Building your Brand

Today's episode is a chat with business and mindset coach Nicola Charlotte who generously shared her strategies for buidling freedeom and flexibility into your business by attracting  dream clients, restructuring businesses for passive income, and diversifying income streams. Nicola shared her insight on building a business that supports a desired lifestyle without compromising freedom, the importance of personal branding and storytelling in attracting clients, and practical tips for creating content that builds credibility and nurtures relationships organically. We also chatted about the challenge of passive programs, the implications of AI and personal touch in standing out. Nicola also provided some really practical advice on planning and executing the development of new income stream which was so helpful. Grab a cuppa and dive in..... Episode highlights:  05:54 Finding the dream client 12:04 How to share yourself authentically without sharing all of yourself  24:26 Is passive income really 'passive'? 30:37 How niching down helps your business   Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Nicola's podcast and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!     

Despite visual branding being my bread and butter, I've rarely talked about it onb the podcast. So I've rectified that with this juicy chat with designer and educator  Hannah Bacon. We dive deep into the definition of branding: Hannah shares her unique perspective on branding as a business's 'clothes' and the significance of consistency in visual elements to avoid customer confusion and strengthen brand recognition. As ever, I manage to stumble upon another juicy challenge (!) so grab a coffee and jump into our chat. Episode highlights:  03:35 The Importance of Branding for Small Businesses 10:32 When to Invest in Branding: Insights for Startups  21:22 Common Mistakes in Visual Branding and How to Avoid Them 25:53 Embracing Your Unique Aesthetic in Design 28:38 The Challenge of Maintaining Brand Consistency 37:26 Exploring Creativity with Two-Hour Branding Challenges  Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!   

It's an episode in the wild today as I record on the go with my roving microphones from OFFF Barcelona with freelance illustrator Carina Lindmeier.   I was really excited to chat to Carina all about how people can use illustration in their branding, which I think is often really overlooked way to add creativity and consistency to your brand. We chat about the versatility and emotional depth illustrations add to branding, particularly how it conveys brand personality, connects across languages, and engage audiences, Don't worry if that all sounds overwhelming because we also explain the practicalities, like working with illustrators, the impact of using icons or mascots, and unique ways to use illustrations beyond websites to surprise and delight your audience!  Episode highlights:  01:45 The Emotional Connection of Illustration 03:18 Illustration: A Tool for Brand Personality and Accessibility 06:37 Diving Into the Creative Process and Tools 10:43 Finding and Working with the Right Illustrator Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Carina online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!   

Without veering into toxic positivity, todays episode is all about the power of being kind! I chat with my pal watercolour illustrator Imogen Partridge about how kindness and support have helped her become a cheerleader of small businesses.  Among many juicy tangents we chat about the impact and repercussions of comparisons and negativity online, the challenges that come with showing up online and the importance of aligning with your values and intentions. Episode highlights:  01:54 The Impact of Kindness and Support 06:38 Dealing with Comparison and Jealousy 15:04 The Dilemma of Free vs Paid Content  20:59 Building a Supportive Community 25:57 The Role of Kindness in Business Decisions  Thanks to Penfold for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Imogen online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

Sometimes I get to dive into some really deep conversations on this podcast and today I'm chatting about about the personal growth and inner work essential for running a creative business with illustrator and designer Emily Wylde. We talked about Emily's journey of starting her own business during the pandemic, the importance of having honest conversations with ourselves, and the impact of therapy and coaching on personal and business growth. And we touched on the challenges of putting work online, dealing with red flag clients, and the significance of authenticity (beyond the buzzword!) I really hope that you enjoy this more introspective chat and take on building brands today. Episode highlights:  05:58 Embracing Authenticity and Vulnerability in Brand Building  09:27 Navigating Client Relationships and Building Resilience  13:01 The Healing Journey of Embracing Your Inner Child 15:26 Authenticity in Business: Beyond the Buzzword 20:20 Finding Your Unique Path and Defining Success on Your Own Terms 33:40 The Impact of Comparison and Cultivating a Mindset of Experimentation  Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Emily online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!   

