Christina Talks Podcast

Over the last few weeks there has been a lot of news stories around investing, stocks, the Robin Hood app and Redditors. Christina wouldn’t ordinarily delve into the world of ‘newsjacking topical’ subjects, but she happens to know Ian Cairns! Ian is extremely knowledgeable in these areas and so Christina wanted to interview him to share his thoughts with you all.

Disclaimer: The content within this podcast episode is intended as general information and not a recommendation to act. Please seek independent investment advice before entering into any financial transaction. Entering into any financial transaction that involves securities or derivatives puts your capital at risk. The content creator is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and relies on journalist exemption. The content creator is not an investment professional and is likely to have a financial interest in the company mentioned. The companies mentioned may have been held personally by the content creator. The content creator will not be held responsible or be liable for action taken by any listener of this episode. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Ian is someone that has given Christina lots of education regarding the trading world. She thought it was an opportune time to bring him onto the podcast to give you some great ‘nuggets of wisdom’.
• Ian created software company Market Fluent out of a pet project of his. He based it on a book from the 40s by Benjamin Graham called Intelligent Investor, that outlined how to find undervalued companies in the stock market. It helps makes decisions and is now known a ‘value investing’.
• What has happened with Gamestop and Redditors didn’t happen overnight, it started as long as 18 months ago. It was based on research and due diligence.
• The internet has levelled the playing field on how we can research businesses and how they are performing. Because of that some of the individuals on Reddit have been able to do some incredible things.
• Ian’s interpretation of the Gamestop/Reddit situation is that there is a big outcry as millionaires and billionaires are losing cash. He doesn’t think that things have become too accessible but he does think that there is a problem with people selling this as a dream of just buy buy buy and sell sell sell. It’s too simplified.
• As long as you are sensible about investing then you will be ok. Only invest money you can afford to lose and look at investments as long term rather than a’ get rich quick’ scheme.
• In the 1920s most stocks were owned by individuals not hedgefunds. Now things have completely changed and these companies actually make most of their money out of the fees they charge clients and they are buying with other people’s money. Do your research on fees-these are what will cost you in the long run.
• When creating a bank account for investments ensure you open the right one as different accounts have varying tax rules. If you are unsure find a local broker/accountant and get advice on your own personal circumstances.
• Do your own due diligence and think of things as a long-term investment rather than ‘trading’.
• There is a wealth of knowledge on value investing on YouTube, there is so much free knowledge and information out there that you can consume.
• If you choose to invest in something you know about it will be a lot easier to make conscious and knowledgeable decisions.
• Quite simply, you know when is the right time to go looking to buy depending on whether something happening in the world, market, country or in a particular company is creating certainty or uncertainty. Stock markets don’t like uncertainty and this is when things will drop and you can look to buy.

BEST MOMENTS

02:35 - “At that point I knew nothing about investing, stocks, shares and over that time you have given me a bit of a crash course”

03:59 – “Every now and again you get something that happens that makes people think it’s an opportunity to make easy money”

13:10 – “People buy a dream”

13:50 – “Don’t put more money in that you can afford to lose”

21:50 - “It’s even more painful if people charge you a fee on money you have lost”

24:00 – “Carry out your own due diligence”

43:02 – “This isn’t magic, this isn’t witchcraft, it’s just a bit of common sense”

46:18 – “You are buying part of a company, you need to do the same due diligence you would be doing if you were looking to buy that company”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

DESCRIPTION

In this episode, Christina talks about structure. Christina loves a spreadsheet and is quite systematic and believes structure is everything. Creating structure allows you to organise your thoughts and get from A-B without it being a painful process.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Christina talks and works with structure in her work and it makes her wonder why sometimes things still ‘go sideways’, particularly in some areas of podcasting.
• After spending some time on clubhouse Christina reflects on how ‘unstructured’ a platform it is. She thinks although that is what is great about it, it is also influencing her when trying to work on other areas, like her podcast.
• It’s key that whatever you are doing you build an initial structure and you recognise when you are not sticking to it.
• As a podcaster, Christina has learnt there is a skill in being able to organise your thoughts in your head and bring it to a point without boring people along the way.

BEST MOMENTS

01:07 - “Maybe I should just talk about structure”

03:03 – “Even within the structure I’ve built in the flexibility to allow for that”

04:10 – “What the hell am I discussing, what the hell am I talking about?”

