Don't Panic - the really small business show

Michael Edwards from the Northern Affinity talks about why small businesses need to collaborate and finding safe places for them to do that. "For small business owners, you can't do business alone ... it's a very lonely world"How do you deal with a fear of failure?  What constitutes success?To find out more about the Northern Affinity head to https://thenorthernaffinity.co.uk or connect with Mike https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-edwards-thena/ Get full access to All work, no pay at allworknopay.substack.com/subscribe

I first came across the idea of a "productised service" when I was listening to a podcast by Nick Disabato.  The principle is easy - get the advantages of a standard product mixed with a "done-for-you" personalised service.  However, while the term has been around for many years, there aren't that many people who really know what a productised service actually is - and how they can be the key to transforming your business, freeing up your time and balancing your work and home lives.  So on this episode of All Work, No Pay I go through what a productised service is, how it works and why you might want one.  If you’re constantly firefighting, struggling to deal with never-ending change requests and tired of writing proposals and chasing clients, then membership of “All Work, No Pay” is for you. Get full access to All work, no pay at allworknopay.substack.com/subscribe

Sometimes great things happen.  When I was struggling, after a failed business, I discovered Kai Davis and his simple, effective advice really helped me.  Now, almost a decade later, I'm really proud to have him on the show.  We discuss how to find new clients, putting all your eggs in one basket and what goes in to a productised service.  If you are looking to grow your business, contact Kai and sign up to his newsletter - https://kaidavis.comIf you’re constantly firefighting, struggling to deal with never-ending change requests and tired of writing proposals and chasing clients, then membership of “All Work, No Pay” is for you. Get full access to All work, no pay at allworknopay.substack.com/subscribe

This is the end of series one of All Work, No Pay. Thank you so much for listening and I hope you've enjoyed it. To end things, I've included an interview I did with Mike Winnet, YouTube star of the Contrepreneur series, where I talk him through the Profit First method. He was so impressed that he actually switched his company to using Profit First himeself! Thank you for all your support and I'll see you again in a few weeks for Series Two. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

[My wife's] business for months has been consistent and booming. The problem is that she is too busy. She has not had a single day off for over three months now and is now booking far in advance. She is keeping up, but it is taking its toll. I am concerned she is burning out. This is a great problem to have - what we're talking about here is a problem of scaling. I speak to award winning photographer Danny Thompson about how he is scaling his photography business, including working with a videographer and opening a new studio. You can get in contact with Danny at https://www.dannythompsonphotography.co.uk/ Get notifications about new episodes, plus useful hints and tips for running a time-rich, productive business by going to https://allworknopay.substack.com/ And if you're struggling? Fix it fast - free 15 minute consultation: https://calendly.com/clientrobot/15-minutes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

"My business is becoming my life, now I get constant anxiety and stress. So I've been running this little business of mine for around 3 years now. Its a little mix of retail and e-commerce where customers could purchase from my place or they could make an order online. I didn't think or feel much about it at first when I first started... But lately it's beginning to fully consume me." An all too common problem - something that happens to most businesses as they hit certain milestones. But what's the way out of this? Surely it's possible to run a business without feeling completely overwhelmed? Jo Butcher explains how you can refocus your business and get rid of the stuff that's causing you anxiety - leaving you with just the parts you love. And if you want to get started right away - contact Joanne on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-butcher-virtual-assistant123 (she's fabulous and I've hired her too) Get notifications about new episodes, plus useful hints and tips for running a time-rich, productive business by going to https://allworknopay.substack.com/ And if you're struggling? Fix it fast - free 15 minute consultation: https://calendly.com/clientrobot/15-minutes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

Get notifications about new episodes, plus useful hints and tips for running a time-rich, productive business by going to https://allworknopay.substack.com/ And if you're struggling? Fix it fast - free 15 minute consultation: https://calendly.com/clientrobot/15-minutes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

Today I'd really like some advice around how a local service business, of any kind can generate leads. Many of these businesses are very successful from IRL marketing only, but what about digital space? I know that right now, 90% of my business is word of mouth Getting a consistent flow of potential clients coming to you is the dream. Especially if you don't have to spend a load of time at boring networking events! So today I speak to the incredible Michelle L Evans, marketer extraordinaire at Microsoft and one of the most knowledgable and nicest people I've ever worked with. And she tells us how she goes about bringing in leads for small service businesses that she meets - including strategies for building a community, standing out from the crowd and researching/stalking your potential clients. Struggling with your business? Fix it fast - free 15 minute consultation: https://calendly.com/clientrobot/15-minutes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

