Hello and welcome to the Future-Proof Your Business podcast with me Lucy Rennie. I’m a massive champion for small business and I’m on a mission to help you love what you do and build and grow your business in a way that works for you and feels good. I’m convinced that the best way to create a successful and sustainable business is to do it from the inside out, which means that it has to start with you, the business owner. In fact, I believe that business really is all about people, and if yo ...
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Join former UK Prime Minter Gordon Brown and the Our Scottish Future team for conversation and debate with interesting individuals, smart thinkers and people with new ideas about how we can build a more cooperative UK. Our Scottish Future fights for a better Scotland within a reformed UK, and for a more cooperative UK.
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060 Embracing a Sustainable Approach with Claire McEvoy
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In this episode, I’m thrilled to welcome my guest, a good friend and LR Comms client to the show, and that is the gorgeous Claire McEvoy. Claire is the founder and owner of Alta Hair Studio and Light Lounge, an eco hair and beauty salon nestled in the picturesque Chapel en Ie Frith, in the Peak District. Claire shares insights into her journey as a…
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059 What's the point of marketing my business?
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In today's episode, I'm discussing the changing landscape of marketing and challenging some of the traditional approaches. Sharing insights from my conversations with various business leaders and highlighting some common misconceptions about marketing. Whether it's the MD of a successful engineering firm questioning the value of marketing or a frus…
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058 Building trust: The key to future-proofing your business Pt2
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“The principle of social proof says so: The greater the number of people who find any idea correct, the more the idea will be correct.” — Robert B. Cialdini. This is Part 2 of my Building trust: The key to Future-Proofing your business episode where I’m taking you through my 14 step checklist to build the trust factor in your business. If you haven…
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057 Building trust: The key to future-proofing your business Pt 1
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If you’ve worked with me or you’ve read my book you’ll know that I believe that TRUST and GOODWILL is the essence of everything and the most effective and sustainable way to build and grow your business. In this 2 part episode I take you through my 14 step checklist to build the trust factor in your business: Be real. People have different expectat…
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056 Building Trust and Safety in the Workplace
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Today I want to talk to you about a topic that has been pivotal in my career and in my passion for all things communication, manufacturing and championing people in business. And that is Visible Felt Leadership. An incredibly important and valuable concept that you can embrace and use in your business to help you to show you care, change and streng…
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Welcome to this week’s episode of the Future-Proof your Business podcast where I’m exploring a topic that is fundamental to my work and teachings: the magic of Effective Communication. I delve into my belief that everything comes down to the way you communicate and having the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes and imagine what another …
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054 How to overcome imposter syndrome with Jo Walley
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Welcome to this week's episode of the Future-Proof Your Business podcast. I'm Lucy Rennie, and I'm thrilled to share with you today's episode, part of my 'For the Love of Small Business' series. I'm joined by the incredible Jo Walley, a passionate advocate for helping people develop themselves and unlock their true potential. Together, we delve int…
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053 Five Lessons Learned From My 9 Year Old Daughter
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In this week's episode of The Future-Proof your Business podcast I'm sharing the 5 lessons I've learned from my 9-year old daughter and how I believe that if we apply these 5 lessons to our business and life we can make great things happen. 1) Tap into what you love, into what you enjoy and remind yourself of where the joy factor is. 2) Determinati…
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Bringing Positive Change to the Community with Katie Kelly
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Positive change is possible in Scotland, and it's happening. New podcast with former East Ayrshire local authority leader Katie Kelly on how the council there helped to build vibrant communities. Political consensus needed to promote this brilliant work across Scotland. Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future…
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“64% of those surveyed, of the generation Z, are prepared to pay more for a product or service that is sustainably aligned.” Source: True Gen: Generation Z and its implications for companies. In this week’s episode of the Future-Proof Your Business podcast, I’m discussing the change in consumer and employee behaviour towards businesses and brands. …
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051 When was the last time you put yourself in someone else's shoes?
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Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Future Proof Your Business podcast. I'm Lucy Rennie, and in today’s episode I’m exploring the value you can bring to your business by being able to put yourself in your clients' shoes and see things from different perspectives. Summary: In this episode, I take a moment to reflect on the unique perspec…
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050 Do you have a clear vision for your business?
