct Investments, give a basic guide to getting into investing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the team go back to charm school with Jordan Harbinger, the host of the Art of Charm podcast. We ask what it takes to be charming, and whether charmers are born or made. What does George Clooney have that others don't - and can we use our newly-acquired skills to charm our way into a payrise? Jordan reveals all... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uber's Travis Kalanick has done it. Amazon's Jeff Bezos did it two decades ago. Tesla's Elon Musk does it on a regular basis. This week property entrepreneur Rob Moore, host of the Disruptive Entrepreneur podcast, takes on the topic of disruption. He tells us the story of his failure and subsequent success - and why despite everything, he persisted in being his own boss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.