I'm new to this world of business. I need to sort out a marketing funnel and a lead magnet and I really feel like I should have some sort of marketing plan or strategy. The problem is I go on LinkedIn and people are all like marketing strategy or lead funnel or client generation things or whatever and it's very difficult to know what any of that is. In a break from the normal format, just in time for Christmas, I speak to Tom Balmont about his fantastic puppet marketing business. We run through why he started the business, where he's getting stuck and where he wants it to go. I was really nervous about this episode, because we're breaking format and I'm answering the questions. But my goal is to make people go "fuck yeah, that's really good" and I think we got there in the end, as Tom had a revelation about how he needs to present his business to the world. So if you think your business looks boring to the outside world and you want to get some humour injected into it, get in touch with Tom at https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-t-peterson-tom-balmont-puppet-marketing-puppets A transcript of this episode will be available at https://clientrobot.com/allworknopay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

The client asked for a proposal, which I wrote up. It included the writing of strategies, deliverables, and then on-going work ... However, they came back wanting more deliverables, without strategies, and were hoping I'd be able to 'update LinkedIn etc.' for them ... I then got an email saying 'can you look at doing this work too', which a big piece of work that wasn't outlined in my proposal, or mentioned in my feedback. I'm meeting them coffee again, however, I just don't think they see the value of having an experienced communications person, so they don't want to really spend a lot of time or money on the project. Much as you'd like to help everyone, there will always be those people for whom you're not a good fit. Who have different values to you. Who work differently to you. Wouldn't it be great if you could weed the wrong 'uns out before you even get started? Nathan Thomas, tech genius from Coded4 talks about how he spots red flags amongst his potential clients and the ever so simple strategy he uses to deal with them. So if you're a good fit for working with Nathan and need some technical help with your online presence, get in touch with Coded4 at nathan@coded4.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

I’m a web dev, and this trend has been increasing for a while now. You send a quote and don’t hear anything back, most of the time you don’t even hear a “sorry, too expensive” or “sorry, we went with someone else”. Just radio silence. Everything goes good and communication is flowing, and then you send the proposal and never hear back. It shouldn't be like that. Getting ghosted by the people who need your help. Wouldn't it be great if there was a better way, to build that connection, to show the client that you're the person for them. Rather than just chucking a proposal over the wall and seeing if it hits the mark. Social media nerd and ethical sales enthusiast Ems Rae Searle talks about why proposals are out of date and on the more modern way to build a connection with your potential clients. If you'd like to get in touch with Ems then she's on Instagram as https://www.instagram.com/emsraesearle/ or at https://emsraesearle.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

I'm working on a website with a client who is increasingly difficult and I'm trying to figure out how to best mitigate the situation. I was brought on to do a couple of tasks and he wanted to get the site out in a couple of days. He said his other designer was busy and not available, which I thought was a red flag. The site was not well designed, mostly by him, and I made some suggestions on how to present the information better and to add information. At first he was very dismissive of what I had to say and lectured me on how I didn't understand his project and what I suggested was out of line. Your client has hired you because you're an expert. They need your help, they trust your judgement, they see you as a consultant, an advisor. Not just the hired help. Or do they? On "All Work, No Pay", Nathan Thomas from Coded4 discusses difficult clients and how to deal with them, especially when they keep changing the brief and moving the goal posts. If you're looking for a fast, effective website, contact Nathan at nathan@coded4.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

They say that to be a successful freelancer you need to develop resilience, versatility and agility to succeed. You need to be comfortable selling yourself, marketing your services, PR and knowing your way around accounts. As the saying goes to make it as a freelancer you "need to wear multiple hats". Matthew Warters talks about the future of freelancing and the skills you need to make a success of it. As an accountant, he knows what it takes to get your finances in order, but there's a whole lot more to it than that. Get in touch with Matthew at https://www.wartersco.com and knock your business accounts into shape. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

I started freelancing for the first time ever in May. I'm an illustrator / graphic designer. I've always had trouble managing my time when I am left to my own devices like this and it's been kind of a mess. I seem to only have two modes - "panic and work like hell" and "sit around wasting time". We dream of flexibility to choose our own hours. We dream of the freedom to work the best way, without stupid management edicts that just get in our way. And maybe, just maybe, bringing in that extra bit of money to keep us in a better lifestyle than the one we have now. Financial adviser Naz Ghadamian talks about her strategies for ensuring that her work/life balance remains exactly where it needs to be. How she makes sure she gets everything done on time and how she switches off at the end of the day. Because it's really easy to get caught into a cycle of constantly working, burning yourself out and then falling behind. To get your finances in order, contact Naz on 07724 172089,naz.ghadamian@sjpp.co.uk or on LinkedIn at. linkedin.com/in/naz-ghadamian And if you'd like to get your business working for you, get simple, bite-sized actions delivered straight to your inbox at clientrobot.com/allworknopay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

"So my day job, beats me down emotionally. I hate being there and I feel like everyday is a day wasted when I'm at work. I've felt this way for a long time. " There comes a time where you have to take the leap. To move from employee, with no control over your day to day life, to business owner, with all the risks and challenges - and rewards - that that brings. Anna Short gives you the full Oldham on making that leap, on what to do about family and friends who aren't supportive, and how to prepare yourself for the rollercoaster ride ahead. You can get in touch with Anna via Linked https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-short-boomarketing and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BooMarketing.co.uk/ and if you'd like to join in on Fix it Friday (a weekly Q&A where I fix your business problems) and the Daily Update (with actionable business tips) then head over to https://clientrobot.com/allworknopay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

