In this episode, I’m joined by Clare Crierie from Calm With Clare for a real, honest conversation about running a business and being a mum, the mental load of motherhood, and what it really takes to build a business while raising young children.

We talk about business and motherhood without burnout, the guilt that comes with juggling work and family life, and why learning how to look after yourself as a mum isn’t a “nice to have” it’s essential if you want your business to be sustainable.

If you’ve ever wondered “is it possible to have a business as a mother of young kids?” or felt like you’re constantly putting yourself last while trying to make your business work, this episode will feel very familiar.

This episode is sponsored by Claire from Word Craft - a website strategist and copywriter based in the North East of Scotland who works with clients across the UK and beyond. Claire helps small business owners and creative entrepreneurs with their website’s words, structure and flow to help attract those “I couldn’t-have-asked-for-better” clients. Choose from done-for-you website copy and blog writing, a strategic website audit (with an action plan so you know what you need to do to improve), or one-to-one advisory support so you can DIY your copy and content with greater confidence.
Connect with Claire on Instagram - @wordcraftclaire

Connect with Calm With Clare on Instagram here @calm.with.clare

Learn more:

Resources, free downloads and links mentioned in this episode can be found at smallbusinessgrowthaddicts.com

Connect with Amanda Hughes on Instagram at @amandahughes.uk

Free small business downloads:
Access all of Amanda's freebies in one place at https://www.amandahughes.uk/free-smallbusiness-downloads

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

Posting daily but not seeing sales? Exhausted from chasing trends and watching competitors “go viral” while your content flops? If you’re a small business owner ready to quit the algorithm game and finally build a social media strategy that actually converts — this is for you.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the Get Seen Get Sales Method — the 5-pillar framework I use in my own businesses and teach inside my mentorship community to help small business owners worldwide turn social media into a sustainable revenue engine.

This isn’t about quick wins or viral moments. It’s about building a profitable social media presence that works for the long game — without burning out.

Learn more
Resources, free downloads, and links mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes at smallbusinessgrowthaddicts.com

Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk

Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

This episode is a little different.

The tables are turned and I am in the hot seat, being interviewed by two members of my Get Seen Get Sales community. There was no prep, no pre-approved questions, and no script. Just real, on-the-spot answers.

We talk about the personal experiences that have quietly shaped the way I run my business today, including childhood experiences, divorce, motherhood, and the moments that forced me to rethink what success actually looks like.

We also dig into how those experiences show up in business. From confidence and boundaries, to ideal client clarity, comparison on social media, and building a business that supports real life rather than competes with it.

You will also hear from Faye, a family and newborn photographer based in Ayrshire, and Dana of Snow Moon Therapies and Gather and Grow, as they guide this honest Ask Me Anything conversation.

If you are a small business owner who wants growth that feels sustainable, aligned, and human, this episode is for you.

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

If the word algorithm sends you into a spiral of overwhelm when it comes to social media, this episode is going to feel like a deep breath.

In this solo episode, Amanda finally demystifies how social media algorithms actually work in a simple, human, “ohhh that makes sense now” kind of way. 

Inside her mentorship community, Get Seen Get Sales, they call the algorithm “Big AL”… and once you see him as a person doing a job, everything clicks.

You’ll learn:

• What the algorithm really does (hint: it’s not out to get you)
• Why your post is shown to a tiny test group first
• How SEO, keywords and on-screen text help Big Al understand your content
• Why user behaviour shifts more often than the algorithm itself
• What content is performing well right now
• The simple mindset shift that will change how you show up online forever

If you’ve been feeling stuck, frustrated, or convinced the algorithm hates you, this episode will calm the noise and give you back some control.

Join Get Seen Get Sales
If you want weekly content prompts, masterclasses and real-time updates on what’s actually working on social media right now, come join Amanda’s mentorship.
December offer: first month only £20 with the code FRIEND

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

What actually changes for a small business owner when they finally get the clarity, support and direction they’ve been craving on social media?

In this episode, I’m joined by two members of my incredible small business community mentorship 'Get Seen Get Sales' Elaine and Sarah, who share how they've gone from feeling completely overwhelmed by social media to showing up with confidence and consistency in their businesses.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsure what to post, second-guessing everything you put online, or like you’re doing it all alone, their stories will feel very familiar.

