A podcast for independent creatives. Packed with tips, advice, and food for thought for freelancers, founders, and business owners in creative industries.
42: Island in the sun - taking time off when you’re your own boss
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 54:46
We’re doing a double-header today to celebrate the Agnew Era of indie business club, with an episode on taking time off. So if you’re thinking “Mel, you JUST emailed me”, it’s on purpose. This episode is named after the absolute belter by Weezer because hopefully some of the time off you take as boss of your life involves an island in the sun.
It’s become apparent that our episode themes will be loosely observed, because we have a tendency to take detours and get distracted. Here’s some of what we covered…
the time(s) Phill lied to everyone
when Phill made friends with Matt Hancock
my obsession with work jollies - I’m on one as I type, actually
the benefits of holicise
work life balance (lolz)
And there’s some useful stuff in there about how to manage your workload too.
Oh, and Phill wants to know if you like him. He’s a middle child, like me. So expect us to be needy, squared.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com
41: Back to the start - origin stories
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 01:01:18
Listener, what do you reckon? Should I let Phill stay?
This episode is named after the Razorlight song Back To The Start - we’re talking origin stories.
In this first episode of a new era, my new co-host Phill Agnew joins me for storytime about how we each go to the point in our careers where we decided “Nah. Employment’s not for me.”
We cover…
how Phill started out in marketing (he’s a PROPER marketer)
why I’m unemployable at this point
a trauma dump-slash-rant about crummy leadership
how Phill built up his podcast Nudge to be the UK’s #1 Marketing podcast (depending which day you look at the charts and whether his competitors are cheating with bot engagement)
Phill has frankly unrealisticly high expectations on how much feedback he’s going to get from you. Please prove me wrong and tell us what you like (or don’t) about the new ibc duo. And whether Phill should pass his probationary period.
You can email show@indiebusinessclub.com or even better do a LinkedIn post about it so we get some sweet, sweet reach 👌
This is a crossover episode of Search With Candour podcast (hosted by Jack Chambers-Ward) and indie business club podcast (hosted by me, Mel Barfield), discussing how you can use your hobbies to help build your “personal brand”. I first met Jack at BrightonSEO a few years back - he was the first listener in the wild that I ever met and I was FLOORED 🥰 We’ve been talking about a crossover episode ever since and we finally did it.
At Candour’s studio in Norwich we talked about how Jack balances his personal brand with employed work, and how we both use our hobbies (ranging from board games and films to music and, of course, cheese) to connect with people on a human level.
We also talk about how who you work with affects your brand reputation and why nerding out about the things you care about is so important.
It’s a long and winding conversation, partly because we enjoyed nerding out so much, partly because we recorded on a Friday afternoon, and partly because that’s just what happens when you put two podcasters in a room together with microphones.
Expect detailed descriptions of our favourite cheeses, best Batmans and I try and defend Superman III as the superbest Superman film (more on that in my episode on Phillip Oakley’s new podcast btw).Listen wherever you cast your pods. Or watch us on YouTube 👇
Find my producer, theme composer and scissormonkey (except not this time) .
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
40 Lucky Man: lessons in luck with John Lyons
Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 52:37
We get quite personal in this episode, so skip through from about 11minutes to about 13minutes in if you’d prefer not to hear the part where we talk about mental health, marital breakdown and suicidal ideation.
This episode of the podcast is all about one of my favourite topics - LUCK. Specifically, in careers. I chose John Lyons as my guest because a) he’s a legend and b) I knew he had a great squiggly story about how he got into marketing.
We talked about…
how a chance situation made John want to be an architect
the chance situations that meant he dodged being one
when “fails” lead to something better
traits and behaviours of lucky people
how Hat and Bins became John’s distinctive brand assets (or… diSTINKtive chortle chortle)
the, at times, lifesaving beauty of internet friends
…and we lament the loss of #MarketingTwitter (I miss you, pals).
I need your help
Someone’s given the podcast ONE MEASLY STAR on apple and spotify and it must be personal 💅 because the jingle is worth two stars alone. If you’ve ever enjoyed a smidge of an episode please give the pod a 5-star review to drown out my solitary hater 🙏
Here, have John’s bio from his website because I’m lazy - John Lyons is a London & Essex based Fractional CMO with over 20 years of experience in B2B technology and professional services marketing. He has worked with brands including LEGO, Deutsche Bank and Manchester United, and specialises in revenue-focused marketing strategy for scale-ups and funded startups.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
39 Video Games: using video to market your business, with Jonny Rose
Friday, August 28, 2026 • Duration 47:00
LinkedIn has reintroduced its video feed tab. Unfortunately, it all seems to be Stephen Bartlett, “shark tank”, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk. Bleugh. And more recently, lots of film clips with slowed-down atmospheric music over the top 🙄
So, it’s up to us to populate the feed with better videos. A moral duty, really…
This episode of the podcast is all about using video to promote your business, so I asked my pal Jonny Rose along for a chat.
