TalkSparks

Is Being Your Own Boss All It's Cracked Up to Be?

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Rich & Gina strip back the glamorous facade of being your own boss in the electrical trade. From the constant struggle of juggling admin, diary overbooking, and unpaid invoices to dealing with customer expectations and tool theft, Gina gives her take into life as a sole trader. They also debate the essential value of social media authenticity, and break down an unbelievable "Bodge of the Week" involving a fire-hazard oven installation that calls for mandatory EICR testing laws.

Good Job It Was A Number One | The Confessionals

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Rich and Gina return to share work stories where things didn't quite go according to plan. This week, Rich opens up about a massive work error during his radio hosting days when he gave away the wrong holiday live on air, and an anonymous listener sends in a hilarious trade confessional about an accidental site mishap involving a plumber down a manhole.

Got a work confession? We want to hear it.

📧 talksparks@yesss.co.uk

📱 WhatsApp: 07434 191946

The Support Network Every Electrician Should Know About | Inside the Electrical Industries Charity

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Running a business, dealing with money worries, keeping your family happy and looking after your mental health… sometimes there's a lot more to juggle than the job itself.

In this episode of TalkSparks, Rich and Gina are joined by Kate from the Electrical Industries Charity (EIC) to talk about the support available to electricians, contractors and their families when life throws a spanner in the works.

From mental health and financial difficulties to relationship problems and help for apprentices, we'll talk about the challenges people in the trade can face and where to turn when things get tough.

]Need support? Find out more about the Electrical Industries Charity at electricalcharity.org.

Got a trade story, confession or bodge for us?

Email: talksparks@yesss.co.uk

WhatsApp: 07434 191946

We’ve Got a Bit of a Leak | The Confessionals

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the debut episode of TalkSparks: The Confessionals, brought to you by YESSS Electrical! Rich & Gina launch this safe space where tradies (and workers from any industry) can share their job mishaps and secrets they would rather keep from their mates. In this kick-off episode, Gina recounts her early apprentice days when a simple drilling task turned into a kitchen-flooding emergency. Plus, listener Jordan sends in his confessional involving an incorrectly crimped three-inch water main.

Got a trade confession you need to get off your chest? Get in touch with TalkSparks!

📧 talksparks@yesss.co.uk

📱 WhatsApp: 07434 191946

Have You Got One of Them Things? | Behind the YESSS Counter

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:01:00 +0100

Episode two of TalkSparks gets properly stuck into the future of the trade. Rich and Gina explore the reality of apprenticeships: how people find their way in, why sole traders can struggle to take someone on, and the confidence boost a supportive employer can give a new electrician. Gina shares her own route into the industry, from a college open day to working alongside her dad, and explains why curiosity, initiative and a real willingness to learn matter as much as getting the tools right.

Then Rich and Gina are joined by Richard Shirt, Branch Manager at YESSS Electrical Barnsley and the person behind the TalkSparks name. Richard opens the door on life at a lively trade counter, where early starts, familiar faces and a well-used dartboard are all part of the service. From sourcing hard-to-find products to helping customers avoid DIY disasters, it is a warm, funny and honest look at the people keeping jobs moving. Naturally, Bodge of the Week returns with superglued sockets, taped cables and chewing gum where it definitely does not belong.

Got a trade confession, shocking bodge or topic you want us to tackle? Get in touch with TalkSparks!

📧 talksparks@yesss.co.uk

📱 WhatsApp: 07434 191946

Who Let Them Have a Podcast? | Meet Rich & Gina

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0100

What happens when a sports presenter wanders onto a building site and teams up with a straight talking electrician? TalkSparksTalk Sparks. In episode one, Rich Williams joins Gina York, better known as The Daughter Electrical, to introduce a podcast that gets properly stuck into life in the trade, the graft, the laughs, the tools, the chaos and the moments nobody teaches you about.

Gina shares how she went from helping her dad on site to running her own business, why the trade community has her back, and why being the person who gets the lights back on never gets old. There is also the first Bodge of the Week: a fridge freezer, an improvised connection and a situation that could have ended very badly. It is honest, useful and very much not a lecture.

Got a trade confession, shocking bodge or topic you want us to tackle? Get in touch with TalkSparks!

📧 talksparks@yesss.co.uk

📱 WhatsApp: 07434 191946

Welcome to TalkSparks

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0100

TalkSparks, brought to you by YESSS Electrical, is the podcast that gets into the real life of the electrical trade.

Hosted by Rich Williams and Gina York, aka The Daughter Electrical, it’s a candid look at the jobs, challenges and laughs that come with working in the industry. Expect honest conversations with electricians, apprentices and business owners on everything from tools, technology and running a business to everyday wins, costly mistakes and on-site horror stories.

No polished trade-show chat, just the stuff nobody teaches you.

Got a trade confession, shocking bodge or topic you want us to tackle? Get in touch with TalkSparks!

📧 talksparks@yesss.co.uk

📱 WhatsApp: 07434 191946

Find out more at https://www.yesss.co.uk