In episode 22 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time talking with Carole Bozkurt – Founder of The Blueprint Practice. Carole is a visibility strategist, who along with her team, brings a breadth of knowledge and experience of global marketing to small business owners. They offer marketing, training, mentoring and practical strategies to ensure your business is visible in your marketplace and attracts all the clients you could ever want.

I believe every female business owner has the right to be fulfilled and financially rewarded by her business – and Blueprint Practice makes that happen.

Carole and I talked about how to get clear on what you need to do to attract your ideal client and how to create a roadmap to get more visible in your market.

This week’s guest

Carole Bozkurt is the founder and inspiration behind The Blueprint Practice. Carole has over 20 years of blue-chip marketing expertise including nine years spent at GHN (part of Penna Plc), the company that pioneered executive coaching in the UK. She headed up the marketing team at GHN and helped its coaches unlock their full potential in order to generate strong revenue streams, business growth and brand recognition. Prior to launching The Blueprint Practice, Carole led the European marketing arm of Towers Watson’s financial management division. She has worked with clients on global and niche projects sharing a common desire for marketing discipline, innovation and an in-depth understanding of how to plan and implement a marketing strategy that delivers business growth. – See more at on their website here.

What we covered in the show:

* What a roadmap looks like for small business owners and micro-entrepreneurs

* How to make sure your strategy works for your business and your life

* The difference between spending too much or too little time in your business and how to be the most productive

* Making yourself a priority – looking after your health and well-being for better results

Techniques you can use to build your visibility including the 4 pillars of:

* Mindset & State

Strategy & Planning (including your lifestyle and business objectives)

Messaging – different messages for different situations and client stages, Brand values and aligning your tactics

Your Toolbox – choosing the tools that work best for your business

What to do if you are just starting out – how the desire to succeed trumps all!

You can find out more about Carole here

The Blueprint Practice

About the Podcast

The Micro Entrepreneur Podcast is your place to come and hear me talk about all things business for the micro business owner.  I speak with experts, authors and other micro business owners and what they are doing to build and grow a successful micro business.

Subscribe to the podcast

For Apple users, you can click here to subscribe on iTunes

For Android and Windows users, you can click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Like the show?  Please tell us on iTunes!

If you liked the show and found it valuable and you haven’t done so already I would really appreciate it if you took a minute to leave a quick rating or review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below!  It will open up itunes on your computer and you can leave a rating by clicking on the ratings and reviews tab. It would be extremely helpful if you like the show!

In episode 21 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time talking with Susie Burdekin from The Drill Company.  Drill is a fantastic business which works with both individuals and companies, and provides a combination of consulting and business coaching for the various stages of running a business; from foundations for start-ups to building teams, planning change and developing growth strategies and plans.

Susie and I talked about how using brand partnerships as a creative marketing device, can help small businesses and micro-entrepreneurs leverage and grow their business.

This week’s guest

Over the past 14 years Susie has worked within marketing and digital agencies helping global and niche brands such as Audi, BBC, Canon, Visa and Royal Albert Hall develop and implement ideas and strategies. Most recently she has been the joint Director of brand partnership agency, Cherry London, and helped take the business from start-up to a 30 strong, profitable, award-winning agency in under 4 years. Cherry is the fastest growing partnership marketing agency in the UK and currently Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) ‘Agency of the Year’.

She is also the Co-Founder for Commercial Break; a charity set up to help under-privileged young people get into the creative and communications industry. Also  a business mentor for the Prince’s Trust and Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs IoEE.

As a qualified executive and business coach, she now specialises in helping people and small businesses get to the next level; whether that be to change direction, grow a team, increase profits and or work out where best to focus their time and energy to move the business forward. She also drinks a lot of tea and dreams of living by the sea.

What we covered in the show:

* Why brand partnership still isn’t ‘well understood’

* What it is and why you would enter into one (more bang for buck)

* What it delivers and how two can achieve more than ‘one’

* Examples of campaigns

* How it works for small business

* What happens when partners have different reach – what is the value exchange?

* What ‘You give – we give’ means

* The trust issue in brand partnerships

* The spirit of partnership – can we work together?

* Why it’s important to manage the expectations and rules of engagement – get agreement in a simple contract

* What to look for in a partner?

* What some of the biggest mistakes are that people make when entering into a brand partnership

* How to track your results

You can find out more about Susie here

www.thedrillcompany.com

About the Podcast

The Micro Entrepreneur Podcast is your place to come and hear me talk about all things business for the micro business owner.  I speak with experts, authors and other micro business owners and what they are doing to build and grow a successful micro business.