We talked about…
how to get over yourself and get serious about using video
why you’ve got everything you need in the palm of your hand
how getting organised is half the battle
the place for scrappy vids versus polished edits
how we’re no longer in the knowledge era, we’re in the experience era
…and of course, Jonny’s top tips for planning and recording your videos.
We’ve also got Will’s Book Shelf, where Will Slater gives us some sage wisdom.
Jonny Rose runs Storyclub where he gets b2b founders confident on camera and turns that into consistent content that actually builds their businesses. Jonny gets people as comfortable as possible before they start recording. But we know lots of people are doing this solo and it’s all too easy to be overly perfectionist and talk yourself out of it. So he’s here as your personal coach/nagger.
The benefit/payoff from posting videos can be a slow burn - often it takes time to gain traction so you need to post consistently for a while. Don’t just give up after a couple of vids. You’ll only get better and better at it.
I have no problem filming myself, or capturing footage from a day out. My stumbling block is I can’t be arsed to edit it. Jonny suggests getting an editor from Upwork or Fiverr to remove that friction point, to avoid ending up with a huge content graveyard of outdated footage (sob). Maybe I’ll try it some time. But I do find it hard to pay people for stuff I do an okay job of myself. It’s a character flaw, truly.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
38 Seaside: LIVE at Creator Day 2026 with Dave Harland and Lea Turner
Monday, May 18, 2026 • Duration 01:01:03
This episode was recorded in front of a live studio audience at You Are The Media’s Creator Day 2026. Huge thanks to FOUNDRY for hosting us - check out their coworking spaces in London and across the South coast (Eastbourne, Poole, Walthamstow, Hove, Wandsworth and Bromley) right here.
I’m joined by a coupla LinkedIn legend Dave Harland and Lea Turner. Accidentally done two Lea episodes in a row because I’m a little behind in releasing recordings, but she’s worth it 😏 This is (somehow?!) the first episode with Dave despite him being mentioned in approx 87% of eps.
We talked about all sorts including…
how LinkedIn has changed since Lea and Dave first started out
what seems to work now
where the line is between sharing your personality without getting too personal
whether LinkedIn premium is worth it
how to navigate the feed
tips for young people at the start of their career (spoiler: don’t use AI for your posts)
the effectiveness (or lack of…) of company pages
the best people we’ve connected with on LinkedIn
how writing helps you find your voice
the benefits of trying to be interested instead of interesting
About my co-hosts
Lea Turner is founder of The HoLT, the community where freelancers, solopreneurs, and small business owners connect, share ideas, and grow together.
Before starting The HoLT Lea spent four years training people how to use LinkedIn to grow their business, and she should know having amassed (at the time of recording) over 177,000 LinkedIn followers. Find Lea and find out more about how to become a HoLTie .
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
37 Fame Monster: being famous with Lea Turner
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 • Duration 57:16
This episode is about the pros and cons of being (in my case, very mildly) famous in your industry
I’m joined by LinkedIn legend, founder of The HoLT, and all-round wonderful human Lea Turner.
Lea knows a thing or two about being famous - she’s built a following of over 208k followers across LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads.
In the episode we talk about…
- how Lea built her huge following
- what’s changed since she started posting on LinkedIn
- why fame is a luck multiplier
- how to get “more famous” in your industry
- why being famous isn’t all sunshine and lollipops
I invited Lea onto the podcast because sometimes I walk into a room and a couple of people know who I am, but I don’t know who they are. For Lea, it’s like that times a hundred. This balance of “power” is sometimes a bit strange to navigate, so I wanted to know how Lea copes with her microfame and what tips she has for people looking to grow their “personal brand”.
I hope you enjoy listening in on our candid conversation.
About my co-host - Lea Turner
Lea Turner is founder of The Holt, the community where freelancers, solopreneurs, and small business owners connect, share ideas, and grow together.
