All change... after 63 successful episodes of Creative Slurp, it was time for a new focus.

In this new episode, find out about the journey I went on to uncover my own thread - storytelling - how you can find your own thread, and what you can expect from the new episodes of Story Slurp.

I want to inspire you to share your story and Story Slurp is designed to help you with every aspect of that - from hearing other people's stories, to listening to story experts.

We are hardwired to respond to stories, which is why learning about story is such a powerful tool for business owners.

If you want to uncover the power of storytelling, you're in the right place - enjoy.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

You DON'T have to be on social media for your business.

Yup, I said it. I’m a marketing coach, but I don’t believe posting on social media should be a foregone conclusion for a business.

How did that make you feel?

I see so many small business owners bogged down by the obligation of making content for social media - totally burnt out by the amount of content they need to create, and then it’s not actually making a difference to the bottom line.  And the reality is there are so many other ways of finding customers - many of them better - yet people still stay stuck in a kind of self-imposed social media jail without actually thinking of whether it’s adding value to their business.

The job of social media is to attract new customers to your business, to help them get to know you better and to keep you front of mind…is it doing that for you? if not, there will probably be other marketing channels and tactics that can do that better. Be open to new ways of working and give something else a go.

In my latest episode of Creative Slurp Podcast I give my views on social media:

• I explain why it’s not the be-all and end-all
• I talk about the big businesses that have already gone social free
• I show you how you can still get the benefits of social media without even having an account
• I spill the beans on two other methods of attracting customers and building your brand that I consider to be better
• I empower you to make the choice about social media that’s right for your business.

I'm not ‘anti-social media’ and yes, I do have social media accounts. But I also want to help business owners be intentional about making the best decision they can around their marketing strategy and where they spend their time.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Ever felt your product photos might be holding you back? Upping the quality of your product photos can be a game changer. In this episode of Creative Slurp Podcast, top product photographer, Holly Booth gives oodles of top practical tips on how to create great product shots.   She also tells us the story of her own creative business - find out how listening to customers, being part of communities and not being afraid to innovate has helped her succeed in business.  This episode is a masterclass in discovering your own niche and how to serve your customers in your own way.

Find out more about Holly and what she does here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever felt you’re going around in circles, and not learning from your mistakes?

Do you feel stuck, and you know you’re not getting anywhere?

Reflective learning could be the answer - a proven way to dig deep, to learn in a deeper way and find solutions to your trickiest problems.  

Find out how in this week's episode of Creative Slurp Podcast.

In case you need a reminder, here are the reflective journal prompts mentioned in the episode:

• What did I learn from today?
• Did it add or reinforce what I already know?
• What did I gain from this activity / event?
• How might that help me in the future?
• What might I do differently in the future?

To get help starting your reflective practice, why not join our monthly Accountability Club? I'll walk you through the process of reflection every month, alongside other like-minded business owners, and if it's not for you, you can cancel at any time.

Find out more and join the club here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever wondered how to make your business stand out from the crowd, but still do what you love?

You’ll love this episode’s guest.  Lucie Sheridan created her business, Rubbish portraits because she wanted to create some consistent income from being an artist. So she created a ‘portrait booth’, from where she draws guests in just three minutes at events.

As well as giving people a fun and easy way to pay for her artwork, it's also has worked as a brilliant marketing tool - creating a memorable brand around her.

In this episode, find out Lucie’s top tips for making it as an artist, and why she’d never give up her mundane admin job! Enjoy :-)

Find out more about Lucie and Rubbish Portraits here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Can a pen and a scrap of paper change your life?

Alison Jones thinks so.  Over 30 years in the publishing industry she’s helped hundreds of authors to publish their books and knows a bit about getting your story down on paper.  And she’s also just published her own book - which shows you how to use the power of writing to help you solve problems and transform your life.  

She believes exploratory writing is a simple but much-overlooked tool that could get you extraordinary results in the areas of self-mastery, creativity, focus, solution finding and collaboration. 

Alison is the founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing and to find out more you can check out her publishing website here or buy her book here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

If you're serious about making 2023 your best year ever, you need to get savvy and find a way of becoming as productive as you can.  Learning some great productivity techniques (as well as about yourself) will help you achieve more and stress less in the coming year.  

In this episode, I take you through 12 proven productivity techniques that will spur you into action and have helped me achieve so much over the last few years.  This isn't about being perfect, it's about being a bit better and using the tools in a way that fits you.  I hope you find one or two useful tools that you can use to help move the needle in your business.

