Standing Apart | The Business Differentiation Podcast | Nigel Ridpath
Most businesses say they're different. Very few can explain why that actually matters — or make it stick with the people they're trying to reach.
Standing Apart is a fortnightly podcast about business differentiation: what it means to build something genuinely distinctive, how to communicate it clearly, and why so many companies end up competing on price when they don't have to.
Host Nigel Ridpath — consultant, author and keynote speaker — brings in guests who've built standout businesses, developed unconventional leadership approaches, or thought seriously about competitive strategy. Each episode includes a main conversation, a Superhero of the Week (a real business or leader doing something worth noticing) and a One Minute Rant on whatever has got Nigel's attention that fortnight.
If you lead a team, run a business, or are trying to build something that stands out in a crowded market, this is worth your time.
New episodes fortnightly. Search Standing Apart in your podcast app and subscribe.
Contact
We’re always keen to hear from you – particularly for our ‘listeners’ questions’ feature. Please send your questions to standingapartpod@hotmail.com.
We’re also looking for sponsorship for the show. If you want to discuss cost-effective sponsorship options, again, please contact us at standingapartpod@hotmail.com.
Episodes

Mar 31, 2025
Mar 31, 2025
33 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 10 is part 2 of an interview with Hugh Taylor from Roadnight Taylor. We discuss the energy sector that is the business focus, but also the purposefulness with which Hugh leads the organisation.
You can find the Roadnight Taylor flywheel here.
Here is Hugh's reading list:
Good to Great - Jim Collins
Influence- Robert Cialdini
Bounce- Matt Syed
Radical Candor- Kim Scott
Hyperfocus- Chris Bailey
Humanocracy- Gary Hemel
Think Again- Adam Grant
No Rules Rules- Reed Hastings & Erin Meyer
The Win Without Pitch Manifesto- Blair Enns
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Mar 17, 2025
Mar 17, 2025
41 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 9 is part 1 of an interview with Hugh Taylor from Roadnight Taylor. We discuss the energy sector that is the business focus, but also the purposefulness with which Hugh leads the organisation.
Here is Hugh's reading list:
Good to Great - Jim Collins
Influence- Robert Cialdini
Bounce- Matt Syed
Radical Candor- Kim Scott
Hyperfocus- Chris Bailey
Humanocracy- Gary Hemel
Think Again- Adam Grant
No Rules Rules- Reed Hastings & Erin Meyer
The Win Without Pitch Manifesto- Blair Enns
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Mar 3, 2025
Mar 3, 2025
19 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 8 focuses on a personal story from Nigel, about how he and the team at Cloud9 Insight were pioneers in the world of selling SaaS solutions - in their case Microsoft CRM Online.
This is Cloud9:
Here Is David collecting his award in the House of Commons, from the Secretary of State:
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Feb 17, 2025
Feb 17, 2025
16 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 7 focuses on the circular economy. We take a look at what's happening in this space, inspired by this article by Pallab Ghosh.
I also reveal who is Superhero of the Week, which, this week, has a personal flavour, and I get to have my 1-Minute Rant, which gets slightly political.
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Feb 3, 2025
Feb 3, 2025
27 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 6 focuses on the education sector. We take a look at what's happening in schools in the most deprived areas, inspired by this article by Elaine Dunkley and producer, Kate McGough. I interview Nicki Hambleton, former Head of Art at UWCSEA in Singapore, about how one of the top schools in the world innovates.
I also reveal who is Superhero of the Week.
Nicki's podcast on Visual Thinking can be found here.
A summary of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, mentioned in the show, can be found here.
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Jan 20, 2025
Jan 20, 2025
25 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 5 is all about market disruptors. We take a look at examples, including WeBuyAnyCar, Habito and Marshmallow. We explore the characteristics of disruptive leaders. And finally, we provide some tips on how you can make your business more disruptive.
It also includes a rant about the debate around AI.
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Jan 6, 2025
Jan 6, 2025
35 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 4 includes an interview with Kim Simmonds, CEO and Founder of Cloud Contracts 365. Kim is shaking up the legal sector with her new SAAS product that handles day-to-day contract creation and contract review.
It also includes a rant about New Year resolutions.
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **
** Please follow our LinkedIn page for all the latest news.**

Dec 23, 2024
Dec 23, 2024
20 min
Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 3 is a music industry special, with stories about MTV, the sale of artists' back catalogues, Gorillaz and SZA. It also includes a rant about dynamic ticket pricing.
** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **

Dec 9, 2024
Dec 9, 2024
19 min
Standing Apart is a new podcast, hosted by Nigel Ridpath. The show focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 2 is a retail special, with stories about Shein, Christmas markets, Canada Goose, Black Friday and Mary Portas It also includes a rant about Christmas gifts for men.

Nov 25, 2024
Nov 25, 2024
30 min
Standing Apart is a new podcast, hosted by Nigel Ridpath. The show focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense.
Episode 1 is an introduction to the show and features a discussion about Jaguar's new branding, some of the key areas to look at when differentiating your business and a rant about terrible copywriting.

Standing Apart
Sick of being lost in the crowd? Not sure how to stand out?
With over 30 years working in and running businesses, Nigel Ridpath has always believed in the value of being different. Whether it's a business proposition, writing, presenting, networking - there's always a way to make yourself distinctive and memorable.
On the Standing Apart podcast, Nigel explores business and personal differentiation, through a carefully-curated range of examples, news items and interviews.
Subscribe today and get a fortnightly dose of inspiration!







