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Your style questions answered, from what's my favourite item for Spring, to what to wear to a wedding as a guest that's not an obvious outfit plus in the moment I chat through a few items I spot on Oliver Bonas website!YOUR STYLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED - Episode 138 of Styling MattersLove Lizzi & her styling tips, then you will love her Ageless Style Guide that you can get for FREE! Simply subscribe to receive Lizzi's style notes and latest style articles from Substack: Get your copy here.Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on your podcast too!love Lizzi xLast week's episode: WHAT I JUST BOUGHT FOR SPRING (AND WHY)Follow me at @lizzi.richardsonStyling Matters is on www.lizzirichardson.comFollow Modern Beyond Midlife too on www.mae-uk.com
We've got the recommendation bazooka loaded with ideas today! Listen for a confetti of clothes, apps, and novelty present suggestions. Please send us your ideas to our instagram @makingthecutpodcast.Oliver Bonas - https://www.oliverbonas.com/CapCut - https://www.capcut.com/Queens of Archive - https://queensofarchive.com/Centred - https://www.wearecentred.com/Exit Here - https://www.exithere.com/The Death Book - thedeathbook.co.ukShrink and Print - https://www.shrinkandprint.com/Big Shiny Balls - https://bigshinyballs.com/Angelica Hicks - https://www.instagram.com/angelicahicks/?hl=enId Prison Ministry - https://www.idprisonministry.org.uk/Leave Taking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg5E0hY8JPM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you're after honest, no holds barred reviews then you've come to the right place.This week I'm sharing my thoughts on:Gatineau Age Benefit Cleansing ElixirIndu (with special mention of their SPF)K18 AirWashThe Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier SerumMeder by Dr Tiina MederA bright red scarf from Oliver Bonas!Let me know what's been impressing you recently xx
How do you grow your customer base year after year for a seasonal product?This was the challenge faced by Selina Barker, a career and life design coach and creator of the highly successful annual guided journal - this year called Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025. To build a loyal community of fans, Selina leveraged a variety of strategies.She shares how Kickstarter campaigns helped generate excitement and secure early sales for her journal, how she got it stocked in prominent retailers like Tate Modern and Oliver Bonas, and how she expanded her audience this year by launching sales on Amazon.In our discussion, Selina highlights the benefits of selling on Amazon, including the opportunity to reach a wider audience and the convenience of using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to serve customers across Europe. USEFUL RESOURCES:Selina Barker WebsiteSelina Barker ShopSelina Barker Amazon StoreSelina Barker InstagramLoveday SocialKickstarterLET'S CONNECTJoin my free Facebook group for product makers and creatorsFollow me on YouTubeFind me on InstagramWork with me Buy My Book: Bring Your Product Idea To LifeIf you enjoy this podcast, and you'd like to leave a tip, you can do so here: https://bring-your-product-idea.captivate.fm/supportTHIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY MY FREE AMAZON SETUP CHECKLISTThinking about selling on Amazon but don't know where to start? I've got you covered!Download my Amazon Setup Checklist —it's packed with all the steps you need to get your business up and running on Amazon, stress-free. From setting up your account to creating standout listings, this checklist will guide you every step of the way.Best of all, it's totally free! Head here to grab your copy now and start your Amazon journey with confidence. Let's make Amazon easy!Mentioned in this episode:Support this podcast for the price of a coffeeif you loved this episode please consider sending me a one-off tip. It helps me to keep bringing this podcast to you, for free. If you'd like to support this podcast, you can do so here: https://bring-your-product-idea.captivate.fm/supportTHIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY MY FREE AMAZON SETUP CHECKLISTThinking about selling on Amazon but...
