Story Slurp – Details, episodes & analysis

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.