If you want to learn more about productivity, and how to get more done in your business, you can get my Creative's Productivity Toolbox here.

Or you can join my new Accountability Club - just drop me an email here to ask for the details.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Poppy Treffry is an award-winning Cornish textile designer that started her business in an attic with a 1930’s sewing machine and car boot sale fabric in 2003 and now has a well-established business employing an army of sewers across rural cornwall.  When she started using freehand machine embroidery, it wasn't even a thing, and now you see it everywhere - so she really was a trailblazer! 

I really enjoyed our chat and Poppy’s obvious passion, not just for craft, but also business. I can’t wait to share her story with you, as well as tell you how her customers came to the rescue during the pandemic.  This is a lesson in following your gut and going for it - enjoy!

You can find out more about Poppy here: https://poppytreffry.co.uk/

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Social media can be so overwhelming when you start a business - which channels to use? What to post? How to actually get results? Should you use paid ads? And what's actually the blinkin' point anyway?

So, in this podcast I've put together my top 7 golden rules of social media, to make sure you get the benefits of socials, without it sucking the life out of you.  These rules will teach you to understand the role of social media in your overall marketing plan and get the most out of it, whatever you sell.

I've also created a handy-andy FREE downloadable checklist and guide, to make it super easy to implement these golden rules - just go along to thevictoriabrown.com/social to grab your copy.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Meet Krystle McGilvery - Chartered Accountant and Fine Artist - she’s passionate about helping people overcome the  mindset blocks they have about managing their money and giving business owners the financial tools they need to survive and thrive.  

In this conversation, we talk about practical and simple ways business owners can make managing their finances easier and Krystle’s experience of being diagnosed with both ADHD and Dyslexia late in life. This is such a great listen if you’ve ever struggled with money in life or business, and Krystle is living proof that you can be good at both finance and art! Enjoy.

Find out more about Krystle on her website here. 

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Introducing the wondrous Lisa Stickley - a creative who's wonderfully authentic and true to herself. She’s an illustrator who delightfully describes herself as a professional colourer-inner.  She’s had so much business success - being stocked in household names like Harrods, Liberty, Paul Smith and Burberry, amongst others.  She’s so generous in sharing her experience of when it all went wrong and she walked away from her business and name.  She also talks about how she was affected by her dyslexia diagnosis as an adult and losing her Mum during lockdown.

We talk about imposter syndrome, the importance of tenacity in business andbeing true to yourself. And she also talks about her love for lidos! I just loved her honesty and humour despite everything that has happened and think you’re going to love listening to this…enjoy!

Find out more about Lisa and sign up for her Doodle classes at her website: https://lisastickleystudio.com/

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Do you feel stuck in a rut? When was the last time you did something a bit out of your comfort zone?

It may be that you just need to make a few bold moves in business, and in life to try to change things up a bit.

I recently realised I was playing too safe, and decided to be braver. 

Here are three ways I became braver and how it transformed by business and personal life.  It could transform yours too.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Meet Sue Pryke - an award-winning ceramicist at the top of her game, with more than 20 years of ceramics design under her belt.

Sue still has so much passion and excitement about her craft and business - which is a joy and an inspiration to see.

in this episode we talked about Sue’s story, the importance of teaching creativity to kids, collaborating with chefs, what it’s like to see your face in Ikea, and the power of the Great British Pottery throwdown (on which Sue was actually a judge).

Enjoy!

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Are you REALLY satisfied in your Creative career?
Are you doing the thing you always really wanted to do, or are you compromising somehow?

Kerry Lyons is a Creative Business Coach - her goal is to help everyone find their 'true creative calling' - because in her experience, many creatives end up in other creative roles that aren’t quite the perfect fit for them. 

In this episode, she tells her story and gives tips on how to get back on the right creative track if you’re finding yourself unfulfilled. 

As a creative myself, I found this whole topic fascinating and I hope you do too...

To find out more about Kerry, check out her website here.

And if you want to book onto a Pick and Mix Workshop with Victoria Brown, you can find out more here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Ever felt so frustrated with your website that you want to jack it all in and start again?

If you’re getting no visitors and your SEO seems broken, then it can be frustrating, but don’t give up just yet.

According to my guest today - the amazing Aime Cox-Tennant from Studio Cotton, there ARE things you can do to make your website better - even if you do want to chuck your laptop out of the window.

