Are you a purple cow? Or rather, is your business one?

Don’t worry, we haven’t lost our marbles! We’re just diving straight into the analogy made by sales guru Paul Essery in this episode of the Sparkle and Thrive Podcast  – one dedicated to helping you nail your sales process.

Paul points out that to attract your ideal customer and ensure you can have a conversation with them that will influence them to buy, especially in a global marketplace, you need to be a scroll-stopping purple cow in a herd of black and white Friesians.

But getting great at sales isn’t about standing out in a crowd and engaging your customers.

Here’s why you should tune in
Paul is revealing the three essential things you need to get right if you want to see your sales take off. He’s chatting about how you persuade and influence your customer and why it all starts with understanding how they buy and identifying what matters most to them.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[08:52] Why the product is rarely the problem when making sales.

[10:45] Hear the first key to selling a product or service effectively.

[13:02] Why you need to be a purple cow.

[15:05] Hear the second key to sales.

[22:35] How do you influence people?

[26:48] Paul reviews the three elements of effective sales.

[34:27] Discover the biggest problem in sales.

[36:20] Why it’s about next, next, next.

There’s a reason Joy, our CEO and founder, continues to ask Paul for sales and business advice. Press play now to see how he can help you. ▶️▶️▶️

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

If you’ve ever lost hours doomscrolling, you’ll know that social media isn’t always the best place to be. And when it comes to protecting your mental health, the results of countless studies will make you want to close all your Apps and run for the hills. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

But before you do, take a moment to check out Sophie Bradley’s story, TechPixies’ Insta Ninja extraordinaire and a woman on a mission to use social media for good (or pawsitivity, if you like 🐾). After hitting burnout in 2017 and suffering from anxiety, depression and PTSD, Sophie found solace in walking her gorgeous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Amber. 

[Cue some major cuteness if you watch this episode on YouTube. 📹]

And in a story familiar to so many women, when Sophie felt the time was right to explore social media, she didn’t feel confident enough to put herself out there at first. So she created an account for Amber (now an Insta influencer in her own right, #dogsofinstagram) and developed the skills she needed to get confident to do her own thing.

An Uber Boat campaign and some Coronation fun later, Amber and Sophie are currently fundraising for Pets As Therapy, so check out their Insta accounts and please give whatever you can. 💰 

Here’s why you should tune in
If you’re yet to find your voice on social media, be inspired by Sophie’s approach and how she got started. You’ll hear some fab advice on using Instagram to fundraise, take away some top tips on protecting your mental health on social media, and learn more about the awesome work Sophie is doing with Link UP London.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[01:54] How Sophie used her dog to get confident on social media.

[06:57] Amber the Cav Repawter gets a starring role in a historic event.

[10:09] Can you help Sophie and Amber’s fundraising efforts?

[13:57] Hear this top tip on collaborating on Instagram when fundraising.

[18:24] Can you volunteer your skills to Link UP London?

[28:28[ Discover what being a coach at TechPixies means to Sophie.

[32:58] Tips for protecting your mental health on social media.

If you can volunteer your skills to Link UP London’s The Be Heard: Raising Community Voices Programme or you work within a London-based Social Good Organisation that could benefit from help and support, drop Sophie a DM.
Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For details of links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

If you’ve reached midlife and you’ve found that looking for a job is like one of those steady-hand games – you know where you need to go, but charting a path to get there is pretty frustrating (and a shock to the system at times!) – you need the wise words of Sarah Taylor Phillips. 🧭

She’s popped by the Sparkle and Thrive Podcast to reveal her 5 secrets to getting hired over 50, although we think they’re pretty nifty tips, whatever age you might be. 👌🏾

As the founder of Career Voyage, Sarah's here to help you sail through the job search process so that you can get your career path shipshape and make the whole hoorah less of an oar-deal (ok, we promise to step away from the sailing puns 😆).

Here’s why you need to tune in
Learn how the crystallised wisdom you have in your 50s (and beyond!) can work in your favour. Hear why your job search should start with YOU, and why, in an age where algorithms rule, your network is your most valuable asset.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[02:24] Discover the first secret to getting hired in midlife.

[04:44] Use the power of knowing what you don’t want.

[06:44] Learn more about secret 2.

[11:15] Are you tapping into secret 3  – mindset magic? 

[24:32] Tune in to hear secret 4.

[30:23] It’s time to uncover secret 5.

[34:19] Don’t be afraid to use your connections.

[36:39] Do this if you are volunteering your time.

Given that 80% of jobs aren’t advertised get yourself ahead of the game with the tips Sarah and Joy share in this episode.

Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

To learn more about the five secrets to getting hired, check out Sarah’s handy guide and join her Be Inspired Get Hired Facebook Group.

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

Divorce, single motherhood, cancer diagnosis – that’s a lot by anyone’s standards. 🤯

But as Benita Triffitt says, she was determined ‘not to crumble’. And if this episode is anything to go by, she’s living proof of what happens when you lean into thinking about things differently.

And, wowzers! Benita’s radiating happiness right now. 😊

So how do you get through the obstacles that block your way?

