The HoLT’s Survival Guide For Small Businesses

Be honest, do you really show up as the real you to work? Truly, unconditionally you? If there is even the tiniest niggle of doubt that you are, you need Michelle Hartley in your life. She took her beige corporate life and binned it, then stepped into the full kaleidoscopic, colourful brilliance of who she really is. In this episode I talk to Michelle about her transformative journey from a conventional corporate HR role to a vibrant, authentic HR coach. She shares the joy authenticity in business brings and how she overcame imposter syndrome. She also gives incredible tips to anyone using LinkedIn to find their ideal clients and how to create fun, memorable and engaging content. Michelle is a beacon of rainbow coloured light in a land of business beige, listen to find out how you can work and live as who you truly are. And love yourself for it!   “Whatever brings me joy is what I do”– Michelle   You’ll hear about:   00:00 – Being yourself is the biggest win 00:48 - An introduction into Michelle 03:33 - How Michelle went from beige to brilliant 05:09 - Quitting corporate into nothing 09:08 - How Michelle got her first clients 11:59 - How to navigate rejection from clients 16:20 - How Michelle passes on confidence to others 21:03 - Choosing business ideas that are right for you 28:53 - Michelle's advice to use LinkedIn better 33:12 - Create content to become a lighthouse 37:03 - How Michelle got brave on video 41:06 – Michelle’s transformative business advice   Connect with Michelle:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehartleyfinderofawesome/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehartleyfinderofawesome/] People Sorted - https://peoplesorted.co.uk/ [https://peoplesorted.co.uk/]   Connect with me:   The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/ [https://www.the-holt.com/] My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/ [https://leaturner.co.uk/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/ [https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/ [https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/]   Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist [https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist]   My resources:   Check out my course Making LinkedIn Simple - https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023 [https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023]   Take my LinkedIn profile quiz - https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/ [https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/]   This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn [https://shorturl.at/IASSn]

Entrepreneurship will be emotional. Fact. From doubting yourself, getting rejected, to feeling exposed because you’re having to put yourself out there for the sake of your business, you’ll feel it all. My guest in this episode, Kate Hughes, experienced the lot. Her entrepreneurial journey brought up hard stuff from her childhood, but instead of letting this stop her she did what she advises all business owners to do…. Lean into it and work through it. Kate is a leadership coach, and founder of Your Step Coach. After the gut punch of being made redundant 3 times, Kate took her career into her own hands. She shares the challenges of transitioning to self-employment, and the importance of therapy and self-coaching to be able to lean into the hard stuff and build confidence. You need self-compassion as an entrepreneur, Kate’s story shows it it’s not just possible but essential for you to thrive.   “The biggest emotional journey has been battling shit from my childhood”– Kate   You’ll hear about: 00:00 - Confronting Childhood Challenges 01:59 - Kate's life before leaping into self employment 05:25 - The scariness of starting to market yourself 09:00 - Kate's biggest emotional journey in business 12:56 - How has running a business impacted family life? 17:56 - The changes in how Kate runs her business now 23:59 - Where Kate's confidence comes from 27:21 - The positive & negative impacts of people around you 32:59 - The people for the seasons of your life 39:16 - Embracing network rather than competition 40:45 - Kate's advice for new business owners   Connect with Kate:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelouisehughes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelouisehughes/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yourstepcoach/ [https://www.instagram.com/yourstepcoach/] Your Step Coach - https://www.yourstepcoach.com/work-with-me [https://www.yourstepcoach.com/work-with-me]   Connect with me:   The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/ [https://www.the-holt.com/] My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/ [https://leaturner.co.uk/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/ [https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/ [https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/]   Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist [https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist]   My resources:   Check out my course Making LinkedIn Simple - https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023 [https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023]   Take my LinkedIn profile quiz - https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/ [https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/]   This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn [https://shorturl.at/IASSn]