Here’s what we cover:

• How Sarah went from late-night doomscrolling to confidently showing up on Stories
 • How Elaine shifted from “posting and hoping” to creating content that actually lands
 • Why understanding your ideal client changes everything
 • The role community plays in confidence and consistency
 • What makes Get Seen Get Sales different from other business memberships
 • How collaboration, support and honest conversations can transform your marketing

This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s an honest conversation about the real challenges of marketing a small business today and what becomes possible when you’re no longer trying to figure it out on your own.

If you’ve been curious about Get Seen Get Sales or wondering what it’s really like inside, this episode gives you a genuine peek behind the curtain.

Join us in Get Seen Get Sales for half price making your first month just £20 for access to everything! Use code FRIEND at checkout

Connect with Today’s Guests:
Elaine - Instagram @mindheart_balance
Sarah - Instagram @travel_pa_with_sj

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ve heard the word hook about a million times… but what actually is a hook, why does it matter, and how do you write one on social media that stops your ideal client mid-scroll?

In today’s short and snappy episode, I’m breaking it all down, in plain English, so you can finally feel confident creating hooks that work.

We’re chatting:
 • What a text hook actually is (and where to use it)
• Why hooks matter more than ever in 2025
• How to make your hooks clear, specific, and scroll-stopping
• Real examples for product AND service-based businesses
• The simple do’s and don’ts that instantly improve your content
• How to add text hooks inside the Instagram app (and why it helps your reach)

I’ll also walk you through some real hooks I’ve created for members inside Get Seen Get Sales, my mentorship for small business owners who want to grow with strategy, not stress.

If you’ve been posting gorgeous content but hearing crickets… this is the episode that will finally help your message land.

Hooks mentioned in this episode:
"(Ideal Client) are we all in agreement that xx? Yeah?"
example here

✨ JOIN GET SEEN GET SALES: The Mentorship
Ready for weekly content prompts, examples, hooks, workshops, and a community that gets it?
Join us here

Thanks to our Growth Addicts Sponsor:
Meet Heyday – the audience-first marketing agency helping SMEs, creatives, and fierce forces show up, stand out, and shine online.

From strategy and content to copy that actually connects, Heyday tailor digital marketing support to your brand’s unique goals. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling, they’ll help you connect with your audience, grow with confidence, and step into your Heyday era.

👉 Visit www.heydaydigitalagency.co.uk

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

Got more than one offer and no clue how to talk about them all without sounding chaotic? You’re not alone.

In this episode, Amanda breaks down how to promote multiple offers under one clear brand message using her signature Get Seen Get Sales Method the content strategy that keeps your marketing simple and your message consistent.

You’ll learn:
 💡 How to make every offer lead back to one core message (“all roads lead to Rome”)
 ✨ Real-life examples from Amanda’s mentor group members Lisa and Susan both running multiple offers beautifully
 📲 How to use Attract, Nurture & Convert content each week to make your brand feel cohesive (and never confusing again)

Whether you’re a product-based business or a service provider juggling different offers, this episode will help you tie everything together so your audience knows exactly what you do, and why they should buy from you.

If you are ready to stop posting and praying and start using Instagram with a clear plan, pop your headphones in and let’s get you seen and getting sales.

We would love to welcome you into our incredible mentorship community! All the info & join us here

Thanks to our Growth Addicts Sponsor:
Meet Heyday – the audience-first marketing agency helping SMEs, creatives, and fierce forces show up, stand out, and shine online.

From strategy and content to copy that actually connects, Heyday tailor digital marketing support to your brand’s unique goals. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling, they’ll help you connect with your audience, grow with confidence, and step into your Heyday era.

👉 Visit www.heydaydigitalagency.co.uk

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

If your Instagram feels like it has a mind of its own right now, this episode is for you. 

In November 2025 Instagram quietly shifted the way the feed works, showing more recommended content from accounts people do not follow yet. Great for discovery. Confusing for small business owners who suddenly feel invisible.

In this episode of Small Business Growth Addicts I break down what has actually changed, why it has happened, and how to work with the algorithm instead of fighting it. You will learn how to use each content format on Instagram with a clear purpose so your posts are not just “thrown up and hoped for the best” anymore.

