Building your Brand

Without veering into toxic positivity, todays episode is all about the power of being kind! I chat with my pal watercolour illustrator Imogen Partridge about how kindness and support have helped her become a cheerleader of small businesses.  Among many juicy tangents we chat about the impact and repercussions of comparisons and negativity online, the challenges that come with showing up online and the importance of aligning with your values and intentions. Episode highlights:  01:54 The Impact of Kindness and Support 06:38 Dealing with Comparison and Jealousy 15:04 The Dilemma of Free vs Paid Content  20:59 Building a Supportive Community 25:57 The Role of Kindness in Business Decisions  Thanks to Penfold for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Imogen online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

Sometimes I get to dive into some really deep conversations on this podcast and today I'm chatting about about the personal growth and inner work essential for running a creative business with illustrator and designer Emily Wylde. We talked about Emily's journey of starting her own business during the pandemic, the importance of having honest conversations with ourselves, and the impact of therapy and coaching on personal and business growth. And we touched on the challenges of putting work online, dealing with red flag clients, and the significance of authenticity (beyond the buzzword!) I really hope that you enjoy this more introspective chat and take on building brands today. Episode highlights:  05:58 Embracing Authenticity and Vulnerability in Brand Building  09:27 Navigating Client Relationships and Building Resilience  13:01 The Healing Journey of Embracing Your Inner Child 15:26 Authenticity in Business: Beyond the Buzzword 20:20 Finding Your Unique Path and Defining Success on Your Own Terms 33:40 The Impact of Comparison and Cultivating a Mindset of Experimentation  Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Emily online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

I've talked a lot about values  and brand values on this podcast. And recently I've had some situations in my business where my values have been put to the test, leading me to make decisions that others might disagree with.  And so, when I asked who would be the best person to talk to me about this, everyone told me to talk to Keri Jarvis. Keri is a developmental coach, intersectional feminist, charity co-founder and community activist and through her work she's helped lots of people to imagine a world where they can run their business with integrity. This was such a rich conversation and, for me personally, it was a really helpful one to have. Episode highlights:  02:56 The Consequences of Misalignment with Brand Values 05:52 The Journey of Self-Awareness and Value Alignment 11:17 The Impact of Social Media on Business Values 16:59 The Role of Change and Growth in Business Values  22:16 The Challenge of Balancing Personal Passion and Business Needs Thanks to Penfold for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Keri online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

One of the best things about having my own podcast is having an excuse to talk to my design and illustration heroes. Remember that rejection challenge that I've been wanging on about Well, Jessica Hish has been at the top of my dream guest list ever since I started the podcast three years ago, and last year I plucked up the courage to ask her. Jessica has always been so open and transparent about her career, from her creative process, to pricing work, to running businesses with three kids, to the highs and lows of running two retail shops in her hometown, and she very generously shares a lot of that reality with us in this episode today, too. I hope you enjopy the episode as much as we loved recording it. Episode highlights:  00:00 Meet Jessica Hische: A Design and Illustration Icon 01:38 The Power of Procrastiworking and Passion Projects 05:39 Redefining Work-Life Balance and Creative Fulfillment 10:05 Navigating Parenthood and Creative Pursuits 14:18 Achieving Success and Finding Satisfaction in Work 25:05 The Unique Challenges and Joys of Running Retail Stores Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Jessica online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

It's the return of friend of the podcast and newly published aurthor Hannah Isted!  As her friend, I am so proud and as a podcast host I can't wait to talk about the process of writing a book because it's something I know lots of you want to do too. In this episode we talk all about how Hannah applied her inimitable style of breaking big things into small, manageable chunks and how she used that to write a book AND deliver it to the piublishers early! It's not all about writing a book though because we talked about how marketing your business can be done in a way that truly works for you (in ten minutes a day, of course!) Episode highlights:  03:44 Realistic Expectations: Strategies for Achievable Consistency 18:25 Accountability and Mindset: Finding Support and Overcoming Blocks 25:41 The Power of 10-Minute Marketing 32:22 Leveraging Challenges for Skill Improvement 34:15 The Journey to Becoming a Published Author   Mentioned in the episode: Join The Best 90 Days Ever membership (aff link) Buy The Best 90 Days Ever book Alison Jones 10-Day Book Proposal Challenge (aff link)  Thanks to Adobe Express for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

