Listen to one the best connectors in the Leeds business eco-system; Gordon Bateman.

Gordon discusses his business background and a series of fortunate accidents that led to one of the biggest events on the Leeds business calendar. He also gives us a great networking tip.

If you're looking for a business and entrepreneurship podcast that will inspire, motivate and educate you, through the personal business journeys and entrepreneurial lessons learnt of Leeds business owners then this is the podcast for you.

INTRODUCING GORDON BATEMAN

Gordon Bateman has over 30 years’ experience supporting ambitious businesses and the investors who back them. He specialises in helping organisations design, build, and retain outstanding executive and non-executive teams that drive sustainable growth. Working closely with some of the UK’s most active investors, Gordon is a trusted advisor on talent strategy, portfolio development, and scaling challenges.

Gordon founded Investor Ladder to strengthen connections between investors and regional innovation ecosystems. In 2023, he launched Climb to address three core needs: better support and advice for growing businesses, improved access to finance across the UK regions, and more effective international expansion - both into and out of the UK.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[00:00:00] The Journey to CRSI

[00:03:00] The challenges in startup recruitment and navigating people management

[00:08:00] The birth of Investor Ladder and connecting Investors with businesses

[00:15:00] How Climb came about

[00:18:00] The Impact of Climb on the business community

[00:21:00] Highlights and Features of Climb 2025

[00:24:00] How to optimise your experience at events

3 KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS

What works for an established business, doesn’t necessarily work for a start up
Business is all about building relationships
The whole of the north is an amazing place to do business

3 MOMENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR

“We spend more time talking about the poor employees rather than those that are doing really well”

“We had £16b of active funds in the room”

“We all know we need to network, but most of us hate it”

VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/leeds-business-podcast/

Work with Phil - www.philfraser.co.uk

Websites: Climb - www.Climb-uk.com

CRSi - www.crsi.team

Investor ladder - www.investorladder.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonbateman1/

Shout out: Net-Zu (they don't have a website yet)

DON'T FORGET THE LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST ‘FAIR DEAL’

My half of the agreement; Every week I bring you inspiring Leeds Business people FOR FREE.

Your half of the deal - Share this episode with just ONE person who you think will get value from it

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE (CLIMB SPEAKERS AS MENTIONED)

Chris Black - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/chris-black/

Jordan Dargue - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/lifted-ventures/

George Fairhall - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/george-fairhall/

Colin Glass - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/colin-glass/

Simon Gray - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/simon-gray/

Peter Kirby - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/tred/

Helen Oldham - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/helen-oldham/

Zandra Moore - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/zandra-moore/

Mark Roberts - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/entrepreneur-within/

Jonathan Straight - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/jonathan-straight/

Anna Sutton - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/anna-sutton/

Lee-J Walker - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/leej-walker/

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.

As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.

As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.

Want to work with Phil to help you? See www.philfraser.co.uk.

This podcast is hosted by Captivate. Get your 30 day free trial at https://bit.ly/Captivate-Offer.

LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST

Leeds, Business in Leeds, Leeds Business, Business in Leeds, Nous of Fraser, Business Sounding Board, Business Coach, Business Mentor,

Email: phil@leedsbusinesspodcast.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Claim your £99 coaching session with Phil

I have a LIMITED TIME offer for you. We all know running a business can feel a bit lonely, right? I know.... I’ve been there. I grew my own business from a kitchen table start-up, all the way to a multi-million-pound exit. Nowadays I help other business owners, like you, sort out their business problems; whether it's clarifying your forward planning, helping you sort your biggest problem, helping you prioritise your workload, de-fogging your thinking or just being there to download on. I can help. One client recently said, “You gave me clarity in just one session” — and that shift helped them hit 25% growth in following three months. So here’s the deal: your first session with me for just £99. But only if you contact me by this Friday. No bullshit. No fluff. Just a proper conversation about your business, solving your problems. So, if you’re ready to think more clearly, email me at phil@philfraser.co.uk today. Quote 'podcast' in the email title to claim your £99 session. And if you want to find out more about me check me out at www.philfraser.co.uk.