06:20 – “Finishing is so important”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

It’s incredible how much your world can grow even when you are in a situation where you can’t go out and see people like you normally would. Christina ‘met’ Cheryl Peel in lockdown and today they talk about life events, coaching and all about accountability.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Cheryl is a coach who supports people who have been challenged by a change event to move back into confidence. Cheryl has walked this path herself, she has experienced a lot of challenging life events that have got her to the point she is at today.
• Every change process is different, some elements may be similar but there is a spectrum and some are much more difficult and stretching.
• Cheryl supported her brother through major health challenges including a double lung transplant and in doing this really started to realise and understand the importance of health professionals. She made a choice to get healthy herself, she hadn’t ever considered her health in this way before.
• In 2019 Cheryl was diagnosed with two types of breast cancer. She dealt with the diagnosis so well the dr. asked if she would help coach others on the experience as well as do a podcast!
• Whilst Cheryl was on a trip in the UK her brother went missing back in Australia. It devastatingly transpired that he died after struggling to breathe at home and was taken by paramedics.
• Cheryl believes that strong people need just as much support as everyone else, but, they often don’t get it as people see them as being able to ‘get on with it’ as they are perceived as superhuman. This is why she focuses on people that are considered ‘strong’.
• It can be difficult to recognise when you need to ask for help and support. But being able to means that you will be able to heal, as well as ‘show up’ better than if you were simply just trying to cope. It will make you a better version of yourself.
• Accountability is an important step to grow. The higher you get the less people are there to call you out. Very few individuals will call you on your bullshit when ‘the buck stops with you’.
• When Cheryl is approached by someone who wants her as an accountability partner she ensures she has a full understanding of what that individual is about, their expectations and to what point can she hold them accountable.

BEST MOMENTS

04:29 - “I was really blessed as I had developed my seven seeds of conscious change”

14:45 - “It’s one of the most important things to recognise that everybody gets challenged, everybody gets stretched”

15:33 – “Just because I’m strong doesn’t mean I have all the answers, just because I’m strong doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t appreciate some guidance, some support”

24:36 – “It’s about sharing the journey and realising that other people have walked that path before you and there are ways to do it you may not have thought of”

28:46 – “Call people on their bullshit”

42:40 – “Just because they want to work with you that doesn’t mean they are going to be a good fit”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

In this episode, Christina talks and reflects about being called an influencer within the marketing world.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Christina being called as an influencer has been a little bit of an in joke in the home!
• In all seriousness though, Christina wants to be a thought leader and the ‘go to’ person for her market when it comes to her products and delivering her service.
• Christina will never call herself an influencer in the same way she won’t call herself an expert. It’s a tag for other people to call and assign to her.
• People have come to Christina before making purchasing decisions which is one of the markers of an influencer.
• Christina is very knowledgeable and this is a key indicator of an influencer, she also has a relationship with her quality audience. But she is not too sure that she is in a position to influence others, she says it’s about other people’s perception of her.

BEST MOMENTS

01:30 - “It kinda creeps up on you”

02:28 – “It has been very targeted at my market and at my clients”

05:19 – “I speak with confidence and I don’t hold back. I’m pretty honest about what I think, feel, know and don’t know. Maybe that creates a perception I am operating at a certain level”.

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

In this episode Christina talks to Jamie York, a serial entrepreneur and mentor. They talk about marketing, mind-set, money and more. Listen in for a conversation full of tips, strategies and little bit of banter!

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Jamie has been in business for a decade, most of his current businesses are in property.
• The property education world at the moment has come under scrutiny. Jamie believes this is due to our attitude, towards money and self-education as well as a couple of ‘bad eggs’.
• Self-education as a concept is quite unusual when we think about how we traditionally learn as children and young adults through school and university.
• Many people see education as an easy way to make money and this is why you get quick fixers who can leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths.
• As a mentor, you need to be able to adapt yourself to work with the individual in order to coach effectively.
• Jamie would never be mentored by someone who doesn’t have a mentor themselves. He believes in the ‘trickle down effect’ and that mentoring should be an endless resource.
• Jamie is a real people person. He likes connecting with individuals and building relationships and value. On the whole he likes believing in people and trusting them and he hasn’t found himself being burnt very often from this.
• To hit your goals you have to put the work in and to put the work in you need the space and time. Jamie books a couple of days out of his schedule away from his work and home life to purely focus on his goals.
• Many business owners overestimate what they can do in a short period of time but underestimate what they can achieve over a longer period of time.
• Regular and scheduled reflection on your goals and work is key to keeping you on track and helping you achieve. It’s also important to note your achievements as well as what you need to work on, you need to believe in yourself.
• Jamie believes winners ‘own their sh*t”. When good or bad things happen they take ownership. Losers make themselves victims and blame everyone else but themselves.

