In this solo episode, Anna reflects on the previous conversation with Michael Gordeev and explores why so many business owners stay busy without actually moving their business forward.

She introduces the idea of "busy work", the comfortable tasks that feel productive but don't create real progress, such as endlessly tweaking websites, experimenting with new software, or building new features instead of focusing on sales and marketing. Anna shares personal examples of falling into this trap herself, and explains why it's such a natural response when uncertainty creeps in.

The episode centres around the three areas Anna believes most strongly influence business growth: Offer, Visibility, and Clarity. She explains how problems in any one of these areas can slow momentum, even when business owners are working long hours and doing their best.

Anna discusses how offers can become outdated as markets shift, using examples from changing customer behaviour and post-COVID market trends. She also shares how adapting pricing structures and delivery models can help businesses respond to tighter budgets and changing expectations.

Visibility is explored as one of the most common stumbling blocks for founders. Anna explains why simply building something isn't enough, and why consistent visibility across chosen channels matters far more than spreading effort across too many platforms. She shares real-world examples of hiring speakers and trainers based on their visibility and consistent presence.

The third theme focuses on clarity, particularly around messaging and communication. Anna highlights how jargon-heavy language and overly technical explanations can confuse potential customers, even when the product or service itself is valuable. Through relatable examples, including selecting professional services, she demonstrates how clear, customer-focused language builds trust and confidence.

Throughout the episode, Anna emphasises that growth often comes not from doing more, but from focusing attention on the activities that genuinely move the business forward. She also shares updates about the podcast itself, marking the completion of the first season and outlining plans for the next phase.

This episode is particularly helpful for founders who feel stuck in busy work, overwhelmed by competing priorities, or unsure where to focus their effort to create real progress.

In this episode, Anna is joined by marketing strategist Michael Gordeev, who shares practical lessons from large-scale brand turnarounds and explains how those same principles apply to smaller businesses.

Michael talks through what really happens when business growth stalls, and why the answer is rarely doing more marketing, but doing the right marketing. He explains how many businesses spread themselves too thin, trying too many activities at once, when the real progress comes from identifying the small number of actions that actually move the needle.

One of the key themes in the episode is the importance of focusing on the fundamentals. Michael shares real-world examples of companies that recovered from decline by stripping back unnecessary activity, identifying their true differentiators, and investing time and energy into the areas that mattered most.

They also discuss the idea of education-based marketing, where businesses provide useful insights and value first, rather than pushing straight into sales messages. This approach helps position businesses as trusted experts and creates stronger long-term relationships with customers.

Another highlight of the conversation is the Dream 100 strategy, a focused approach to identifying and reaching out to the small number of ideal customers who could make the biggest impact on business growth. Michael shares examples of how targeted outreach, personalised communication, and persistence can lead to high-value opportunities, even when early responses seem slow.

Throughout the episode, Anna and Michael emphasise that growth rarely happens in a straight line, and that plateaus are a normal part of business. The key is not panic or constant reinvention, but thoughtful adjustment, clear communication, and consistent focus on what truly matters.

This episode is particularly useful for founders who feel stuck, plateaued, or overwhelmed by too many marketing options, and who want a more strategic, focused approach to growing their business.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

To chat to our guest Micheal, find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgordeev

Most founders understand that customers matter.

But understanding that in theory and truly knowing what customers think, want, and struggle with are very different things.

In this solo episode, Anna builds on recent discussions about synthetic customers and explores one of the most common blind spots in small businesses, not spending enough time understanding customers properly.

Customer research is often pushed to the bottom of the list because it feels time consuming, awkward, or difficult to know where to begin. Yet it remains one of the fastest ways to sense check ideas, spot new opportunities, and avoid building something nobody wants.

Anna shares practical ways to get started, from simple conversations and informal interviews through to using AI as a pattern spotting tool. Not as a replacement for real people, but as a way to speed up learning and help businesses see what they might otherwise miss.

For founders who feel unsure whether their offer still matches what customers need, or who are noticing that sales feel slower than they used to, this episode is a reminder to step back, listen carefully, and reconnect with customers.

• Why customer understanding is one of the most overlooked foundations of business
• How synthetic customers and AI can help test ideas faster
• The role of customer interviews and real conversations
• How AI can help spot patterns in customer feedback
• Why markets shift and how to sense check direction
• Simple ways to start learning from customers without formal research
• How better customer insight can reveal new opportunities

This episode reinforces a simple but often forgotten truth, customers are not just part of the business, they are the business.

AI is changing how businesses understand their customers, but many founders are still unsure where to start or how to use it in a practical way.

In this episode of Creating the Curve, Anna is joined by Matt Wilkinson, founder of Strivenn, to explore how AI can help founders get closer to their customers without needing massive budgets or complicated tools.

Matt shares his journey from scientist to AI consultant and explains how his background in research and marketing shaped the way he approaches AI today. The conversation focuses on one particularly powerful idea, synthetic customers. These are AI-powered personas built from real data, insights, and research that allow founders to test ideas, messaging, and products before taking them to market.