Today on the podcast, my guest is the Senior Director of Creative for EMEA at Getty Images and iStock Jacqueline Bourke. Alongside her team of researchers, art directors and curators Jacqueline is responsible for producing visual insights and imagery and video creation that's been used in award winning, advertising, design, and editorial.  We chatted all about how small business owners can make the most of stock images and videos to tell stories that are really important for them. Jacqueline gave great tips for finding the right images and videos, and we talked about why video is such an important medium for marketing. If you need a great reminder of how to use imagery for your brand, this episode's for you. Episode highlights: 02:44 The Power of Video in Marketing 13:49 Creating Authentic Video Content for Your Brand 17:33 Navigating the World of Stock Imagery and Video 22:28 Addressing Bias and Embracing Diversity in Visuals 27:11 Innovative Strategies for Standing Out in Marketing See how your brand can use iStock photos and videos.  Check out Getty Images and iStock’s Creative Insights page Here's the link to Irish Pub Christmas campaign mentioned If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

You might remember that back in January on Building Your Brand I shared my 2024 goals, one of which was to be able work with my close friend Lois more, as outsourcing a part of my business to her in 2023 worked so well for us both. Well, today you can hear from multi-disciplinary artist and designer Lois Seco about how she thinks it's all going! Outsourcing is something a lot of small business owners have to navigate and it's not always the easiest so we thought that we would chat about our experience and what we've learned working together over the last year. Episode highlights: 02:00 The Art of Delegation and Overcoming Bottlenecks 07:03 The Importance of Communication and Boundaries in Business 07:38 The Value of Trust and Mutual Respect in a Working Relationship  21:57 Setting Boundaries  24:41 The Role of Clarity in Relationships 27:32 Choosing the Right People to Work With 42:06 Embracing Rejection and Failure Referenced in the episode: 2024 Goal Setting with Hannah Isted Culture is your brands cornerstone with Katie Elliott  Don't forget to check out Lois online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

Something I'm guilty of neglecting is my website copy, even though I know it's such an integral part of my branding. So I was thrilled to pick Website Messaging Strategist + Copywriter Alice Brown's brains on how to improve my website copy (and all of yours too!)  In today's episode Alice shares the reason why your website copy might feel 'off' and what to do about it in simple, practical terms. We talk about the significance of having an authentic and unique brand voice to sound more human and relatable.  Ultimately, this episode will encourage you to experiment with your web copy and write it in a way that feels good for your brand.  Episode highlights: 01:10 The Impact of Website Copy on Business 03:37 The Challenges of Writing Website Copy 17:56 The Power of Personal Branding in Copywriting 38:17 Understanding Different Types of Decision Makers 40:33 Improving Your Website Copy: Practical Tips Mentioned in the episode:  Alice's free guide for collecting customer feedback: https://www.alicewritescopy.com/liz Don't forget to check out Alice online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

A theme of this podcast is how to build a brand in a way that feels good to you and true to your personality, and that always encapsulates more than just designing a great logo. Today I'm excited to chat to client experience expert Fran Smith about how to elevate your client experience to grow a community of loyal fans (who'll ultimately do your marketing for you!) We had such a great chat and I was particularly excited about all the amazing tips Fran shared. So have a listen, come and let us know what you think, and I hope you enjoy hearing about a different aspect of branding. Episode highlights:  03:30 The Impact of Communication Style on Brand Perception  14:42 Creating a Consistent Brand Across All Touchpoints 16:36 Surprise and Delight: Elevating the Client Experience  25:56 The Art of Handling Customer Complaints  41:53 The Importance of Setting Expectations in Client Experience  Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Fran online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

I have a complicated relationship with AI. On the one hand I see the time saving benefits of it, and on the other, I worry about the problematic outcomes with tools like generative AI. So I was so happy to chat with the founder and CEO of IncluedAI, Joyann Boyce. IncluedAI is software designed to help marketing teams reduce bias, protect brand reputation and reach wider audiences so, as you can imagine, Joyann knows a thing or two about AI!  We talked about how AI models are trained and how to combat the 'untrained puppy' nature of AI as we strive for more inclusive marketing. We discuss the challenges in eliminating inherent biases in society, the role of AI in checking language for biases, and the potential risks and benefits of using AI in marketing and business operations. Episode highlights:  02:30 The Challenges of Inclusive Marketing for Small Businesses 04:54 The Importance of Language in Inclusive Marketing 17:11 The Role of AI in Inclusive Marketing  25:18 The Value of Art and Creativity in a Capitalist Society  26:29 The Role of AI in Creative Industries 43:13 The Future of Language in an Inclusive Society Referenced in the episode: Joyann's podcast: Marketing Made Inclusive Joyann's YouTube Channel Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Joyann online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