Subscribe to the podcast

For Apple users, you can click here to subscribe on iTunes

For Android and Windows users, you can click here to subscribe...

In episode 11 of the Micro Entrepreneur podcast,  I speak with Joanna Pieters who is passionate about helping independent professionals…

In episode 20 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time talking with Tom Jeffs from Lucidica, a fantastic small business IT support company based in London. Tom and I talked a lot about how to

This week's guest

Tom Jeffs is a technologist and entrepreneur, is the CTO for a number of companies and is the founder of Lucidica – The IT Department for Small Business. Lucidica offer all kinds of IT support from social media, website design to setting up IT systems for small businesses.

What we covered in the show:

Tom has managed to get his business to the top of Google for his number one key word term IT Support London. This is worth over £600,000 to his business. In this episode of MicroEntrepreneur Tom shares with us some of his tips and strategies for getting to the top of Google.

In episode 19 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I always love talking with smart business women and Sam Fountain is one of those. She is the inventor of the Shewee, an amazing product that was born out of frustration and spotting an opportunity in the market.

This week's guest

Sam Fountain is an inventor, a mother and a very smart business woman. Starting from nothing, she has managed to carve out a market and dominate a niche with a very unusual product. If you've not hear of the Shewee before, it’s a small plastic device, like a funnel, which allows ladies to go for a very discreet wee, standing up or sitting down and without taking any of their clothes off. Effectively allowing us to wee standing up! It's great for women at festivals doing outdoorsy activities or even when you are stuck in a traffic jam... though according to Sam, it's best not to use it pointing up hill (top tip there ladies!).

What we covered in the show:

Karen's entrepreneurial journey including -

The importance of choosing your mentors and advisors wisely

Don't be afraid to give away equity if it is going to accelerate your business

What it was really like facing the Dragons in the Den

Why you shouldn't be worried about big companies stealing your ideas

Why you need to get your your ego out of the way to be successful

The importance of staying on top of your numbers and creating a business plan

How to sell your product on Amazon

In episode 18 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time speaking with Karen Darby, Serial Entrepreneur and Pioneer .

This week's guest

Karen is the founder of the exciting crowd funding site Crowd Mission which help social and ethical businesses get crowd funding for their new business. It's a really exciting way to get initial finance for your business... to see how their crowd funding works, check out one of Crowd Mission's current crowd funding projects Big Blue Cuddle here.

At the age of just 22, Karen became a young entrepreneur. She set up one of the country’s first telemarketing companies, the Decisions Group, now part of Sitel. Within seven years the company had more than 200 staff and sales in excess of £4m.

By 1990, she had decided it was time for a new challenge. She sold her share of the company and set up her second business, a firm providing training for call-centre staff; Karen Darby Direct. With two young sons and working from home, Karen became a "mumpreneur". She personally trained hundreds of people in the call centre industry and for many it was a life changing experience. In fact, many champions were raised in ‘Karen’s Stable’, several of whom have gone on to set up their own highly successful businesses.

In 2003, Karen launched her third and most successful venture, SimplySwitch, a price comparison service. She secured venture capital funding from Bridges Community Ventures, which was subject to the business meeting certain social criteria such as being based in one of the most deprived areas of the UK. Initially launched as Simply Energy Ltd offering consumers a free and impartial switching service for gas and electricity, it quickly extended its portfolio of products to include home phone, mobile, broadband and a range of financial products and was re-branded SimplySwitch. The company created over 100 jobs and helped thousands of consumers save over £20m on their household bills. In August 2006 Karen sold SimplySwitch to the Daily Mail for £22m.

What we covered in the show:

Karen's entrepreneurial journey including -

How she sees the trends and rides the wave, rather than swimming against the tide

How putting a proposition together that's easy to understand and addressing a specific need is a no-brainer

Why selling is simply giving the people an opportunity to buy what they need, and why selling is a noble art and an essential skill

Why you need to be able to embrace failure as a business owner and get out of your comfort zone

Why clients need to hear you 'passion' not your 'technique'

How being a success is about living it on 'your own terms'

Her experience of VC's and why you need to be careful who you partner with and how much control you give over

Her latest venture Crowd Mission - creating a financial and social return that benefits society

Great Quote

'Our future life is in the hands of entrepreneurs, scientists and game changers and if you aren't one of those for goodness sake back someone who is!"