Rewind to episode 156, and you’ll hear Benita talking about how our DreamBuilder® Program helped her on the path to building an interior design business. Not only that, but it also helped to completely change her mindset. So when it came to pivoting her dream, Benita has only gone and smashed it out of the park, returning to the workplace after 21 years (!!!) in a job that couldn’t be more perfect for her.

Here’s why you need to tune in
Discover how Benita overcame the challenges of divorce and a cancer diagnosis to go after her dream. Learn more about the DreamBuilder® tools that Benita used to help her move forward and the five-point test you can use to work out if your dream is worth pursuing.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[02:05] Why Benita joined our DreamBuilder® Program.

[09:53] How you overcome the guilt when a dream changes.

[15:00] How Benita dealt with the challenges of divorce and a cancer diagnosis.

[19:46] Which DreamBuilder® tools helped Benita most?

[32:25] How Joy dealt with a potentially tricky diagnosis.

[38:56] Learn the five-point test to help decide if your dream is worth your time, money and effort.

As Benita says, isn’t it time we remembered the child inside us and told ourselves, ‘why not?’ Why not go after your dream job? Why not go after your dream life?

You’ll be amazed at what happens when you do. 🌈

Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For details of resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

If you’ve ever suffered from a case of the ‘what ifs’:

😰 What if I can’t find clients?

😰 What if clients don’t pay me?

😰 What if I say the wrong thing online?

This is the episode to plug into your lugholes.

Because we’re on a major ANT squashing mission (don’t worry, no ants were harmed in the making of this episode), courtesy of Fern Fuller.

As a single mum growing her own business, Fern wanted to improve her financial security and make the relationships in her life a priority.

She’d also suffered a massive setback with her pension and was fed up with undercharging and over-delivering in her business.

It was time to take action. 💪🏼

[Are you shouting, ‘Oh my word, that’s me too!’ at your screen yet?]

Here’s why you need to tune in
Discover how Fern used the longing and discontent she felt to work out what she would love in her life. You’ll also hear how she overcame her fears, how she recovered after losing 75% of her pension, and what she’s achieved since working for herself.

You’ll also see why success is possible for you too.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[00:55] What Fern thought after doing our Vision Workshop.

[05:12] Hear the action steps Fern took towards her dream life.

[08:15] Do Fern’s fears sound familiar?

[11:00] Fern finds her voice. 

[16:32] What Fern did when she lost 75% of her pension.

[23:47] Why you need Fern’s list-building lead magnet.

[26:02] Discover Fern’s vision for her future.

Fern is a shining example of what happens when you show up and do the work. And if Fern can do it, you can too.

Want to follow in Fern’s footsteps?

It all begins by signing up to our Vision Workshop, a 3-hour deep dive into working out what it is you really want in life.

Oh, and if you’ve got an inbox that you can’t keep on top of, Fern is the Inbox Zero Hero you’ll want on speed dial. Start by grabbing her awesomesauce InboxZero Starter Guide HERE.

Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

So you’ve got your social media up and running, a lead magnet in place that’s growing your mailing list. your paid ads are out in the world, and you’re busy networking to build your reputation.

Before you give yourself a high five, there are a couple more steps to go on your business growth strategy, and they’re probably the most crucial. They can also feel like the biggest leap for women who get the ick around sales.
But don’t panic! Joy’s got a whole heap of advice about how to make these steps work for you.

Here’s why you need to tune in
Discover a simple reframe that will help you get over the ick factor of sales, then be inspired by the kind of offers we make at TechPixies and the KPIs we measure to see what is and isn’t working.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[02:26] Should you boost posts?

[10:24] What is more important: building a course or making an offer?

[11:52] How many people do you need on your mailing list to make an offer?

[12:49] Should you make an offer from the get-go?

[15:46] Selling is serving.

[18:36] What are you doing with the money you’re making?

[21:40] How offers work at TechPixies.

[27:28] What KPIs should you be measuring?

[34:48] Do you have your deliverables and operations sorted?

[37:42] Do you need business coaching?

If you want to go deeper on all this, come and grab the recording of our Business Masterclass HERE.

Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

If your head is spinning from all the jobs you have to focus on as a business owner, Joy Foster, our chief TechPixie, is here to try and make your life easier.

Having set up three businesses and discovered what works and what doesn’t, she’s put together her playbook for business growth containing the 5 things you need to focus on to move the needle forward.

Joy’s already covered steps 1 and 2 in the previous episode (catch up here if you missed it), and she’s now shining a spotlight on networking and paid advertising.

Here’s why you need to tune in
Calm networking nerves with a brilliant opening line that will help explain who you are and what you do without the waffle, discover whether networking or paid advertising is right for your business and learn why speaking at an event or holding your own online event should be on your to-do list.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[03:15] Is networking right for your business?

[04:26] Which type of networking are you doing?

[06:24] What’s great about paid advertising?

[12:13] If you want to run a national or global business, do this.

[14:05] Do you have an elevator pitch?

[15:08] Why you should create an online event. 

Remember that Masterclass Joy mentioned?

