Freedom Friendly Business

In this episode I share my 3-step planning method that I've developed over the years of having a side-hustle to create realistic and achievable acton plans for my business.

I used to make one big plan for my side-hustle at the beginning of each year. I’d start the year with all guns blazing and then realise as I got to April that my plan had been wildly overoptimistic and I was lagging behind leaving me feeling disheartened. I also couldn’t predict what was going to change over the period of 12 months and so planning annually wasn’t serving me. So I tried out planning in 12 week chunks and found it to be a real game changer for my business. So, in this episode I’m sharing the 3-step planning method that I use to plan for my side-hustle so that you can also make your own action plan too.

Full show notes at josephinebrooks.co.uk

We’re talking hashtag challenges this week and who better to talk to this about other than the one and only Joanne Hawker - the founder of #marchmeetthemaker and #meetthemakerweek. Joanne set up these two hashtag challenges to help makers share their business stories and make connections with other makers.

With this year’s Meet The Maker Week fast approaching, Joanne shares her tips on how to get involved with hashtag challenges on instagram to grow your audience and meet other creatives on Instagram.

Full show notes at josephinepbrooks.co.uk/podcast

During her first year in business Olivia realised that wedding photography wasn’t for her. Although she was great and it and not having any difficulty finding work she decided to pivot her business into fashion and lifestyle photography where her passion really lies. In this episode Olivia shares her experience of pivoting her business.

We also chat about taking beautiful photos for instagram. Olivia shares loads of super actionable tips on how to use instagram for business as well as how to take beautiful pictures for instagram.

Full show notes at www.josephinebrooks.co.uk/podcast

In this episode I chat with Agnes from We Are Stardust about her journey of stepping stones from working full time whilst side-hustling to going freelance to make more time for her creative business. Agnes juggles her freelance work, her creative business and being a mum.

The common thread that runs through all of Agnes’ work is her raw passion to combine science and art. This really shines through in the beautiful illustrations that she creates for We Are Stardust and it’s clear this business has grown from need to fuel that passion.

Full show notes at: www.josephinebrooks.co.uk/podcast

If you’re feeling unsure about where to even start with finance for your creative side-hustle this is a must listen. In this episode I chat to Julia from Easy as VAT who shares a wealth of knowledge and so many useful tips on the basics of accounting for creative business owners.

If you feel you might be burying your head in the sand when it comes to your business finances or you’re worried that HMRC might be after you, this episode should help to put your mind at ease and introduce you to the basics of business accounting. Julia really has the knack of making the money stuff simple and approachable so if you’re currently trying your best to ignore the finance-y side of your side-business I really recommend have a listen to this episode. I promise it’s not scary!

Shownotes: www.josephinebrooks.co.uk/podcast

Instagram: @josephinepbrooks

I went to Kayte for business coaching at the beginning of 2018 with just a tiny new business idea. She’s helped me grow it into the business that you see now. In this episode we talk through the best place to start when you’ve got a new idea for a side-hustle and you want to make it real.

We go through how to find your Why to building a picture of your audience and coming up with content ideas for your business all in one whistle stop tour. If you’ve got an idea for a new side-hustle that you want to make real or if you have your side-hustle set up and you want to check back in with the foundations of your business this episode is a must listen.

Shownotes: www.josephinebrooks.co.uk/podcast

A while ago at a creative business event I went along to, called Creatival I listened to Leona Thfirt-Ola talking about what she’d learned from her super inspiring business journey. She said something that I’ve never heard anyone say before in a business context. To paraphrase, she said: don’t beat yourself up for not being consistent, you’re a human not a robot.

This completely changed my mindset around consistency and lifted a huge pressure off my shoulders that I’d been putting on myself. But having said that, I really do believe that consistency is important for growing a creative business. After some pondering I realised it is possible to be consistent without being a robot by using the 4 tools that I talk through in this episode of On The Make.

Find the full show notes at josephinepbrooks.co.uk/podcast

In this chat we talk all about making time for looking after yourself when you’re building a creative business. After celebrating her 100,000th sale (!) Jane realised she was feeling a little bored with her business, so decided to start a side-hustle. To get the inspiring and creative work that Jane loves doing back into her life she set up the Snapdragon Studio membership.

Jane also manages an auto-immune disease called Addison’s Disease and we talk about intentionally creating a slow and healthy lifestyle. If you’re growing a creative business and struggle to make time for your own self-care, this is a great listen.

Having a 12-week plan for my side-hustle is something i’m pretty passionate about. For me it’s what drives my side-hustle forwards and helps me grow my business. I rely on my 12 week plan to guide my focus and stop me going off track.

In this episode I share how I create a 12 week plan for my side-hustle and how you can do the same. I take you through the steps you’ll need to take to create your own 12 week plan and get it up on the wall where you can see it every day!

Episode 9 of the podcast is all about managing your time when you’re juggling a side-hustle and a job. I had a side hustle for 7 years before I reduced my hours to part time, and even with working part time juggling my time between business and job is still a big challenge!

This week I’m sharing some of my best time management hacks and strategies that I’ve used over the years to make the time for my own side-hustle. If your dream is to build a business that gives you the freedom to do more of what you love, the time management tricks and tips in this episode will help you carve out more time to work on your business.