ISSUE 10 • OCTOBER 2020
IN CONVERSATION WITH
Sunita Harley Coach and Professional Development Consultant
Networking, still key for small businesses
Parents share their top tips for social media marketing How to get your business seen this Christmas 1
Networking, Still Key for Small Businesses With lockdown, many of our small business activities have had to move online, networking being one of them. In the beginning, we all embraced Zoom and social media, it was fun and exciting, but it doesn’t look like many networking groups will be opening anytime soon. It can be easy to think what’s the point? But the benefits of building your small business networking community are vast, from business growth to health and wellness, too. So how can you bridge the networking gap until we can see each other face to face?
6 ways to keep networking in a COVID safe way.
#1
Facebook: Most networking groups will have a private Facebook Group, these are great for helping you keep building relationships and connections outside of the group meetings. We keep Lemur Linkup’s Facebook Groups private which means posts don’t show up on your main Facebook feed, a safe haven to talk about your ideas and worries. Given the current circumstances, this setting is really useful, there are some things you just don’t want to share with your friends, family and potential customer base.
#2
Zoom: My networking group, Lemur Linkup, moved our monthly meetings onto Zoom and will continue to do so for the foreseeable. Zoom has a free basic package for 40 minutes. Other benefits of Zoom include
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being able to set up a waiting room so no-one can enter if you don’t know them or signed up prior. You can mute attendees so they can’t talk over the speaker and organise break out groups for smaller networking circles. Zoom is a really great way to network and still “see” each other. Plus there is the added bonus you don’t get with social media of being able to read peoples body language and hear their tone of voice.
#3
Twitter Chats: 1. Sometimes referred to as Hashtag Hours, are an excellent way to network with a multitude of people within your genre, local/ regional or the broader small business community. A Twitter chat is basically a fast-paced, interactive conversation between multiple people using the same hashtag # at the same time. For that hour, you are encouraged to follow the hashtag, tweet replies and comments using the
hashtag and network with new and old faces. A great supportive chat if you are new to this is #elevenseshour weekdays 11am-12pm.
#4
Accountability: 1. I’m part of an accountability group we have kept up by meeting on Zoom. For these ladies, I am super grateful (I’d never have completed my second book “Networking A Successful Small Business” without them), making yourself accountable to others really helps you get through your to-do list. When you tell someone else you will do x,y,z the people pleaser in us doesn’t want to turn up without completing the tasks. Start an accountability list with your networking group or even just one person you trust (not a family member), have a check-in time and make sure you go back and shout about what you got done.
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Pick Up The Phone: Most of us will use our phones to do a vast majority of our business, but how often do you actually call someone and speak to a real person, this interaction will increase your happy hormones far more than an online one.
#6
Small Groups: Arrange to meet up with 3 or 4 other small business owners. Grab a coffee or go for a walk. When you spend time with someone who makes you feel happy, positive and enthused, you want to repeat that transaction
again and again. Why is that? Because of the positive feelings, you generate by being friendly to one person extend beyond the actual interaction. This is what I get from networking, and this is what I want to share with others.
Joanne Dewberry Joanne, Author, Sage Business Expert www.joannedewberry.co.uk
Ensuring that on a daily basis, we keep utilising, building and developing our connections is paramount for any small business. For more tips and advice on networking for your small business check out Joanne’s new book “Networking A Successful Small Business” which can be purchased via Amazon: https:// amzn.to/2zlhEtO
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In Conversation with
Sunita Harley Coach and Professional Development Consultant, Lucky ThingsÂŽ Lucky ThingsÂŽ is led by Sunita, a Coach and CIPD Professional Development Consultant as featured on the BBC, with over 15 years' coaching and workshop delivery experience in the corporate, media and independent business spaces. She also works with a range of people on developing their skills, CVs and LinkedIn profiles. Sunita is married and has 2 children.