Together, Anna and Matt explore how founders can use AI to create deeper customer insights, test ideas earlier, and avoid the costly mistake of building products that nobody actually wants. They also talk honestly about where AI works brilliantly and where human insight is still essential, particularly when it comes to emotion, storytelling, and connection.

This episode is packed with practical thinking for founders who want to use AI in a thoughtful way, not just to produce content, but to make better decisions and build products that truly meet customer needs.

In this episode, Anna and Matt discuss:

• What synthetic customers are and how they work
• Why most businesses struggle to truly understand their customers
• How AI can help founders test ideas before launching products
• The difference between logical insight and emotional understanding
• Why customer research is still essential, even with AI
• How AI helps analyse large volumes of customer feedback quickly
• The risks of relying too heavily on assumptions
• How founders can start experimenting with AI without large budgets
• Why AI should support human creativity, not replace it
• The importance of keeping customers at the centre of decision making

This episode highlights how thoughtful use of AI can help founders move faster, reduce risk, and build solutions that people genuinely want.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

To chat to our guest Matt Wilkinson, head over to: https://strivenn.com

Networking can feel uncomfortable, awkward, or even pointless when you first start, especially if you don't know where to go or who to talk to.

In this solo episode of Creating the Curve, Anna reflects on the practical realities of networking, particularly what it looks like when you're starting from scratch with no existing network. Drawing on her own experience of moving into a new area and building connections from zero, she shares honest insights into how networks are built gradually, not instantly.

The episode explores the different purposes of networking, from meeting like-minded people to finding potential clients, and why being clear about your intention makes networking far more effective. Anna also talks about practical ways to discover events, build confidence, and make networking feel more manageable rather than overwhelming.

A key theme throughout the episode is that networking is not a natural talent reserved for confident people. It is a skill that can be learned, improved, and refined over time.

In this episode, Anna covers:

• What networking really looks like when you start from zero
• How to find networking opportunities when you don't know anyone
• The importance of understanding your purpose before attending events
• Why networking works best when you build relationships over time
• Why confidence in networking grows through repetition
• How supporting others makes networking easier and more natural
• Why networking is a skill that improves with practice

Whether you're new to networking or feeling stuck in your current approach, this episode offers a grounded, realistic look at how relationships form and how opportunities grow from consistent effort.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

Networking has a bit of a reputation problem.

For many founders, the word alone brings up images of awkward small talk, forced introductions, and standing in the corner clutching a coffee, wondering how to escape politely.

In this episode, Anna sits down with networking expert Stefan Thomas, author of multiple networking books, including Business Networking for Dummies, to break down what networking really is, why so many people get it wrong, and how founders can approach it in a way that feels natural rather than uncomfortable.

Stefan shares his own story of starting out terrified of networking and learning through repetition, practice, and necessity. What followed were years of running events, building communities, and helping thousands of professionals understand that networking is not about selling, pitching, or collecting business cards. It is about relationships.

Together, Anna and Stefan explore how networking fits into the real world of running a small business, where time is limited and pressure is high. They talk about the long-term nature of relationship building, the importance of giving before expecting results, and how visibility and consistency can quietly build opportunities over time.

They also discuss the practical side of getting started, including how to find the right events, how to ease into networking when confidence is low, and why the best opportunities often come from relationships built slowly rather than transactions made quickly.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why networking feels uncomfortable for many founders, and how to make it easier
• Stefan's journey from nervous first-time attendee to networking expert
• The importance of building relationships before expecting results
• Why networking works like a bank account, you must deposit before you withdraw
• How giving value consistently leads to long-term opportunities
• Simple ways to start networking, even if you feel nervous
• How visibility helps people remember you when opportunities arise
• The role of repetition and practice in building confidence
• Why strong networks create referrals, collaborations, and introductions
• How networking supports long-term business growth, not just short-term sales

Whether you love networking or avoid it at all costs, this episode reframes it as something far more useful and far less intimidating than many founders expect.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

To speak to our guest, Stefan Thomas, head to: https://www.stefanthomas.biz

Many founders assume that if sales are slow, the problem must be their marketing.

But what if the real issue is the offer itself?

In this solo episode of Creating the Curve, Anna reflects on her recent conversation with offer expert Janine Coombes and explores why getting your offer right is one of the most important parts of building a successful business.

Anna shares real examples of businesses that missed the mark with their offer, including large companies like Tesla and Google, and explains why even brilliant marketing can't fix something that doesn't truly fit the market.

Drawing on her own experience working in the retail tech industry, she talks about the power of simple research, including calling potential customers directly to understand what they actually want, and why logic alone doesn't explain buying decisions. Human psychology, pride, habits, and perception often play just as big a role.

She also walks through practical ways founders can test whether their offer really fits their audience, from customer interviews to market research tools like SWOT analysis. Along the way, Anna shares how she has adjusted her own business model over time, pivoting from retainers and project work to a more accessible membership model that better fits her mission of supporting small business founders.