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Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Future Proof Your Business podcast. I'm Lucy Rennie, and in today’s episode I’m delving deeper into the power of knowing why you do what you do. I’m talking about the fundamentals of your business and I look in more detail at the bricks you need to lay the solid foundations for the future and how by i…
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049 What it means to Future-Proof your Business
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Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Future Proof Your Business podcast. I'm Lucy Rennie, and today I'm excited to delve into the concept of future-proofing your business – why it matters and the passion behind it. Summary: In this episode, I share my journey from my first job at a local pub at 12 to becoming an experienced professional …
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Scotland's Schools: The Next Pisa the Puzzle with Lindsay Paterson and Melvyn Roffe
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In the wake of disappointing PISA results, Our Scottish Future Director Eddie Barnes is joined by two experts in Scottish education: Lindsay Paterson, Emeritus Professor of Education Policy at the University of Edinburgh and Melvyn Roffe, Principal of George Watson's College. Listen as they dive deep into Scotland's PISA results; why do they need t…
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048 How are you showing up for your business in 2024?
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This episode is kicking off 2024 with a bang as I embrace the world of video. I'm diving into a topic close to my heart – the incredible impact that your energy can have on your business. Drawing insights from recent client conversations, we'll explore the essence of intentional energy and how it can be the game-changer for your business success an…
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047 Part 2: Why networking is the key to growing your business in 2024
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“One of the things I love to do is, maybe it’s from doing those dot to dots as a kid, but I love joining the dots and connecting people together and seeing the amazing synergy that can happen and develop into something, you know, quite marvellous!” In part two of this episode of The Future-Proof your Business podcast, I’ve invited back the brillian…
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046 Part 1: Why networking is the key to growing your business in 2024
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“If you meet somebody for the first time, there are three things that you want them to go away with. You want them to remember your name, your business and what it is that you do.” In this two part episode, I’ve invited back to The Future-Proof your Business Podcast the brilliant Vicky Labinger, the Fairy Godmother of Networking and the founder of …
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A Little Less Conversation: Closing Scotland's Implementation Gap
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*LINK TO VIEW SLIDES REFERENCED* The recording of the presentation of the new report from Our Scottish Future. Titled, "A Little Less Conversation: Closing Scotland's Implementation Gap", the report argues that the successes of devolution has been stymied in recent years by a combination of “too much politics, too much government, a failure to coop…
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Scotland's NHS under the microscope
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Our Scottish Future's Eddie Barnes is joined by Alex Neil, former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Helen Puttick, health reporter at The Times and Professor David Kerr, head of the OSF health commission and professor of cancer medicine at Oxford University, to discuss Scotland's NHS and how it can be improved. Thanks for listening! Get t…
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045 Podcasting Reflections: A Year of Growth, Giggles and Owning my Own Voice
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Welcome to this special anniversary episode of the Future-Proof Your Business podcast, as I celebrate its first year and reflect on my podcasting journey over the past 12 months. Join me as I share insights from behind the scenes of the 44 episodes and the 7 key learnings that I’m taking with me into the next year: 1) Get really clear on why. It re…
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044 Joining the Dots: Bridging the Gap between the world of business and young people
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This episode is a bit different, I’m excited to share with you more about my new “Joining the Dots” project that is launching this September in collaboration with the brilliant Take Part. With more than 25 years working with small, medium and large organisations all around the world, and eight years as the founder and Managing Director of LR Comms,…
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Eddie Barnes interviews Robin Harper. They cover; Harper's headline news making decision to resign from the Scottish Greens -the party he once led as the first Green MSP in the Scottish parliament- to climate change and the future of the UK. Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future…
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043 Bringing your Brand to Life through Effective Print: A Conversation with Sharon Taylor
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Welcome to this week's episode of the "Future-Proof Your Business Podcast" with your host Lucy Rennie. In this week's episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Sharon Taylor, owner and managing director of Paragon Print and Marketing Solutions who describes herself as a “nosy” printer and loves helping people elevate and bring their business to life thr…
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Heat pumps. You've heard a lot about them, but what actually are they? Are they a solution to our energy troubles? Are the Scottish government's lofty goals deliverable? Our Scottish Future's Eddie Barnes speaks with Dr Peter Wood, an Associate Lecturer at The Open University in Scotland, a researcher in sustainability, and a trade unionist to find…
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042 Unleashing the Power of Storytelling with Derbyshire Writing School
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In this week’s episode of The Future-Proof your Business podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by Laura Stroud and Pete Billingham from Derbyshire Writing School, the wonderful father-daughter team who are on a mission to help individuals bring their stories to life through their writing courses, coaching, and retreats. We have an inspiring conversati…
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041 For the Love of Small Business with David Lowe, Autac
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In this week’s episode of the Future-Proof your Business podcast, I’m delighted to welcome my client Dave Lowe, owner and Managing Director of Autac, leading British manufacturer of high-quality electrical cable and coil. Dave and his wife Sallie acquired Autac in 2016, and since then have grown the business from £1.5M to more than £5.8M this year.…
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040 5 Ways to Protect yourself, Prevent Burnout and feel more in Control.