If you've been building your business up for a while, you've been posting consistently, you've been engaging with others and still getting no success, what do you do to actually grow your audience? I'm joined by Anna Short from Boo Marketing and we give you a plan for getting the support your business needs. You can get in touch with Anna via Linked https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-short-boomarketing and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BooMarketing.co.uk/ and if you'd like to join in on Fix it Friday (a weekly Q&A where I fix your business problems) and the Daily Update (with actionable business tips) then head over to https://clientrobot.com/allworknopay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

For today's show I'm joined by Matthew Warters, from Warters & Co Accountants. We talk about setting up your new business - and how much money you need to get started. In particular, is £4000 enough? If you'd like to find out more, contact Matt at https://www.wartersco.com/ and if you'd like to get simple, no-nonsense tips delivered directly to your inbox every day, sign up at https://clientrobot.com/allworknopay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

Becoming a freelancer is about a whole lot more than just being good at your job. You need to know money, you need to know marketing, you need to know sales. But more than anything, you need to be good at communicating. Financial adviser Naz Ghadamian tells us the strategies that she uses before and during client meetings to make sure that her communication stays on point. To get your finances in order, contact Naz on 07724 172089, naz.ghadamian@sjpp.co.uk or on LinkedIn at http://linkedin.com/in/naz-ghadamian And if you'd like to get your business working for you, get simple, bite-sized actions delivered straight to your inbox at https://clientrobot.com/allworknopay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/all-work-no-pay/message

All work, no pay - a show that answers real questions asked by consultants, freelancers and business owners. Coming soon. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/getrichquick/message

So you've heard that this new fangled social media lark is the place to be. Myspace is where it's at. Bebo is amazing. Not Habbo Hotel though. That ones just for kids. Seriously though, each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses and its own audiences.
 I'm not likely to find my clients on TikTok, and to be honest, they're probably not on Pinterest or Instagram either.
 So the very first step is to figure out who your audience is and where they hang out, so you concentrate your efforts on the place that will make the most impact.
 For me, that used to be Twitter (and I've been on Twitter for twelve years now and I love it a lot). But Twitter has changed and now it looks like my audience is on LinkedIn.

They’re the words you hate to hear. “Sure I’ll keep you in mind”. You know it will be followed by silence. The problem is this. You’re an expert. They are not. What you say sounds amazing to them but they don’t know how it can help them. You need to take them on a journey.

Do you suffer from a lack of time? Have you tried all the time management systems out there? Do you five in to the latest productivity hacks? Have you gone without sleep to get more done? Is that really the answer or are you just asking the wrong question?

Always remember this. Things do not have to stay the same. You can make a difference. You might not change the whole world but you can change your world. And you can change the world of the people around you.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over 2019 (and without getting political, that the U.K. election was a perfect representation of), it’s this. You need to be able to explain what you do in UNDER ONE SENTENCE. I used to think a “positioning statement” was enough - “I help X achieve Y by doing Z”. But that alone isn’t enough, it’s too long to cut through the noise. The positioning statement comes second. Your identity statement comes first. And mine is “take control”. (Swiftly followed by “I help technology experts take control of their time and build a sustainable consulting business that reflects who they are”) That’s my reflection, my main lesson from 2019.

That potential client sounds really interested. Your conversations have been great. And then they say "OK, send me a proposal". You stop dead. You've never written one before. What goes into a good proposal? Where do you even begin?

One year into starting a new business? Tips for growing growing clients within a niche? If you work within quite a narrow niche, it can often look quite difficult to find new clients. Especially if what you do is quite technical. Those of us who work in that space tend to be quite detail orientated and often struggle with marketing, networking and finding clients. But it doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, putting a process, a system, in place can actually make it quite easy. First thing you need to know is who are your clients? And why would they hire you? The narrower you make this, the more focussed your niche, the easier the rest of the process becomes. Next step is to figure out where they hang out - is it offline or online? If it’s offline, how can you get an invite to those events? If it’s online, can you subscribe or join to those places? Can you get niche-focused testimonials and case studies from your existing clients? Can you describe how you solved their problems in their own words? Then, go to the places they hang out, listen to what they are saying and if they have a problem, talk about how you solved something similar for one of your existing clients. Point them at your testimonials or case studies. It will take some time, but you will soon be noticed and become known as the expert in your field - at which point people will start coming to you for help.

I had the great honour of being interviewed by Steve Twynham for Great Yorkshire Radio and Podcasts for Business.  We chatted about giving value to your clients, how sales isn’t the sleazy process it often appears, how getting your money sorted can trigger the improvements in the rest of your business and how you need to put your Profit First.