Brains on the Outside: A Business Ideas Podcast

Lauren Beukes is the author of award-winning novels like Afterland and Zoo City, with her book Shining Girls was adapted to an Apple TV+ show. She has asked us about how to poison AI and whether there are methods to get it to stop stealing everyone's work. Some of our potential ideas: Fill books full of ads, destroy technology and go back to town criers, or put every book in your h

July make luggage. Beautiful, useful, perfect luggage. They've got a big problem though - they decided to name themselves after the month of July and now, well, they've got all sorts of SEO and searchability problems. When their customers tell their friends about July their friends think they're talking about the month. When you're standing in the airport having lost your luggage a

Naked Sprout make toilet rolls out of bamboo. They're super sustainable and the company prides themselves on using no fossil fuels in 99% of their process. That remaining 1%, that's what they wanted us to help with. They currently have to use one gigantic diesel forklift truck to lift the enormous mother rolls of toilet paper that come off their manufacturing process. These huge to

AutoTrader is the UK's largest digital automotive marketplace. You can buy cars. You can sell cars. You can swap cars. (Maybe? Does it work like that? Like football stickers or Pokemon cards? I don't drive. I don't know about car stuff.)AutoTrader are on a mission to make the world a better place by getting people to buy second hand cars, especially electric ones! They've asked us

Toucan make really nice table tennis equipment. In Germany, where they are based, you can find table tennis tables outside in parks and public spaces. However, how can Toucan make sure they can help you find one that is free? What about in winter? How can they convince you to play out in the cold?Some of our ideas: a table tennis battle pass, a drone to attack people playing at a t

Water and Wines make jigsaws designed to teach you about wine. Designed by sommeliers and their passion for oenology, each jigsaw transports you to a wine region around the world. However, just like many of us, they are haunted by an existential question: what is the best way to solve a jigsaw?Some ideas: an AR app to help you find a piece, a jigsaw you put together based on taste,

Wave is an ecologically focused phone case manufacturer, coincidentally based near us in the North East of England. They need help though: why do Apple keep releasing so many iPhones, each needing a unique case? Some of our ideas: springs, goo, and strict government regulation.Thank you Ross Longhorn, Wave Case's Co-Founder, for getting in touch. How would you solve his problem? Em

Allbirds design and make shoes and footwear with a focus on nature and the environment. They have got in touch wondering how to convince people to shop more sustainably. Some of our potential ideas: try to save all the birds, mad max VR experience, make a living seed bank using CRISPR Thank you Lee Price, Allbirds' Director of Global Communications for getting in touch with us. How

Season 2 of Brains on the Outside begins on the 30th of September 2024! This year, we are joined by a range of businesses like Allbirds, Autotrader, Naked Sprout and more as we solve some of their largest challenges in the most ridiculous ways.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside Thank you to Rich Endersby-Mars

Slugs.The worst of all the garden creatures.Slimy. Slithery. Leaving gross trails all over the place. Ugh.This week Corinne has written to us to ask whether we could start up a business to deal with these pests.And honestly our business proposals couldn't be more politically different.Thanks Corinne.If you have a problem you want us to solve with an innovative business then please