It’s FREE, so take action on a proven 5-step plan to grow your business and wave goodbye to putting in maximum effort for minimum return.

Save your seat here and attend LIVE to be gifted Joy’s Measure of Success KPI Cheat Sheet.

Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

To catch up on the previous episode, click here.

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

What are you supposed to be doing to grow your business? 📈

This was the question one of the peeps in our LevelUp Mastermind asked chief TechPixie Joy, and it got her thinking about the action steps every business owner should be taking to move the needle forward in their business.

So if you’ve had your head in your hands over your numbers and wondering how so much effort can produce such little return, chances are you’re focusing on the wrong things. 😰

You need this podcast episode in your life, especially because the 5 steps Joy talks about moved TechPixies forward at a time when many businesses were folding.

Here’s why you need to tune in
In the first in this three-part series, you’ll discover the first two things you need to do to grow your business: how to grow your social media following and then move that following onto your mailing list. You’ll also love the DM strategy Joy has to share and the advice she offers on what to do if you have a small mailing list. 👌🏽

Here’s what to listen out for:

[02:49] Why you need social media.

[05:46] How often should you be posting on social media?

[19:33] If you’re not list building, you don’t have a business.

[26:22] How do you move people from social media to your mailing list?

[30:39] A preview of the other 3 steps you need to take to grow your business.

[35:44] What if you only have a small mailing list?

The sales are in the mails, people! But you can’t get potential customers onto your mailing list if you haven’t met them on social media.

Press play now ▶️▶️▶️

Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

For details of links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode touches on the loss of an ex-partner to cancer and includes some swearing (although there’s a good reason for those curse words!).

Why does it often take a major life event to serve as a wake-up call? When we should be doing what we love right here, right now.

When author Kate Christie lost her ex-husband to pancreatic cancer in the space of 11 months, it was a reminder that life is short and there was still so much she wanted to do while she was young enough to do it.

So she drew up a life list and included everything from enjoying life as a digital nomad in Bali to swimming in the sea with her sisters every morning to ensure she was leading a magnificent, audacious, mindful, beautiful, joyful life. 👏🏽

And she’s sharing the framework she’s used to make this happen in her latest book, The Life List: Master Every Moment and Live an Audacious Life.

Here’s why you need to tune in
This is the episode you need if you’ve wondered how to start living life to the fullest and want to master every moment. You’ll love hearing what Kate has to say about what’s on her life list right now and why midlife is a catalyst, not a crisis. Remember, don’t wait until it’s too late.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[01:46] Discover the heartbreak that inspired Kate’s latest book.

[06:31] What is a life list?

[08:32] Why you shouldn’t be focused on the end goal.

[13:50] Are you living a life by design?

[17:30] What’s on Kate’s life list?

[21:27] Be authentically you.

[24:32] Don’t wait until later.

So press play now, and go and pre-order Kate’s brilliant life-is-for-living handbook here: The Life List: Master Every Moment and Live an Audacious Life. 🌈

▶️▶️▶️ Love our podcast? Leave a review and get hold of our Quick Start Podcast Guide.

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

Ok, confession time.

For more years than we care to admit, we thought a damp squib was a damp squid. 🦑😂

Yep, we confused that oh-so-disappointing firework that fizzles out after a few seconds with the (definitely damp) ocean-dwelling creature – and we bet we weren’t the only ones.

Because the English language can be a confusing mashup of words with similar spellings yet wildly different meanings and misheard sayings that we take as read. If you’ve ever said ‘off your own back’, ‘outer-body experience’ or ‘doggy-dog world’, welcome to the confusables club.

Fortunately, we know just the woman to help us avoid these funny mistakes. Sarah Townsend, the queen of confusables, has published a pocket rocket guide to words we often get wrong, and she’s here to reveal her favourite bits from her book.

Here’s why you need to tune in
If you’re unsure whether you should be writing practice or practise 😕, or you’re wondering whether it’s bear with or bare with 😲, you need Sarah’s latest book in your life. In this episode, Sarah chats about why she decided to self-publish The Little Book of Confusables, the easily confused words that make her smile and why success isn’t necessarily measured by the amount of money you make.

Here’s what to listen out for:

[01:00] What inspired Sarah to write her second book?

[04:06] Is it bear or bare with me?

[07:02] Hear Sarah’s favourite confusables.

[12:05] What can publishing a book do for you?

[17:15] What lessons did Sarah learn from self-publishing her first book?

[20:58] A quote you need to hear

If you’re writing copy and want to get it right (and have a chuckle along the way), grab a signed copy of Sarah’s book.

▶️▶️▶️  Want more top tips from Sarah? Check out her newsletter.

For details of links and resources mentioned in this episode, please visit TechPixies.com

Want to transform your life?

💪 Discover how to leverage social media with our 21 Day Social Media Confidence Challenge.

🚀 Take your social media to the next level by watching our Social Media Masterclass.

🌈 Enjoy a super quick shift in your mindset with our 12 Day Design Your Dream Life Challenge.

Follow us on social media @techpixies and ping us a DM or drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for listening!