Before starting The HoLT Lea spent four years training people how to use LinkedIn to grow their business, and she should know having amassed (at the time of recording) over 176,000 LinkedIn followers. Find Lea on LinkedIn right here.
Tracklist
This episode is named after the Lady Gaga album , with notable tracks Paparrazi, Money Honey and Beautiful, Dirty, Rich 😎
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
36 Delivery: newsletters with Molly Scanlan
Thursday, February 19, 2026 • Duration 57:03
How to use a newsletter to grow your business💌
This time, I’m joined by Molly Scanlan to discuss how to grow your business using the ancient (okay, at least decades-old) art of writing newsletters. Like this one. But do as I say, not as I do.
We talked about…
- why you should start (or resurrect) your newsletter in 2026
- how a newsletter isn’t the same thing as email marketing
- examples of newsletters we love and why
- how a newsletter can “world build” as well as show your authority
- why you should talk about your newsletter “to an uncomfortable degree”
And your friend and mine Will Slater is back with #WillsBookClub
About my co-host - Molly Scanlan
Molly Scanlan is a web designer, event speaker, quizmaster puzzlenerd and karaoke diva. She builds sustainable websites for non-evil businesses. The websites she makes are “better for the planet – but don’t look like they’re woven from brown rice”.
Like me, Molly is a columnist for Freelancer Magazine. She also co-founded a social enterprise and co-hosts Cowork Crew London with your friend and mine Ange Lyons. She is busy.
Molly also has one of my favourite newsletters of all time (it’s SO short!) called Molly Gets It Done, which is why I’ve asked her to join me on this episode. She’s also one of my business besties. Find her on LinkedIn right here.
Tracklist
The name of this episode is , a song by Babyshambles from their 2007 album, Shotter’s Nation. I was single for the first time in my adult life in 2007. I had a great time. It’s also when I was last single because it’s the year I met Mr Barfield. 19 years ago?! Bloody hell.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
b-side: how I'm going to grow this podcast
Thursday, January 29, 2026 • Duration 13:34
I blagged a mini strategy session from the wonderful Charelle Griffith 👌
In episode 34, Charelle talked us through how to do our annual plan. I then asked her for a little bonus chat at the end about how she thinks I should grow this podcast. Her first question absolutely stumped me.
Why do I want to grow this podcast? Errrrr… 🤷♀️
In brief - to build my profile, help as many people as I can, hopefully get it to a point where it pays for itself.
Charelle then gave me the best bit of advice I think I’ve ever heard. And it’s so beautifully obvious. It’s easier to get people to listen to your podcast if they already listen to podcasts. So guesting on other people’s podcasts is a great way to bring in new listeners who are already podcasty.
So I did what I was told.
I posted on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok saying “please can I come on your podcast”. Now I’ve got around a dozen invitations to work through. Thank you everyone who’s reached out or tagged their podcast pals.
If you have any podcasts you think I should pitch to (or your own that you’d like me to guest on 😉) please reply to this email to let me know.
Creator Day
I’m back at Creator Day in May to record another live episode of indie business club podcast. I’ve got two special guest co-hosts lined up to do it with me - all will be revealed next week. I can’t wait. It’s always such a fun time in Poole. Speakers at the event include previous guests Gus Bhandal and Phil Agnew along with Lea Turner, Michelle Goodall, Jon Alexander and Katie Stokes.
📅 Thursday 14th May (with my live podcast recording Friday 15th, in the morning)
🌊 Poole, Dorset
🎟️ Tickets from creatorday.uk
🍦 Save £20 on your ticket by using the code TeamMel
There’s also a special Cowork Crew on the Wednesday 13th May, so I’m going to try and get there for the Wednesday through to Friday.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
35 Hysteria: promoting yourself with Gus Bhandal
Thursday, January 15, 2026 • Duration 53:11
Make 2026 the year you promote the absolute heck out of yourself 👌
This time, I’m joined by Gus Bhandal to talk about ways you can build up some good old fashioned hysteria for your personal brand and your business.
Gus is a LinkedIn expert. I have an unhealthy relationship with LinkedIn. So of course we gave the platform some air time :)
But we also talked about…
how speaking at events has grown our profiles
the time Gus was a pub landlord (I didn’t ask if he ever got to shout “get outta my pub!”)
stuff we see other people post online that makes us go “oh noooo” 😐
why it pays to be positive when you’re putting yourself out there
getting famous (in our tiny bubble)
And your friend and mine Will Slater is back with more bizpiration in #WillsBookClub
Sidenote
On the topic of LinkedIn, I did a poll this week asking “If you know something was written by AI, do you keep reading?” Depending on what time you read this email, you might still be able to vote. But if you’re too late, you can at least see what the final tally was by clicking the picture below.
