The Buzz

After graduating from the University of Gloucestershire, Janina moved into freelancing, but there was always a desire to build her own brand. She took this drive and quickly moved into building her own business. Janina Neumann Design is a brand design company, helping social value organisations grow their brand, pitch for funding, and showcase their impact.
 
Janina was the first incubator business at the Tewkesbury Growth Hub, this allowed her to develop her vision for the business in a supportive environment. Her business is now past the critical five year milestone and she has just experienced her most successful six months. Hear how 'Zoom Overload' has accelerated Janina's business growth and made her goals more achievable than ever.

Janina talks through her own brand pillars and what they can mean for your business, social enterprise, or charity. Janina shares some tools, processes and ideas to help you define your messages.

She also discusses the Gloucestershire businesses she's worked with and have inspired her. Including a charity for over 50s who pivoted to a YouTube based podcast during the pandemic.

Find out more about Janina Neumann Design here, and see upcoming Growth Hub events hosted by Janina here. 

After 30 years in a corporate career, Yola O'Hara took the jump to go it alone. Seven years later her business is going from strength to strength. She is the Director of Visually Explained, helping organisations like yours see the wood from the trees in order to unleash the power of social business. With no fluff, and no jargon.

Yola explains how posting is only 25% of what you should be doing on social media, and shares some expertise that you can apply to your business straight after listening to this episode!

Get the social media presence you want in 2022, without the pain. Yola shares her predictions for the future of social media, including experimenting on TikTok.

Find out more about Yola and Visually Explained here. Yola is also a Delivery Partner for the Gloucestershire Growth Hub network, this means you can attend events where she helps you develop your social media. To be notified when Yola next runs an event with The Growth Hub email [email protected]. 

In episode two we speak to Henny Maltby, one of the longest standing Delivery Partners at the Gloucestershire Growth Hub network.  Pink Elephant Media are a Multiple Award Winning Web Design Agency. They know you want to convert website visitors into leads or customers and want a return on your investment. Their unique approach to combing web development with a marketing growth plan and the training to help scale your business has helped many UK businesses reach their goals.

Henny shares her top tips, her business journey, and her experience with supporting countless Gloucestershire businesses throughout her career. 

Find out more about Pink Elephant Media here.

See Henny's next free events here. 

Welcome back to Season Two of The Buzz. In this season we'll be chatting to four of our Delivery Partners. The Gloucestershire businesses who give their time and expertise via our free events programme. 

In episode one, and ahead of the COP26 summit later this month, we speak to Eoin McQuone of Go Climate Positive. Eoin is the Chief Carbon Coach and founder of Go Climate Positive. He is a Practitioner member of IEMA (the Institute of Environmental Management) and a sustainability lead on the Cheltenham Economic Recovery Task Force.

Eoin says, "I would love every business to know their carbon footprint, so I've tried to make Go Climate Positive as easy, accessible and non-scary as possible."

 Hear which Gloucestershire business inspires Eoin because of their genuine desire to do good for people and the planet, how to align your sustainability goals with your business goals, and why we shouldn't think of sustainability in our business as a way to stay the same, it's regeneration and the chance to make things better.

Find out more about Go Climate Positive, here.

Eoin's next event, 1-2-1 sessions on How to Start an Eco Business, can be found here.

As a busy sports coach back in 2016 Tom became frustrated, healthy eating plays a huge part in improving performance and he had less and less time to prepare nutritious meals from fresh products.

Tom began preparing my own meal plans as he needed to save time. From this spark, Tom saw a gap in the market and his business was born. Initially it was just him in his one-bedroom flat cooking and delivering roughly 200 meals a week in the Cotswold area. The foundations were set!

Fast forward to today and they have their very own bespoke meal plan and prep facility in the Cotswolds with great chefs supported by passionate staff who prepare daily the highest quality meals tailored to each customer’s needs from fresh local produce.

In this episode of The Buzz, Tom discusses life as a young entrepreneur, how he wants to support the next generation of business owners and how The Growth Hub have been by his side on his journey. 

To access free support from The Growth Hub, email [email protected]

Find out more about Macro Meals here: www.macromealsuk.co.uk

Paperback Shop is the brainchild of Dan Cherrington, erstwhile farmer, TV presenter, author and seller of many things.

In 1998 he and his partner, Anne Brown, were struggling to keep their chain of bookshops afloat, in the face of well known challenges, when exploratory selling online in the US proved to be a turning point and resulted in an invitation to become the first UK based marketplace seller on Amazon.com. In February 2000 The Paperback Shop.co.uk was born and continues to maintain its position as one of the most successful online booksellers in the World.

Determined to build on their work to date, and not be swallowed by the insatiable appetite of Amazon, they created an employer-owned trust, meaning all who work at PBS would benefit from any on-going success. Many staff have been with the business since it started. 

As with all businesses in 2020, Sales Director Caroline Summers, faced the challenges of the pandemic head on, and with the support of Business Guide Andy Kime, has navigated the highs and lows only to come out stronger than ever. 

Join Caroline and Andy for a discussion on how they have worked together to further the growth of this incredible Gloucestershire Business. 


To access free support from The Growth Hub, email [email protected].

Find out more about The Paperback Shop here: https://paperbackshop.co.uk/

Annah owns Wanderlust Camper Co with her husband Andy. Together they've owned lots of live-in vehicles over the years. As their family grew, so did their need for spacious, family friendly homes-on-wheels. The options available in the market weren't quite right, so, they took matters into their own hands and set up their business. 

The use of video has transformed how they work with customers during COVID-19, and their understanding of processes have insured that any pain points are avoided or resolved. 

Learn from Annah how working with their Growth Hub Guide allowed them to maximise their social media advertising to become an economical and powerful marketing tool, and how they plan to further build their business. 

To access support from The Growth Hub, email [email protected].

Find out more about Wanderlust Camper Co here https://www.wanderlustcamperco.com/ 

From an engineering background in New Zealand, via wedding photographer, to gin producer in Gloucestershire, Jon has used his unique experience to develop a truly special business. 

At The Boutique Distillery all their gin is all made in house, using specially sourced local ingredients, in small batches, making it a unique and artisan product. Now online sales are growing, and Jon has used his photographic skills to create engaging social media content. 

Jon shares his approach to managing risks along the way, and as a new entrepreneur, the importance of continuing to learn as the business grows.  

Find out how lockdown allowed Jon to diversify, support local charities, and refocus on what matters in the business. Plus, how an overheard conversation in a cafe led him to The Growth Hub!

To access support from The Growth Hub, email [email protected].

https://www.theboutiquedistillery.com/

Ella started Fitbakes, an award-winning bakery specialising in low sugar high protein cakes, alongside her corporate role in IT. But Fitbakes is no longer a side hustle. It's a fast growing innovative brand that's attracted celebrity and high profile fans, and legion of dedicated online customers. 

Using her knowledge from a 20 year career in tech, Ella built an agile online business, partnered with social media influencers, and effectively utilisied digital marketing tools. 

Find out how a gamble on a zero margin product paid off, and how a road-trip with a Growth Hub Business Guide changed the course of the business forever. 

To access support from The Growth Hub, email [email protected].

https://www.fitbakes.co.uk/