BEST MOMENTS

05:06- “There’s this natural hatred towards self-development”

06:49 – “If my mum goes on Facebook she will see very different ads to me”

10:45 – “If you want to be number one you need to own that shit and not expect the world to do you favours”

15:44 – “Time is more valuable than money”

27:50 - “I work a lot on gut instinct”

33:55 – “80% of your listeners will have f****d up their goals…and that’s ok”

44:31 – “I go and lock myself away in a c***py hotel so there is nothing to distract me and I am forced to answer the difficult questions to a level that is uncomfortable”

49:00 - “Have a head for business and a heart for the world”        

55:20 – “My entire life is based on the development of other people and because of that I feel like a winner”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

Each year in January Christina likes to go back and revisit her competitor analysis. In January, everyone is looking at their marketing strategy, setting goals and revisiting platforms. By doing your competitor analysis in January you can get a really good benchmark on what your competitors think they should be doing. Listen in to Christina Talks today to find out more on how to get the most out of your competitor analysis.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Competitor analysis is simply about getting an understanding of the differences between you and your competitor and looking to find where there are the opportunities for you to do better.
• Many people spend too much time throughout the year looking at competitor analysis. If you spend every day looking at it, you are leaving much less time to look at your own business.
• After doing her initial analysis in January, Christina likes to take a look again in March time to see who has ‘moved the needle’ and who hasn’t.
• Look at the branding, content and keywords of competitors. Also look at the promises they are making and the problems they are identifying and saying they can solve.
• Look at both branded and unbranded content of your competitors.
• Be careful when looking at connections of businesses. Sometimes you have to ask how loyal is the following they have? It can be more useful to look at engagement on social media rather than numbers of followers.
• Just pick two and three competitors and try and get something meaningful at the end of it. Don’t spend weeks on it.

BEST MOMENTS

01:22 - “I realise competitor analysis is not a sexy subject, but it is something we all need to do”

03:34 – “By the second week they’ve forgotten it was even a goal in the first place”

04:36 – “You can see how that is comparing with what you are doing”

12:54 – “And what I don’t want you to do is end up down a rabbit hole, I don’t want you to spend weeks on this competitor analysis”

15:43 – “Do it, keep it short and sweet”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

Today Christina talks to Lousin Mehrabi, a professional negotiator working for AND, an international agency dealing with complex negotiation. In this episode they talk in depth about negotiation and how this works in both business and our personal lives. They also talk about emotional intelligence, fear and intuition.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Everyone negotiates all day every day. With our family, friends and at work.
• When Christina bought her business, she didn’t actually recognise that negotiation was a skill. She soon realised that it was and understood that if she had learnt that skill before it would have helped her tremendously. Being aware that negotiation is a skill that can be learnt and developed on is the first step.
• In business, rarely is negotiation just about price. There are so many other things that come into play such as marketing, service and value.
• Asking yourself why you are negotiating as well as putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, paying attention to body language and asking probing questions can help you learn to negotiate better.
• The ‘position’ is what the client says they want. The non-negotiable usually has an emotional link and is very ‘human’. If you can get to this point and understand how it links then you can understand what is ‘at stake’ for them. You can then creatively look at other things that would satisfy that need rather than giving them what it is they first said they wanted.
• A lot of people let negotiations go on for far too long because of emotional reasons, such as ego. If you can rationally decide and know who has the balance of power and where you should draw the line this will help you say when ‘enough is enough’.
• It is often thought that negotiation is persuading someone of something or selling something. But sales and negotiation are completely different. It’s not persuasion it’s influence. It’s influencing someone’s behaviour.
• Lousin has spent her life in ‘male dominated spaces’. It has been a huge growth process for her. Trying to find her place in that world took resilience and to recognise her own advantages and power as a woman and an individual.
• Acknowledgement and acceptance are key things in all areas of life, not just in negotiation. Particularly knowing what you can control and what you can’t.
• It’s important to recognise the emotional part of decision making as well as the rational. You can’t just get rid of your emotions so it’s better to work with them and know what’s at play. You can turn it into an ally and let it help you.
• When death is in front of you, you all of sudden value life so much more. It sounds cliché but it is true. We don’t know how much life we have left.