In this week’s episode, Aime talks about her lovely business journey, gives loads of great website tips and talks about the power of storytelling in your business.

You can find out more about Aime and Studio Cotton here.

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 And if you want to book onto a Pick and Mix Workshop with Victoria Brown, you can find out more here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever been told to use 'storytelling' and 'stories' in your marketing, but no one's actually told you HOW?

This episode demystifies the art of storytelling in social media, emails and websites, to show you the three different types of stories you should be telling to help you sell more in your business.  Three types of stories you should be using:

• Desirability stories - stories that show why your product is so individual and incredible.
• Connection stories - stories that help show you as a real person and build a connection with your audience
• Authority stories - stories that show you as an authority/expert and that build trust.

Enjoy! To find out more about storytelling, check out my PIck and Mix 'Stories that Sell' Workshop, on Weds 12 October.

Click here to browse workshops.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Don't just leave it to chance! Did you know there are things you could be doing RIGHT NOW, to help boost your sales this Christmas?

In this short episode, I go through the 3 key things you should be thinking about to have a bumper Christmas period, and how to put them into action:

• Step up your email campaign
• Have a strategy for fairs you attend
• Make sure you are offering the right products (and have enough stock!)

Enjoy and happy festive greetings!  If you want help with any of this, then I offer power hours on these subjects, where we can create a personalised plan just for you.  Just drop me a line here for more details.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Meet Caroline Rowland - editor of the amazing independent and award-winning 91 magazine - a gorgeous publication focused on interiors and creativity. Find out how Caroline ended up publishing her own magazine, after growing up in Northern Ireland and working as a picture editor for the Financial Times. We chat about having a career in publishing and how to make sure you have great images for your business. 

Caroline is completely passionate about the power of high quality imagery for your business, and has some amazing tips to help you up-level your images.

Find out more about 91 Magazine and order your copy here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Ever wondered what it's really like to be a freelance artist and illustrator?  Michelle Abrahall spills the beans and gives her top tips on avoiding imposter syndrome, keeping accountable as a creative and talks about how lockdown changed her business. 

Listen now for the real talk on what it's like to be a creative in such an unpredictable world.

Find out more about Michelle and see her amazing website here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever wondered whether you should mentor someone else? Maybe you don't think you have the time to help someone right now, and maybe you don't realise all the wonderful benefits you can get yourself, as a mentor.

In this episode of Creative Slurp I talk about my journey as a mentor - from sceptic to supporter, the five BIG benefits to becoming a mentor for you and your business and the common myths around mentorship.

And for a limited time, Enterprise Nation, in association with the UK Government and The Association of Business Mentors are offering FREE mentor training as part of their Help to Grow Management Scheme. Click here to apply.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever wondered how a pineapple grows? Or why most watering cans are really boring? Artist and Surface Designer, Julie-Anne Pugh has! Now known for her colourful hand-painted watering cans, in this episode we chat about the importance of curiosity, human connection and joy.  And she tells me all about her amazing art installations, giving away eggs during lockdown and painting her doorstep with uplifting messages. Learn more about Julie-Anne (including why she wants to be on Blue Peter, in this episode!

You can find out more about Julie-Anne at her Instagram account here.

Or her website here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever suffered from imposter syndrome? Did it stop you doing something you really wanted to do, but were too scared/didn't think you were good enough to try?

Hands up - I have! And so many times. But now I'm so much more aware of it than I used to be, I've come up with different ways to deal with it, so that it doesn't stop me from progressing my business and my dreams.

Here are my 5 steps to overcoming imposter syndrome so you can walk the path of your wildest dreams...

1. Awareness - firstly you need to be aware of any limiting beliefs you tell yourself - pay attention to what you're telling yourself and journal regularly to try to access those beliefs more easily.
2. Negate those limiting beliefs with logic and understanding. Those beliefs are there for a reason, they're there to keep you safe.  But if you can help that part of you understand that those beliefs are actually not needed and are not that helpful, you can start to overcome them.
3. Harness the power of community - Everyone has imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs holding them back. Join a community of like-minded people to share your thoughts and you'll start to realise it's nothing to do with your abilities - it's down to the stories we all tell ourselves.
4. Carry out visualisation meditations regularly - when we start regularly visualising our goals and dreams, they become normal. So when you come across these situations in real life, the whole thing feels less scary.
5. Take action.  The most effective way to overcome imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs is to take action. When you actually do the things your mind is telling you you can't, it's impossible to still hold onto those limiting beliefs. And you realise you actually can do them, as you've already experienced them.

