Nadia Hussain is the founder of Hair Loving who create hair products for all stages of life.  Hair Loving specialise in promoting hair growth and health from childhood to postpartum and menopause.

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Today on the podcast I am talking to Nadia Hussain from Hair Loving. Hair Loving produced hair product for, all stages of life, and specialize in promoting hair growth and health and childhood to postpartum and menopause.

This is the second hair care company I’ve had on the podcast recently, a few weeks ago my guest was Laurence Quinnell of Leonora Haircare. Nadia and Laurence may be selling similar products, but their stories and business set up are completely different.

Nadia’s background is that she is a highly successful hair and make up artist, who also runs a hair & make up training academy. Nadia developed her products after years of speaking to her customers about their hair care woes.

I found it fascinating learning about the differences and similarities between their businesses, as it illustrates perfectly that there is no one ‘correct way of doing things.

It has to be what works for you. 

Listen in to hear Nadia share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:32)
• What inspired her to create her products (02:11)
• How she started the process of producing her products (03:33)
• Research and learning how to properly formulate products (05:00)
• Transitioning from developing the products herself to outsourcing production (06:14)
• Why she decided to outsource product production (08:20)
• Supply chain transparency, what it is and why it is important (11:09)
• When she realised that her self formulated products could become a business (15:39)
• How Lockdown helped boost the launch of her business and website (17:19)
• How she started wholesaling (21:24)
• Attending trade and customer exhibitions (23:15)
• Getting stocked in John Lewis & Fenwicks ((23:46)
• Expanding her range with gift boxes (26:35)
• Selling on Amazon (27:59)
• The importance of getting the fundamentals right on Amazon (32:52)
• Her number one piece of advice for other product creators (35:03)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Hair Loving Website

Hair Loving Instagram

Hair Loving Facebook

Hair Loving Linked In

Hair Loving Twitter

Hair Loving Youtube

Podcast Episode 114 How to formulate a haircare range (and do it sustainably) with Laurence Quinnell, Leonora Haircare

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Catherine Erdly is the founder of the Resilient Retail Club, and helps product businesses start, grow and scale profitable businesses that last. In this podcast Catherine shares her top tips for how you can prepare to sell your products this Christmas.

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Today on the podcast I'm re-releasing a conversation I recorded with Catherine Erdly last September about how to prepare for Christmas.

Catherine is the founder of the Resilient Retail Club. Catherine worked in the retail sector for two decades, working with household names such as Coast, Laura Ashley and Paperchase. She now helps product businesses start, grow and scale profitable businesses that last through her group membership and 1-2-1 consulting. Catherine shares the best things that you can do as a product-based business in the run-up to Christmas to help yourself and boost sales.

I came away from the podcast with the sense I was sharing it all too late, and actually summer is when you need to start prepping for Christmas. My hope is that by re-releasing this episode now, you will find things you can do that will save you a lot of stress in October, November & December this year. 

It is an episode packed full of specific, actionable steps, and is going to help so many of you have a less stressful Christmas season! 

Listen in to hear Catherine share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:43)
• When to start planning for Christmas  (02:19)
• Long-term Christmas planning (04:24)
• When to start talking about Christmas to your customers (09:42)
• Things you can do now to start prepping for Christmas (13:14)
• Jobs that you should leave now until after Christmas! (19:18)
• How to make the most of Christmas if your product isn’t a traditional gift (23:16)
• The particular opportunities you have this Christmas (28:19)
• Tasks you should be doing after Christmas (30:00)
• Her number one piece of advice for product creators this Christmas (33:36)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

The Resilient Retail Club Website

Resilient Retail Club Twitter

Resilient Retail Club Facebook

Resilient Retail Club Instagram

Catherine Erdly LinkedIn

LET’S CONNECT

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Jade Tinkler is an award-winning portrait photographer, who specialises in helping women to be seen, celebrated and empowered - particularly those over the age of 40. She helps women to realise that they are photogenic, through creating beautiful portraits that they love and are proud of. 

Jade also helps female business owners and entrepreneurs to stand out from the crowd whilst looking (and feeling) confident within their brands, through appealing and inspiring brand-styled photography.  

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This week my guest on the podcast is Jade Tinkler, an award winning portrait, who recently took the headshots and branding photos that you will see on my website.  