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I know first-hand just how hard it can be to spin all the plates and how hard it is to say no things or put ourselves first. I also know that YOU are central to the success of your business and if you’re not in a good place, then you can’t show up in the right way and you won’t be able to add value in the way you want to. This is why I’m a massive …
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039 For The Love of Small Business with Joanne Hawkins
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In this week’s episode of The Future-Proof your Business podcast I’m excited to welcome to the self-professed ‘straight-talking Northern woman’ and the founder of the North West VA Conference, the brilliant Joanne Hawkins. I asked Jo to share the behind-the-scenes from her business and entrepreneurial journey and we chatted about: taking the leap a…
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038 For The Love Of Small Business with Greg and Kim Knight
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In this week's episode, I'm chatting with the wonderful husband and wife team Greg and Kim Knight from HDK Events all about the rollercoaster ride that is running a small business together. We talk about: the power of self-belief and determination to keep going and create a thriving business. work-life balance and what that actually means when you …
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Scotland's Drug Deaths with Annemarie Ward and Stevie Wishart
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The Our Scottish Future podcast is looking at key policy areas in Scotland to ask why things aren't working, and what we can do to fix them. This week we look at the scandal of Scottish drug related deaths. More than 1330 suffered a drug related death in the last year, 3.5 times higher than in the rest of the UK. Why? What's going wrong? How should…
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037 For The Love Of Small Business With Vicky Labinger
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In this week’s episode of the Future-Proof Your Business podcast, I’m joined by the wonderful Vicky Labinger, an interior designer and business mentor for interior designers for another behind-the-scenes conversation in my series of 'For the Love of Small Business.' “Oh, my God, you're mad. What are you doing? You're quitting a hugely successful co…
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036 For the Love of Small Business with Tanya Ibberson
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In this week’s episode of the Future-Proof Your Business podcast, I’m joined in the studio by the incredible Tanya Ibberson for another behind-the-scenes conversation in my series of 'For the Love of Small Business.' With over 25 years experience of working in accounting, financial training and business mentoring, Tanya is also a certified trauma-i…
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How excellent is the Curriculum for Excellence? With Aveek Bhattacharya, Emma Seith & Dr Neil McLennan
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Welcome to our revamped podcast! Rather than provide a running commentary on recent political events, we want to use this podcast to discuss policy and specifically policy implementation. How can we do things better? This week, Our Scottish Future Campaign Director Eddie Barnes discusses education and the Curriculum for Excellence. He is joined by …
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035 For the Love of Small Business with Hayley Ekgren
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In this week’s episode I have a great conversation with the fabulous Hayley Ekgren, co-founder of Your Support Team, all about the behind-the-scenes of running and growing a business. Hayley is Business Operations Director at Your Support Team, a company that provides an outsourced finance department to SMEs, specialising in Xero accounting softwar…
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034 Whats the One Thing you should be focusing on?
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In this week’s episode, I’m asking you what's the one thing that's going to make the biggest impact in your business. What's the one thing, the most important thing you should be focusing on right now? I’m sharing with you some of the behind-the-scenes from my business, some of my clients’ stories and giving you some pointers to help you work out w…
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033 5 Reasons Why you Should Invest in Yourself to Grow your Business
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In this week’s podcast, I’m sharing with you the 5 reasons why I believe it’s imperative to invest in yourself and in your own personal development in order to grow and future-proof your business. I’m a massive believer in the fact that as business owners you should never stop learning, gaining new skills and finding new ways to do things, to think…
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Fast Start or False Start for Humza Yousaf? With Willie Rennie MSP, Jenny Marra & Philip Rycroft
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Our Scottish Future Chair Prof Jim Gallagher fills in for Eddie Barnes this week and is joined by former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP, former Scottish Labour MSP (and proud Dundonian) Jenna Marra and former senior civil servant Philip Rycroft. They discuss the challenges facing new First Minister Humza Yousaf, rebellious party…
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032 When was the last time you checked in with your business?
