Friends with Business Benefits

Are you feeling overwhelmed by Instagram? Are you overthinking your content and struggling to show up? Franky was. Having spent the last couple of years hiding on Instagram Stories and rarely posting to the grid, she finally realised something had to change. Luckily, her co-mentor happens to be an Insta-expert who gives excellent creative pep talks! Listen as we discuss how Franky’s been feeling about Instagram, why she wanted to change her relationship with the app in 2024, and the advice Charlie gave her to get unstuck and start showing up. We recorded this episode in early February and since then Franky’s stuck to her posting schedule and even had a reel go {a little bit} viral! If you’d like to move past the overwhelm, stop overthinking and start taking action, the tips in this episode can help.    Links and Further Reading Book an Instagram Audit with Charlie Overcoming Instagram Stumbling Blocks Embracing and Creating Video Content Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   Franky’s Mailing List Charlie’s Mailing List

In this chatty episode, we’re looking back on the first three months of the year and ahead to Quarter 2. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We discuss how Franky has been showing up on Instagram and her brush with having a Reel go viral, and also talk through Charlie's relationship with consistency in content creation in this season. We also chat about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us so far, plus we dig into our plans for Q2 and discuss what we’re both hoping to achieve before the end of June. Links and Further Reading: www.instagram.com/rachaelrenae Work With Us: Book an Instagram Audit with Charlie charlieswift.com love-audrey.com Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

In this mini episode, we’re sharing ideas and inspiration to help you sneak more creativity into your daily life, especially if you’re short on time and/or caring for small children.    From finding the magic in the mundane to portable crafts you can do in front of the TV, there’s a mix of practical advice and gentle encouragement, all based on personal experience and our belief that creativity can be a powerful form of self-care.     Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   Franky’s Mailing List Charlie’s Mailing List  

This week we're revisiting the topic of Substack. We disscuss whether or not the platform is a part of our content plans in this season, and what we're feeling called to consume and create there. Charlie shares how she is showing up on Substack this year and Franky touches on creating for the platform as a copywriter. We also breakdown the differnt ways you may engage with Substack content as a reader and talk about the various features and models the platform has to offer.    Charlie's Substack: 'Intentonal Creatives' Sparkle on Substack resources and membership

We celebrated 100 episodes of Friends With Business Benefits and five whole years of podcasting by going live on Instagram to record this episode.  Having hit such a big content creation milestone, we made that the focus, answering listener questions about creating and sharing content for your business. We cover podcasting, productivity, brainstorming ideas and more! Whether you’re an OG listener or a newbie, thanks for supporting our podcast!    Links and Further Reading Watch the live episode here Our most downloaded episode Trello Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com  

Inspired by Gretchen Rubin, we’ve both adopted the habit of compiling a list of aims at the start of a new year. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, but for us it’s never a business-focussed list. Instead, we both include fun, playful things we want to prioritise. We’ve found it’s a great way to identify what we want the year to hold. In this episode, we’re sharing our ‘24 for 2024’ lists in the hope that it will make you want to compile your own.    Links and Further Reading   Gretchen Rubin’s 24 for 2024 Trifecta   Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com  

It’s time for our annual ‘planner meeting’ where we review the previous year's planners and journals and discuss what we’ll be using for the year ahead. As well as sharing the notebooks and diaries we’ve invested in this year, we explain how we’ll be using them to stay organised at work and at home. It’s a must-listen for stationery fans and those who prefer pen and paper-based productivity tools!     Links and Further Reading Lunar Moon Diary  The 6-Minute Success Journal  LSW Morning Notes  Habit Daily App  The Circle Planner  The Ultimate Daily Notebook The Five Minute Journal  Leuchtturm1917  

We’re kicking off the new year with our annual cosy conversation about reflections and intentions. Find out what went well for us last year and what we learned from the things that didn’t. We also chat about our words of the year, share a few goals for 2024, and make some solid(ish) plans for Q1.    Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   Franky’s Mailing List Charlie’s Mailing List  

Join us as we run through some of our non-business related 2023 favs. We chat about our favourite films, TV shows, music and books, as well as discussing the purchases we've made, habits we've followed, experiences we've enjoyed and places we've been. An episode full of recommendations for you! Thank you for listening throughout 2023 and a very merry christmas from us both!