These are all things that have really helped me every time I come up against imposter syndrome or my limiting beliefs flare up, and I hope they'll help you too.  As the only way we can ever grow is to experience new things and challenge ourselves.  Good luck, you can do it.  Let me know how you get on with these techniques.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Can you imagine moving to a completely different country with hardly any money, not speaking the language and needing to find work?

That's what happened to Vania Soucy. She arrived in New York, from Brazil, without being able to speak English that well and not knowing what she would do for work. With a background in sewing, she realised she could buy bags of second-hand clothes cheaply and upcycle them to sell on.  

Before long she got really good at it and created a successful business. Now she's teaching others to do the same, and help save the planet by recycling clothes with her online sewing school - Wardrobe School.  Listen to this episode of Creative Slurp to find out what kept her going and how she did it.

You can find out more about Vania and her mission on her Instagram account here. 

And her website here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Meet Roșie Greener, the founder of Good Daze jewellery - an independent brand that celebrates love, humour and positivity.  

Rosie started her jewellery brand several years ago after becoming disillusioned with her job designing for a corporate company. She’s now living the dream and running her brand full-time.

in this episode of Creative Slurp podcast, she talks about her journey, the importance of market research, feeling like an imposter in business and how she made her dream collaborations happen. Rosie’s mantra is not to take things personally in business, and I think that’s brilliant advice.

I really loved her honest and practical advice around building your business, and I think it's great reassurance that there is no shortcut to success in business, you just have to keep going, and good things will follow.

I hope this episode inspires you as much as it did me, enjoy :-)

You can find out more about Rosie and her jewellery brand on her website here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

If you're a regular listener to this show, you'll know that at the end of June I set myself a challenge - to draw or paint for 30 days.

Now, if you're an artist (or even if you're not) you may think this is no big deal. But...for me, it was.

Even as a creative I had been telling myself for 25 years that I couldn't draw or paint, and would even feel like an imposter walking down the art aisle in the craft store.  I decided a few weeks ago that enough was enough. I needed to address this limiting belief that was slowly oozing its toxicity into my mind and normalise drawing and painting for myself.

In this episode find out what I learned about drawing and painting, but mostly what I learned about myself and why I love 30-day challenges so much for overturning limiting beliefs.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Ever wondered what it takes to build a brand from your kitchen table? Emma Tucker, Co-Founder of Modo Creative does.  She and her husband, Andrew, set up their business around 15 years ago (at the same time as a complete lifestyle change, as they moved from London to Yorkshire).  They are now regularly featured in the media, a staple of Not On The High Street, and are sold in major High Street shops like John Lewis (winning awards along the way). 

Find out Emma's top tips on how to build a  creative brand with longevity and how they survived tough times during the pandemic.

Follow Modo Creative on Instagram here.

Check out their website here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Do you miss that 'fresh new book' time at the start of September, now you're no longer at school?

Why not create your own summer reset? Use the quiet time over the summer holidays to look back at your business to see what's worked, and remind yourself of those amazing business dreams that drifted off somewhere!

1. You need to download - everything that worked, and everything that didn't. Think about both the successes for your businesses in terms of numbers, but also how things made you feel.

2. Spend some time on dreaming.  Not enough of us do this, and it's so easy to forget in the rush of life, but spending just a bit of time intentionally dreaming will help you remember why you started your business in the first place and realign you with your passion.

3. Think about how you can be intentional about bringing creativity into your life every day - we all know that time for yourself gets brushed under the carpet when you're busy.  So spend some time over the summer, when it's quiet, to work out how you can carve out some of that all-important creative time to feed your creative juices - and how you can make it easy to stick to.

So that's my summer reset -  You can find more ideas on how to implement this and get recharged for the 'new year' if you listen to this episode.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Fuel bills are going up, grocery bills are rocketing, inflation is high. Whether or not we're heading for a recession, times are tricky for us all right now - and they're even more tricky for a business owner, when you're being squeezed on both sides.  

So what can you do?

In this episode, I go through my 3-step G E T  plan to follow when times are tough and you don't know what to do.

Here's a summary:

G - Gather information about which products are selling well and what your customers actually want.

E - Engage - with your customers - keep the conversation going with them, even when you don't feel like it.

