Building your Brand – Details, episodes & analysis

 Something that really inspires me in the small business world is how many turn their hands to teaching online, myself included. I remember teaching my very first workshop online to over 350 people around the world during lockdown and absolutely LOVING it. Since then I've taught lots more and created group courses that I'm so proud of which is why I was thrilled to chat to Patricia van den Akker, director of the Design Trust, business advisor, trainer and coach.

Patricia's worked with thousands of creatives over the last 20 years and she's recently written a book called Teaching Creative Workshops in Person and Online.

So if you already teach as part of your business or it's something that you are interesting in adding, then I think you're gonna find today's episode so, so valuable where we talk all about how to host workshops and teach really, really well. 

Episode Highlights

• 05:06 Patricia shares a tip for online teaching and workshops: "launch before you're ready" to stop procrastinating, noting that getting paid increases commitment
• 11:59 Discussion on why teaching is beneficial for creative small business owners, including the reality that services are often currently easier to sell than product
• 16:59 Patricia discusses the psychology of pricing, noting that "when people don't pay, they don't value it" and that charging can actually increase student commitment .
• 30:00 Patricia outlines her framework for teaching by asking three key questions: "Why do you want to teach?", "What do you teach?", and "How do you teach?" .
• 39:56 A discussion on facilitation and the realization that often "we teach what we need to learn," and that students frequently learn more from each other than from the teacher .

Patricia van den Akker is the Director of The Design Trust, a creative business advisor, trainer, and coach. She has over 25 years of experience working with craftspeople, designer-makers, and applied arts professionals.

• Book: Teaching Creative Workshops in Person and Online
• Website: http://thedesigntrust.co.uk
• Instagram & Facebook: The Design Trust
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I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft lucylucraft.co.uk

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

In today's solo episode I am chatting about the levels of discomfort we can step into in our businesses to activily pursue growth. 

'Get out of your comfort zone' isn't always a helpful phrase when there's no nuance added to the context. I chat through what has now become the normal signs and signals for me that I am in that sweet (horrible) spot of discomfort that is just right for me - uncomfortable but not totally out of reach.

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode! 

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

Key Takeaways:

• "Capacity for Discomfort" is More Useful Than "Comfort Zone"
  Instead of fixating on leaving your comfort zone, focus on gradually increasing your tolerance for discomfort in ways that are healthy and sustainable.
• Growth Happens in Manageable Steps
  You don't need to leap into the deep end; taking one step at a time, with realistic self-belief, leads to more sustainable progress.
• Discomfort is a Sign of Growth, Not Failure
  Feeling nervous or uncomfortable is normal and often means you're on the right track. Over time, what once felt scary becomes routine.
• Everyone's Journey is Unique
  Your capacity for discomfort, the risks you can take, and the support you have will look different from others. Comparing yourself to others isn't helpful; focus on your own path.

Episode Highlights:

• 0:31: The Problem with "Get Out of Your Comfort Zone": I discuss why the phrase can be unhelpful without nuance and context.
• 3:57: I share my own journey with my comfort zone 
• 7:07: The Value of Discomfort: I talk through how discomfort signals growth and how repeated exposure reduces anxiety over time.
• 12:00: I talk about the importance of accepting both positive and negative emotions in business and life.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Charlotte Lewis Speaking Confidence 

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that YouTube is something I've been trying to do more regularly and that's why I was so excited to chat with the brilliant Jade Beason for this week's episode.

In our conversation, Jade shares so many practical tips on how to grow your YouTube channel, and she also speaks with such honesty about her own experience—how she got started with no editing skills, what she learned along the way, and the mindset shifts that led to her success.

