The Parentpreneur Accelerator Podcast

In this episode I’m going deep into a topic that I know is a big one for many of you… how to find the right idea for your new business. I know some of you have been hesitating to get started with a new business, perhaps because you feel you’ve not found the right idea… so this episode for you! Show notes: https://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-030-how-to-find-the-right-idea-for-your-new-business

In this episode, I speak with Catherine Watkin, an entrepreneur and sales expert with over 19 years of experience getting clients to say Yes, without being over salesy. Catherine and I discuss how be authentic to your own values and get amazing results. Catherine now passionately teaches entrepreneurs how to ‘sell from the heart’ - structuring their offer in so that it is irresistible, yet leaves the buyer feeling respected and like they made their own mind up rather than pushed into a decision. Many entrepreneurs, me included, struggle with sales so I'm delighted to share Catherine’s interview containing lots of useful tips to put in to practice immediately. If you are keen to improve your selling techniques, this episode if for you. Show notes: https://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-029-catherine-watkin-selling-from-the-heart

Starting a new business, or even just continuing with an existing startup business, can be very tough on you emotionally and put a lot of pressure on your family. Building a new business can have risks that you are not used to, and often has short-term pain for long-term gain. As a result, your partner needs to be on-board with your decision to start a business and needs to provide continued support as you attempt to grow it. So, in this episode. I’m going to share how you can get the support you need from your partner, even if you’d previously had a failed business. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-028-how-to-get-the-support-you-need-from-your-partner-even-after-a-business-failure/

In this episode we meet Jo Dodds, founder of Power To Live More, and host of a podcast with the same name. Jo is a coach, trainer, speaker and consultant with immense expertise in productivity organisation, wellbeing, energy and resilience. She is passionate about developing these elements in other entrepreneurs. She has a background of 18 years in corporate HR and has also worked consulting in marketing and social media. She started her first business in 2005 when she had a baby so that she could spend more time at home and avoid the commute. I’ve been fortunate to know Jo for quite a few years, sharing tools and techniques that help us to be more productive with our various projects and businesses. In this interview, we discuss how to set goals and achieve them. Specifically, we’ll go deep into how to define our really big goals, how to work backwards from these to smaller goals, and what we can learn from the book by Jay Papasan, The ONE Thing (including how to get balance with family life too!). Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-027-jo-dodds-harnessing-the-power-to-live-more

Today I'm speaking to Gabriella Lynn, entrepreneur and sales expert, who provides support to women who want to learn how to improve their sales skills without being too ’salesy'. Before becoming known as 'the Sales Stylist', Gabriella developed a wealth of experience in sales and marketing, including through supporting and promoting celebrity dancers from BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. Gabriella is one of those lovely friendly people who are a joy to talk to, and really easy to get on with. She genuinely cares about people and helping them to get great results…. which, thinking about it, is probably one of the reasons that she has been top of the sales board at previous jobs, and now helps others to do the same!! So I'm really glad that Gabriella is joining me on this podcast, where we'll be discussing ‘how to help customers make a decision to buy your product'. Specifically, we'll discuss the questions we need to ask our customers, how we should structure our time with them, how to avoid coming across as salesy, and how to deal with rejection. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-026-gabriella-lynn-how-to-help-customers-make-a-decision-to-buy-your-product

In episode 25 of the Parentpreneur Accelerator Podcast I take you through a series of 5 quick steps that will help you achieve a better equilibrium between your work or business, and your home life. There are very few Parentpreneurs who haven’t encountered feelings of stress, overwhelm and guilt whilst trying to run or start a business. So from my own experience and work with numerous entrepreneurs I have designed 5 steps which will allow you to progress with your work or business whilst not sacrificing special time with loves ones. The media often talk about balance, though I prefer to think about this subject in terms of ‘switching’ our focus, like a switch controlling where we are sending our mental energy. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how you can effectively switch between work and home life and learn to switch-off from one when you are focusing on another. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-025-5-steps-to-get-better-work-life-balance

In this episode, I interview Arfa Iqbal - a digital marketing expert with more than 7 years of experience in direct response copywriting and digital marketing, as well as being a published author and single mother of two boys aged 13 and 8. Arfa is currently the Global Project Manager for Pure Matrimony - a niche matrimonial service which helps practising Muslims get together and stay together. Her primary role is in the marketing and operational side of the business where she manages a team of 10 all from the comfort of her home office. In this interview we delve deep into how to write great copy that engages your target audience and gets your ideal customers to take action. We’ll also explore Arfa’s experience of balancing looking after her two boys whilst freelancing, how she moved from being a 'freelancer' to being an entrepreneur, and how she got through a difficult time in her life after her divorce when her social circle turned their back on her. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-024-arfa-iqbal-coping-with-divorce-and-switching-from-freelancer-to-entrepreneur/

In this episode, I talk with Elliott King, Founder of MintTwist, a digital agency based in London that helps businesses create more value from their online channels, by improving their digital assets and activities. Elliott is a fellow parentpreneur, having grown this business whilst ensuring he gets quality time with his wife, Aleksandra, and their 3 children.  In this interview we explore how Elliott manages this, and how he’s grown from nothing to a 26-strong team, doing work for great clients like City University, The Discovery Channel, Hyatt, and Superdrug. We also talk about how Elliott merged with another friend's business to become co-owners, and how Elliott has needed to make big changes in his business over time. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-023-elliott-king-growing-a-business-up-to-26-staff-whilst-getting-quality-time-with-his-3-children

In this episode of the Parentpreneur Accelerator Podcast I am excited to introduce Uta de Veer, co-founder of One Scream - a new hands-free voice activated safety app for women and teenage girls. A panicked scream activates the app and triggers an automated call to 999, helping women in danger with no viable option to call for help. This is likely one of the few apps for your phone which you hope you’ll never have to use, yet it serves a very important purpose. In the interview we explore how Uta began this business in 2015, how it has progressed has been since then, what she’s learned along the way (including from parting from a co-founder), and her advice for other parentpreneurs. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-022-uta-de-veer-using-technology-to-keep-women-safe/

Lu Li is founder of Blooming Founders, and a new co-working space and member’s club called ‘Blooms’ that provides a nurturing space for female entrepreneurs and a crèche facility! Lu is passionate about supporting women in entrepreneurship, and has supported 1,000s of women on their journey, through her online community, in-person events, weekly e-newsletter and her book, 'Dear Female Founder', which collates 66 letters of advice from women entrepreneurs who have made $1billion in revenue. In this interview, we explore what it’s like for women setting out in businesses, what is out there to help women open startups, and how Lu has built a large engaged community and great network in a relatively short period of time. Show notes: http://www.parentpreneur.com/podcast-021-lu-li-creating-the-right-environment-for-female-entrepreneurs-to-bloom/