T - Take action - create a mini-action plan centred around the information you found out when you 'gathered it' earlier.  Chuck out the stuff that's not been working for you, launch things that you know will.  And declutter. Lots.

Tough times and recessions are great times to take a look back at your business to see what's no longer working and what might work even better.

You can do this!

A huge good luck - and if you want to hear more about the GET plan - drop me a line and let me know, as I can create more resources around it.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

How often do you stop and really think about the small stories that make up the fabric of your life? We're all so busy these days, it's so easy to forget! Laura Pashby (@circleofpine) is on a mission to help people rediscover the lost art of telling small stories - we chat about how to create a storytelling practice, how it can benefit your other artistic disciplines, the best way to deal with Instagram changes and being true to yourself. Enjoy!

You can find Laura on Instagram here.

And find out more about her inspiring book here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to take part in a TV show, like The Great British Sewing Bee?  This week we talk to Lauren Guthrie - one of the first-ever contestants.  She's now taken her love of sewing to new heights by creating a successful sewing and haberdashery business! She tells us why she believes more of us should try new things and talks about the tricky balance between home life and business.

Find out more about Lauren at: https://guthrie-ghani.co.uk/

Or follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/guthrieghani/

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

So you've heard about how brilliant blogs can be, but how do you start one?  Here are my top tips for getting started on creating a brilliant blog - which will grow your audience and your business.

Here's a reminder of what I go through on the podcast (and some handy links):

1. Get clear on your mission

2. Set up a platform - use your existing platform if you already have a website.  If you haven't got a website yet, then I recommend setting up a Wordpress blog.  You'll need 3 things - a domain (you can buy these at GoDaddy.com), download your site software for free at Wordpress.org here.  And you'll also need a site host - I use SiteGround, which is amazing.  Dr Andy Williams' book: 'Wordpress for beginners'  is brilliant! You can get it here (he releases a new edition every year).

3. Commit to when you're going to post

4. Brainstorm ideas beforehand - try and think about what your customers already ask you, or what they might need/like to know.

5. Batch and schedule. Blogging takes less time if you write as many posts as you can when you're in the mood and then schedule them to go out regularly.  For example, even if you blog weekly, you only need to spend one day a month writing blog posts and then you can schedule them in for the whole month.  Giving you headspace for other things!

Enjoy starting your blog, and if you need any help, drop me a line at victoria@thevictoriabrown.com 

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

So often we carry around limiting beliefs around with us about our abilities - especially when it comes to creativity.

I myself have carried the limiting belief that I can't draw or paint for around 30 years! But no more, I've set myself a challenge to draw and paint every day for 30 days - will you join me to face your creative demons? You just need to do whatever scares you creatively for 15 mins a day for 30 days.  

Tag me in your progress on Instagram with #creativeslurpchallenge. Let's smash those limiting beliefs holding us back creatively and mentally!  And follow my progress to see if I can change how I feel about my artistic abilities! 

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Being in business can be tough.  When it's just you, yourself and um, you, everything falls on you and if you don't believe deep down that you can do it, or even that's it's possible, then it likely won't happen.  You need to believe you can in order to make your dreams succeed. But so often we put off taking action because we think we're not ready yet.

 Here are some ways I've found to start believing in myself and take action:

• Uncover your own personal limiting beliefs
• Work to debunk those limiting beliefs
• Take action before you're ready - because you'll never feel ready until you've done it
• Look for expert help in changing your mindset

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Have you ever wondered how to (or even whether you should) get PR for your business? What is PR anyway?  PR and branding expert Lucy Werner (author of Hype Yourself and Brand Yourself and Founder of The Wern PR agency) gives her top tips on how to get publicity for your small business.

Find out more about Lucy here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Want to transform and improve your life, your business and EVERYTHING?

Then self-awareness is a game changer.

Since I started to learn more about myself, I found I was better equipped to create a life that I love, a life that was truly aligned with me. If you don’t truly know yourself, how can you hope to create a life and business that’s fulfilling and suited to you?

So, in this episode, I take you through three amazing tools that can help you find out more about yourself, the way you view the world, your values, your beliefs and preferences.

They are:

1. Personality profiling tools/self-awareness tools
2. Journalling - especially free writing
3. Coaching

From my experience, I’ve found that these tools are mind-glowingly effective at really helping you to know yourself better and see past the blind spots that we all have.