I discuss:

• What Instagram’s latest update really means for small business owners
• Why your feed is full of accounts you do not follow and what that means for your content
• The true job of each format
  • Reels = attract new ideal clients
  • Carousels = nurture and convert existing followers
  • Stories = your direct hotline to warm followers
• The ideal weekly mix of attract, nurture, convert content
• Why getting specific about your ideal client has never been more important
• How scroll stopping hooks work and why they are not “icky clickbait”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Everything I mentioned in the episode is linked for you below:
Finding Your Ideal Client as a Small Business Owner - Free Podcast Episode
Ideal Client eBook
3 Step Story Strategy - DM me on Instagram
Free Download of my Bestselling Social Media Planner
Should you DIY or Outsource your Social Media - free Podcast Episode

Reels with Hooks mentioned in Episode:
Hook no.1
Hook no.2
Hook no.3

If you are ready to stop posting and praying and start using Instagram with a clear plan, pop your headphones in and let’s get you seen and getting sales.

We would love to welcome you into our incredible mentorship community! All the info & join us here

Thanks to our G

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

Feeling constantly busy but never truly fulfilled? 

In this episode of Small Business Growth Addicts, host Amanda Hughes chats with Hannah Chambers, founder of Bored of Busy, about how to stop measuring success by how busy you are — and start building a business that actually feels good to run.

They dive into what working with intention really means for small business owners, especially women juggling family, clients, and life.

You’ll learn how to:
✨ Shift from busy to balanced with intentional action
✨ Build systems and routines that reduce overwhelm
✨ Use tools like Asana, time-blocking & SOPs to stay organised
✨ Lead yourself first through self-leadership and mindset
✨ Choose a planning style (digital or paper!) that works for your brain 

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck on the hamster wheel of “doing more,” this episode will show you a better way, one that brings ease, structure, and purpose back into your business.

Listen now for a grounded, relatable chat full of practical tips, mindset shifts, and the occasional laugh (especially when Amanda and Hannah debate pen-to-paper vs digital planning)

Thanks to our Growth Addicts Sponsor:
Meet Heyday – the audience-first marketing agency helping SMEs, creatives, and fierce forces show up, stand out, and shine online.

From strategy and content to copy that actually connects, Heyday tailor digital marketing support to your brand’s unique goals. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling, they’ll help you connect with your audience, grow with confidence, and step into your Heyday era.

👉 Visit www.heydaydigitalagency.co.uk

Connect with our guest Hannah Chambers of Bored of Busy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boredofbusy/

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts

Small Business Owener thinking about starting a podcast but not sure where to begin?

In this solo episode of Small Business Growth Addicts I (Amanda Hughes) walk you through exactly how to launch a podcast from scratch using the same simple, affordable setup that helped me build an Apple Top 30 Entrepreneurship podcast.

I’ll share the tools, tech, workflow, and mindset that took me from “no idea where to start” to running a successful weekly show that brings in clients, sponsors, and brand awareness for my business.

You’ll learn:

• How to choose a clear, searchable podcast name your ideal listener will actually find
• The minimum tech you need (and what to skip!)
• My full recording setup and why good audio matters most
• How to host and distribute your show across Apple, Spotify, and everywhere else
• Editing options — DIY vs outsourcing — and what I use personally
• A realistic look at how long each episode really takes
• How to promote episodes on social media so they get heard
• The easiest ways to monetise from day one through sponsorships, affiliates, and your own offers
• My honest reflections on what I’d do differently if I were starting again today

If podcasting has been on your to-do list, this episode will give you the clarity, confidence, and practical know-how to finally hit record.

Thanks to our Growth Addicts Sponsor:
Meet Heyday – the audience-first marketing agency helping SMEs, creatives, and fierce forces show up, stand out, and shine online.

From strategy and content to copy that actually connects, Heyday tailor digital marketing support to your brand’s unique goals. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling, they’ll help you connect with your audience, grow with confidence, and step into your Heyday era.

👉 Visit www.heydaydigitalagency.co.uk

Affiliates mentioned in this episode:
Buzzsprout – my recommended podcast hosting platform (get a $20 credit from Buzzsprout via this link)

Riverside – record and edit pro-quality audio & video (15% off Riverside using this link)

Send us a text

• Small Business Community: Join Get Seen Get Sales and get the support, strategies & accountability you need to grow your business on social media with confidence. Learn more
• Connect with Amanda on Instagram: @amandahughes.uk
• Growth Addicts Show Notes: Read the blog + grab freebies + guest links
• Free Small Business Downloads: Access all of Amanda’s freebies in one place → Get them here
• Exclusive Discounts: Exclusive discounts on Amanda’s favourite small business tools & services → See discounts