Links

CrowdMission

SKY - Crowd Box TV (see exciting pitches from entrepreneurs)

About the Podcast

The Micro Entrepreneur Podcast is your place to come and hear me talk about all things business for the micro business owner. I speak with experts, authors and other micro business owners and what they are doing to build and grow a successful micro business.

Like the show? Please tell us on iTunes!

If you liked the show and found it valuable and you haven’t done so already I would really appreciate it if you took a minute to leave a quick rating or review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It will open up itunes on your computer and you can leave a rat...

In episode 16 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time speaking with Annabel Kaye. Annabel is a speaker, consultant and trainer with expertise in employment law and structuring profitable relationships in the workplace.

This week's guest

Annabel is the Director of Irenicon Ltd. Founded in 1980, Irenicon helps employers make employment law work for them. 'We were always a mixed disciplinary practice – something quite revolutionary at the time.' says Annabel.

Over the years Irenicon have worked with some wonderful organisations, pushing the boundaries of how employment law can really be made to work without restricting the flow of the organisation. They continue to offer creative and tactical support to clients, who contact them for as little as three minutes of advice.

'During 2009 we had some heartbreaking calls from organisations who really needed our help but couldn’t afford our services. We looked at ways of providing the service we take so much pride in, in a cheaper way. We didn’t want to hire cheaper employees with less experience, or dumb down what we do. We didn’t want to make you buy manuals, read lots of paperwork or follow our ‘rules’ and policies. We created a KoffeeKlatch where we can offer fixed price support and enable groups of clients with common problems to club together to share the cost. So now you can chose – a full service Irenicon proposition working up to the standard you specify, or a budget KoffeeKlatch option where you stay in control of your costs!'

What we covered in the show:

Major challenges with working with freelancers

Pitfalls of working with family and friends and how to maintain boundaries and put agreements in place

The importance of giving a specific brief to your freelancers - Give them what they need to get the job done not what you think they need

What to consider when recruiting your first few team members

Managing the freelance relationship

Useful links

http://irenicon.co.uk/

http://koffeeklatch.co.uk/

http://balancingthebump.com/

http://irenicon.wordpress.com

Great Quote

'From managing volunteers, to freelancers, to family members, professional practises, or corporates - you can't just take what works in one and place it in the other and expect it to work'

About the Podcast

The Micro Entrepreneur Podcast is your place to come and hear me talk about all things business for the micro business owner. I speak with experts, authors and other micro business owners and what they are doing to build and grow a successful micro business.

Like the show? Please tell us on iTunes!

If you liked the show and found it valuable and you haven’t done so already I would really appreciate it if you took a minute to leave a quick rating or review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It will open up itunes on your computer and you can leave a rating by clicking on the ratings and reviews tab. It would be extremely helpful if you like the show!

Click here to leave a review for the podcast! It will only take a second

In episode 16 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time speaking with Annabel Kaye. Annabel is a speaker, consultant and trainer with expertise in employment law and structuring profitable relationships in the workplace.

This week's guest

Annabel is the Director of Irenicon Ltd. Founded in 1980, Irenicon helps employers make employment law work for them. 'We were always a mixed disciplinary practice – something quite revolutionary at the time.' says Annabel.

Over the years Irenicon have worked with some wonderful organisations, pushing the boundaries of how employment law can really be made to work without restricting the flow of the organisation. They continue to offer creative and tactical support to clients, who contact them for as little as three minutes of advice.

'During 2009 we had some heartbreaking calls from organisations who really needed our help but couldn’t afford our services. We looked at ways of providing the service we take so much pride in, in a cheaper way. We didn’t want to hire cheaper employees with less experience, or dumb down what we do. We didn’t want to make you buy manuals, read lots of paperwork or follow our ‘rules’ and policies. We created a KoffeeKlatch where we can offer fixed price support and enable groups of clients with common problems to club together to share the cost. So now you can chose – a full service Irenicon proposition working up to the standard you specify, or a budget KoffeeKlatch option where you stay in control of your costs!'

What we covered in the show:

Major challenges with working with freelancers

Pitfalls of working with family and friends and how to maintain boundaries and put agreements in place

The importance of giving a specific brief to your freelancers - Give them what they need to get the job done not what you think they need

What to consider when recruiting your first few team members

Managing the freelance relationship

Useful links

http://irenicon.co.uk/

http://koffeeklatch.co.uk/

http://balancingthebump.com/

http://irenicon.wordpress.com

Great Quote

'From managing volunteers, to freelancers, to family members, professional practises, or corporates - you can't just take what works in one and place it in the other and expect it to work'

About the Podcast

The Micro Entrepreneur Podcast is your place to come and hear me talk about all things business for the micro business owner. I speak with experts, authors and other micro business owners and what they are doing to build and grow a successful micro business.