Business is not all about money. Shock! Horror!! It can be created for the purpose of serving others, and when it is incredible things happen. My guest in this episode Luke Beckley not only has an innate drive to serve others through his work, but he also builds businesses whilst working in a full-time career. Luke is a generous soul who works with me at Hope4, a charity providing emergency aid to desperate families in Moldova. His specialism is data, through which he supports businesses large and small to ensure they have proper data handling practices. He shares invaluable insights into the common mistakes small businesses make with data, and the serious impacts it can have if handled improperly. We also re-live our eventful trip to Kilimanjaro that triggered a wave of support across LinkedIn and shows the true spirit of entrepreneurs in times of difficulty. “The real passion is helping small businesses and charities”– Luke   You’ll hear about: 00:00 - Luke Beckley: data protection superhero                                                         00:56 - An introduction to Luke Beckley                                                              03:51 - Why Luke stuck to a side hustle 07:08 - Being comfortable building a business slowly 10:11 - How to balance multiple work projects 12:30 - The Kilimanjaro story 20:07 - Luke and Lea on fundraising for Hope4 23:28 - Luke's purpose in data protection 25:58 - Common small business data mistakes 30:25 - The power of terms and conditions   Connect with Luke:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-beckley/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-beckley/] Correlia - https://www.correla.com/ [https://www.correla.com/] Hope4 - https://hope4.org/ [https://hope4.org/] Uncharted Summits - https://www.unchartedsummits.world/ [https://www.unchartedsummits.world/]   Connect with me:   The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/ [https://www.the-holt.com/] My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/ [https://leaturner.co.uk/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/ [https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/ [https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/]   Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist [https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist]   My resources:   Check out my course Making LinkedIn Simple - https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023 [https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023]   Take my LinkedIn profile quiz - https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/ [https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/]   This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn [https://shorturl.at/IASSn]

You will not know everything when you start your business. Accounting, marketing, offer structures, pricing…… the list goes on But that should never stop you. The belief you have in yourself, your skills, your experience is what you need to get started. That is exactly what my wonderful guest in this episode, Jesminara Rahman, had when she took the leap. Transitioning from a secure job at HMRC she jumped ship to join the side of small businesses, fighting in their corner in tax disputes with HMRC. Jesminara shares the essential skills she needed to develop fast at the start of her journey that created business growth. She gives incredible insights into how she built a flexible team empowered by choice, something so many businesses could learn from. Jesminara is forging the way for balance in business, listen up to find out how you can too.   “I knew because of my expertise that I could do it”– Jesmin   You’ll hear about:   00:00 - Flexible Work Culture and Employee Empowerment 01:12 - Jesmin's Journey to Starting a Small Business 03:11 - Overcoming Fear: The Leap into Entrepreneurship 05:53 - The Emotional Toll of Tax Investigations 10:00 - Balancing Family and Business Responsibilities 12:52 - Building Resilience Through Adversity 15:47 - Essential Skills for Business Growth 20:00 - The Importance of a Good Accountant 24:04 – Jesmin’s advice for Small Business Owners 28:12 - Creating a Supportive Work Environment 31:54 - Navigating the Challenges of Business Ownership 36:05 - The Power of Collaboration Over Competition   Connect with Jesmin:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesminararahman-taxinvestigationexpert/?originalSubdomain=uk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesminararahman-taxinvestigationexpert/?originalSubdomain=uk]   Connect with me:   The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/ [https://www.the-holt.com/] My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/ [https://leaturner.co.uk/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/ [https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/ [https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/]   Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist [https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist]   My resources:   Check out my course Making LinkedIn Simple - https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023 [https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023]   Take my LinkedIn profile quiz - https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/ [https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/]   This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn [https://shorturl.at/IASSn]

Are you a risk taker? There is no greater risk than to go out on your own to start a business, but the rewards are huge. And when you find that passion nothing will stop you. For my guest in this episode, Steve Ware, risk taking was never easy. Coming from a risk averse family his mindset was one of corporate safety. Then a long career at IBM was ended by burnout and the Covid pandemic. Discovering the power of mindfulness ignited something in Steve. He transformed himself by regaining control over his mental health, which led to training others in the practice with rave reviews. It wasn’t until he risked everything by investing all his earnings back into his business that things really took off.   Get ready to find out the impact mindfulness can have on your life, and the challenges and rewards of transitioning into entrepreneurship.   “It feels like I'm swimming with the tide now”– Steve   You’ll hear about:   00:00 – Steve on finding his passion 00:35 - An introduction to Steve Ware 03:29 - Steve's experience with burnout 07:09 - Going from burnout to mindfulness 11:26 - The benefits of a quiet mind 13:06 - Steve's path to training mindfulness 18:08 - Is Steve more of a risk taker now? 23:54 - The turning point in Steve's business 28:04 - How Steve's life has changed working for himself 32:02 - Keeping the passion and business growing 37:43 - The importance of word-of-mouth referrals   Connect with Steve:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-ware-mindfulness/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-ware-mindfulness/] Website - https://www.stevewaremindfulness.com/ [https://www.stevewaremindfulness.com/]   Connect with me:   The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/ [https://www.the-holt.com/] My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/ [https://leaturner.co.uk/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/ [https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/ [https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/]   Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist [https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist]   My resources:   Check out my course Making LinkedIn Simple - https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023 [https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023]   Take my LinkedIn profile quiz - https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/ [https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/]   This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn [https://shorturl.at/IASSn]