Find more information about these tools and how they can help you in the episode.

Some useful links from the episode:

🧃16 personalities questionnaire

🧃Values questionnaire

🧃Exploratory writing book by Alison Jones

🧃 My coaching services

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Let's de-mystify the world of writing - I want to make it super simple for you to write better copy and content for your business, without the faff.  And the number one best way of doing that? By writing more simply! Simplifying your writing style will help your audience connect better with your writing, because they have to work less hard.  Find out how to simplify your writing in this episode of Creative Slurp.

So  here are the steps to making your writing simple:

• Start with a structure
• Use simple, short sentence structures and the active tense
• Substitute complex words and jargon, with simpler words
• Do a simplification audit when you're done - and see if you can simplify what you've written further.

Make things super simple for your customers, and they will love you for it, understand what you're trying to say and be more likely to buy from you.

My mini-course - 'Be Copy Confident' teaches you how to use a structure to make writing simple in less than an hour. 

Enrol now here to transform the way you write for your business.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

I absolutely LOVE blogs - starting mine in 2019 changed my life - it led to a trip to Paris, building a business I adore and creating an amazing community, which I love supporting.

Here's why you should start a blog:

1. It can lead to amazing opportunities.
2. It can help keep your website up to date and keep Google happy.
3. It can help with Search Engine Optimisation and key-wording.
4. It can help you to answer common customer questions.
5. It can build your authority in your space and your customers' trust in you.

To start a blog - make it simple!  Either use the existing blog on your business website, or start a Wordpress one, but above all, keep it consistent.  As it's only by blogging consistently that you can get results.

If you struggle with writing blog posts, and find it takes a long time, look at my new mini-course - Be Copy Confident - which will teach you how to easily structure your posts to make them super simple to write! You can get it here.

And if you want a blog,  but you don't have the time, then check out my done-for-you blog writing service.  Contact me at victoria@thevictoriabrown.com for all the details!

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

You can find out more about Fiona Wilson and her work here:

https://fionawilsonprints.bigcartel.com/

On Instagram

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Nothing connects with your customers as well as email.  The stats will say that email is the best method for getting yourself out there. There are no algorithms. You own your list. You can connect with your customer in a more intimate way. It's just amazing. But it can be really, really scary before you find your feet with it. And it can be quite difficult to sit down and write those emails if you don't like doing it. So I've got three tips that I've come up with after working with lots of people and helping them to improve their emails:

1. Make sure you're on a platform you ENJOY using - my recommendation is Flodesk, for stylish emails in a super easy-to-use app.  You can get 50% off your subscription for the first year (and a free, no-obligation trial here).
2. Believe you're serving your customers with your emails.
3. Don't get hung up on your unsubscription rates.

Once I dealt with all my email demons, I found that not only was my email list so much more successful, it also became enjoyable to email my customers!  Try out the tips above (more details in the podcast) and let me know how you get on.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Failure sucks.  We've all been there, and do you know what? In business, it's pretty much guaranteed. So how can you be resilient to failure, and use it to bounce back stronger than before? Here are my top tips for turning failure into a positive to build a stronger business and happier you.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

You want to make sure that everything on the website is performing at its best and you're really giving the customer the best experience you can.

So the best way of doing it is to have what I call a mini-audit and just take some time to take a look and see everything from a customer perspective. So schedule probably half a day, maybe a full day into your calendar and go through your website as if you were your customer, put your customer hat on and just navigate it through the journey of your website to see what it's like to experience it for the first time and what the flow is like.

Here are 3 things to focus on:

1. Know what each piece of content and page is trying to achieve.

2. Make sure everything is clearly signposted and flows well.

3. Make sure everything is on-brand.

If you want more help with auditing your website then I offer this as a service. You can find out more here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Ever wondered what it takes to build a business that LASTS?  Wondered what it takes to make sure you don't get bored in your business?  Jewellery Designer Kate Smith has been in business for 21 years and counting, and has no plans to change careers yet!  She joins me on this episode of Creative Slurp to talk about creativity, what makes a successful business, why she goes the extra mile for customers and her mental health struggles.

Find out more about Kate at her website here.

