Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business. In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Nick Field.

Nick is an actor, a voiceover artist, a presenter, and a comedian from London. He's been hosting a music show on Essex radio station Phoenix FM since 2007.

He moved into voiceovers and acting work in the mid 2010s, voicing over 500 online commercials and information videos.

He’s been in six feature films on Amazon Prime, worked with the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and made his stand-up comedy debut in 2023. He’s also been a magazine columnist and event speaker and host.

As well as sharing his journey into the worlds of voiceover, acting, presenting and comedy, Nick generously gives his advice on how others can do the same thing.

He talks about why a regional accent can be an advantage, the importance of community and how to find work. Gudrun asks Nick how people can be more creative, and they talk about why your biggest asset is being yourself.

Timestamps

• 01:59- 04:44: How Nick became a radio presenter
• 04:52 - 08:45: Moving into voiceover work
• 10:35 - 15:32: How Nick became an actor
• 16:14 – 18:25 Advice for becoming a voiceover artist
• 18:32 – 19:50: Getting into acting
• 19:58 – 22:26: Accidentally becoming a stand-up comedian
• 23:01 – 25:50: Does a regional accent matter these days?
• 26:28 -32:02: Nick’s comedy style
• 32:22- 35:31: How to be more creative

Useful Links

• Visit Nick's website
• Connect with Nick on LinkedIn
• Like Nick Field Media on Facebook
• Follow Nick on X
• Follow Nick on Instagram
• VO training provider: Gravy for the Brain
• TV announcer and VO coach: Gary Terzza
• TV actors' network: Act on This
• Comedy gig app: Gig Gag
• Creative community: The Creative Collective
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business.

In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Jenny Fox to talk about how to always be yourself in business. Jenny is the creative director and brand strategist of Studio Bifrost, a creative collective based in Nottingham.

She has over two decades of experience with everyone from startups to global brands, as well as her network of trusted colleagues.

She also helps purpose-led organisations reach more people and increase their positive impact on the world through expertly crafted branding and marketing materials.

Jenny and Gudrun talk about their experiences of business networking, both in-person and online, and how to find the right groups for you. Jenny explains how she got started in self-employment and how she’s evolved into what she does today.

Gudrun and Jenny explore running a business with ADHD, chronic health issues or a busy personal life, and how to strike the right balance. They also discuss how to be more creative, and why the pursuit of perfection isn’t the way to do it.

Timestamps      

• 02:43-05:31: The Benefits of Business Networking Groups
• 18:00 – 28:23: How Jenny Started Studio Bifrost
• 29:53 - 40:07: Running a Business with ADHD 
• 45:23- 50:54: How to be More Creative

Useful Links

• Jenny's website
• Connect with Jenny on LinkedIn
• In-person networking group: BNI
• Online networking group: ONLE
• Psychiatry UK (for ADHD diagnoses)
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business.

In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Louise Sverud.

Louise is a multilingual business specialist. Originally from Sweden, Louise now lives in Lanzarote, where she supports her international clients, many of whom are in the education field.

She holds an MSc in Psychology and is an expert in interpersonal communication and cultural intelligence. She describes herself as “Your Business Mum” - helping busy entrepreneurs grow their business.

Louise explains how she helps her clients, how being multilingual helps, and why she likes to meet with her clients face to face. She also shares her journey from Sweden to Lanzarote.

Louise has a fabulous Instagram feed, and shares her top tips on how to be creative and confident with it for your own business.

She also explains why as a small business owner you don't always need to listen to the experts, and how to be brave, confident and confident in business.

Timestamps

• 01:15 – 04:05: How Louise ended up running her business in The Canaries
• 04:16 – 06:50: The support Louise provides to her clients
• 12:49 – 16:49: Using Instagram when you’re a service-based business
• 19:05 –20:48: Why you shouldn’t always listen to the experts
• 24:22 –26:14: A simple trick Louise uses to stand out
• 27:18 – 30:20: How to be brave and try new things

Useful Links

• Visit Louise’s website
• Follow Louise on Instagram
• Connect with Louise on LinkedIn
• Visual design platform: Canva
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business.

In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Rod McMillan.

Rod is a professional Non-Exec Director, investor, business development and performance improvement specialist.

He is experienced in helping business owners and leaders with strategy, people, organisation structure, finance and commercial problem resolution.

Rod believes that business success is always about strategy, finance and people. He’s an active supporter of Hope for Children and a qualified analyst using The Predictive Index for psychometric personality profiling and cognitive testing.

Rod explains why you should ask for help with your business, and why doing so will make you a stronger leader.

He and Gudrun discuss the benefits of working in person in an office environment, and how you can be more creative in your approach to business.