If you're working hard on your marketing but things still aren't landing, this episode is a reminder to step back and ask a deeper question:

Is the offer actually right for the market?

In this episode, Anna covers:

• Why slow sales don't always mean your marketing is the problem

• How even big brands can misjudge their offer and market fit

• Why speaking directly to potential customers is one of the best forms of research

• The role of psychology and emotion in buying decisions

• How to run customer interviews to uncover real insights

• Using tools like SWOT analysis to understand your position in the market

• Why offers often need to evolve as your business and the market change

This episode is a practical guide to testing, refining, and improving your offer so your marketing has something strong to stand on.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

Many founders assume that if their marketing isn't working, the problem must be the marketing itself.

But what if the real issue is the offer?

In this episode of Creating the Curve, Anna speaks with Janine Coombes, offer and positioning expert, about why so many service-based businesses struggle to sell what they do, even when they're working hard on marketing.

Janine explains why a clear, well-designed offer sits at the heart of any successful business, and how unclear messaging or poorly positioned services can make marketing feel like pushing water uphill. Together, Anna and Janine unpack the common traps founders fall into, including the "curse of knowledge," where you understand your own work so well that potential clients no longer understand what you actually sell.

They also explore how self-awareness plays a huge role in designing offers that work, not just for customers, but for the founder too. From aligning your services with your strengths to rediscovering joy in your work, this conversation is a reminder that business shouldn't feel constantly forced or draining.

Along the way they discuss:

• Why marketing often isn't the real problem

• The importance of clear positioning and messaging

• How to design offers that bridge the gap between where clients are and where they want to be

• The danger of selling something you're not passionate about

• Why founders should build businesses around their strengths and energy

• The concept of creating a "flowy" business that feels natural rather than forced

It's a thoughtful and honest conversation about building a business that works for both your clients and you.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

To connect with our gues, Janine, head over to: https://janinecoombes.co.uk

In this solo episode of Creating the Curve, Anna Bravington reflects on her recent conversation with Dr Shah Siddiqui and explores a crucial question for founders:

Are you trying to force yourself to do things that simply aren't in your skillset?

Anna dives into the reality that many small businesses are built around one dominant expertise. Engineers hire engineers. Accountants hire accountants. Scientists hire scientists. The result is often a highly capable but homogenous team, with critical gaps in areas like marketing, sales, finance or funding.

She shares her own experience as a founder with ADHD, someone who thrives on ideas, strategy, big picture thinking and connecting the dots, but struggles with admin and repetitive operational tasks. Rather than continuing to push herself into areas that drain her energy, Anna explains how she conducted a simple gap analysis in her business and hired support to complement her strengths.

The episode covers:

• Why founders often hire people who think like them

• The risks of homogenous skillsets in small businesses

• How lack of diversity in roles can stall growth

• Why marketing and sales often get avoided

• The dangers of "luck-based" businesses that rely purely on networks

• How to run a simple gap analysis for your team

• When to hire a senior specialist versus a junior employee

• Why virtual assistants can be a powerful first step

• Giving yourself permission not to do everything

Anna also explores how innovation often comes from combining different frames of reference, referencing Matthew Syed's Rebel Ideas and the power of diverse thinking.

This episode is both practical and reflective, offering founders permission to stop forcing themselves into roles they hate and instead build businesses around complementary strengths.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

In this episode of Creating the Curve, Anna Bravington is joined by Dr Shah Siddiqui to explore what it really means to be neurodivergent in the workplace and in business.

As co-hosts of Neurodivergent Business Club, Anna and Dr Shah have regular conversations about ADHD, autism and different ways of thinking. In this episode, they go deeper into the lived experience of neurodivergent founders, the pressures they face, and how workplaces can become more realistic and inclusive.

They discuss the challenges of growing up feeling "different", the impact of deficit-based diagnoses, and how many neurodivergent people internalise criticism from an early age. The conversation moves into business ownership, exploring why founders often feel pressure to be good at everything, and why that expectation is both unrealistic and damaging.

Dr Shah shares his journey from introverted researcher to confident public speaker, and explains why pushing boundaries matters, but only one step at a time. Together, they unpack:

• Why asking questions is a strength, not a weakness

• The danger of expecting employees to be "good at everything"

• Why diverse teams outperform homogenous ones

• How small businesses often overload roles with unrealistic expectations

• The importance of mapping strengths rather than focusing on deficits

• When to develop a skill, and when to outsource it

• How AI and assistive technology can support neurodivergent founders

• Why learning to say no is a critical business skill

They also explore the practical side of inclusive leadership. From hiring complementary skillsets to understanding that no single person can meet every expectation, the episode challenges founders to rethink how they build teams and measure performance.

This is an honest, practical conversation about strengths, boundaries, technology and the reality of building a business with a different brain.

To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk

Watch some of our ND Business Club episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@nbconsortium/search?query=bravington

Visit Dr Shah's Neurodivergent Business Consortium here: https://nbconsortium.com/