I find it so interesting that despite all the hype around AI and how we’ll get “left behind” if we don’t use it, 57% of this sizeable sample of humans finds AI generated writing a major turnoff. Something to bear in mind when deciding whether to a) get a robot to do it or b) bring in me and Dave at Copy Or Die copywriting agency to get some squidgy human brains on the project.
About my co-host - Gus Bhandal
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to indie business club, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
And like my last guest, John is no stranger to indie business club. He was our voicenoter two whole years ago on the second ever episode 02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients. You can find him on LinkedIn too. He’s got some freebie publications on his website including the B2B Growth Companion mentioned in the episode.
Tracklist
This episode is named after the song Lucky Man by The Verve. It includes these lyrics which are definitely, definitely about personal branding and sharing your personality more online. Probably. Maybe.I’m stood here naked, smiling, I feel no disgraceWith who I am
Jonny’s a fan of scripts for longer videos to remove a stumbling block, keep you on track, and stop you waffling. It also stops you getting frustrated at yourself and prevents you quitting before you’ve got the job done.
But immediacy still has a place. Whipping out your phone to have a quick unscripted rant or deliver something with urgency is authentic and relatable so don’t always over-script yourself.
About my co-host
Jonny Rose is an expert in all things video. He runs The Story Club where he helps B2B founders get confident on camera and turn that into consistent content that actually builds their business.
You can find him on LinkedIn. If you’re thinking “hmm this all sounds familiar” this is Jonny’s second time on the podcast, kind of. Because he provided a very helpful voicenote in episode 31, Moving Pictures.
Tracklist
This episode is named after the Lana Del Rey song Video Games because it should be fun to create video content to market your business. It can be, I PROMISE.
Have a nose at my calendar (and come along)
11th September - I’m at the East Anglian Marketing Awards in Norwich. I judged the freelancer category and I can’t wait to celebrate with all the finalists.
17th September - I’m at Nudgestock to cheer on speaker (and friend of the show) Phill Agnew and try to edge my way closer to Rory Sutherland (who defo perceived me at Atomicon last year when I was sat in the front row - a start).
1st October - Off to Manchester for the inaugural You Are The Media lunch club. A right trek from my house in Northamptonshire but worth it to support Mark and our glam host Judith (and our slightly less glam Dave, who’s on the panel).
15th October - I’m speaking at Cowork Crew Northampton about how to be lucky. It’s £30 for a day of coworking and cake with some of the loveliest humans you’ll ever meet.
5th-6th November - I’m hosting CopyCon, a two-day online conference for professional writers. The ticket price goes up on Monday so get a wriggle on!
11th November - Dave and I are speaking at Social Day B2B Forum. We’re running a mini workshop on how to write uncrappy captions.
13th November - I’m hosting a panel at the Alt Marketing School Business of Marketing event at Canva HQ in London. My panel is all about careers (I used to be a careers advisor dontcha know) and there’s tonnes of other tickets start at £85 for digital, £135 in-person.
Future plans
You might have noticed (or worse, not noticed) I haven’t posted a new episode in a while. It’s been difficult to keep up momentum, find time to record new episodes and generally be organised with the podcast, alongside running Copy Or Die with Dave. So I had a chat with a pal yesterday about them becoming a regular co-host and we’re going to see how it goes. Guess who it is?
Dave Harland aka The Wordman is a copywriter, event speaker and all-round good egg. He’s my biz partner at Copy Or Die - to can get us in fill in our briefing form 😉 and get Dave’s emails here. He’s also working on his course on how to Write The Funny - get on the waitlist.
Tracklist
This episode is named after the first track on The Kooks’ Inside In / Inside Out album which came out (brace yourself) 20 years ago. “D’ya want to go to the seasiiide” next year? Creator Day returns on Thursday 6th May 2027. Get yourself on the guestlist.
Guesting
After I put it out there that I wanted to guest on more pods*, I got invited as a guest on the Content Byte podcast, run by Rachel Smith (from Rachel’s List) and journalist and content writer Lynne Testoni. Together they serve up weekly short bites of advice, tips and strategies. My episode is out now, all about how to get lucky in your career. Listen right here :)
*ICYMI this was the homework Charelle Griffith gave me in this b-side episode of indie business club all about how I'll grow this podcast.