Jade joins me today to share how you can take great photos of your products using your phone and how to edit them. And she had some really great advice and made it sound so simple to take really good photos with your phone, using hardly any props, just a bit of natural light and maybe some white cardboard. Jade will explain why! I hope that after listening to this episode, you are inspired to go away and experiment with taking your own product photos yourself

Listen in to hear Jade share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:44)
• Why having good photos of your products is important (02:43)
• The types of images you need of your products (05:03)
• The types of photos you can take with your phone (08:37)
• Choosing your background (09:58)
• Useful props for taking a good photo (11:23)
• Getting the lighting right(12:06)
• Taking photos outside (15:45)
• Editing your photos (16:49)
• Her top tips for photo editing software (19:47)
• Her number one piece of advice for taking photos (23:58)
• Details about upcoming workshops and webinars that Jade is running (26:08)

USEFUL RESOURCES

Jade Tinkler Website

Jade Tinkler Facebook

Jade Tinkler Instagram - Branding 

Jade Tinkler Instagram - Portraits

Jade Tinkler Linked In

Snapseed

Jade Tinkler Webinar: THE 5 TOP SECRETS OF PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Jade Tinkler Workshop: BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH DIY FLAT LAY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Today’s episode is all about pricing, in particular how to work out the price for your product. There is a plethora of information online about how to work out your product price, from working out manufacturing costs, packaging costs, and then adding profit on top of it.

My advice is different. I advocate working out your product price first. Do your research, learn the market and decide what you want to sell your product for. Then work backwards to see if you can make it cost effective. I believe using this method can save you a lot of time and heartache down the line.

Listen in to hear me share:

• Why I wanted to record this episode (00:45)
• The method I think you should use for working out your product price (01:23)
• Why it is important to decide on your price first (01:35)
• The importance of doing your research (05:57)
• Working out where your product fits in the market (07:09)
• The advantages of knowing your product price as you develop your product (08:25)
• What to do if there is nothing else similar to compare it to (09:50)
• Ways to reduce the product costs for you (10:32)

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Today on the podcast I’m talking to Laurence Quinnell from Leonora Haircare. I actually have two businesses on the podcast in the next couple of weeks who sell hair products. The reason for this is they make similar products, but their stories and way they have produced their hair products are really different, and I think it is fascinating to see different ways of setting up a similar business. 

I know Laurence personally, use her products myself, and I've been really inspired by her story over the last couple of months. Laurence is an ex-midwife who, having been made redundant from a high street job in the pandemic, has set up her own business and is making the products at home. She has been incredibly diligent about making sure that her products are all accredited and certified, and has developed her products using Ayurvedic ingredients. She has achieved so much in a short amount of time, and is incredibly knowledgeable about the importance of ensuring cosmetic products are safe to use, and how to go about this.

Listen in to hear Laurence share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:17)
• Using Ayurvedic ingredients (05:49)
• Finding a formula that worked, and getting it certified (09:04)
• Practical considerations when creating your product at home (12:17)
• Long it takes to create a batch (14:42)
• How long it took to bring her products to market (15:42)
• Gaining feedback, reviews and customers from sending out samples (19:30)
• Sourcing sustainable packaging (23:25)
• Using fellow small business owners for printing and logo design (25:45)
• Getting stocked in local shops and setting up partnerships with hair salons (28:52)
• The differences between selling on Etsy and on her website, and shipping globally (34:11)
• The importance of testing the product at the outset (41:33)
• Working with the NEA (46:51)
• Her number one piece of advice for other product creators (49:47)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Leonora Haircare Website

Leonora Haircare Etsy

Leonora Haircare Instagram

Leonora Haircare Facebook

Leonora Haircare Tiktok

Leonora Haircare Twitter

Laurence Quinnell Linked In

NEA - New Enterprise Allowance - this has now closed to new participants June 2022

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Amanda Davey writes books and produces greeting cards that celebrate the beauties and quirkiness of the world around us in all its richness. The underpinning idea is to help people to learn more about what they can see around them, without them fully realising they are learning! There is unpredictability in non-fiction and that’s where Amanda’s heart lies. 

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Today on the podcast I’m talking to Amanda Davey from Tilia Publishing. Amanda writes books and produces greeting cards that celebrate the beauties and quirkiness of the world around us in all its richness. The underpinning idea is to help people learn more about what they can see around them without fully realising they're learning. There's unpredictability and non-fiction, and that's definitely where Amanda's heart lies. 

Amanda and I discuss how her business has evolved from starting to sell greetings cards via local shops and retailers, to moving online and building a website. We discussed the challenges of getting stocked in shops, fast changing fashions and how the business has changed since the pandemic.

Listen in to hear Amanda share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:20)
• How she got started selling cards (02:00)
• What she did before she started the business (03:56)
• Identifying a gap in the market for local cards (06:09)
• Where she initially sold her products (08:55)
• Setting up a website (11:49)
• Approaching and getting stocked in shops (19:09)
• Developing and expanding her range, and exploring new markets (25:41)
• Why she uses a local printers rather than somewhere abroad (30:29)
• Changing fashions in the Greeting Card industry (35:40)
• Her number one piece of advice for other product creators (38:08)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Tilia Publishing Website

Tilia Publishing on Facebook

Tilia Publishing on Twitter

Amanda Davey LinkedIn

The Ladder Club

Podcast Episode 94: How to make your customer experience more inclusive (and make more sales) with Jodie Greer of Be People Smart

Just A Card Campaign

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Born out of a mum’s frustration to find healthy filling snacks for her two boys, SNACKZILLA soft-baked oat cookies are made especially for kids, supporting them to live healthier lives without compromising on taste or fun.

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Marieke Syed is the founder of SNACKZILLA, who make soft-baked oat cookies made especially for kids, supporting them to live healthier lives without compromising on taste or fun. SNACKZILLA was born out of Marieke’s frustration to find healthy filling snacks for her two boys. Marieke’s products are stocked in Ocado, and will soon be in Sainsburys. 

Marieke is only the second guest I have had on the podcast who sells a food product. It was absolutely fascinating to talk to her and learn more about the process of mass producing a food product, getting stock in supermarkets and insider knowledge about the food industry.

Listen in to hear Marieke share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:12)
• What inspired her to start Snackzilla (01:54)
• The journey from inspiration to creating her own recipe (04:17)
• Working with food developers (07:06)
• Selling her product to supermarkets (10:02)
• Finding a manufacturer (16:27)
• Growing her business, and making her first staff hires (20:34)
• Advice for hiring staff (24:54)
• Sourcing investment (26:18)
• Industry specific regulations and challenges (29:43)
• Her number one piece of advice for other product creators (34:35)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Snackzilla Website

Snackzilla Instagram

Snackzilla Facebook

Marieke’s LinkedIn

Young Foodies

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What is the one thing we all want to do? Sell more of our products. I thought I would share some ideas that worked for me when I ran my own product-based business, Tiny Chipmunk, and things that I have seen work for my clients. 

I’m not a sales expert, and not everything that I suggest will work for everyone or appeal to everyone. But I wanted to share a few different ideas that you could try to give your sales a boost. 

At the end of the episode I have included some Amazon specific ideas. I hope you will find this useful even if you don’t currently sell on Amazon, as some of these tips are transferable to other platforms. 

Good luck and let me know what works for you.

Listen in to hear me share:

• An introduction to myself and the topic (00:34)
• My top sales tips (01:44)
• Sales tips for Amazon (12:31)
• How to share your tips (21:58)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Read the blog post for this episode

Episode 82 How to sell your products on social media with Emma Peries, Digital Mother

Episode 76 How to work with influencers with Donna Jackson

Free Resources, including Amazon Checklist

Book a Power Hour with me

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Juniper Studio create bespoke keepsakes, gifts and decor. With a passion for treasuring the small things in life, they pride themselves on sustainability, crafting keepsakes for families to look back on and treasure for generations to come.

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Georgina Robinson is the founder of Juniper Studio, who create bespoke keepsakes, gifts and decor. She has a passion for treasuring small things in life, and she prides herself on sustainability and crafting keepsakes for families to look back on and treasure for generations to come. 

Georgina and I speak a lot about her products, her inspiration, and how she is making her business more sustainable and reducing its environmental impact, including using a Shopify app which means a tree is planted every time Georgina receives an order. 

Listen in to hear Georgina share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (00:55)
• How she started her business (02:03)
• Working with Not On The High Street (02:57)
• Using content creators to help with social media marketing (06:18)
• Managing her time (08:13)
• Creating her products (09:53)
• Making her business more sustainable (14:42)
• How small businesses are leading the way with sustainability (29:51)
• Her number one piece of advice for other authors (31:43)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Juniper Studio Website

Juniper Studio Instagram

Juniper Studio on Not On The High Street

Greencast

Tree Nation Shopify App

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Raksha Patel, of Reflect with Raksha, shares how her YouTube channel about bullet journaling led to the creation of a successful product business 3D printing stencils to help fellow bullet journalers. 

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Today I’m interviewing a YouTube sensation, Raksha Patel of Reflect with Raksha. Raksha has over 15K subscribers, and uses journaling to help people slow down, reflect and pursue what really matters to them. Raksha believes that by looking after our minds and getting to know ourselves better, we can live happier and more fulfilled lives. 

In this episode we explore bullet journaling and its benefits, building an audience on YouTube and how this community led to Raksha creating her own products using a 3D printer. I’ve never met anyone who is using a 3D printer to create their products before, so I was fascinated to learn about the process and how it works. It is much more accessible than I realised, and is something that anyone could do from home. I hope that you are as inspired as I was by this episode, whether it is to start bullet journaling or experiment with a 3D printer!

Listen in to hear Raksha share:

• An introduction to herself and her business (01:22)
• How she started on YouTube (02:00)
• How her YouTube channel has grown, and the opportunities it has created (05:21)
• How the YouTube audience and community has influenced the development of her business (08:21)
• What Bullet Journaling is (11:53)
• The products that she has created (19:00)
• Using a 3D printer (28:31)
• Future ideas for products and her business (36:07)
• Her number one piece of advice for other authors (40:32)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Raksha’s Youtube Channel

Raksha’s TikTok

Raksha’s Instagram

Raksha’s LinkedIn

Raksha’s Twitter

Raksha’s Website

Raksha’s Etsy Shop

Raksha’s Newsletter

The Bullet Journal Method Book

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