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Tell us about your business journey. How did you get here? I’ll kick off with where I am now. I’m a trained Business, Career and Confidence Coach who also delivers workshops for a variety of organisations and individuals. In 2015, I launched Lucky Things®, an online and events space all about looking after our confidence, career, businesses and wellbeing. I’m proud that Lucky Things® is known for being inclusive, inspiring and informative through my coaching work or the workshops I design and deliver. Over the last 20 years, I’ve worked in senior HR and professional development roles at Aviva and major law firms Addleshaw Goddard LLP, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and Slaughter and May in the City of London. It’s at these organisations where I discovered my energy for coaching and developing others. With a background in TV, music and media, I feel comfortable being in front of the camera and delivering these sessions online. I’m lucky to have studied Anthropology and Human Geography at University College London whilst being raised by a solo parent. After uni, I worked at a magazine (in Shoreditch before it was cool), then at a record label and the last phase of my media career focused on fashion. I learned so much from working with incredible client brands and teams at Nike, The
Body Shop, Italian Vogue, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Body Shop, Sotheby’s and Debenhams to name a few. I then wanted to focus on a corporate career after finishing my MA in HR Management so swiftly moved into my first corporate HR role. Well, the GCSE career survey at school said I should be a librarian, but I was keen to do other things. I’ve been brought up in a statusfocused high-achieving culture which didn’t support creative or entrepreneurial careers, so I was determined to prove people wrong. My media career has been invaluable for my corporate achievements and running my own business as networking and being versatile is so important in these unusual times.
How do you spread the word about what you do? I use different online spaces and tools to spread the word about what I do. Word-of-mouth has been amazing for my business. My coaching work comes from recommendations from ex-colleagues, managers or personal recommendations from those in the Lucky Things® network. My friends play a key role in sharing my coaching, CV/LinkedIn writing services and also recommend me as a workshop leader for different organisations. Social media has also played a huge role in growing my business. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (and sometimes YouTube!) have enabled me to
reach wider audiences. I’m proud that about 64% of the Lucky Things followers, which I prefer to call my ‘audience’, have met me in real life, attended one of the Lucky Things Meet Ups or masterclasses, or seen me speak at conferences. It reminds me of how authentic and engaged my business ‘following’ is.
What are your biggest pain points that you have been dealing with in your business these days? With our Covid-19 economic environment, there are so many financial unknowns. So I’ve been focused on the best expertise and skills I offer and what clients really need from me, bearing in mind their own challenges. I’m currently coaching a number of small business owners on their market resilience and business strategies. A business worry for me is exposure. I’ve implemented my PR strategy this year, but I’m also conscious that there’s more work to be done with representing businesses and leaders from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
How do your values show up in the work you do? Lucky Things® is all about feeling confident and looking out for your career, business and wellbeing. I strongly believe you can’t have one without the other. In my 20 years working in senior HR teams and being part of executive teams, my main values have been collaboration,
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THE SUCCESS STORY Kimberley Mason Hi, I’m Kim, Director of Incredibly Cool Events (ICE). I live in Staffordshire with my husband and two sons. I didn't plan to become selfemployed, however, when I look back, it isn’t that much of a surprise. My first entrepreneurial endeavour was at the age of eight. I used my pocket money to buy bottles of pop, then charged my family for drinks from my ‘bedroom café’. Over time, my range grew to include biscuits and - when I hit the big time - cake. That was just one of several early ventures into the world of
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self-employment. In my teens, I started dog walking; not the wisest choice for somebody scared of dogs. Realising it wasn’t going to be a success, I moved on to car washing with my friend. This worked out better. We got lots of regular customers and used the profits to invest in better equipment. So, whilst I'd dabbled in business to top up my pocket money, things really came to fruition much later through doing what I loved.
Growing up, I loved dancing and won several national titles. I spent a lot of my childhood taking part in shows and competitions. At the age of 18, I passed my teaching qualifications then set up weekly dance sessions for local children in the church hall. I really loved helping them learn something new and seeing the joy on their faces when a routine came together. It was great to be part of a community.
My love of dance grew into a community interest company, Maddison’s. My project worked in some of the most deprived areas of the West Midlands and provided exciting opportunities to young people from disadvantaged communities. They performed at the Birmingham Hippodrome, and alongside The Wanted at the Canon Hill Park Olympic Torch party. Five young people from the project ran alongside me with the Olympic torch after I was nominated in recognition of the work I'd done in the community. Maddison's really took off. We'd trained 20 coaches, and at one point we were running over 100 sessions each week in numerous schools and community venues. The project also delivered end of term shows and festivals, which is how I discovered my real passion and expertise was in events. Always one to take a chance, in 2015, I decided to launch ICE. ICE delivers affordable dance and cheer events throughout the UK. The aim is to get people involved regardless of background or ability. I wanted to take some of the expense away and make sure the experience was accessible to everyone. It gives those with a passion for dance and cheer their opportunity to shine.