I honestly had a million more questions I wanted to ask her! Whether you're just thinking about starting a channel or looking to get more consistent, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

• Start with Value, Not Gear: In the beginning, your only focus should be on consistently delivering valuable content to your audience.
• Set a "Commitment Goal": To overcome the initial period of low views and slow growth, set a "commitment goal".
• Evolve Before Your Audience Gets Bored: A content or thumbnail style that works brilliantly now will likely cause audience fatigue in about six months.
• Create for Your Audience, Not Yourself: To build a brand or community, you have to switch from creating content for yourself to creating content for your audience.

• [07:00] Jade shares the catalyst for starting her channel: watching her husband go from idea to a published video in just 48 hours made her realise it wasn't as hard as she was telling herself.
• [15:00] Jade walks through her specific, manual process for researching and identifying trending video topics that have a high potential to be pushed beyond a creator's existing audience.
• [23:00] Why thumbnails are "incredibly important" and act like an advert for your video . A low click-through rate tells the algorithm that people aren't interested, and it will stop recommending your content.
• [39:00] Jade's quick-fire advice for anyone starting out, including how often to post , how long videos should be (and the 8-minute monetisation rule!) , and what basic kit you actually need.

Jade Beason is a content marketing expert who helps creators build sustainable businesses. She started her YouTube channel in November 2020 and grew it into a full-time career within six months. She is the founder of the creator community The Creator Project and the new agency Social People.

• YouTube: Jade Beason
• Instagram: @jadebeason
• Website: jadebeason.com
• The Creator Project: creatorproject.com
• Social People Agency: socialpeopleagency.com

• Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro
• Project Management: Asana
• Video Collaboration: Frame.io
• Equipment: Elgato, DJI, Neewer
• People: Liz Wilcox, Andy Lambert

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft lucylucraft.co.uk

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

In this episode, we discuss the role of social media in our businessese and talk about how we really feel about using it all.....including X (which Liz still hates saying!)

We share our tips for how to improve engagement by making content fun, informative, and approachable and dig into why having a  'hero' platform is great for marketing.

If you've fallen out of flow with social media (particularly Instagram!) this is the perfect episode to get stuck into.  

Episode highlights:

01:55 The Role of LinkedIn in Social Media Marketing

03:19 The Impact of Social Media on Personal Life

06:27 The Importance of Engagement on Social Media

16:16 The Role of Social Media in Business Growth

17:45 Strategies to Improve Social Media Experience

28:40 A Debate: Focusing on One Platform vs. Multiple Platforms

Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode.

Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book!

If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you.

This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft.

In this episode, Hannah and I share the things we've learned the hard way while running our businesses. From inefficient manual tasks that could have been automated, to the importance of setting clear boundaries with clients and learning to trust your gut.

This is an honest and funny episode from two imperfect business owners! 

Episode highlights:

02:31 Importance of Communication in Business

04:28 Dealing with Difficult Clients

09:09 The Importance of Branding and Logo Design

15:04 The Power of Reusing Content

16:54 The Art of Selling: Regularly Telling People What They Can Buy

20:20 The Magic of Automation in Business

24:57 Setting Boundaries with Clients

Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode.

Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book!

If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you.

This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

You all know I LOVE a challenge and so does Hannah, so in this episode of our mini series we discuss why. We chat about the various challenges we've tried and how they've impacted our businesses, even when we've given up!

From boosting creativity, growing a skill and making habits stick we want to show you how fun setting a challenge can be for your business (or yourself!)

If you want to join us in setting a challenge, drop us a DM on Instagram so we can cheer you on! 

We've also created a new challenge which you can join in with - we are going to do talking stories on Instagram every day in February to be more visible and help people get to know us. If you want to join us and get 29 prompts - sign up here.

Highlights: 

01:08 Discussing Past Challenges and Their Impact 

03:28 The Rejection Challenge and Its Outcomes

04:51 Exploring Future Challenge Ideas 

06:42 The Science Behind Habit Formation and Challenges

14:03 The Fun Aspect of Challenges and Community Building 

Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode.

Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book!

If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you.

This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

Every so often I like to mix things up with the podcast, which is why I decided to kick off 2024 with a fun Building Your Brand mini series where I chat to my pal Hannah Isted about the things work wives chat about! 

