Episodes
A picture says a thousand words, and for Hannah Wilson founder of Quoted Visually, it's attracted thousands and thousands of fans too! What began as a personal tool to help Hannah process information blossomed into an enviable Instagram following, the attention of icons like Steven Bartlett and Simon Alexander Ong (amongst others!), along with a community of over 118k enthusiasts. Not only has Hannah developed a name for herself providing illustrations for businesses and projects, she's...
Published 05/08/24
If you're feeling a bit deflated about social media and your engagement, listen to this! On this episode, I talk about what engagement is, how it's worked out and why it matters... but also the invisible engagement that we can't see that often moves the needle and is really hard to quantify. I also dip into what 'good' looks like (based on industry average stats) and some tips to help boost valuable engagement, rather than just going after hollow numbers. It's short, sweet, but jam packed...
Published 05/01/24
S'more'a'licious was a kitchen table, pandemic project, started by Laura Vogan as she overcame postnatal depression following the birth of her daughter. It began with s'mores kits and has now developed to a full marshmallow business that makes its own delicious marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, and also continues to make s'more kits... but with her own marshmallows now! Laura talks about founding, scaling and growing the business, the highs (not just sugar ones!) on the journey, tricky times,...
Published 04/24/24
It can feel really strange telling the world about the product or service that you offer, can't it? But the harsh truth is that if you don't promote what you do or sell, then no one will know it exists. Even at the moment, when it's no secret that times are hard, it's STILL important to tell people what you do. Why? Because if you don't tell them, they won't know, and then when that person needs that thing, they won't even think of you. Business is tough right now, but without self...
Published 04/17/24
Ever heard of 'Stacey Solomon Day'? No, it's not an awareness day you've missed from your social media planner, it's a day- so called by Stamptastic- because it's the day that Stacey shared their product and everything changed, Stamptastic is a brilliant small business, designed to make anyone who has to label clothing's life a whole lot easier. But what you might not know is that Stacey Solomon blew up this brand a few years ago, and created something that is forever known by the...
Published 04/10/24
Doubter, naysayers, those who just don't 'get' you... know who I mean? Why on earth are you listening to them!? This podcast is all about those who say you can't... and more importantly, why it's REALLY important to not take this 'feedback' on board. It's inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger's book 'Be Useful- Seven Tools For Life' that I would absolutely recommend. The amount of times this man was laughed at, mocked and was told what he wanted wasn't possible is mind blowing. And let's be...
Published 04/03/24
I heard Sanjay Aggarwal, co founder of Spice Kitchen, speak at Theo Paphitis' SBS Event in 2024. He was part of a panel and talked about how his business started as a project to keep his mum, co founder Shashi, busy in her retirement. Little did they know what that Christmas Day idea would grow into... and how it continues to grow today. After being inspired by Sanjay's story and his take on business too, I reached out to see if he'd come and share his wisdom on the podcast, and to my...
Published 03/27/24
Trends can be a great way to increase reach and engagement on the social media content we post, but are all trends good trends? That's what today's podcast is all about. In the world we live in, jumping on trends is seen as a fast track to viral content. Not only is this not exactly true, but jumping on the wrong trends that conflict with your brand values can be hugely damaging. That's why it's important to assess each trend- not just in terms of reach, but in terms of deeper brand values,...
Published 03/20/24
Lucy Claire Dunbar has an incredible brand, very exciting plans for the future, and a huge presence online and beyond. Social media was the catalyst that took her drawings from sketches for herself to the world, and what a brand she's built.  Lucy has drawn illustrations capturing so many poignant moments, from the pandemic to Vernon Kay's marathons, Mrs Hinch's support of her son Ronnie to how sad everyone felt when Matthew Perry passed away. She has a real skill for seeing what's going on...
Published 03/13/24
Have you see the rebranding of Tate and Lyle? It's transformed its logo from a dead lion being circled by a number of bees to something a lot more modern... but you might be surprised to know which part of the process caused a stir. Was it the old logo depicting a dead lion? (I didn't notice either!) Or that people thought the logo change was a win for the 'woke' brigade?! I read similar headlines more than once and was more than a little dumbfounded. Today, I chat about why people rebrand,...
Published 03/06/24
Susan Bonnar is one heck of a lady! She started her career in the Royal Navy as an air traffic controller, but after twenty plus years, she left as her husband was also serving and she needed to be at home for her family. During her time in the Navy, she'd started making cards and wanted to do more of this when she left but realised that without a network, it was incredibly hard to reach an audience and sell. This led to the formation of a collaborative group, which developed over time to...
Published 02/28/24
Did you know that Facebook was 20 in February? How old does that make you feel?! Well, in light of this pretty momentous birthday, I took the time to reflect on how social media has changed our lives over the last 20 years. What we've learnt, what we are now able to access, what it's meant for business, the dangers, the future, and so much more besides. And yes, Facebook being 20 makes me feel really old. But I did spend the first few years dodging friend request from people I tried to...