Like the show? Please tell us on iTunes!

If you liked the show and found it valuable and you haven’t done so already I would really appreciate it if you took a minute to leave a quick rating or review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It will open up itunes on your computer and you can leave a rating by clicking on the ratings and reviews tab. It would be extremely helpful if you like the show!

Click here to leave a review for the podcast! It will only take a second

In episode 15 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I speak with Co-directors, Rachel Fairweather and Meghan Mari of Jing Massage. It's a double shot of energy as these 2 wonderful ladies have such a strong business model and a powerful business that's achieved amazing results. And today we're going to find out how they have been able to dominate their market and give you plenty of tips and advice on how you can too!

This week's guest

About Jing

Jing was founded in 2003 by directors, Rachel Fairweather and Meghan Mari, who met in New York City while working as massage therapists. Both Rachel and Meghan have extensive experience in teaching, community development and business and between them have more than 30 years experience in the massage industry working as advanced therapists and trainers.

Their aim was to start a revolution in the massage therapy in the UK and provide the type of advanced massage training available in other countries such as the USA.

Ten years on they now offer over 30 CPD courses and several longer advanced postgraduate qualifications including their acclaimed degree level BTEC level 6 in advanced clinical and sports massage. Rachel and Meghan are sought after guest lecturers for institutions such as the International Dermal Institute and the FHT, write regularly for professional trade magazines including Choice Health and Wellbeing, and annually contribute to a large workshop programme at the CAM Expo tradeshow. Their student body is ever growing and expanding and they have trained over three and half thousand students.

What we covered in the show:

We started out by talking about how Jing came about and then moved on to cover:

How they built their Institute by building out from workshops and courses (starting in their own home!)

How they wrote their own degree level course

How they 'created' their own market by being ahead of the curve

Why passion and joy are part of their business model

Why they work in collaboration to create a bigger pie to share and work with other like-minded people

How they had a vision not a plan

How they built customer delight one step at a time

How they went where they were invited and grew their network and always showed up, with energy!

How organic demand grew their business

Why quality always comes first!

How they learned to manage change

How they built their business within their means without being owned by investors

How they kept income coming in whilst they were building their business

Why investing in yourself is important - "Jing built Jing"

Why they are more 'inspired' ten years on than they were in the beginning

How they honour how much their students give up, in order to study with them

How the web is intrinsically a 'female' business model

Why passion is your USP

In episode 14 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I spoke with Paul Grant from The Funding Game. Paul is the go-to person for all things to do with financing your business for growth. We give you some great tips on crowdfunding, angel investing, business plans and time-saving tips for raising capital.

This week's guest

Paul Grant is an experienced entrepreneur who founded and ran a London-wide catering business for corporate and retail markets for seven years and now assists many companies at early and growth stages. A former director of Capital Partners, heading up the business angel division, and more recently an associate director of BA Capital Ltd. and Bergstrom Capital, Paul is also the founder of The Funding Game workshop initiative which aims to offer entrepreneurs a clear understanding of how to get their businesses funded.

Supporting entrepreneurs

Throughout his career Paul has been a passionate advocate for the small business owner. Supported by a small London-based team, he offers a range of services to new companies, including investment, strategy and marketing advice. Paul is a frequent speaker on the subject of business funding at many public professional development events. He is based in London, England.

What we covered in the show:

We started out by talking about some of the big challenges micro businesses might face when looking for funding, including:

Proof of concept

Reducing risk for investors by having a strong sales pipeline

Why building your own fan base is so important

Why investors are always on the look out for a great deal

We moved on to:

The 1st steps a micro entrepreneur should take

Creating a Business Proposal in 'investor language'

Your 1 page Business Plan as a compelling marketing tool designed to get you a meeting

Creating Pitch Decks

Knowing your financials (P&L) and your 5 year forecast

What return investors are looking for

How to value your business and why you shouldn't overvalue

And finally:

Tips on how to run a Crowdfunding campaign and the difference between shares and rewards sites

The pitfalls of having family and friends as investors

How to get credible feedback for your business idea

Lean Start-ups, bootstrapping and the minimum viable product philosophy

How to find your angel audience

Using LinkedIn to build a list of potential investors