Timestamps

• 03:00 – 05:45: Why you should ask for help with your business before it’s too late
• 09:11 – 11:42: How Rod’s experiences with a business mentor inspired him to do the same
• 19:30 – 22:30: How mentors and business owners in need of help find each other
• 28:35 – 31:15: Why business owners should attend conferences
• 31:55 – 35:13: Why you need in-person office experience to be a better leader
• 36:00 - 42:25: How to be more creative with your approach to business

Useful Links

• Connect with Rod on LinkedIn
• Rod’s chosen charity: Hope for Children
• Self-perception test: Motivational Maps
• Personality assessment tool: DiSC®
• Personality assessment tool: i3
• Gretchen Rubin The Four Tendencies
• Book: Jim Collins: Good to Great
• Personality assessment tool: Predictive Index
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business.

In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Natalie Pithers.

Natalie is the founder of Genealogy Stories and the Curious Descendants Club. Alongside that, she works as the Head of Change & Comms at SoG (the Society of Genealogists).

She’s passionate about helping people to write and share their ancestors' stories, to ensure their incredible family history discoveries are not forgotten.

Club members delve into social history and hone their writing skills to share those stories.

Natalie explains why genealogy is a creative hobby, and the importance of finding a creative outlet as a small business owner.

She and Gudrun also discuss the benefits of attending conferences, both for business more broadly and for your specific niche. Plus, Natalie shares her tips for finding creativity.

Timestamps

• 01:31 – 03:35: Natalie’s interest in genealogy
• 04:14 – 07:06: Why amateur genealogists like the family-history-as-stories approach
• 08:04 – 09:06 Finding women’s voices in history
• 10:03 – 10:24: How genealogy can be a creative hobby
• 15:55 – 17:30: How entrepreneurs are more creative than they realise
• 18:50 – 23:00: Why business owners should go to conferences and events
• 24:03 – 25:24: Why you should consider industry-specific events
• 27:25 – 29:35 Natalie’s advice to anyone wanting to research their family history
• 30:02 – 32:07 Natalie’s advice to business owners lacking creativity

Useful Links

• Genealogy Stories
• The Curious Descendants Club
• The Society for Genealogists
• Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn
• Business conference: Atomicon
• The Apple Cart interview with Laura Pearman
• Genealogy conference: RootsTech
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business.

In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Tim Lewis.

Tim is an author, sometime travel YouTuber and the host of two podcasts: Book Chat Live and Oh No, Not Another Live Show, where he and his co-host Christelle Lerryn speak to guests from all walks of life.

Despite never mastering learning how to sell books using social media, Tim has acquired a huge array of important connections from those platforms.

He’s also well-known on the international conference circuit, and loves to share his experiences and knowledge with everyone he meets.

Tim tells Gudrun why business owners should try live video, and shares his top tools to do so. He also talks through the benefits of having a podcast and what that can do for your business.

He also explains how attending conferences can lead to business growth, why you should consider writing a book, and how to leverage it to make money.

Timestamps

• 02:25 – 04:48: What Tim likes about the live video format for content
• 08:20 – 12:24: The tech you need to get started with video creation
• 13:30 – 15:54: Why Tim goes to lot of business conferences
• 17:30 - 22:20: The conferences Tim recommends
• 24:04 – 31:14: Why Tim recommends writing a business book
• 35:00 - 37:17: Using a podcast strategically

Useful Links

• Visit Tim's website
• Tim's YouTube travel channel: Tim Lewis TCF
• Book Chat Live
• Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
• Calendar booking tool: TidyCal
• Live streaming tool: StreamYard
• Video recording and live streaming: OBS Studio
• Live streaming (Mac only): ECamm
• Video and audio editor: DaVinci Resolve
• Audio editing tool: Audacity
• Editing keyboard: DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor
• Business conference: Social Media Marketing World
• Business conference: Atomicon
• Business conference: Podcast Movement
• Business conference: Podfest
• Business conference: You Are the Media Creator Day
• Business conference: Newcastle Startup Week
• Business conference: Creator Day
• Business conference: TubeFest
• Business conference: MarketEd.Live
• Business conference: Adventures in Marketing
• Speaker and author: Mark Schaefer
• Speaker and author: Jay Baer
• Personal finance guidance: MeaningfulMoney
• Author and entrepreneur: Pat Flynn
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business.

In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Stephen McCormick.

Stephen is an MSP Community Influencer and Marketing Expert based in Birmingham. He has over a decade of experience working in IT, he’s an active member of the Tech Tribe.

He’s a strong advocate for wellbeing for small business owners. He’s also a digital content creator, presenter, a regular at events in the managed services channel, and a very prolific world traveller.

Gudrun and Steve talk about how you can be disruptive in business, especially with your marketing, and why business owners are scared of the thought of giving it a go.

They also talk about how to communicate your value and the pros and cons of using AI in marketing and business, as well as why it might just be part of a natural evolution of how we do research.

Timestamps

• 00:45 – 02:54: What an MSP is, and why your small business might need one
• 03:54 – 08:18: How businesses in traditional sectors can use marketing to stand out
• 08:57 – 11:57: Why business owners are afraid to be disruptive
• 13:45 – 18:36: How to communicate your value
• 21:59 – 24:15: Being creative with video
• 24:57 – 29:14: The power of collaborative thinking
• 31:01 – 35:52: The pros and cons of AI in marketing
• 36:20 – 38:01: Stephen’s health journey

Useful Links

• Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn
• Listen to Red Dress by The Sugababes
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business. In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Lenka Koppova.

