Small Business Stories

Michelle Dale is the founder of Virtual Miss Friday, an Online Business Consultancy and Academy with Built-In Virtual Assistant Services, and the creator of 1nSourcing - a service that specialises in serving 6 and 7 figure business owners. She left the UK in 2005, at the age of 23 to pursue a dream of experiencing real freedom. She has grown a successful location independent online business, traveling and living abroad full time, meeting her husband and raising 3 children. 

She now supports men and women around the world in cultivating their own professional and personal aspirations in the digital world. 

What is Covered:

- How it was like starting an online business in 2005 before social networks

- The learning curve of working remotely and setting boundaries

- How COVID-19 propelled many people into starting an online business

- The power of small daily actions towards growing your business

Resources:

- Virtual Miss Friday https://www.virtualmissfriday.com/

- Connect with Michelle Dale on LinkedIn

Connect with Small Business Growth Club:

- https://www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

- https://www.adminandmore.co.uk

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant/

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.com

Didier Penine is the founder and owner of Say it With Champers, a UK based company which sells high quality champagne with personalised labels. After 10 years of lingering on the idea, he finally took the leap two years ago and started his own small business. 

What Is Covered: 

- How Didier came to the idea to do something different with champagne

- The difficulties of the first six months in business without cash flow

- Figuring out SEO and marketing on the go 

- How to  overcome the stress of investing in your business

Resources: 

Say It With Champers https://sayitwithchampers.co.uk/ 

Say It With Champers on Facebook and Instagram

Connect with Didier Penine on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/didier-penine-4a285855/ 

Connect with Small Business Growth Club:

- https://www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

- https://www.adminandmore.co.uk

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant/

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.com

Anna Forgaard is a marketing consultant and strategist, bringing businesses a wealth of marketing knowledge acquired in the wine, media and retail industries. She has successfully worked with brands as diverse as Grazia, Garden News, Great Food Club, The Wine Society, National Geographic and Katie Cardew Illustrations. 

She provides marketing advice, strategies and campaigns for SMEs, enabling small business owners to concentrate on their product while she concentrates on the marketing.

What Is Covered: 

- Independence as the top value behind starting a business

- How to get the right work, not just any work

- Anna’s two favourite groups of clients

- How to deal with clients’ resistance to your ideas

- Networking, word of mouth and social media - key advertising channels 

Connect with Anna Forgaard:

- https://www.annaforgaard.co.uk/ 

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaforgaard/ 

Connect with Small Business Growth Club:

- https://www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

- https://www.adminandmore.co.uk

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant/

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.c

Sam Hallett is the Founding Director and Business Protection Specialist at Enable Life, an insurance broker firm offering services to individuals, self-employed and businesses. After battling with chronic illness, Sam has found a passion in health and wellbeing, with financial wellbeing at the forefront. Being an ex-accountant, this is where Sam found a natural transition into life & health protection.

What We Cover: 

- How health issues inspired Sam to start her own business 

- Why life and health insurance is still an unknown industry and how to educate people about it

- How the lockdown gave many people the experience of what everyday life is like for those with chronic illnesses  

- How to use social media in an educational and not salesy way 

- What Sam’s secondary business Enable Future is  

Resources: 

- https://enablelife.co.uk/ 

- https://enablefuture.co.uk/ 

- Connect with Sam Hallett on Facebook and LinkedIn 

Connect with Small Business Growth Club:

- https://www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

- https://www.adminandmore.co.uk

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant/

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.com

Richard Bland is a digital consultant, website manager, and the founder of BhambraBland. 

He helps business owners who are looking to scale or develop a better online presence, as well as startups who are looking for a creative mind to think through their approach to getting online. 

What We Cover: 

- The need to support family as the main driver behind starting a business

- What is a digital consultant and who are Richard's longest-term clients

- Why someone would say NO to growing and scaling their business

- How COVID has affected businesses and created new opportunities online

- Why Richard has decided to let go of goals and the future 

Connect with Richard Bland: 

- https://bhambrabland.co.uk/

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhambrabland/

- https://www.facebook.com/richardbhambrabland

Connect with Small Business Growth Club:

- https://www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

- https://www.adminandmore.co.uk

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant/

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.com

Suzie Flynn is an award winning mindset and business coach who helps Executive Assistants break from the corporate world and start their own Virtual Assistant business. After 22 years as a EA, her catalyst for making change was the loss of her parents in 2013. She is currently offering a six week coaching programme 'The VA Freedom Startup', giving to VA's all the foundational pieces they need to get set up and start attracting clients.

What We Cover: 

- How family loss and grieving can be a powerful motivator to change the course of your life and work

- Willingness to invest in your own business as the biggest benefit of having a business

- Simple tips and tools for overcoming the imposter syndrome

- The strategy and time investment needed for marketing through LinkedIn

-  Suzie's big dreams of hitting 7 figures with her business and building schools in Africa

Connect with Suzie Flynn: 

- https://suzieflynn.com/ 

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzieflynn/

- https://www.facebook.com/suzieflynncoaching/

Connect with Small Business Growth Club:

- https://www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

- https://www.adminandmore.co.uk

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant/

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.com

Carol Rogers is the founder of Chromium Bookkeeping, and she helps small businesses save money and stress by managing their books. Her passion is credit control, and she has worked within finance for over 26 years, including 12 years in credit control roles, carrying out payroll, reconciliations, and payment queries. She is also President of Peterborough Lions Club of Lions Clubs International.

What We Cover: 

Connect with Carol Rogers: 

Connect with Small Business Growth Club: 

To Join Small Business Growth Club go to https://smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com/product_categories/36159

To try our networking group go to http://smallbusinessgrowthclub.eventbrite.com

This episode is to give you ideas of how to get you first client.

If you would like to see the video and download the guide Join the Small Business Growth Club today smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

Here is my story as to why I set up Admin and More and what led to the formation of Small Business Growth Club.

To get more access to our membership site go to www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com

When I started in business I bartered some of my services in terms of saving costs when I first out. Is this something you are considering? The listed to our podcast.

If you want to access all the materials please join the Small Business Growth Club www.smallbusinessgrowthclub.simplero.com