I've talked a lot about values  and brand values on this podcast. And recently I've had some situations in my business where my values have been put to the test, leading me to make decisions that others might disagree with.  And so, when I asked who would be the best person to talk to me about this, everyone told me to talk to Keri Jarvis. Keri is a developmental coach, intersectional feminist, charity co-founder and community activist and through her work she's helped lots of people to imagine a world where they can run their business with integrity. This was such a rich conversation and, for me personally, it was a really helpful one to have. Episode highlights:  02:56 The Consequences of Misalignment with Brand Values 05:52 The Journey of Self-Awareness and Value Alignment 11:17 The Impact of Social Media on Business Values 16:59 The Role of Change and Growth in Business Values  22:16 The Challenge of Balancing Personal Passion and Business Needs Thanks to Penfold for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Keri online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!     

One of the best things about having my own podcast is having an excuse to talk to my design and illustration heroes. Remember that rejection challenge that I've been wanging on about Well, Jessica Hish has been at the top of my dream guest list ever since I started the podcast three years ago, and last year I plucked up the courage to ask her. Jessica has always been so open and transparent about her career, from her creative process, to pricing work, to running businesses with three kids, to the highs and lows of running two retail shops in her hometown, and she very generously shares a lot of that reality with us in this episode today, too. I hope you enjopy the episode as much as we loved recording it. Episode highlights:  00:00 Meet Jessica Hische: A Design and Illustration Icon 01:38 The Power of Procrastiworking and Passion Projects 05:39 Redefining Work-Life Balance and Creative Fulfillment 10:05 Navigating Parenthood and Creative Pursuits 14:18 Achieving Success and Finding Satisfaction in Work 25:05 The Unique Challenges and Joys of Running Retail Stores Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Jessica online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!   

It's the return of friend of the podcast and newly published aurthor Hannah Isted!  As her friend, I am so proud and as a podcast host I can't wait to talk about the process of writing a book because it's something I know lots of you want to do too. In this episode we talk all about how Hannah applied her inimitable style of breaking big things into small, manageable chunks and how she used that to write a book AND deliver it to the piublishers early! It's not all about writing a book though because we talked about how marketing your business can be done in a way that truly works for you (in ten minutes a day, of course!) Episode highlights:  03:44 Realistic Expectations: Strategies for Achievable Consistency 18:25 Accountability and Mindset: Finding Support and Overcoming Blocks 25:41 The Power of 10-Minute Marketing 32:22 Leveraging Challenges for Skill Improvement 34:15 The Journey to Becoming a Published Author   Mentioned in the episode: Join The Best 90 Days Ever membership (aff link) Buy The Best 90 Days Ever book Alison Jones 10-Day Book Proposal Challenge (aff link)  Thanks to Adobe Express for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!   

Today on the podcast, my guest is the Senior Director of Creative for EMEA at Getty Images and iStock Jacqueline Bourke. Alongside her team of researchers, art directors and curators Jacqueline is responsible for producing visual insights and imagery and video creation that's been used in award winning, advertising, design, and editorial.  We chatted all about how small business owners can make the most of stock images and videos to tell stories that are really important for them. Jacqueline gave great tips for finding the right images and videos, and we talked about why video is such an important medium for marketing. If you need a great reminder of how to use imagery for your brand, this episode's for you. Episode highlights: 02:44 The Power of Video in Marketing 13:49 Creating Authentic Video Content for Your Brand 17:33 Navigating the World of Stock Imagery and Video 22:28 Addressing Bias and Embracing Diversity in Visuals 27:11 Innovative Strategies for Standing Out in Marketing See how your brand can use iStock photos and videos.  Check out Getty Images and iStock’s Creative Insights page Here's the link to Irish Pub Christmas campaign mentioned If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. 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!     

You might remember that back in January on Building Your Brand I shared my 2024 goals, one of which was to be able work with my close friend Lois more, as outsourcing a part of my business to her in 2023 worked so well for us both. Well, today you can hear from multi-disciplinary artist and designer Lois Seco about how she thinks it's all going! Outsourcing is something a lot of small business owners have to navigate and it's not always the easiest so we thought that we would chat about our experience and what we've learned working together over the last year. Episode highlights: 02:00 The Art of Delegation and Overcoming Bottlenecks 07:03 The Importance of Communication and Boundaries in Business 07:38 The Value of Trust and Mutual Respect in a Working Relationship  21:57 Setting Boundaries  24:41 The Role of Clarity in Relationships 27:32 Choosing the Right People to Work With 42:06 Embracing Rejection and Failure Referenced in the episode: 2024 Goal Setting with Hannah Isted Culture is your brands cornerstone with Katie Elliott  Don't forget to check out Lois 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. 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!