We decided to start off by talking about how we go about setting goals for the year (without getting overwhelmed!) With a particular focus on the processes of goal setting, we're super honest about our 'why' along with the things that haven't quite worked in previous years. 

As an added bonus, we delve into the sub-goals needed to get to our big goals and explore the concept of having a 'word of the year' to gently guide us through the year.

Highlights: 

01:02 The Process of Setting Goals
02:34 The Importance of Flexibility in Goal Setting
03:17 The Concept of 'Word of the Year' in Goal Setting
05:21 Sharing OUR Goals for the Year
06:24 Breaking Down Goals into Actionable Steps
07:27 The Benefits of Regular Goal Setting Throughout the Year
11:53 The Importance of Being Open to Change in Goal Setting

Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode.

Don't forget to check out Hannah online and pre order her book!

If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you.

This episode was written & hosted by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

I often seek out guests who are doing things a little differently because I think it's so important to show there's not just one way to do things.

Today's guest is an award winning content creator, speaker, accountant and founder of accountancy firm Accountant She Rachel Harris.  Rachel shares her journey of taking social media by storm, building her successful personal brand and co-running the fastest-growing accountancy firm in the UK with her husband.

She discusses the strategic approach she took to brand and content development, along with the importance of personal branding in reaching the right audience and potential employees. 

Rachel also highlights the importance of core values in creating a brand culture and driving a business. It's a really motivating episode which gave me so much food for thought and I hope you'll feel the same! 

Check out Adobe Express featured in today's episode

Episode highlights: 

(03:08) The Growth of Rachel's Accountancy Practice
(04:27) The Intersection of Finance and Personality
(05:33) The Strategy Behind Rachel's Disruptive Approach
(07:59) The Impact of Rachel's Personal Brand on Her Business
(22:25) Breaking Stereotypes in Accountancy
(22:33) The Power of Diverse Workforce and Content Creation
(25:06) The Journey of Establishing Core Values
(28:31) The Influence of Branding on Staff and Client Attraction

This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

Don't forget to check out Rachel online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you.

I can't quite believe it, but after over two years of podcasting we've made it to episode 100 of the Building Your Brand podcast! Thank you so much to all of you for joining me for this journey; it's been one of the BEST things I've ever done for my business and in today's episode I tell you why. 

In today's episode I invited my podcast producer Lucy Lucraft on, and in a twist of events, she is interviewing me! It's a really fun and open chat about how and why I started the podcast, what has surprised me along the way, and the benefits of starting a podcast. 

There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff about the podcast and we share some funny things that've happened over the past two years too. If you're a die hard Building Your Brand fan, you'll love this episode! 

And if you're someone who wants to understand the business benefits of starting a. podcast (or you want to explore how sponsorship works) this is the perfect episode to dive into.  

Referenced in the episode: 

• Getting to grips with email marketing with Menekse Stewart
• Sales funnels simplified with Menekse Stewart
• Being a generalist could be the best business decision you make with Kyle Webster
• How to find joy when times are tough with Sophie Cliff
• Quitting social media profitably with Astrid Bracke
• The unexpected benefits of changing your career later in life with Lisa Congdon

This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

As we're nearing the very last Building Your Brand episode of the year I've squeezed in a solo episode! This one is a little bit more personal as I reflect on 2023 and how it's been both exhausting AND my busiest year yet. 

It's really easy for us all to constantly look forward to our goals and feel frustrated we haven't yet reached them so I hope this episode helps you look back to see just how far you've come over the past twelve months. 

When I think back on 2023 I think my overall feeling is exhaustion. But I also had my most profitable year and worked with some amazing clients and brands too. And of course this podcast, my newsletter and Instagram have all been a highlight! 

If you need a reminder of how far you've come, this is the perfect episode. 

Check out Adobe Express featured in today's episode.

This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!