Jessica Spungin returns to the BBC’s The Bottom Line
LBS' Jessica Spungin joins a distinguished panel to explore what it's like to be an entrepreneur
London Business School’s Jessica Spungin joined the last in the present series of the BBC’s “definitive business podcast”, The Bottom Line, in which entrepreneurs and industry experts lift the lid on how their businesses work, and what it's like to be an entrepreneur.
In Running a Business: The Bottom Line Answers Your Questions, (BBC Radio 4, March 6, 2025), questions from listeners were put to a panel of experts, including Jessica, who is an adjunct professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School, Sir Kenneth Olisa, chairman, Restoration Partners, and formerly founder and CEO of Interregnum and Richard Farleigh, angel investor and former Dragon's Den 'dragon'.
A regular on The Bottom Line, Jessica spoke about the teaching work that she undertakes at LBS. Noting how varied the structure of her teaching needs to be, Jessica said: “My approach to strategy is that there is a lot of underpinning theory you need to know, and one needs to be acquainted with the leading strategic thinkers and academics, but otherwise there is a mix of tools and experiences we expose our students to."
She added: "We use the case method, which is really about pattern recognition. These essentially help to tell stories, and the more stories you know the more you will be able to identify the relevant lessons they teach. I also introduce real entrepreneurs to our students. They often will tell students how things don’t always work out like the theory they read, or the case studies they are introduced to. You need to get the balance right because you can’t learn everything from a book.”
The panellists were then introduced to several questions from listeners that addressed a range of interesting topics, such as IP protection, personal resilience, and what to consider if one is planning a life-work change which may involve starting one’s own enterprise.
For insight into Jessica’s previous experiences on The Bottom Line, read Swiftie gets thumbs up for business nous from Jessica Spungin on BBC’s The Bottom Line and When a business vision isn't working