After I put it out there that I wanted to guest on more pods*, the lovely Lucy Heavens invited me onto her CMO Therapy podcast. My episode is out today, all about tone of voice. I had a lovely big ol’ chat with Lucy getting all passionate about word stuff.
I hoped to get this episode out about two weeks ago. But I was too busy with work. Then last week I was too busy having fun with my pals at The Marketing Meetup conference. ICYMI here’s my highlight reel from Dave Harland’s talk.When Ben left the podcast, I was determined to keep up putting episodes out every two to three weeks. But a heaptonne’s changed since then. Before, I was working with my three retainer clients (Copy Or Die, The Marketing Meetup, Bignose & Beardy).
Now, I’m still working with all three. But my role at Copy Or Die has, er, grown somewhat. Instead of working with COD founder Dave Harland one day a week I’m now full time as Dave’s Managing Partner and Brand Voice Lead. Which is a blimmin dream - he’s brilliant to work with and we have a lot of fun. Most importantly, our clients are happy bunnies. We’ve been nagged/advised by friend of the show (and next time’s guest) Jonny Rose on how to use video to better demo what we do. So expect some absolute cringe attempts as we “build in public” *gulp*.
Byeeeeeee,
MelPS: This was a long episode, so Will’s Bookshelf gets a break this time.
It’s classic 00’s Britpop-rock and I chose it because if you send out newsletters you might choose to monitor your delivery rates and open rates… geddit?
Resources
In the episode, we talk about newsletters we love. You should try ’em some time. But first, Molly’s newsletter again - Molly Gets It Done - it is SO SHORT!
Lucy Werner’s Hype YourselfNB - in the episode, I called this newsletter “a substack” and spoke about how it’s on that platform, but it’s now hosted elsewhere. Partly due to the horrible situation we speak about in the episode. Signup is at the bottom of this page.
Dave Smyth’s Five LinksA short roundup of links to do with user experience, privacy, accessibility and sustainability.
Amy Nolan’s The Doodle DabblerA short newsletter by our favourite doodler (and friend of the show) Amy Nolan, which includes a doodle prompt to get you scribbling.
The Welsh Kitchen by Ross ClarkeGet a recipe to a traditional Welsh dish along with links to Welsh songs and other Welshy things.
Dave Harland’s The Word Friend of the show Dave can explain what his newsletter’s all about. Emails to “help you come up with the weird, witty and funny words and ideas that all of the bore-bag brands in your sector struggle with.”
She’s so lucky
As a freelancer, you've got to ask yourself one question… “Do I feel lucky?”
Well, do ya, punk? If not, Freelancer Magazine’s running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” where I go into the (proven!) ways you can adjust your attitudes and behaviours to get more lucky. You get over a dozen other expert sessions, for keeps. Get your ticket here.
Freelancer Magazine is running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” along with a tonne of other freelancer experty people talking about topics like branding, onboarding, tone of voice and PR. More info right here (my affiliate link, where it costs you the same as it would if you bought it anywhere else, but I get a bit of cash to help fund the podcast).
You get 14 practical workshops designed by experts especially for freelance business owners, with recordings to watch back whenever you like.
The value is ridiculous so get your ticket here (again, there’s recordings, so don’t worry if you’ve got other stuff on that week).
LinkedIn Algorithm Be Like
I enjoy everything has ever written but this post in particular tickled me. Go follow him here and on LinkedIn. I’ve cut and pasted his post to maximise the chance you’ll read it but please go and thumb it here too.
Andrew’s post:
—————————————————————
HAGGLING WITH LINKEDIN OVER THE REACH OF MY POSTS:
ME:
Hi LinkedIn. Do you reckon you could show this post to a decent chunk of my followers please?
LINKEDIN:
Dunno. What’s it about?
ME:
Just trying to let more people know about the work I do.
LINKEDIN:
15.
ME:
Excuse me?
LINKEDIN:
15 people. That’s how many people we can show it to.
ME:
That seems… a little low.
LINKEDIN:
Now it’s 12.
ME:
Well, what about this. A pal of mine is looking for work, what can I get for a post telling people how good they are?
LINKEDIN:
4.
ME:
Come on.
LINKEDIN:
7, but three of them are chickens.
ME:
You’re joking.
LINKEDIN:
Yeah. They’re all chickens.
ME:
Can you show it to anyone who aren’t chickens?
LINKEDIN:
Do you have Premium?
ME:
No.