So many of my clients small businesses come about in the most interesting way so today I want to share how Rebecca Aning-Brown went from medicine to running her own successful flower farming business, Silver Grey Foliage. I've worked with Rebecca for two years now, collaborating on a wide range of branding projects and we've developed a really great working relationship so I wanted to pick her brains on her journey. We discuss the evolution of her business, her investments in professional branding, photography and a website, and the impact they had on her business as well as how she chooses the people she works with. If you'd love an insight into how branding practically impacts your business this is the perfect episode to dive into!  Episode highlights:  02:53 The Importance of Photography in Business 04:12 Choosing the Right People to Work With 16:43 The Importance of Strategic Investments 19:20 The Role of Branding in Business Efficiency 26:36 The Impact of Authentic Marketing Referenced in the episode: Rebecca's courses for flower farmers Rebecca's podcast Mulch Joanne Crawford Photography Studio Cotton Website Design Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Rebecca online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

Every so often an episode comes up that's harder to categorise, usually because the conversation is so rich and full of twists and turns and this episode is one of them! In today's episode I interview Kieron Lewis, a freelance graphic designer, speaker, and Adobe Live host about his transition to freelance work during the pandemic and his ongoing efforts towards community building and advocacy in South London. We explore the importance of representation in the creative field and how Kieron's upbringing uniquely positioned him to seek out advocacy for the graphic designers of the future. We also chatted about how we tackle criticism, navigating professional obstacles, and the influence of personal values in our design work. Additionally, he discusses his maintaining meaningful relationships and the importance of an effective online presence in building a strong brand. Episode highlights:  02:40 The Importance of Networking and People Skills 05:25 Giving Back to the Community through Talks and Workshops 17:06 The Role of Constructive Criticism and Feedback in Career Growth 32:02 Marketing your Work Online Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Kieron online and follow him on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!       

In this episode, we discuss the role of social media in our businessese and talk about how we really feel about using it all.....including X (which Liz still hates saying!) We share our tips for how to improve engagement by making content fun, informative, and approachable and dig into why having a  'hero' platform is great for marketing. If you've fallen out of flow with social media (particularly Instagram!) this is the perfect episode to get stuck into.   Episode highlights: 01:55 The Role of LinkedIn in Social Media Marketing 03:19 The Impact of Social Media on Personal Life 06:27 The Importance of Engagement on Social Media 16:16 The Role of Social Media in Business Growth 17:45 Strategies to Improve Social Media Experience 28:40 A Debate: Focusing on One Platform vs. Multiple Platforms Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft.  

In this episode, Hannah and I share the things we've learned the hard way while running our businesses. From inefficient manual tasks that could have been automated, to the importance of setting clear boundaries with clients and learning to trust your gut. This is an honest and funny episode from two imperfect business owners!  Episode highlights: 02:31 Importance of Communication in Business 04:28 Dealing with Difficult Clients 09:09 The Importance of Branding and Logo Design 15:04 The Power of Reusing Content 16:54 The Art of Selling: Regularly Telling People What They Can Buy 20:20 The Magic of Automation in Business 24:57 Setting Boundaries with Clients Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

You all know I LOVE a challenge and so does Hannah, so in this episode of our mini series we discuss why. We chat about the various challenges we've tried and how they've impacted our businesses, even when we've given up! From boosting creativity, growing a skill and making habits stick we want to show you how fun setting a challenge can be for your business (or yourself!) If you want to join us in setting a challenge, drop us a DM on Instagram so we can cheer you on!  We've also created a new challenge which you can join in with - we are going to do talking stories on Instagram every day in February to be more visible and help people get to know us. If you want to join us and get 29 prompts - sign up here. Highlights:  01:08 Discussing Past Challenges and Their Impact  03:28 The Rejection Challenge and Its Outcomes 04:51 Exploring Future Challenge Ideas  06:42 The Science Behind Habit Formation and Challenges 14:03 The Fun Aspect of Challenges and Community Building  Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

