Scaling, social media, and sweet success with Rebecca Honeywell-Ward from Honeywell Bakes

The world of PR is constantly evolving. Not all that long ago, it was all about press releases and building relationships with traditional media, whereas now it's this alongside social media, influencers, events, content creation and a lot more. To survive, let alone thrive, agencies need to adapt, and Bloxham PR, lead by founder Kaylie Bloxham, is one that has pivoted, adapted and grown in a constantly evolving climate. On today's episode, Kaylie talks about the Bloxham journey, growing a team, highs and lows, juggling motherhood and business, events, long term relationships and also shares some brilliant tips for brands dipping their toes into the world of PR.

Ah- deep question, right? But it's more business related, why are you the one for your customers, rather than why are you the best of a bad bunch? The current political campaigns at play teach many things- why it's impolite to shout over each other, why fact checking matters, and why repeating why the other person is bad isn't a good marketing strategy. By pinning you conversion hopes on a client thinking you're not as bad as the other person, you're not giving yourself a chance to shine, and you're certainly not making them feel happy with their choice. You're saying 'these people are rubbish'- that's it, you're not saying 'we can help you solve your problem or pain point because'. See the difference? One makes you say 'tell me more- I can't wait for you to help me', the other makes you say 'well, I suppose you're the best of a bad bunch...'. Always strive to be option one.  ...and on today's episode, we're learning all about it...

Rebecca Honeywell-Ward started Honeywell Bakes as a way to help juggle the demands of children, stay creative, tap into a trend, and the need to earn money years ago. From the kitchen table, her business was born, and quickly scaled to premises when the house became filled with boxes for the company's delicious bakes.  But the journey hasn't been easy. From saying no to a huge company because of its terms to the changing landscape of social media, a global pandemic, massive price increases and so much more, the company has been met by many challenges... and has solved these along the way, without compromising the values at its core. On this episode, Rebecca shares everything Honeywell Bakes- very inspiring, very honest, and really interesting.

Don't worry, I won't be telling you how to vote and I won't be discussing policies here... but I was slightly surprised to see Rishi pop up amongst the hilarious dog and cake making videos that usually seem to invade my TikTok feed. He was talking about one of his policy announcements, dispelling myths... and doing it in a very clever way that was native to the platform, was designed in line with what works well for the platform, and yet didn't undermine professionalism. Of course, the Conservatives are not the only party you'll find over on the app best known for lip synching and trending dances, Labour also has an account- more posts, a lot more varied, and with a very different strategy but still designed with the platform in mind. You might think this is madness, but this is a brilliant example of why it's SO important to know the segments of your audience, know where they hang out, and then meet people where they are- an absolute fundamental part of any marketing campaign. So, what do you think? Is TikTok the place for politics? Have you seen either of the accounts I'm talking about? They're definitely worth a look- not necessarily what they're saying, but how they're saying it, why they're there, and how they're tailoring the content to fit the eyeballs it'll find. It's going to be very interesting to see how this evolves...

Marina Gibson has just released her first book- Cast Catch Release- but the journey to get to where she is now has been anything but smooth. The story begins when she was a child and her family spent a lot of time fishing. Although she wasn't all that interested at the time, over the years her interest grew and became a huge passion that helped her in her darkest times and has now become a career through the Northern Fishing School and many more enterprises too.  But to get here wasn't easy. Marina has overcome prejudice, preconceptions, painful personal circumstances, judgements and so much more to develop her businesses, welcome more people into the world of fishing, support those suffering with cancer, and share great work in salmon conservation. Marina is hugely inspiring- not just because of what she's done in the fishing world, but how her work has helped to make fishing more accessible to so many more people... she's a real trailblazer and I think you're going to love this episode.  

Ah- perfection. That unicorn that is always slightly out of reach and will more than likely hold you back from achieving anything good. Yes, aiming for perfect and holding yourself (or others) to impossible standards is unlikely to create the results you want- and on today's episode, we delve into why, and also some strategies to break out of the perfection cycle, to allow you to fulfil your potential. But, before you dive in, this is not (repeat, not!) an excuse for crappy and substandard work. This is to help you find a system that allows you to feel empowered, understand the value of putting out your best work, why you need to press 'go' on projects, and how a good review and reflection process can help elevate what you do, far more than perfection!

A picture says a thousand words, and for Hannah Wilson founder of Quoted Visually, it's attracted thousands and thousands of fans too! What began as a personal tool to help Hannah process information blossomed into an enviable Instagram following, the attention of icons like Steven Bartlett and Simon Alexander Ong (amongst others!), along with a community of over 118k enthusiasts. Not only has Hannah developed a name for herself providing illustrations for businesses and projects, she's also formed a community with other creatives and is empowering others with her expertise through a transformative course. Discover how harnessing the power of illustration can amplify your message and your business, hear Hannah's views on collaborating with competition, the downsides of working alone, and so much more.

If you're feeling a bit deflated about social media and your engagement, listen to this! On this episode, I talk about what engagement is, how it's worked out and why it matters... but also the invisible engagement that we can't see that often moves the needle and is really hard to quantify. I also dip into what 'good' looks like (based on industry average stats) and some tips to help boost valuable engagement, rather than just going after hollow numbers. It's short, sweet, but jam packed with useful information. I hope you find it useful and it stops you feeling deflated about you social media! 

S'more'a'licious was a kitchen table, pandemic project, started by Laura Vogan as she overcame postnatal depression following the birth of her daughter. It began with s'mores kits and has now developed to a full marshmallow business that makes its own delicious marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, and also continues to make s'more kits... but with her own marshmallows now! Laura talks about founding, scaling and growing the business, the highs (not just sugar ones!) on the journey, tricky times, feeling she couldn't carry on, working with influencers, going viral... and why she's quitting....  Before you panic (which was the reaction to Laura's post about this!), listen to the podcast. S'more'a'licious is very much here to stay, but the stress and worry connected to social media and the engagement posts receive (or don't!) has been put to one side, and Laura tells us why...

It can feel really strange telling the world about the product or service that you offer, can't it? But the harsh truth is that if you don't promote what you do or sell, then no one will know it exists. Even at the moment, when it's no secret that times are hard, it's STILL important to tell people what you do. Why? Because if you don't tell them, they won't know, and then when that person needs that thing, they won't even think of you. Business is tough right now, but without self promotion, you're in a downward spiral that doesn't lead anywhere good. In this episode, I share ways to make it feel less yucky and weird, how to reframe the situation, and why it really matters that you do this....