LINKEDIN:
Then you get the chickens. And we hate you.
ME:
Fine. How about a post congratulating an independent agency I know on a brilliant campaign they’ve just done?
LINKEDIN:
We can show that to literally one person. His name is Ken.
ME:
Will he be interested?
LINKEDIN:
Not really. He’s more into the chicken content.
ME:
So… why…
LINKEDIN:
Plus, he’s super angry, like all the time.
ME:
Ok…
LINKEDIN:
You want us to show this thing to Ken?
ME:
Definitely not.
LINKEDIN:
That’s probably best. He’d really hate it and he gets super rude. You got anything else?
ME:
Well, there is this one thing, but I doubt it’s worth mentioning.
LINKEDIN:
Let’s hear it.
ME:
Well, I used A.I. to create this shoddy video of me playing crazy golf with all the different Batmans and…
LINKEDIN:
100 million.
ME:
Woah, really?
LINKEDIN:
200 million. Everyone should see that A.I. Batmen Crazy Golf Video. It’s super aligned to our vision and values, somehow.
ME:
Wow, that’s amazing, thanks LinkedIn! Then I can just add a link to my…
LINKEDIN:
A single chicken. And you’re shadow-banned. And we killed your fish.
——————————————————————
Byeeeeeee,
Mel
Find my producer, theme composer and certified grownup Ant Henderson on LinkedIn.
And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.
🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible
Back to the episode, and my guest co-host Gus. He’s a marketing strategist, social media specialist, LinkedIn trainer, and founder of The M Guru. He recently launched The Squeeze, a LinkedIn focused membership for freelancers and founders who want to get more out of the platform. Gus also co-created the LinkedIn focused conference UpLift Live.
Find Gus on LinkedIn (chronically, like me) and on Instagram.
Next steps…
If you want to take LinkedIn more seriously, get yourself to UpLift Live to hear from the world’s leading LinkedIn experts and influencers. Including your friend and mine Dave Harland, who’s speaking at this year’s event. The full line-up is on the Uplift Live website.
It’s in Birmingham on Thursday 26th March and you can get £20 off your ticket right here by using the code MELB. I get a few quid when you use the code, which will go on paying sound guy (and sound guy) Ant’s next invoice.
Tracklist
BTW, today’s episode name is Hysteria, a single by Muse from their 2003 (whaaat?!) album, Absolution. I picked it because as business owners we need to hype ourselves up and whip our clients into a frenzy of hysteria, so that they’re uncontrollably excited to work with us. Also coz Muse were the first band I saw live when they supported Skunk Anansie at Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1999. Good times.
Let me know, how are you going to hype up yourself and your business this year?
I’m going to try and bag a couple of speaking gigs, run more workshops (IRL and in person) and get onto more podcasts as a guest (it’s less work than making my own episodes) 😉Speaking of workshops…
Freelancer Magazine Masterclass Series
Freelancer Magazine is running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” along with a tonne of other freelancer experty people talking about topics like branding, onboarding, tone of voice and PR. More info right here (my affiliate link, where it costs you the same as it would if you bought it anywhere else, but I get a bit of cash for aforementioned sound guy).
You get 14 practical workshops designed by experts especially for freelance business owners, with recordings to watch back whenever you like. My talk is called ‘How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery’ (no lotto win guaranteed).
Also speaking are…
Alex Thompson - ‘Go from order taker to trusted partner: earn more by doing less’.Amy Nolan - ‘Amy’s lunchtime doodle creative livener’.Alastair Thomson - ‘Getting funky with finance’.Angela Lyons - ‘Create a memorable freelance brand across all platforms’.Anita Ellis - ‘First contact to signed contract – take control of your sales and onboarding process’.Eman Ismail - ‘Turn followers into clients: how to turn your newsletter into a lead machine’.Gus Bhandal - ‘The LinkedIn content superstar strategy’.Heather Murray - ‘Reach new revenue levels (without hiring) with AI’.Jess Bruno - ‘F*ck the algorithm – how to build a personal brand and double your visibility’.Lucy Werner - ‘Using your personal stories to get PR’.Penny Brazier - ‘Write like yourself (everyone else is taken)’.Ryan Percival - ‘Create a LinkedIn profile that works while you work’.Tamu Thomas - ‘Impossible to ignore: 3 steps to get paid to speak and build a magnetic expert profile’.
The value is ridiculous so get your ticket here (again, there’s recordings, so don’t worry if you’ve got other stuff on that week).