Published 02/21/24
Stacey MacNeill was a school teacher, as was Jamie, her husband when they came to the realisation that they were on a very destructive path that didn't lead to anywhere good. They needed drastic action, so they sold up and moved into a camper van and got job in North Wales managing a campsite... before the pandemic... which stopped everything.  During this time, one of a Stacey's friends was struggling and she just couldn't find a card that said what she wanted to. So she drew a picture,...
Published 02/14/24
When did you last go to a face-to-face event? Do you see the value in them anymore? What a difference a few years can make. Pre 2020, face-to-face was THE way to do events and network, but covid changed that and gave many people a very steep learning curve on all things Zoom/Teams and more. Over the last couple of years, in person events have started to grow again- but do they have the value they did before we realised what we can do from home? In this episode, I chat about the value of...
Published 02/07/24
Poppy Webber isn't just an educator, a YouTuber, a business owner, an award winner, an author and a saddle fitter(!), she was a teenage mum without any qualifications to her name, but through determination, grit and help from the Prince's Trust, transformed her life. Poppy takes us back what it was like being a teenage mum with next to nothing, getting a degree and Masters in psychology and how this lead her to saddle fitting, a shower company, becoming a YouTuber and so much more besides. ...
Published 01/31/24
If you have the start of an idea, a desire to get into a different space, or just a notion to explore something else, this podcast is for you. Often, we look at how to grow and scale an existing business, but what happens if you're at the very very start? Or if you're looking to start a separate sub brand or explore a different market and you don't know where to even begin? It can feel utterly paralysing and overwhelming. On this episode, we start at the spark of an idea and begin to...
Published 01/24/24
Have you ever really wanted something- to speak to someone, ask a question, or something else... and you were just afraid to ask? This podcast is all about why you need to feel the fear and do it anyway, and the great things that can happen if you just ask! It sounds crazy- and whether it's fear of failure, fear of rejection, or something else, so many people don't ask for what they really want or need. In today's podcast, I discuss why it's important to ask, how to increase your chances of...
Published 01/17/24
Have you ever questioned why you're insured? For lots of us, we see an amount go out of our bank account every month or year, and we don't see any return or get any enjoyment from that cost. Which might lead you to question 'is insurance worth it?'. That's what I chatted to Lawrence Gill from KBIS about on today's podcast. Of course, Lawrence does have some skin in the game as he's Executive Director of KBIS, but we talked about premiums, risk, reducing cost, and making sure your money is...
Published 01/11/24
...in my opinion, anyway! In the first Small & Supercharged podcast episode of 2024, I talk about why I don't like New Year's Resolutions, why I think they're the fastest way to feel miserable in January, and what you can do instead to help you achieve what you want for the year ahead. I'm talking goals, reverse engineering, creating a blueprint, the anatomy of a good goal, where resolutions come from and so much more! Tune in, listen, and let me know what you think! Are you...
Published 01/03/24
  All good things must come to an end, and it's already time for our final Podmas of 2023. On this episode we're catching up with Claire Williams (British Equestrian Trade Association), Lucy Millar (Run Dog Food), and Amanda Marshall (3 Donkeys Clothing). Not only do we hear about their businesses and how they can help you with your Christmas gifting dilemmas, they also share their Christmas thoughts, who received human scales under the tree? Who wants a puppy? Who would love to see Dolly...
Published 12/20/23
Podmas is back for episode three and on this episode we're catching up with Ruth Chappell (Dressage Anywhere), Louise Towl (Ready to Ride Physio), and Julia McHugh (Your Horse Is Your Mirror). Not only do we hear about their businesses and how they can help you with your Christmas gifting dilemmas, they also share their Christmas thoughts, who's not a fan of turkey? For who does Grand Marnier signal Christmas? Who would love to go and hang out with Russell Howard?! It's all in this episode...
Published 12/13/23
Podmas is back for episode two and on this episode we're catching up with Cathy Wright (Cathy's Chocolates and Cakes), Emily Cole (Emily Cole Illustrations), and Becky Kew (Q Dressage) Not only do we hear about their businesses and how they can help you with your Christmas gifting dilemmas, they also share their Christmas thoughts, who HATES Christmas music, if sprouts are the work of the devil or an unsung star, and what our lovely ladies would like to find under the tree! There's lots more...
Published 12/06/23
Podmas has started (yay!) and on this episode we're catching up with Jane Badger (Jane Badger Books), Liz Daniels (EquiTeam) and Tracey Cole (Tracey Cole NLP). Not only do we hear about their businesses and how they can help you with your Christmas gifting dilemmas, they also share their Christmas thoughts, whether Scrooge was misunderstood, if gravy or bread sauce 'wins' for them, and if any Christmas products received have ever been regifted! There's lots more too!  Each year, I hand over...
Published 11/29/23
Superpowers aren't just reserved for superheroes, far from it, we have superpowers (things we can do better than others- that's my definition anyway!) and we can even develop them if we put the work in. When we look at people's attributes/qualifications/achievements/skills, some seem to shine brighter than others. These are often ones that it's easier to quantify, but actually, I think the game changing superpowers are a whole lot more subtle. And that's what I am talking about today- five...
Published 11/22/23