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Setting up wasn’t without its challenges. A month after launching, I discovered I was pregnant with my first son George. I ended up delivering the last event of our first season 11 days before my planned caesarean. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it. I think passion and determination got me through. Over the last four years, ICE has gone from strength to strength. Up until the pandemic, we were delivering up to 16 competitions each year nationwide. Before lockdown, I was also on the cusp of launching another arm of the business called The Kids' Festival. The events organised for April and June were put on hold for obvious reasons. I've been using this extra time to plan how to make the festival even better than I first anticipated. I also have a few other things in the pipeline. This is the thing about being an entrepreneur; I'm always thinking of new ideas, how I can help people, and what gaps I can fill. Looking back, I think like a lot of first-time mums I had no real idea what to expect. The mum I had planned to be (in my head) was in for a bit of a shock. For example, I wish I hadn’t convinced myself that babies sleep through the night at eight weeks (no idea where that idea came from), or that working with a baby by your side is easy (it's not). Nonetheless, I continued running ICE whilst George was a baby. With my second son, I had a bigger team
in place and found it easier to let go of the reins a little, so I took some proper maternity leave. If anybody else is setting up in business, my recommendations would be to do something you love and take advice. The business might be your baby but accept you can’t be an expert in everything. When I was younger, I thought I had to do it all. To be honest, that didn’t feel great. I wasn’t good at some things, and frankly, there were some bits I really disliked. I soon realised I don’t need to be skilled in accounts, law, marketing, or a host of other things. There are other people out there who are accomplished at those things and can help me. Kimberley Mason Director of Incredibly Cool Events (ICE) www.incrediblycoolevents.co.uk
PARENTS IN BUSINESS DIRECTORY
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Werk Lifestyle Management offers a new, modern approach to personal and business support, supplying you with transparent and uncomplicated assistance when you need it most. A service for businesses, entrepreneurs or anyone who finds themselves needing business support, has a need to offload tasks, or bring structure to their home life.
Shannon of Mockingbird Makes, and I mindfully Make beautiful bespoke hand knitted crocheted or embroidered handicrafts, co-creating alongside my clients (partners, really). Mockingbird Makes have been called "sunshine in product form" that have a 'huge feel-good factor.'
Your everyday virtual admin solution providing personal assistant support to conquer general admin tasks, so consultants and small business can focus on growing their business.
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Handmade keyrings
Business support Lifestyle admin Social media Event management www.work-werk.com
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What you'll find Handmade cardigans Handmade hats Handmade sunshine products and more www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ MockingbirdMakesCo
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Worsley Training is run by Louise Worsley, a professional teacher with an instinctive ability to make learning First Aid memorable and enjoyable. She has over fifteen years of hands-on First Aid experience, both as a global expedition leader and as a parent.
Format Services is a Virtual Assistant Company taking care of all of your administration needs. Offer various services which can support you to grow your business, and you can view them further in the Services section. There are many benefits of outsourcing your administration, and this is something that we can discuss further as every business is unique.
Bhavini, is a Milton Keynes-based graphic designer with a shed-load of passion and the experience to match. She loves working with clients of all shapes and sizes, from the likes of Barclaycard and British Gas to business-to-business start-ups.
Some of the courses offered Baby and Child First Aid Paediatric First Aid Mini Life-Savers (first aid for primary school children) Teen-Aiders (First aid for teenagers & secondary school children) Basic Life Support with Defibrillator First Aid Training So many other courses are on offer so be sure to check out the website. Notebooks and planners
Services offered Email Management Transcription Project management
Services offered Branding Marketing material design Business stationary design Advertising design www.b81designs.com
Venue Bookings And so much more be sure to check out Nadene's website www.formatservices.co.uk
www.worsleytraining.co.uk
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