BEST MOMENTS

02:15 - “All of a sudden that step into being a business owner opened up this world that negotiation was something I should have gone and learnt first”

02:30 – “We all negotiate every single day whether we are aware of it or not”

06:15 – “If you start negotiating as a professional you start becoming very creative about what else there is to be negotiated”

13:40 – “It’s not persuasion, it’s influence”

12:20 - “Value is a perception”

19:31 “Trying to find your place in that world whilst staying truthful to you are is really important”

26:35 – “Emotions are part of our being, are part of our brain, we are social emotional beings, you can’t just shut that part off…decision making is hardly ever just rational”

29:10 “And what you did is negotiate with yourself”

43:57 “Control is an illusion, we hardly control anything but what you do control is how you face the day, what is your mindset, how do you make decisions…so if you work on your internal powers and confidence…in the end you can only control you, your behaviours and your reaction”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

A Christmas message from Christina! Before we all take a break, Christina wants to leave you with some ‘Christmas food for thought’ and to remind you to reflect on all the fantastic things you have achieved this past year.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Christina is not very prepared for Christmas this year – a big contrast to previous years for her!
• As someone who is usually very particular and structured around how she works and lives her life, this year and all its uncertainties has been a real challenge for Christina.
• Being completely honest Christina says that she is the ‘big block’ in her business and she knows there are many business owners out there like her. This is her biggest development challenge she needs to overcome.
• Just take some time to have a moment to yourself and reflect on what you’ve got to be grateful for this year.

BEST MOMENTS

02:13 - “This year has been a challenge yet so many positive things have come out of it”

04:13 – “They don’t let me get away with it…it’s just such a fantastic thing to be able to work with people like that”

04:28 – “There is no way we would have got through this year without working like that”

05:49 – “It’s good to feel ballsy!”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

Today Christina talks to John Scotcher, a web developer who runs his own business. They talk about business, writing, creativity, ways of working and more. A fun and informative episode.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• John started his business in 1999. He has built over a thousand websites in his time!
• Being ‘locked down’ has actually made Christina more sociable. She has become more conscious of the time that she spends not being social.
• Christina and John agree that putting the effort in and doing what you find sexy is one of the ways to get great results. There will always be things you don’t find interesting or exciting. If possible it’s best to ‘stay in your lane’ as the things that you are passionate about and are good at you will succeed in naturally.
• John likes a job where he has challenges, having as much experience he has this can be a ‘challenge’ in itself. He loves the research stage and at the moment particularly likes working on websites that ‘do stuff’!
• It’s important to know your worth and your value. Charge clients appropriately, don’t worry too much about being expensive. The right clients will pay the right price for your expertise.
• Whenever something becomes available to everybody you’re going to get people pitching their products at different points in the market, there’s also going to be a market for both.
• John has written two novels, the first he states is not very good! But he is much prouder of his second novel, that has made him some money and did win an award. He is currently working on the sequel.
• There are many areas where the tools to create are now readily available. Such as writing a novel or creating a film. However the tools don’t give you inspiration or creativity.

BEST MOMENTS

00:52 - “If you want to be creative you’ve got to hang out with creative people”

07:45 - “I genuinely believe nobody is able to multitask”

09:07 “It’s the stuff that you find sexy, that’s what it comes down to”

19:10 – “Research is the most interesting thing in the world”

30:26 – “I will continue to entirely trust my instinct until it fails me”

37:37 – “I do think everyone’s got a book in them, everyone’s got a crap book in them. What they haven’t necessarily got is a good book”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

Today Christina talks all about accountability! Christina has been working with an accountability partner and it has been working so well for her she really wants to share it with you all. Anyone who is an entrepreneur, business owner or who works in marketing can immeasurably benefit from the tips in today podcast, not to be missed!

Sign Up For Jessens' Webinar Here: https://bit.ly/jessenct

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Reflecting on the changes that Christina has made around accountability is what has made her want to share it on the podcast.
• An accountability partner is someone you can just ‘voice’ to. It’s a way of gaining commitment from yourself.
• Figure out what tasks you find difficult to do, this is where an accountability partner can really come into its own. You can give yourself extra incentive to ‘make’ yourself do the things that you may usually put off or procrastinate on.
• It can be lonely being a business owner. Sometimes you just need someone you can share and celebrate your successes with.

BEST MOMENTS

03:10 - “Saying to someone that you’re going to do that thing gives you incentive to go and complete the task, achieve the goal”

08:35 “Part of accountability is giving you that safe space to brag a little”

11:24 “Being accountable to yourself, sometimes that’s the bit that’s going to be missing because it’s only your voice questioning you”

17:55 – “Having the right people listen is amazing”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Christina Talks Podcast

ABOUT THE HOST

Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of

social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t

matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player.

For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know

how to use them!

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website