Every so often I like to mix things up with the podcast, which is why I decided to kick off 2024 with a fun Building Your Brand mini series where I chat to my pal Hannah Isted about the things work wives chat about!  We decided to start off by talking about how we go about setting goals for the year (without getting overwhelmed!) With a particular focus on the processes of goal setting, we're super honest about our 'why' along with the things that haven't quite worked in previous years.  As an added bonus, we delve into the sub-goals needed to get to our big goals and explore the concept of having a 'word of the year' to gently guide us through the year. Highlights:  01:02 The Process of Setting Goals 02:34 The Importance of Flexibility in Goal Setting 03:17 The Concept of 'Word of the Year' in Goal Setting 05:21 Sharing OUR Goals for the Year 06:24 Breaking Down Goals into Actionable Steps 07:27 The Benefits of Regular Goal Setting Throughout the Year 11:53 The Importance of Being Open to Change in Goal Setting Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

I often seek out guests who are doing things a little differently because I think it's so important to show there's not just one way to do things. Today's guest is an award winning content creator, speaker, accountant and founder of accountancy firm Accountant She Rachel Harris.  Rachel shares her journey of taking social media by storm, building her successful personal brand and co-running the fastest-growing accountancy firm in the UK with her husband. She discusses the strategic approach she took to brand and content development, along with the importance of personal branding in reaching the right audience and potential employees.  Rachel also highlights the importance of core values in creating a brand culture and driving a business. It's a really motivating episode which gave me so much food for thought and I hope you'll feel the same!  Check out Adobe Express featured in today's episode Episode highlights:  (03:08) The Growth of Rachel's Accountancy Practice (04:27) The Intersection of Finance and Personality (05:33) The Strategy Behind Rachel's Disruptive Approach (07:59) The Impact of Rachel's Personal Brand on Her Business (22:25) Breaking Stereotypes in Accountancy (22:33) The Power of Diverse Workforce and Content Creation (25:06) The Journey of Establishing Core Values (28:31) The Influence of Branding on Staff and Client Attraction This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!  Don't forget to check out Rachel online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you.  

I can't quite believe it, but after over two years of podcasting we've made it to episode 100 of the Building Your Brand podcast! Thank you so much to all of you for joining me for this journey; it's been one of the BEST things I've ever done for my business and in today's episode I tell you why.  In today's episode I invited my podcast producer Lucy Lucraft on, and in a twist of events, she is interviewing me! It's a really fun and open chat about how and why I started the podcast, what has surprised me along the way, and the benefits of starting a podcast.  There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff about the podcast and we share some funny things that've happened over the past two years too. If you're a die hard Building Your Brand fan, you'll love this episode!  And if you're someone who wants to understand the business benefits of starting a. podcast (or you want to explore how sponsorship works) this is the perfect episode to dive into.   Referenced in the episode:  Getting to grips with email marketing with Menekse Stewart Sales funnels simplified with Menekse Stewart Being a generalist could be the best business decision you make with Kyle Webster How to find joy when times are tough with Sophie Cliff Quitting social media profitably with Astrid Bracke The unexpected benefits of changing your career later in life with Lisa Congdon This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!       

As we're nearing the very last Building Your Brand episode of the year I've squeezed in a solo episode! This one is a little bit more personal as I reflect on 2023 and how it's been both exhausting AND my busiest year yet.  It's really easy for us all to constantly look forward to our goals and feel frustrated we haven't yet reached them so I hope this episode helps you look back to see just how far you've come over the past twelve months.  When I think back on 2023 I think my overall feeling is exhaustion. But I also had my most profitable year and worked with some amazing clients and brands too. And of course this podcast, my newsletter and Instagram have all been a highlight!  If you need a reminder of how far you've come, this is the perfect episode.  Check out Adobe Express featured in today's episode. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

How to deal with burnout as a small business owner might not be what you’d typically expect when you think about building your brand but it’s something I felt so inspired to explore. Which is why I loved chatting to today’s guest, Marloes, all about how she experienced burnout, tackled it head on and how she’s rebuilding her career as a small business owner while in recovery.  Whether you’ve experienced burnout or not I encourage you to dive in to today’s episode as it’s a must listen for all of us. Episode highlights:  (04:08) Marloes initial experience of burnout (15:58) Why burnout happens (20:03) Creativity for creativities sake (28:46) Finding balance on social media Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Marloes online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!