Do you want to get your brand stocked in luxury retailers like Selfridges, Liberty London, Oliver Bonas, Urban Outfitters and others? Before you consider getting in touch with retailers, there are some key things to consider. I found this out with my business Partner in Wine, where I was stocked in Selfridges just 7 months after I launched.In this video you'll learn what areas you need to focus on in order to get your business stocked in a luxury retailers, we'll be looking at:- Branding- Marketing- Pricing
BE WARNED: It's LuAnna, and this podcast contains honest, upfront opinions, rants, bants and general explicit content. But you know you love it.In this week's LuAnna: The Podcast: Shingles, a Sunday Solo day, Oliver Bonas, equestrian centres, sister woes and an incident with a red setter.Plus, do we need stronger rules around social media for teens? Nearly cremating a non-dead woman and rotating undies. Remember, if you want to get in touch you can: Email us at luannathepodcast@gmail.com OR drop us a WhatsApp on 07745 266947Please review Global's Privacy Policy: https://global.com/legal/privacy-policy/
It's been a rough few years for Britain's high streets. First came online shopping, then came Covid and the cost of living crisis. But for eight years now, The Pop Up Club has been breathing new life into empty shops around the country. In this episode, Molly sits down with founder Tillie Peel to hear all about her mission to connect artists, makers and small businesses with sustainability at their core with affordable pop up spaces in high footfall locations. To date they've helped hundreds of businesses to generate over £1.5m in sales with some of their brands going on to be stocked in the likes of Anthropology, Oliver Bonas and Selfridges. And for anyone who has got featuring in one of The Pop Up Club's shops on their vision board this year, tune in to hear exactly what Tillie looks for in the brands they partner with and how to get yours shop ready. You can find The Pop Up Club here / https://popupclub.co/And follow them here / https://www.instagram.com/thepopupclub_/Join the Curated Spaces conversationInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/curated_spaces_club/TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@curated.spacesLinkedIn / https://www.linkedin.com/company/curated-spaces-clubYoutube / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSPidWwH8vkNOPhHB7vcuQYou can find Elicyon here / https://www.elicyon.com/Curated Spaces is the podcast on a mission to reignite real world connection.What started as a project to share the stories behind spaces has snowballed into something a little bit bigger.From founders sharing their stories of burnout and loneliness to the spaces leading the charge in rewilding and sustainable food production, Curated Spaces is about living life in full colour and connecting deeply with the spaces and faces around us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A mum from Ashford has been telling us about her battle for a diagnosis after a minor car crash left her in "unbearable" pain.Louise Turner has been left bedbound and her family are raising money for potentially life-changing surgery.Also in today's episode, residents in an apartment block in Maidstone say their lives are being 'ruined' by a noisy neighbour.One man says he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in three years, and described the flat as a "crack den".It looks like Canterbury city centre is bouncing back from the pandemic, with five new businesses set to open.An Oliver Bonas store is getting ready to launch where Topshop used to be, and there is also expected to be a new jewellers, cafe and restaurant.A baker who started selling cakes from her mum's kitchen just three years ago is now opening up her first shop.Ellie Miller has set up Ellie's Baking Goods in Hythe, in the former Independent Baker unit on the high street.And in sport, the Gillingham manager Neil Harris has been looking ahead to their first game of the new league two season.They are travelling to take on Stockport County, who the boss says are the "title favourites".
Chris is an equity, diversity, and inclusion professional with over a decade of experience in the retail space working at British, design-led, lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas. Originally from Scotland where he studied marketing at university, Chris combines the knowledge gained from his studies, time spent working on the shop floor and, most recently, years in Learning and Development to form an awareness of both customer and team. A firm believer in the power of talking to people and listening to their points of view (partially thanks to his unique ability to start a conversation in an empty room), the brand's inhouse employee resource groups are aptly called The Voices networks and, with their support, the brand has successfully implemented new and updated policy, engaging inclusive activity as well as an upfront, transparent approach to recruitment thanks to the shared questions, feedback and ideas from team members across the business. Outside of the 9-5 Chris is on the board of trustees at Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons Trust and is a mentor to creative entrepreneurs through M&C Saatchi sponsored platform, Mentor Black Business.
Come fly away with us and Alain de Botton (sorry but he's coming too), and take a trip on Venga Airways - but we're not leaving the ground: you're trapped with us in the departure lounge, for ever. Are airports the most cursed spaces in the modern world? Liminal spaces between nations and cultures, a surveilled, high-security purgatory, with access to Oliver Bonas. Why the hell are Gen Z *choosing* to hang out there, for fun? And are personalised gifts like our Cursed Objects Toblerone the last gasp of late-period consumer capitalism? FULL EPISODE HERE >> ONLY £4 A MONTH for this and 20+ more bonus episodes, AND a free Cursed Objects sticker pack! https://www.patreon.com/posts/work-of-in-age-85132408 Theme music and production: Mr Beatnick Artwork: Archie Bashford
On this week's episode we are talking to the brilliant Lucy Hitchcock, founder of Sassy Digital and Partner in Wine. When she noticed there weren't many places small businesses could turn for Digital Marketing, Branding and Website Design, at 23, Lucy left her London agency job to start Sassy Digital. Sassy Digital has worked with a number of female-owned startups including fashion and beauty, as well as with influencers such as Sarah Ashcroft, Danielle Peazer, Ruby Holley, Natalie Glaze and Zanna Van Dijk. In July 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic, Lucy founded her second business and first product - Partner in Wine when she couldn't keep her beloved Rosé cool whilst having a socially distanced drink in the park. Nine months after launch, after going viral on TikTok Partner in Wine announced Selfridges as it's first retailer, and is now also stocked in Oliver Bonas as well as being featured in Mail Online, Sheerluxe, The Sun, Daily Express, Heat Magazine, Good Housekeeping and more!We talked to Lucy about her inspiring business journey and shared some pearls of wisdom and digital marketing success, building your brand and how businesses can leverage social media. We hope you enjoy it! Find us @thisgirltalksmoney @victoria_nabarro and tell us what you think!
Oliver Bonas is a British High Street and online lifestyle store. The company vision is to create inspiring Home and Gift collections, allowing self-expression and to encourage creativity. They believe that their designs go beyond the products to represent a lifestyle and offering Oliver Bonas as an experience.Kate Butler is the Head of Home and Gift at Oliver Bonas – alongside a team of designers with an exploratory spirit who successfully channel it into their fashion and homeware collections. With creative roots stemming back to childhood, Kate always knew that she wanted to do something creative as a career, but her route into the design industry was not a standard one as she isn't a trained designer. However, creativity is intrinsic to Kate. She has a natural affinity to make all things creative part of both her professional and personal life. She has 15 years' experience working with aspirational high street lifestyle brands starting with Conran in 2006, and then moving to Anthropologie and then Habitat before Oliver Bonas. Her other passions in life are travelling and creating crowd pleasing recipes!Episode 7 includes:· Early creative roots and exploring these in education· Following your own path, accepting challenges and learning and growing along the way· Listening to your instincts and knowing what opportunities to grasp· Insights into how a commercial design team works – from drawing to the final product· Trying something new, pushing innovation in design, products and the materials we use· The benefits of slowing down, giving yourself permission to rest and breathe and rechargeNew episodes every week. Remember to subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop!Find out more at makeitindesign.com
Oliver Bonas is a British High Street and online lifestyle store. The company values are work hard, play hard, be kind which are at the core of all they do. They believe in the magic of great design, innovative thinking and that design has the power to positively affect how we feel, allowing self-expression and to encourage creativity. Dan Silby, Art Director is a creative at heart, a visionary and spontaneous art director with almost 20 years' experience directing and styling photoshoots and producing all the imagery you might see on the Oliver Bonas website and social platforms. With extensive experience working across the company, Dan also supports all of the in-house visual merchandising team, store design and graphics team to bring to life this aspirational brand.In his free time, Dan is a vintage fabric obsessive and a furniture restorer and finds joy in collecting vintage children's books and wooden building bricks. In episode 04 Charlotte and Dan discuss:Embracing creativity from an early ageBeing creative for the sheer love of itHaving the confidence to be bold in your actions and career movesLearning and growing by experienceTrusting your creative instinctsBeing truthful to yourself and your creative outputNew episodes every week. Remember to subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop!Find out more at makeitindesign.com
Everyone seems obsessed by headless commerce Acronyms like PWA and SPA are common but we often find the non-tech audience doesn't fully understand the implications, or know what impact this approach to the frontend can have on site speed and performance. In this episode we speak to an expert who has helped many retailers through the transition to headless commerce. Tom McCaul is the founder and CEO at leading Magento agency Tom&Co, who have built B2C and B2B ecommerce sites for brands including Agent Provocateur, Oliver Bonas, RHS and Topps Tiles.
On 'When Did You Know?' this week I am joined by Ben Pechey! Ben is a writer, speaker, content creator, LGBT+ advocate and soon-to-be author. They've worked with major brands such as Amazon Prime, Oliver Bonas, Matalan and many more and have written for The Guardian, Cosmopolitan and Women's Health to name a few. You can find out all about Ben through their website at www.benpechey.com.Don't forget to follow the show on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or send me an email at wdykpod@gmail.com! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episode 52 It's coming Home? Kingston, Jamaica or Lagos, Nigeria. As the England team progress through the Euros, we discuss the erasure of, England's best player Raheem Sterling. Handy Hancock, has been caught, handling the owner of Oliver Bonas wife. The bigger story is in a global pandemic where we have been told to social distance to the point couples should not see each other, the former health secretary was doing the opposite.
Jessica Hogarth is Surface pattern designer and now has her own shop! She's based in the coastal town of Whitby North Yorkshire coast So many creatives ask me what the best route is in getting their products in shops? How do they get their designs in stores? Jessica's ranges have been stocked on the shelves of Fortnum & Mason, Liberty of London, Oliver Bonas, Paperchase, Daunt Books, Paper Source (USA) and Scribbler, amongst many other independent outlets. She also retails her designs on Etsy, shipping orders to customers worldwide all year round. We talk about trade shows, the importance of multiple income streams and opening a shop through Covid. Jessica Takeaways 1.If you're doing a fair if trade show its cheaper I the long to do a few that season 2.Helping support your creative friends as part of your journey is so rewarding 3.Doing a blog is still 15 years on worth your time - searchable Google content will lead viewers straight to your website 4.Having different income streams is vital for your business 5.Yes covid is scary time to start and open a business but there's so many positives, just Google how many famous company's started in rescissions 6.There isn't a constant balance, it just doesn't exists so instead of looking for that, after the busy season where you've gone all in, why not schedule a down time phase 7.Schedule your creative days each week or month, if we aren't mindful time can slip by 8.Fill out a weekly time sheet to see where your time is spent so you can know what's best for scheduling out in the future 9.Get someone to do the jobs you're not as good at or you don't want to spending time doing. Connect with Jessica https://jessicahogarth.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jessicahogarth/
Episode 53 - Ft Lucy Edwards In this episode I am joined by the lovely Lucy. We talk all things sight loss, and Lucy opens up about how she lost her eye sight. We open up about our mental health struggles and how losing your vision needs to be addressed as a form of loss. We chat about the importance of finding friends that are blind and how supportive they can be. Lucy gets emotional when talking about her amazing fiancé Ollie and how they are keeping their relationship going and what their wedding plans are. We discuss the highs and lows of social media, replying to comments, radio presenting and Lucy’s TikTok success! Can we please laugh at the fact I called designer “Oliver Bonas, Oliver Bones!!!” Get in touch Instagram @lucyedwardsofficial @joysworldthepodcast Twitter - @lucyedwards @joyxoxo Email - joyspodcast@hotmail.com
In today’s episode, Tanya Sweeney tells Roisín Ingle why the opening of an Oliver Bonas store in Dublin is bad news for our wallets. (She spent too much on a neon rainbow lamp. What? It sparked joy!) They also discuss that car crash Prince Andrew interview and after encouraging us all to de-clutter our homes, ask why is Marie Kondo now selling her own home-ware range? Also on this episode, Roisín speaks to Alison O’Connor and co-founders of the Together For Yes Campaign, Ailbhe Smyth and Orla O’Connor. Together with Gráinne Griffin, they have written It’s a Yes! ; a new book which reveals the inner workings of that historic women-led campaign.
This is a special extended episode of The Slice in partnership with UK Youth and Oliver Bonas. We recorded this episode on Resilience LIVE, with an audience so please forgive any slight changes in audio quality. The Other Box The Other Box is an award-winning company, celebrating people of colour and people from other underrepresented backgrounds in the Creative industries. The Other Box was founded by Leyya Sattar and Roshni Goyate to challenge bias across the creative industries, they are amazing on this episode and teach so much about being resilient. UK Youth Working across the country for over 100 years, UK Youth is a leading charity, committed to providing access to appropriate, high-quality youth work services in every community. UK Youth wants to ensure that young people are empowered to build bright futures, regardless of their background or circumstances. Through the UK Youth Movement, it’s members build capacity, unlock funding and provide a sense of connection to young people and the youth workers who support them. Oliver Bonas Oliver Bonas Is An Independent British Lifestyle Store, Designing Our Own Take On Fashion And Homeware. Oliver Bonas hosted this episode in The Slice in one of their London stores. We are exceedingly grateful for all the support Oliver Bonas has shown The Slice.
In this episode, I talk shop with Molly Park who is the head of design of home and gifts at Oliver Bonas who now have over 70 stores across the UK. I love how Oliver Bonas has grown from just one independent store to a chain of stores that still manages to retain that same quirkiness and fun that the first store had back in 1993. In this episode Molly and I talk about:- The creative process at Oliver Bonas.- What’s the most important in developing great products.- How the buying team works with its suppliers to develop new products and new techniques.- The changing high street. Connect with Oliver Bonashttps://www.oliverbonas.com/https://www.facebook.com/oliverbonashttps://twitter.com/oliverbonashttps://www.instagram.com/oliverbonas/ Links mentioned in this episodehttps://maisoncurate.com/https://uk.flyingtiger.com/https://smallandmighty.co/ Trend GuideUse code: THERESE for a 15% discount (please note that this is an affiliate code so if you do use it and receive a discount, I will receive a small fee too).The full trend guide is £75 https://www.arnoldandbird.com/product/2020-trend-ebook/The individual guides are £35 https://www.arnoldandbird.com/product-category/trend-guides/Joanne Griffin https://www.instagram.com/arnoldandbird/Elizabeth Stiles https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/ Connect with meWebsite: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale/Work with me: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/servicesBook a discovery call: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call Book a Power-hour: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/power-hour
In this episode, I talk shop with Molly Park who is the head of design of home and gifts at Oliver Bonas who now have over 70 stores across the UK. I love how Oliver Bonas has grown from just one independent store to a chain of stores that still manages to retain that same quirkiness and fun that the first store had back in 1993. In this episode Molly and I talk about:- The creative process at Oliver Bonas.- What’s the most important in developing great products.- How the buying team works with its suppliers to develop new products and new techniques.- The changing high street. Connect with Oliver Bonashttps://www.oliverbonas.com/https://www.facebook.com/oliverbonashttps://twitter.com/oliverbonashttps://www.instagram.com/oliverbonas/ Links mentioned in this episodehttps://maisoncurate.com/https://uk.flyingtiger.com/https://smallandmighty.co/ Trend GuideUse code: THERESE for a 15% discount (please note that this is an affiliate code so if you do use it and receive a discount, I will receive a small fee too).The full trend guide is £75 https://www.arnoldandbird.com/product/2020-trend-ebook/The individual guides are £35 https://www.arnoldandbird.com/product-category/trend-guides/Joanne Griffin https://www.instagram.com/arnoldandbird/Elizabeth Stiles https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/ Connect with meWebsite: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale/Work with me: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/servicesBook a discovery call: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call Book a Power-hour: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/power-hour
In this episode, I talk shop with Molly Park who is the head of design of home and gifts at Oliver Bonas who now have over 70 stores across the UK. I love how Oliver Bonas has grown from just one independent store to a chain of stores that still manages to retain that same quirkiness and fun that the first store had back in 1993. In this episode Molly and I talk about:- The creative process at Oliver Bonas.- What’s the most important in developing great products.- How the buying team works with its suppliers to develop new products and new techniques.- The changing high street. Connect with Oliver Bonashttps://www.oliverbonas.com/https://www.facebook.com/oliverbonashttps://twitter.com/oliverbonashttps://www.instagram.com/oliverbonas/ Links mentioned in this episodehttps://maisoncurate.com/https://uk.flyingtiger.com/https://smallandmighty.co/ Trend GuideUse code: THERESE for a 15% discount (please note that this is an affiliate code so if you do use it and receive a discount, I will receive a small fee too).The full trend guide is £75 https://www.arnoldandbird.com/product/2020-trend-ebook/The individual guides are £35 https://www.arnoldandbird.com/product-category/trend-guides/Joanne Griffin https://www.instagram.com/arnoldandbird/Elizabeth Stiles https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/ Connect with meWebsite: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale/Work with me: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/servicesBook a discovery call: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call Book a Power-hour: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/power-hour
This is one of those blogging guru type things that I should really trademark, because I make up words and terms but actually probably shouldn’t because it’ll sound like bollocks but in today’s episode, I’m sharing my approach to content creation - how to create content that Google loves, how content that builds relationships with readers and content that brands will love. That’s all you need right? PS this is what I teach my coaching clients and you’re getting it FO FREE.. Are ya ready? When I first started blogging, as I’ve mentioned many many times before, it was a total hodge podge of favourite lipsticks, awful date stories and dry AF holiday diaries. I had no intention. No strategy. No frigging clue. It was only when I started having ‘working lunches’ with other bloggers, where I’d teach them the strategies that had been working for me, did I actually even realise I had strategies. Y’know those moments where you feel like you’re blagging total bullshit - omg interlude, I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and my sister and I watched How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days in our room and they dubbed the word bullshit with bullspizz or something and I’ll never forget it - so yeah you’re blagging bullspizz and then you’re like, wow ok that’s not bullspizz that’s actually informationally correct goodness? Yeah it was one of those. I realised that the content I’d made that had performed the best and had one form of success, fell into 3 succinct categories. I then got my lil teacher brain on and wrote it all out and made it a thing which I then taught. So lemme teach ya! Blog content essentially needs to serve 1 of 3 purposes - sometimes they overlap, sometimes they don’t. 1 - they need to be searchable 2 - they need to be relatable 3 - they need to appeal to brands for future collars The names I came up with were searchable, relatable and brandable and I know the last term is bullspizz but stay with me as I’m going to break down what each one means and what results you’ll get! ÷÷ This episode is sponsored by Grow & Glow, a community for creators who want support, transparency and skills to establish and develop their online presence. LOL obvs it’s my membership hub but I wanted to drop in and tell you a bit about how the hub can help you with content creation! Not only do we have a v fancy and useful social media planner that you can swipe, AND a huge brand database to tap into for that brand able content but we also have a thriving community of over 100 founding members all ready to become your new blogging BFFs. Doors open again in August, but I’d love to see you on the wait-list where I’ll share more info about what you can look forward to inside the hub. Go to growglow.co/wait-list to join in! ++ The content that is searchable brings traffic to your blog from outer sources such as Google and Pinterest. The relatable stuff is what gets your audience to fall in love with you and share it amongst their followers or nearest and dearest. And the brand able content is your portfolio to show brands that they should work with you - these two last content types totally translate to Instagram too, right? Searchable content is the stuff you SEO and keyword research to, the, eye balls. And I’m going to do a whole separate episode on keyword research so dontcha worry, I got you. Relatable is the stuff that will let the reader get to know you. And everyone has their own scale of relatable from ‘here’s the contents of my bowels’ to ‘my real name is actually Ethel Von Burstensturg and I secretly live in a Romanian fishing village’ and you get to decide how much of yourself you want to share online. But I will say I 100% don’t believe I would’ve had the journey I’ve had so far, if I didn’t let you into my life! And then the brand able content is the stuff you create either in partnership with brands OR where you organically feature the brands you love so you have it as a portfolio piece to show them how much they definitely need to work with you. There’s not hard and fast rule to say - write 3 relatable, 2 searchable and 1 brand able post a month - it’s down to you, your goals and your schedule. Perhaps you can only blog once a week and your focus is to land a collaboration with Oliver Bonas - make that your priority. Or you don’t get really any audience engagement or love AT ALL, so it could be a good time to focus on creating that content that lets them know more about you and builds relationships. Like I said, these can cross over too! Perhaps you want to write a post on your miracle morning routine… you can make that relatable by discussing how and why you need routines, you can make it searchable by doing keyword research and formatting the post appropriately OR you can make it brandable by talking about your favourite brand and how you include it into your routine - does that make sense? So grab your planner, paper, a pen and draw out 3 columns, name them relatable, searchable and brand able and note down some post ideas you have! Which ones can cross columns? I’d love for you to email me, DM me or pop into the Exciting Emails Facebook group and share your post ideas! Until next time, byeeeee
You asked for an episode about how I structure my week as a ‘full time content’ creator and HERE IT IS. First I’m going to discuss how I PLAN my week out and them I’m going to tell you how my last 3 weeks PANNED out. With a whole load of reflection about what that teaches us about ‘flexible working’. So if you’re ready to step inside my world, keep listening! Early on this year I decided that batch working would be the way for me to go. I made a fancy planner on Canva and told everyone around me how I’d be structuring my week for the best. And I actually managed to stick to it for a few weeks - I was definitely way more productive, switched off a lot more easily and felt totally on top of life. But in this job, as much as I’d love to stick to a routine and structure, some times obstacles, opportunities and life plans tend to come through and upset it all! When I have a week that pans out exactly as I have planned - I feel happy, settled and content with how things are moving and shaking. When they go arse over tit - sometimes for a good reason - I can feel discombobulated and out of sorts. I also want to say, that as much as I plan weekly, I’ve also started planning around my menstrual cycle. This is something I recommend for ANYONE who menstruates. I’ve tracked my period for the last few months through apps and written journals. In doing this I’ve learned that the first 5 days after my period I am the most confident and energetic. Then I take a dip and around ovulation I have zeeeerrrrooo motivation or drive. I then get a bit of energy back but during my period I’m basically a right off. So in knowing this, I take more on during my ultra productive days and virtually block myself out whilst I’m bleeding out. Sos but it’s periods - get over it. ANWAY on a weekly basis, the dream week goes like this… MONDAY Wake up when Ben goes to work, have a slow morning of reading, drinking water, going to the gym and listening to podcasts. Then head to the cafe to do all emails, planning for the week and write a blog post. I normally have an energy dip at 2-5pm so I head home and chill out between then. If I get a burst of energy I’ll turn my laptop back on and see what’s crackalacking before Ben comes home and we cook/chill together. TUESDAY Same as Monday basically but a bit free-ish incase I have a meeting, event or an important Wahaca lunch with my buddy Laurzrah booked in. WEDNESDAY This is the day when I TRYYYYY and plan/record podcasts. Although my VA Dani will attest to how much that ACTUALLY happens. The thought is there OK! I also leave this one a bit Flexi incase I need to move other days around. THURSDAY Is my coaching day. I’m still coaching 11 lovely bloggers so I block out today so they can book in their coaching calls or Facetimes. I am winding down the coaching and not taking on new clients when my current ones graduate, so I can leave more time for Grow & Glow but it’s such a nice day to wake up knowing I’ll be having virtual coffees with all my faves. FRIDAY Is my day off. Again it might be a day where I need to catch up with shit OR it’s the day where I have some self-care and actually switch off and make time for myself. But like I said, lately these days have been a bit different, so I’m going to run through what I remember from the last three weeks to give you a bit of a flavour of how different my weeks can be. I’ll also preface this by saying, that my anxiety has been quite bad lately and one of the side effects I get is extreme memory loss. So some of you avid Story watchers might have a different recollection than me - but I’m going by my diary, k!!! Alright so 3 weeks ago what did I do… MONDAY It was the 29th April and I *think* it was the day I went to meet Debs from Bang On Style for a bit of coaching in central London. I was early so whizzed through all my emails - which I’m ALWAYS on top of because of my system. Do you want an episode on that? Let me know! We went to a Costa and ended up chatting/coaching/planning for about 3 hours. By the time we were done, I came home and flopped on the sofa. TUESDAY On Tuesday it was Laurzrah’s bday lunch so I met her in Soho and took her for a Wahaca (although we probs went halves) and gave her her pressies before we had a mooch around town. I came back home around 4pm and started Jane the Virgin and watched it until Ben came back. I also started making some resources for the Grow & Glow hub and started getting really excited for launch! WEDNESDAY I had therapy first thing and it was a TOUGH session that completely knackered me out. I think I just went home and got into bed! Possibly titted about on Canva making downloads and resources for G&G but really took it easy. THURSDAY Was a coaching day so I had back to back appointments - some ran over so I had to reschedule and then I met my old school pals for a Nandos and a catch up. Our lives are so different now but I love hearing about school so much. FRIDAY On Friday I have nothing in the diary but I probably went to the cafe all day and caught up on emails, content creation, content planning and Grow & Glow planning. I also had a coaching call from what I’d rescheduled previously. That seems like a very unproductive week? Or is it because we believe working 9-5 solidly = productive? I feel like I got loads done though and everything was up to date? But looking at it like that, maybe not! Would love to know your thoughts! The next week I spent Monday to Thursday at Alice Benham’s Gather & Grow retreat. I did so much working ON Grow & Glow whilst there - strategising, team planning, ideas flowing as well as loads of work on self confidence. I missed Ben loads but it was the best week ever. Ooh whilst I was away I also read Vox back to back - has anyone else read it? On the Friday I had therapy and got to work on all of my new, exciting ideas. Last week on MONDAY I had a meeting with Oliver Bonas and then got to Supermarket Sweep in Store before meeting Laura for a lunch and then headed home to shoot different outfits and content for Oliver Bonas. That was such a good meeting - they’re fully on board with Grow & Glow’s future and I have lots of goodness planned with them. Nothing is in the diary for Tuesday and I forget what I did, if anything! Probably the cafe with laptop from 10-2ish, unless anyone else can remember! I’m USELESS without my diary at the moment. I remember NOTHING unless someone reminds me. Even then I’ll often look at my diary and forget what’s in it 5 minutes later. Anxiety is fun, right! On Wednesday I had therapy and then was supposed to drop into a press day before heading to St Pancras to meet Nati for coaching but the therapy took it out of me again so I just headed straight to meet Nati. We had a wonderful meeting and she even got a positive responses to something I helped her pitch for during our meeting! I could’ve stopped by the press day afterwards but I was zonked. Plus I try and go to less press days nowadays unless they’re for brands I already have a relationship with or have the chance of working with. Otherwise it’s too much time out of my day! On Thursday I had the worst mental health day I’d had in such a long time. I think it was the come down from the amazing week I had at the retreat and the pressure I put on myself to get Grow & Glow to be the best thing ever. I was supposed to go to a press day, do a few coaching calls and then speak on a panel for LOL Mental Health week but I had to let them down the last minute because I couldn’t get out of bed. I decided to give myself a break - listen to my menstrual cycle, and just generally take care of myself. It helped a lot! On Friday I was a bit more up and at em because I knew I was having a meeting in London with Lori and Beth - the two newest Grow & Glow members. We had a great time planning, strategising and dreaming about where we can take it and I left exhausted but excited for what’s to come! Ben was on his stag do last weekend so I spent a lot of time at my sister’s and caught up with Grow & Glow work whilst at hers and then whilst was hannnnnnging post stag do! This week has been slightly cray as I’ve had 7 sponsored posts come in for Instagram and the blog (whereas in April I had nada) so I’ve been darting here there and every where trying to shoot, create, edit and send for approval ON TOP of getting G&G ready for launch AND psyching myself up for the Blogosphere awards tomorrow (as I’m recording this). So what can we learn about the week in the life of a full time content creator? The biggest takeaway is really that no day and no week is the same. Sometimes you’ll have less brand work on so you can have more time concentrating on other areas of your business - so for me, developing Grow & Glow and other times it’ll be so cray that nothing feels like it gets completed. Equally some days I’ll work for 2 hours and another day will be 10 hours on and off. I also have so much appreciation for the flexibility in what I do so that when my awful mental health days or PMD days raise their heads, I can just give myself the time and space to recover. The flexibility has also allowed me to regularly go to therapy and take some time to reflect on what I’m learning afterwards. Sometimes the lack of routine does bother me especially when I’m craving a bit of stability but it’s always the grass is greener isn’t it? ALSO you might be thinking, ‘ok Vix but when do you sit down to schedule your pins or edit your podcasts though?’ And I have to say that the FIRST thing I did, as soon as I could afford it, when I went full time, was to hire a VA. Dani helps me with all of the admin side of things so I can really focus on working ON stuff as opposed to IN it? IYKWIM? Which makes me think I should totally do an episode on the difference between the two. Anyway, I want to hear about your weeks and how you structure them! So jump into the Facebook group or message me on Instagram so we can chat! Until next time… BYEEEE
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If it's trending, I'm talking about it! From the fake news stories of Meghan Markle's baby bump and Gemma Collin's Dancing On Ice fall to who had a cheeky kiss at the NTAs. The nominations for the Brit awards, the new app to rival Uber that lets you ride in a gold supercar, heinz's new ketchup and a fashion focus on Oliver Bonas! It's all in this week's episode, under 30 mins of easy listening on your way to / from work, at the gym, on a walk or in the car!
Sustainability is a hot topic right now and for many of us, building this into our business is something we’re all become more and more conscious of. From reaching a manageable workload to lowering the impact you have on the environment, today’s guest is certainly doing her part. After falling in love with Cath’s stationery designs last year and using her desk pad every single day, I knew I needed her as a podcast guest. So let me introduce you to the lady behind luxury stationery company Sadler Jones… Based in Cardiff, Cath’s award winning collections are all designed in-house and made from eco-friendly papers and boards too after she vowed to say no to plastic. In this episode Cath shares her stationery story including how within 18 months her collections we stocked in Oliver Bonas and John Lewis to name but a few! We cover what prompted her to go plastic-free amongst small business sustainability tips and we chat about her focuses for 2019 too, it’s a jam-packed episode and I know you’re going to love it! _____ Find the show notes and get connected to everything mentioned in the episode HERE. Instagram | Website | Gather & Grow Retreat
We are so excited with all that is happening at _Project Love_ at the moment! We are loving seeing pics sent in of our _Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019_ journals arriving at your homes and being spotted at Oliver Bonas stores all over the country (keep those pics coming - they make our day!) and this coming week you'll be able to hear our 5 part podcast series _'How to Design a Life You Love'_ over on [the Pool 'Women We Love' podcast](https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/women-we-love/id1008157493?mt=2)
IT’S HERE!!!!!! The [_Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019_ journal](https://www.thegoodbyehellojournal.com/) OFFICIALLY goes on sale today! So no more holding back - you can now let your friends know by sending them to [thegoodbyehellojournal.com](https://www.thegoodbyehellojournal.com/) - check it out if you haven’t already! If you are in the UK and near one of [these Oliver Bonas branches](https://www.thegoodbyehellojournal.com/stockists/) you can go and see _Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019_ on the shelves there! Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today’s podcast episode comes to you with a big dose of excitement because…(drum roll please!)...our end-of-year journal _Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019_ IS HERE and if you're on our email list then check out your inbox because YOU will be the very first to see it this week! In case you don’t know what that is - _Goodbye, Hello_ is our end-of-year journal that helps you to say a proper farewell to the year as it comes to an end and create a vision and a plan for the year to come. It then acts as a guide throughout the year helping you to stay focused on the things that really matter to you. Last year we ran a Kickstarter campaign to get it out into the world and we hit 150% of our target and we sent 1200 journals out to 32 countries all around the world. This year it’s bigger, better and even more beautiful than before and it’s going to be on sale on the UK high street at Oliver Bonas stores all over the country!