And find her on Instagram here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Are you overwhelmed by writing your social media post where my hand is up in the air right now? I can tell you because it can be utterly exhausting. Now I'm a content writer. I'm a journalist. I still find it hard and daunting to write all my social media content and all the content that I need to create for my business. There is just so much and so many people are always telling us that we need to do this platform and that platform and the other platform. And if you're not careful, you are sitting writing a few social media posts, you get sucked in. You look at your watch and it's 2 hours later and you're like, "Where has the time gone?!" And sometimes you can't even say that it's been worth your time. You can't even say there's been a return on that time investment. It can be really hard work to constantly be creating content and to keep going with it. 

So, because I think it's one of the biggest challenges that I'm hearing from business owners at the moment, I wanted to come on this podcast today and just give you a few tips I found from my career as a journalist and as a corporate communications manager to really help you make the most of that content and stop you struggling with all the time you're spending on creating it and maybe help you even enjoy the creation process as well.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

What is a 'tone of voice'? It's the personality that we inject into our writing, to help people feel a certain way. Now, why is this important? Because when we market our businesses, we want to attract our perfect customers. And we also want to repel the ones we don't want because you can't appeal to everybody.  I know it sounds counterintuitive, but there will be people who just don't resonate with you. And if they don't know  you're not the right fit for them, they might start sending you email inquiries, come on calls with you or whatever. And that would just be a waste of both of your time, really, frankly, if they're not a good fit.

So the best way to avoid this is to create a tone of voice around your business and brand which will attract the right people.

Find out in this episode how to create and hone your very own unique tone of voice.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

If you're scared to have children because of the impact it might have on your career, then this may help. I can tell you from my own experience that I put off having children for SO long, because of this reason. But in reality, becoming a mother helped me become more driven in my career and business than ever before.  If you're struggling with this, listen to my story and use it to help change your perspective.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Introducing the amazing Luke Tonge - graphic designer and co-founder of Birmingham Design. Luke’s a self-confessed introvert, yet he’s managed to co-create a festival that’s helping to change the perception of a city - which is no mean feat. 

In this episode we chat about the importance of community, defining yourself and how to be braver in your business. Enjoy!

You can find out more about Luke here.

Find out about Birmingham Design here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

If you hate talking about yourself, then approaching writing an about page for your website is probably way, way down on your list of priorities. It's probably on that list of things you know you really have to do. But really, do we have to do it right now? Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after that. And you know what? We all know that tomorrow never comes. 

So why is writing an about Page so difficult? Well, if you're an introvert, as so many creatives are, it can be really hard trying to sell yourself when you're trying to put yourself out there and it can feel really uncomfortable. So in this episode, I'm going to talk about why you do need a good about page and a few tips on how to create one.

To find out more about my about page writing service (where I actually write it for you!) or when I'm launching my About Page mini-courses, then just drop me a line. You can get in touch here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

We all have a lot of baggage around writing emails to our customers and so many of us know how effective they are. We know that stats say that emails are 40 times more likely to sell our products than social media. We've heard how amazing email is at selling products, but for some reason we don't seem to be able to get ourselves started and put ourselves out there. 

And I was the same when I started on email. I had this feeling that I was bugging my customers. I didn't want to be sending them an email every single week just saying here's a product, here's a product, here's a product, because it just felt so cold and empty and I just didn't want to be feeling icky when I was selling my products. 

And to be honest, I didn't have that many products. So if I was going to be selling constantly,  I didn't have that much to talk about, so it would get pretty boring. That's why I resisted sending emails to my customers for a long time. And what changed everything for me is realizing that I could talk about anything in my emails.

Find out how I write emails that my customers love in this episode of Creative Slurp.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Ever wondered how to get started in shops - whether you want to open your own, or get stocked in one?  In this episode of Creative Slurp I chat to Jo McCarthy from Firain, who used to run her own shop, and now helps creative business owners to do the same.  We talk how to deal with the stresses of a creative business, what to do if you want to get stocked in shops and how to navigate opening your own shop.

You can find out more about Jo at her website here.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

340,000 words is a lot of words, but what you can expect to write every year as a small business owner. Your words are what connect you with your customers, but it can be utterly overwhelming to know what to say.

Here are my 5 secrets (or sprinkles) to writing great copy, and make it fun and easy!

• Chattify
• Cherry on top
• Simplify
• Stories
• Your voice

I'm also offering a FREE Sprinkles checklist at the moment - which you can download and save.  It goes through all 5 of my secret sprinkle tips and gives you a list, so you can check them off as you write your copy.

You can get your FREE SOCIAL SPRINKLES CHECKLIST HERE.

Story Slurp is hosted and produced by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.