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In this week's episode I’m talking about this crazy rollercoaster ride that is running a small business, sharing some insights into the ever changing and challenging world we live in and discussing the 5 key steps that make up my SPEAK formula to help you future-proof your business. I want to help you make sure that you’re in the best place possibl…
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What Awaits The Next First Minister? With Prof Jim Gallagher, Lucy Hunter Blackburn and Lucy Dunn
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This week’s Our Scottish Future podcast looks ahead to the challenge facing the new SNP leader and First Minister who will be elected next week. What should their priorities be? What do they do about independence? And how should they cooperate with the UK Government? OSF’s Eddie Barnes is joined by three leading experts to discuss this and more: OS…
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031 Stop doing the things that make you cringe.
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In this week’s episode it’s just me, and I’m talking about that big hairy elephant in the room. You know the one who helps us to put pressure on ourselves to show up in ways that don’t feel right, and force ourselves to do ‘the things’ just because they are expected of us. I want to give you permission to sense-check everything you do and bring the…
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Scotland's democratic health with Prof James Mitchell, Johann Lamont and Donald Cameron MSP
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This week Eddie is joined by James Mitchell, Professor of Public Policy at Edinburgh University and one of Scotland’s foremost experts on devolution and public reform; the former leader of Scottish Labour, Johann Lamont, who was Labour’s representative on the cross-party Commission on Parliamentary Reform; and Donald Cameron MSP, the Scottish Conse…
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030 For the Love of Small Business with Rob Dobson
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In today’s episode, I have a great conversation with the brilliant Rob Dobson from Northern Comfort about how to get the most out of your website. Rob has been building, designing and optimising websites for over 20 years and shares some great insights into the behind-the-scenes world of code and development and how to make sure your website is per…
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The Fallout Continues with Prof Jim Gallagher and Cllr Molly Nolan
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Prof Jim Gallagher and Cllr Molly Nolan discuss the continuing fallout from Nicola Sturgeon's decision to quit office. They set out their opinions on the first few hustings events involving the three candidates and all the various issues that they have been discussing from the apparently doomed bottle deposit scheme, to the place of religion in the…
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029 For The Love of Small Business With Vicki Jakes
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In today's episode, I’m joined by the absolutely brilliant Vicki Jakes. Vicki Jakes is an online marketing and website optimisation consultant helping small businesses sell more stuff via their websites. She is so passionate about helping small businesses learn to love their websites and online marketing by bringing high-level easy to understand tr…
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028 13 steps to communicate effectively in your business
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Welcome to this week's episode of the Future-Proof Your Business Podcast. Since I created my business LR Comms, in 2015, my goal has always been to bring my experience, expertise and immense passion for effective communication to the world of small business. I genuinely believe that excellent communication is the key to success and creating a succe…
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Scotland's Shaken Kaleidoscope with Kirsty McNeill and Philip Rycroft
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Kirsty McNeill and Philip Rycroft join Eddie to chat about the extraordinary couple of weeks we've seen in Scottish politics since Nicola Sturgeon announced that she would be stepping down as FM. They examine where the turmoil in the SNP leaves Scottish politics and our wider constitutional debate - and how this moment represents an opportunity to …
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In this week’s episode, I’m talking about the importance of really listening to your clients and making sure that you’re delivering what they really want, and not what you think they want. I ask the question, “Are you really listening?” And introduce you to the wonderful Nancy Kline and her book “Time to Think” that literally blew my mind and chang…
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026 How easy is it for People to Buy From You
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In this week’s episode I’m asking the question: How easy is it for people to buy from you? If you know that you're doing a good job, if you really care about what you're doing, then there’s no reason why people shouldn’t want to come and buy from you, unless you are putting obstacles in the way? I share nine ways to make sure that the right people …
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As this week is National Apprenticeship Week 2023 here in the UK, I share with you my love for Mentoring and the huge benefits that come from investing in an apprenticeship and / or mentoring scheme for your business. I believe that by investing in an apprentice and mentor, you can have the certainty that you’re building and developing your own in-…
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In this week’s episode I share with you insights from my favourite subject, people, and the power of surrounding yourself with the right kind of people for you. I’m encouraging you to take some time to check-in with yourself and notice who you are spending the majority of your time with and what that means for you and your business. I talk about; T…
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