In this mini episode we’re jumping on a TikTok trend and sharing a list of things that make our business worlds better. From daily habits and wellbeing rituals to clever software and our favourite tech, there’s plenty of inspiration for everyone.       Links and Further Reading: Franky's favs... 'What is Comentoring' podcast episode Boatman VA services Circle planner   Charlie's favs... Trello 101 Get 50% off Flodesk (aff link) Lunar diary by Nikki Strange      

In this episode, we’re talking about putting your prices up. It’s a topic we originally planned to discuss this time last year, but when we came to record, neither of us felt up to discussing money on mic. Not only is it a tricky subject to broach - increasing your prices can be a tricky thing to act on in your business.  12 months later, we’re finally ready to explore this subject with you. Franky shares what she’s learned from increasing her prices at the start of the year and Charlie talks about her desire to focus on the money side of things more in 2024. As well as discussing where we are with our own pricing, we share tips and advice to help you with yours.     Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

Inspired by Halloween earlier this week, we’re sharing things that give us the business scaries!    For Charlie, it’s overcommitting, public speaking and talking to camera, while Franky struggles to share her professional expertise on Instagram and record voiceovers for reels. As well as discussing where these fears come from, we explore ways in which we might be able to overcome them.         Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

In this episode, we’re going over some Instagram basics and sharing tips to help you overcome common stumbling blocks and avoid overwhelm.   As well as things like writing the perfect bio and using your pinned posts effectively, we cover stats and data, content ideas, trends and more. We also discuss mindset in relation to the app and run through a few ways to prevent it from sucking the joy out of running your business.    Links and Further Reading/Listening Embracing and Creating Video Content    How We Use Instagram Stories for Business What Happened When Charlie Went Viral? How to Stop Hating on Instagram When and Why to Mute and Unfollow on Instagram   Work With Us *** Book an Instagram Audit with Charlie *** charlieswift.com love-audrey.com Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift

91. Q3 Reflections, Q4 Intentions   In this episode, we’re reflecting on Quarter 3 and looking ahead to Quarter 4. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. As well as sharing a few sources of creative inspiration, we dig into our plans for the final three months of the year and discuss what we’re both hoping to achieve before the end of 2023.      Links and Further Reading   Being Freelance Visibility Talks Sparkle on Substack Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

The online world is fast paced. There’s always something new to discover. New software, new social media platforms, new types of content. When it comes to trying new things in your business, do you tend to feel overwhelmed or excited?     Today’s episode was recorded back in July when we were both in the early stages of trying some new things. Charlie was experimenting with the recently launched social media platform, Threads, and Franky was posting to a brand new crafty account on Instagram. Our experiences inspired a broader conversation about trying new things in general.  You’ll hear us discuss ‘shiny new thing syndrome’, the pros and cons of being an early adopter, and whether being ‘late to the party’ is actually a good thing. We also chat about the power of FOMO and how we figure out when to embrace new things, when to bide our time and when to sit things out completely.    Links and Further Reading Episode Are You Going to Start a Substack? Franky’s crafty Instagram account Charlie on Threads Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

Inspired by a recent video from Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, today’s episode is dedicated to one of the app’s older features - Instagram Stories. It may not be as shiny and new as Reels or Threads, but it’s still a valuable marketing tool, not to mention Franky’s favourite place to hang out online! We chat about how we use Instagram Stories, the pros and cons of the platform, and the types of content we share. We also discuss the role of DMs and share some tips for showing up and telling stories of your own.   Links and Further Reading How the Algorithm Works    Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

As we head into what should be the warmest, sunniest part of the year, we’re sharing how we embrace and survive the summer season. Whether you love this time of year or not, there’s something in this episode for everyone.    As well as discussing how we’re planning to juggle work and childcare during the six-week summer break, we’re sharing some of our favourite seasonal rituals and lots of advice to help you get the most out of this time of year.     Links and Further Reading The Cosy Episode     Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com Franky’s Mailing List Charlie’s Mailing List Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

In this chatty episode, we’re reflecting on Quarter 2 and looking ahead to Quarter 3. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. As well as sharing a few sources of creative inspiration, we dig into our plans for the next three months of the year and discuss what we’re both hoping to achieve before the end of the summer.      Links and Further Reading Maddy Shine’s Visible Vibes Community   Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift   

When you’re working towards a specific business goal or dream, how do you get on with self-imposed deadlines? Do you find them easy to stick to or do you avoid setting them in the first place? In this episode, we’re responding to a listener's question, digging into the subject of deadlines and sharing everything we know about getting things done. As well as discussing different types of deadlines and different strategies for meeting them, we touch on what it might mean if you keep dodging the deadlines you set.       Links and Further Reading Playing Big by Tara Mohr   Franky’s Mailing List Charlie’s Mailing List Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift

In this episode, we’re approaching the topic of feedback from a few different angles.  For Franky, asking clients for feedback is baked into her working process. As a copywriter, she produces drafts for clients to review. The quality of the feedback she receives can have a huge impact on the final product. Over the years, she’s worked hard to ensure this happens in a thorough and efficient way. She’s also learned a lot about moving through the discomfort that can come from inviting criticism.  Although Franky’s examples are fairly specific to copywriting, there are useful takeaways for anyone considering outsourcing things in their business. Charlie offers her perspective too and considers whether she’s missing any opportunities for requesting feedback and improving her services.     Links and Further Reading The Power of Testimonials and Reviews Friends with Business Boundaries Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift