It is so tempting to jump on trends when it feels like 'everyone is doing it', and the creative direction is right in front of you but does it actually help or hinder your business?

Today I chat through my thoughts on whether or not following trends is good for your branding and if you do follow trends how to know which ones work for you and which ones don't.

I would also love to hear your thoughts on how you feel about trends and whether or nott they work for you. 

Come let me know on instagram where you can find me @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Key Takeways

• Trends don’t last for very long; if you create branding based on a trend, within a year the trend will have moved on
• If you change your branding regularly you risk breaking trust with your audience and clients
• If you jump on a trend at the right time, it can have a good imapct and work well
• Some trends can get boring really quickly and become oversaturated

Episode Highlights

• 1:14 Trends in visual branding
• 2:10 why rebranding frequently causes problems
• 4:10 Ways to use trends in your small business visual branding
• 6:41 trends within your visual content
• 9:35 Questions to ask yourself before jumping on a trend

Mentioned in the episode

• Trending reel with Liz Mosley and Hannah Isted

Over the last 5 years of running my business I have set myself various creative challenges. I never really went into them thinking about the impact that they might have on my business but every single one of them has had a really significant impact and they have often led me to other very exciting opportunities. 

In this episode I share with 4 of those challenges, what I learnt from doing them and the other opportunities that came my way as a result, and I encourage you to think about the impact creative challenges might have for you. 

I would also love to hear your thoughts on what my next creative challenge should be! 

Come let me know on instagram where you can find me @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Key Takeways

• Creative challenges can speed up your learning process and your progress
• Creative challenges increase your discipline and consistency
• Creative challenges exercise your playful creative muscle
• Trying a different format or limiting yourself on purpose increases creativity

Episode Highlights

• 1:38 My first creative challenge experience
• 2:03 What I love about a challege
• 5:15 The Pattern Challenge
• 7:44 The Rejection Challenge
• 8:33 Unexpected results and opportunities from challenges
• 9:26 40 Lessons Challenge

Mentioned in the episode

• Hannah Isted
• 30 Day reel challenge final reel
• Rejection Challenge Podcast episode
• How persuing rejection transformed my business blog

This episode is sponsored by Astute Graphics who create powerful plugins for Adobe Illustrator. Access your free trial here (Aff link)

This wasn't an episode that I was planning on recording but I suddenly felt the urge to chat about it as I see more and more of this sort of thing online. There are loads of tools now where you can upload hours of your voice or video content of you and make an AI avatar of yourself that looks pretty realistic. I can see how there might be some benefits to this and I discuss that in the episode but I have decided that this is not for me and I share the reasons why.

I would love to know what you think - is this something you have thought about? I would love to carry on the conversation on social media so come let me know your thoughts. You can find me @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Key Takeaways

• AI is never going to replace human interaction and authentic connection
• AI avatar may be usual for helping you show up online for your business, but weigh it up for yourself
• ‘Perfect’ isn’t as interesting as ‘authentic’

Episode Highlights

• 0:30 why I wanted to cover AI as a subject
• 1:30 my immediate reaction to having an AI avatar
• 3:20 Versions of AI tools available
• 4:56 The pressure to present
• 6:00 The appeal of an AI Avatar
• 8:20 A warning for using an AI Avatart

Mentioned in the episode

• Biz Paul

This episode is sponsored by Astute Graphics who create powerful plugins for Adobe Illustrator. Access your free trial here (Aff link)

Have you ever considered what your brand values are? Whenever I teach clients and students about branding I always bang on about how important your brand values are as part of your brand foundation and strategy.

They aren't hard to work out and are often very similar to your personal values especially if you're a small business owner.

In this episode, I share what my brand values are, a super simple excersize for working out what yours might be, and I also share some stories from pals on social media who shared with me how their values have impacted different situations they have found themselves in in their business!

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I’m @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Key Takeaways

• Our values are often passed down to us and become formed over time.
• Having brand values helps you to make better decisions for your business
• Brand values help you to steer your business in the right direction
• Brand values help you maintain your integrity in your business
• Brand values are like boundaries for your business - lines you draw that you do not cross
• As you change as a person, your brand values will change. It’s good to check in with brand values to make sure they are aligned with who you are

Episode Highlights

• 0:49: What are brand values?
• 3:10: My Brand values
• 6:48: Exercise to figure out your brand values
• 11:10: How brand values look and work in your business
• 12:33: Real life examples of how brand values work

Mentioned in the episode

• rode pod mic
• Brand Values Cheat Sheet
• Flash Sale - Design your Own Branding

This episode is sponsored by Astute Graphics who create powerful plugins for Adobe Illustrator. Access your free trial here (Aff link)

In need of a brand but don't yet have enough budget to hire a professional? On today's episode of Building your Brand podcast I am giving you my top tips for DIYing your own branding. Whether its because you're a creative and want to do your branding yourself or you need some branding to bride the gap between now and when you can afford to outsource your branding, this episode is for you.

I am also putting my course Design Your Own Branding ON SALE as I will be retiring the course after this round. Get it now while it's still available!

I hope you really enjoy this episode and find it useful.

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Key Takeaways

• If you have a small budget but not enough for branding hire a photographer; it's the most valuable use of your money at this stage
• Your brand values will be similar or the same as your personal values
• It's important to keep asking yourself 'What do I want my customers to feel' all through the process of develioping your branding

Episode Highlights

• 2:32 Deciding on brand values
• 3:12 Defining a mission statement
• 4:22 Brand personality
• 6:20 How to create a moodboard that helps you
• 7:31 Bare minimum elements needed to create branding
• 9:38 File formats needed
• 10:02 Colour guidelines
• 12:07 Fonts for branding
• 13:50 How photography can help
• 14:56 Adding illustrations to your branding

Mentioned in the episode

• colour.adobe.com - accessability checker
• My blog post: recommeded brand photographers
• Hannah Bacon templates
• Flash Sale - Design your Own Branding

This episode is sponsored by Astute Graphics, who create powerful plugins for Adobe illustrator. Access your free trial here (aff link) 

I am continuing the summer series of solo episodes and on today's episode I share with you my tips and experience of growing a personal brand.

I go over what a personal brand actually is, the buzz words around it and why it might be really significant for you to think about growing your own personal brand too.

I give a six step breakdown of lessons I've learned along the way

I hope you really enjoy this episode and find it useful.

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

• If you’re going to have a personal brand, you need to be strategic about it
• If you want other opportunities outside of your core offering, personal branding can help with that - people buy from people
• A fun way to raise your profile is by borrowing someone else’s audience: guest appear on other people’s podcast
• Having a personal brand helps people to talk about you when you’re not in the room
• Ask for what you want; don’t wait for people to notice you
• Know your values and get comfortable with saying No

• 0:55: What is a personal brand?
• 2:20: Do you need a personal brand?
• 5:36: How I have grown my personal brand
• 11:12: Six lessons I've learned about building a personal brand

• Astute Graphics (Aff link)

This episode was written, recorded and edited by me.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

Today I am starting a 12 week series where I chat about all things small business, behind the scenes and answer questions that have been sent in by you the listeners. 

This first episode is a deep dive into the story of how I came to partner with Adobe. It's a behind the scenes look at the ins and outs of being an Adobe Express ambassador and the path that it has led me down in growing my business, broadening my experience and raising my profile as a designer.

• You never know who’s watching: exciting opportunities can happen at anytime in your business

• 1:25: How I started with Adobe
• 3:34: What it’s like being an Adobe Express Ambassador
• 5:13: My shift and growth within Adobe
• 5:45: BTS with Adobe Live
• 8:10: How I have benefited from working at Adobe
• 11:40: What it was like speaking at Adobe Max
• 13:12: How working with Adobe has changed my business plan
• 14:22: Restrictions of working with Adobe
• 16:46: Is working with Adobe intimidating?
• 18:29: The cons of working with Adobe

• Adobe Express (aff link)
• Adobe Live
• Nikki McWilliams
• Apply to be an Adobe Express Ambassador

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written, recorded and edited by me.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

This week, I’m excited to share a slightly different episode of the Building Your Brand podcast. I was joined in the studio by two previous guests, Hannah and Lois, for a candid conversation about a topic I don't think is discussed enough: the fear of success.

It turns out this fear has a name – the Jonah Complex – and it can show up in all sorts of sneaky ways, from procrastination to self-sabotage. We delved into what the fear of success looks like for each of us, how it holds us back, and what we can do to start working through it. We touch on everything from the pressure of maintaining success to how our relationships can change and the stories we tell ourselves about what success even means.

This was such an insightful and inspiring chat, and I hope it gets you thinking about your own relationship with success.

• Define Your Own Success: Success isn't a one-size-fits-all concept. 3It’s crucial to get clear on what success looks and feels like for you personally, rather than chasing a version of success defined by others or society.
• Embrace the Process: The journey towards your goals is just as important as reaching the destination. We often adapt to achievements quickly, so finding joy and value in the day-to-day process is key to long-term fulfilment.
• Challenge Your Internal Stories: We all have narratives in our heads about what success entails – that it’s stressful, that it requires sacrificing time with family, or that it will make people dislike us. It's powerful to question these stories, unpick our judgements of others, and intentionally decide if we're making choices out of fear or true desire.
• Get Comfortable with Discomfort: Pushing towards something new will inevitably feel uncomfortable because it's something you haven't done before. Learning to tolerate this discomfort is essential for growth, and it's different from being mean to yourself. 

• 03:31: The topic for today's episode is the fear of success, which came about after a conversation between the three of us.
• 08:08: Lois shares her fear of niching down into the wrong thing and how coaching helped her reframe her perspective on success and capacity.
• 11:05: I talk about how my most significant moments of success were defined by the feeling of security they gave me, not the achievement itself.
• 23:20: I discuss the fear of the stress and responsibility that can come with a certain level of success, like being a CEO, and Hannah challenges that assumption.
• 39:18: We discuss what steps we can take away from the conversation to work through our own fears of success.

Hannah runs Hi Communications, where she helps small business owners with their marketing. She is also the author of The Best 90 Days Ever.

• Hannah's website: https://www.hicommunications.co.uk/
• Hannah on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hicommunications_/
• Hannah on Building Your Brand: https://buildingyourbrand.net/episode/hannah-isted-book/

Lois is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and workshop host who helps people discover their creativity and grow in their creative confidence.

• Lois' website: https://www.loisseco.net/
• Lois on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loisseco/
• Lois on Building Your Brand: https://buildingyourbrand.net/episode/lois-seco/

• The Episode Where Liz Gets Coached by Theresa Heath-Wareing
• Build Your Brand by Working Less with Rich Webster

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft (lucylucraft.co.uk)

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

Today on the podcast, I am joined by Andreas Tzortzis, a former journalist who has written for the likes of Newsweek, Monocle, and The New York Times. For the last 15 years, he's worked in brand strategy and storytelling at places like Red Bull and Apple, and for clients through his consultancy, Hella. He recently co-authored the book, Not a Playbook: The Art of Building a Brand, with Damien Bradfield, the co-founder of WeTransfer.

In this episode, we chat all about how brands can grow without sacrificing their integrity, prioritising creativity and trust to build brands that will stand the test of time. I really hope you enjoy the episode and come let me know what you think. You can find me on Instagram at @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast.

• A Brand is its People: A brand's culture is a reflection of the people who work there. WeTransfer’s success came from hiring people from non-traditional backgrounds and fostering a culture that encouraged experimentation and didn't have layers of approval.
• The Power of Instinct: Especially in the early stages of building a brand, instinct is invaluable. Relying on instinct over-analysing data can lead to more authentic and compelling brand decisions.
• Build with Intentionality: Brands that endure are built with a purpose beyond just profitability. WeTransfer's intention was to inject a moment of joy into a utilitarian task and to champion the creative community they served.
• Embrace Unpredictability: While consistency is important, the brands that truly cut through the noise are those that are unpredictable. This is achieved by having a clear, ambitious vision from the start which gives you the license to experiment and do the unexpected.
• Trust is Everything: Building trust is a cornerstone of a successful brand. This extends from creating a trustworthy product to empowering collaborators, like artists and creatives, by giving them freedom and respect.

• 06:53: Andreas shares the story behind his book, Not a Playbook, and the unlikely origins of WeTransfer, a tech company founded by designers.
• 13:58: A brand is simply the people who work there. Andreas explains how WeTransfer's culture of hiring individuals from non-traditional marketing backgrounds was fundamental to its success.
• 19:58: The significance of intentionality in branding. Andreas discusses how WeTransfer was built with an intention that went beyond profit, aiming to serve and celebrate the creative community.
• 27:05: How can brands be more creative? By articulating a vision that is bigger and more ambitious than the specific product or service they currently offer, using Apple as a prime example.
• 41:51: Andreas reveals the five key themes from the book that frame the WeTransfer story, reflecting the best qualities of an artist: intention, trust, faith, instinct, and serendipity.

About the Guest

Andreas Tzorkis is a journalist, brand strategist, and co-author of Not a Playbook.

• Book Website: notaplaybook.com

• Book: Not a Playbook
• Companies: WeTransfer, Red Bull, Apple, Creative Boom, HubSpot
• Film: The Long Goodbye by Riz Ahmed
• Newsletter: The Hustle

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft (lucylucraft.co.uk)

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

I LOVE an episode where I get to really dig into the deep stuff about running a business so in today's episode, I'm thrilled to be chatting with the brilliant Ivy Malik. Ivy helps creative entrepreneurs who are feeling undervalued to break free from overthinking and fear, enabling them to price with confidence and build businesses they truly love.

I always learn so much from my guests, and my conversation with Ivy was no exception – I've definitely got a lot to implement after our chat!

Here are some of the golden nuggets from my conversation with Ivy:

• Pricing as Branding: We often overlook this, but your pricing is a massive part of your branding and how your business is perceived in the market. Think about the difference in perception between a £40 handbag and a £4,000 one – price signals value.
• Undervalued Creativity: As creatives, we often undervalue our work. Ivy suggests this can stem from how arts are treated as "optional" from a young age in education, subconsciously telling us our skills aren't as valuable as others.
• Confidence is Crucial: Ivy really highlighted that confidence is a key ingredient in being able to charge what you're worth. Often, the person charging more isn't necessarily more skilled, but more confident in communicating their value. This confidence often comes from taking action and gaining experience.
• Client's Budget, Not Your Burden: It's not your job to decide what your client can or can't afford. Making assumptions about a potential client's budget (e.g., a solopreneur can't afford high prices) can be a limiting belief. They have responsibility for their own finances.
• Sales Calls as Conversations: A sales call doesn't have to be a pushy, aggressive experience. Instead, think of it as a conversation to understand the client's needs and value, and then frame your price to match what they want. Negotiation is about finding a meeting point you're both happy with.

• 03:00: Ivy talks about her personal drive to protect creatives from a system that often undervalues their work, even acting as an agent for friends in her twenties to ensure they got paid fairly.
• 08:00: Ivy breaks down the essential components for pricing: skill, experience (which adds depth), and, crucially, confidence.
• 13:00: A real challenger moment when Ivy questions the common assumption that solo business owners or those serving smaller businesses automatically can't afford higher prices.
• 27:00: We discuss the importance of taking action despite fear, especially when it comes to increasing your prices. Often, the scary story we tell ourselves about what might happen is far worse than the reality.

• Website: Ivy Malik Coaching
• Instagram | LinkedIn

Ivy has generously offered that if you have any follow-up questions after listening, you can reach out to her, just mention you came from this podcast!

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft (http://lucylucraft.co.uk )

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!