Lenka is a Marketing Therapist for coaches and health & wellbeing professionals. She helps them to create businesses that enable them to live their dream lives.

She helps them to use digital marketing strategically so they can grow their business (without feeling overwhelmed) in a way that sustains their business long-term.

She’s on a mission to help them bring more fun and joy into their marketing to be able to create a thriving business that fulfils all their dreams!

In this episode, Lenka shares her story of moving from The Czech Republic to the UK and back again, how she balances her business and her life in a way that works for her, and what it looks like in practice when you put both of those first.

Lenka also shares her thoughts on how business owners can be more disruptive and where to start and she and Gudrun discuss their differing approaches to social media but why they both agree that you need to follow a wide variety of people.

Timestamps

• 0:33 – 03:16: How Lenka does things differently
• 05:18 –08:57: Lenka’s experience of becoming self-employed
• 09:22 – 11:45: What putting your life first looks like in reality
• 12:04 - 14:46: Advice for people wanting to be disruptive in life or business
• 18:11 – 20:20: Why you need a variety of people to follow on social media
• 23:01 – 31:00 Why I decided to leave Newcastle and move to rural France
• 38:03 – 40:47: How Lenka takes her cat in her camper van

Useful Links

• Connect with Lenka on LinkedIn
• Follow Lenka’s adventures on Instagram
• Listen to Lenka’s podcast: Into Your Life
• Success, wellbeing and resilience coach: Dave Algeo
• Author and entrepreneur: Tim Ferriss
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business. In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Susanna Reay.

Susanna is an award-winning authority business mentor, author and speaker who brings creative, streamlined solutions into SMBs. Trained in both design and business strategy, she is able to decode complex ideas into profitable, scalable offers.

Susanna is the author of The Introvert Way® Roadmap, with a second book in the works. She developed the Sparkle Frameworks® which form part of her programmes and serve as a catalyst for growth for clients who integrate them into their businesses.

Susanna talks through her business model and what she means when she says 'creative solutions'. She also shares how her background and previous experience give her a unique perspective on her clients' challenges.

She and Gudrun talk about why and how to find a business coach and why you should ask your peers for help and support. Susanna explains why she thinks positioning is key, especially if you want to be acknowledged as an expert.

She explains the inspiration behind her recent online conference and what made it different and disruptive, and shares her thoughts on how business owners can be more creative.

Timestamps

• 00:45 – 02:20: What Susanna means by creative solutions
• 03:00 – 05:44: How Susanna came up with her particular business model
• 07:44 – 10:03: Why you need to listen to your peers and ask for help
• 11:37 – 16:47: Why you need to be discerning when looking for a business coach
• 19:45: 24:30: The importance of positioning
• 27:41 – 38:01: Susanna’s disruptive online conference, Super-Fast Authority
• 44:20 - 45:25 : Susanna’s advice to someone wanting to more creative in business

Useful Links

• Visit Susanna's website
• Connect with Susanna on LinkedIn
• Resource: Free Expert Business Assessment
• Interactive workspace: Miro board
• Service: Podcast content repurposing

Welcome to The Apple Cart; the podcast for creative disruptors, disruptive creators and anyone who wants to do things differently in business. In this episode, your host, Gudrun Lauret, is joined by Amanda Webb.

Amanda calls herself an analytics geek and is based in the Republic of Ireland. She is a digital marketing ROI and analytics mentor, trainer & consultant and helps her clients to get more ROI from your digital marketing.

The former host of the long-running and successful Digital Coffee Show, she now hosts the Analytics Show, a live video show delving into all things marketing and analytics.

Amanda explains exactly what an analytics geek is and how she found herself niching into the subject. She and Gudrun talk extensively about their experiences of business coaching and why entrepreneurs should consider investing in it.

They also talk about attending business conferences and the benefits of being an attendee. This show was recorded just before Christmas 2024, so Amanda shares how she builds a unique advent calendar every year!

Timestamps

• 04:49- 06:01: What is an analytics geek
• 06:11 – 08:59: How Amanda niched into analytics
• 09:55 – 11:49: The benefits of business coaching
• 14:57 – 18:30: Amanda’s experiences with live video shows
• 19:51 – 22:39: Novelty advent calendars
• 24:26 – 27:58: Why business owners should go to conferences
• 32:38 – 34:47: Amanda’s creative hobbies

Useful Links

• Visit Amanda’s website
• Subscribe to Amanda's channel: That Analytics Show
• Business conference: Atomicon
• Business conference: MarketEd.Live
• Coaching and mastermind programme: Atomic Rebels
• Business coach: Mike Cole
• Self-perception profile: Motivational Maps
• Business conference: Social Media Marketing World
• Service: Podcast content repurposing