Start Your Own Business

The history of family business Grasmere Gingerbread dates back to 1854, when Victorian cook, Sarah Nelson, invented Grasmere gingerbread and started selling it locally. Third-generation owners Joanne and Andrew Hunter now run the and Yasmine is their daughter. As well as gingerbread – which is said to be the world’s best – Grasmere Gingerbread sells award-winning rum butter, toffee, fudges, chocolates, conserves, Cartmel Sticky Toffee Sauce, Kendal Mint Cake, ginger beer and other mouthwatering delights. Some years ago, Grasmere Gingerbread started to sell its delicious wares online and it’s proved to be a very wise decision. In this episode, Yasmine retraces the steps Grasmere Gingerbread took to start selling online and shares her advice to other new and established small businesses that want to replicate Grasmere Gingerbread’s success.Visit Start Up Donut for more free information and sign up to the Donut newsletter for weekly start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money. This series of this podcast is brought to you thanks to the support of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Such has been digital marketing’s rise to prominence that you could be forgiven for believing that there’s no point in bothering with offline marketing when it comes to trying to attract new customers to your start-up or small business. But for many start-ups and small businesses, tried and tested offline marketing techniques continue to offer excellent returns, enabling them to attract and retain customers for a relatively modest budget. In this episode, expert Tony Dowling, director of Swansea-based Real Inbound Marketing, runs through the main offline marketing options that are available to small businesses, including word-of-mouth, face-to-face networking, as well as newspaper, magazine and even local radio advertising. Tony shares his considerable insight, so you can learn how your start-up or small business can ensure the best results from offline marketing.Visit Start Up Donut for more free information on offline marketing and sign up to the Donut newsletter for weekly start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Advice on achieving the right work-life balance, managing your time, feeling supported and safeguarding your health and mental wellbeing.Running a small business can be highly demanding and working alone can make you feel isolated. In this episode, Christine Husbands joins us to offer tips on how to take better care of yourself, so you and your new business benefits.        Christine is the managing director of RedArc, which works with the Federation of Small Businesses and other organisations, and provides advice and emotional support to help people to better cope with illness, disability, trauma or bereavement.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

An introduction to selling online, whether via marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon and Etsy, or your own e-commerce or general website.In this episode we speak to online selling expert, Chris Dawson, who talks about the advantages of selling online and guides us through selling via popular marketplace platforms.   Chris is co-founder and editor of Tamebay, leading source of intelligence and news for those who sell on online marketplaces, whether experienced “power sellers” looking to boost their sales or beginners looking for best practice advice. Chris co-founded Tamebay in 2006, but for eight years before that he’d been a full time eBay seller.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

An unmissable introduction to the all-important business of online marketing and digital marketing methods you can use to attract and retain customers.In this episode we speak to Aggie Meroni to find out all about social media marketing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, search engine marketing, so you stand a better chance of people finding your business via search engines such as Google, and organic and paid online advertising. You’ll also get an introduction to email marketing.Aggie is the founder and CEO of White Bee Digital, a consultancy that helps start-ups and small businesses to build their online presence, so they can attract and retain more customers.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Pick up top tips and learn key start-up lessons from the biggest experts of all – those who’ve actually been there and started their own business. In this episode we speak to Lee DeSanges, founder of Birmingham-based Baked In Brick, a business he launched in 2015 from his garden shed. Soon Lee was cooking and selling BBQ chicken tikka wraps out of a modified Mini Cooper, as well as wood-fired style pizza at events and street markets. More recently, Lee opened his own Baked In Brick restaurant in Birmingham.Find out what Lee would do differently if he had to start his business again and what his key start-up tips are.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Why it’s important to spend as little as possible when starting a business, where to get funding and tips on cash flow management and setting prices.In this episode we speak to Guy Bridge to find out about the pros and cons of various sources of start-up funding. Is it possible to start a business with little or no money? What can you claim for when running your business from home all or some of the time? You can also find out about how to keep your cash flow healthy, which is arguably the most important challenge you face in business. Guy is the CEO of Finpoint, a business finance platform that makes it easier for SMEs and their advisers to find the right business finance. Finpoint works with the Federation of Small Businesses and many other organisations. Previously, for 25 years, Guy worked in banking for HSBC, RBS and others, so he’s highly experienced when it comes small business funding and finance. Visit Start Up Donut for more free information on raising money and managing your cashflow, and sign up to the Donut newsletter for weekly start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Why a brand is much more than just colours, fonts or slogans and how to come up with a great business name.In this episode we speak to Liz Mosley to learn the importance of creating a strong, distinctive brand when starting a business. We hear about the importance of brand values and how to create a distinctive brand identity. Liz is the host of the popular Building Your Brand podcast, which advises small businesses on a wide variety of subjects linked to their brand and marketing. She also offers training courses for small businesses and she’s a graphic designer with more than 10 years’ experience who creates stunning brand identities for start-ups and small businesses.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Pick up top tips and learn key start-up lessons from the biggest experts of all – those who’ve actually been there and started their own business. In this episode we speak to Eve Kekeh, London-based founder of Bundlee, the UK’s first and most popular baby clothing rental subscription service. Eve explains why she started her business and retraces her start-up journey, sharing key lessons that she learned along the way.Find out what Eve would do differently if she had to start her business again and what her key start-up tips are.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

The pros and cons of the main business formation options and how to legally register your new business.In this episode, we speak to expert Carl Reader, who talks through the main options for forming a business, how to register and the steps you need to take before reaching that point. He also touches on whether you need to register for VAT, business bank accounts and working with an accountant.Carl Reader is a serial entrepreneur, a trained accountant and author of business book, Boss It, which is currently in the WHSmith best-seller charts. He regularly appears as a small business tax and finance expert in the national and business media. Carl has helped thousands of owners by enabling them to better understand business and make better choices when faced with challenges related to starting, running and growing a small business.Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.