Creating The Curve

E52: The Work You're Avoiding Might Be The Work That Moves You Forward

In this solo episode, Anna reflects on the previous conversation with Michael Gordeev and explores why so many business owners stay busy without actually moving their business forward. She introduces the idea of "busy work", the comfortable tasks that feel productive but don't create real progress, such as endlessly tweaking websites, experimenting with new software, or building new features instead of focusing on sales and marketing. Anna shares personal examples of falling into this trap herself, and explains why it's such a natural response when uncertainty creeps in. The episode centres around the three areas Anna believes most strongly influence business growth: Offer, Visibility, and Clarity. She explains how problems in any one of these areas can slow momentum, even when business owners are working long hours and doing their best. Anna discusses how offers can become outdated as markets shift, using examples from changing customer behaviour and post-COVID market trends. She also shares how adapting pricing structures and delivery models can help businesses respond to tighter budgets and changing expectations. Visibility is explored as one of the most common stumbling blocks for founders. Anna explains why simply building something isn't enough, and why consistent visibility across chosen channels matters far more than spreading effort across too many platforms. She shares real-world examples of hiring speakers and trainers based on their visibility and consistent presence. The third theme focuses on clarity, particularly around messaging and communication. Anna highlights how jargon-heavy language and overly technical explanations can confuse potential customers, even when the product or service itself is valuable. Through relatable examples, including selecting professional services, she demonstrates how clear, customer-focused language builds trust and confidence. Throughout the episode, Anna emphasises that growth often comes not from doing more, but from focusing attention on the activities that genuinely move the business forward. She also shares updates about the podcast itself, marking the completion of the first season and outlining plans for the next phase. This episode is particularly helpful for founders who feel stuck in busy work, overwhelmed by competing priorities, or unsure where to focus their effort to create real progress.

E51: When Growth Stalls - How to Find the 20% That Actually Moves Your Business with Michael Gordeev

In this episode, Anna is joined by marketing strategist Michael Gordeev, who shares practical lessons from large-scale brand turnarounds and explains how those same principles apply to smaller businesses. Michael talks through what really happens when business growth stalls, and why the answer is rarely doing more marketing, but doing the right marketing. He explains how many businesses spread themselves too thin, trying too many activities at once, when the real progress comes from identifying the small number of actions that actually move the needle. One of the key themes in the episode is the importance of focusing on the fundamentals. Michael shares real-world examples of companies that recovered from decline by stripping back unnecessary activity, identifying their true differentiators, and investing time and energy into the areas that mattered most. They also discuss the idea of education-based marketing, where businesses provide useful insights and value first, rather than pushing straight into sales messages. This approach helps position businesses as trusted experts and creates stronger long-term relationships with customers. Another highlight of the conversation is the Dream 100 strategy, a focused approach to identifying and reaching out to the small number of ideal customers who could make the biggest impact on business growth. Michael shares examples of how targeted outreach, personalised communication, and persistence can lead to high-value opportunities, even when early responses seem slow. Throughout the episode, Anna and Michael emphasise that growth rarely happens in a straight line, and that plateaus are a normal part of business. The key is not panic or constant reinvention, but thoughtful adjustment, clear communication, and consistent focus on what truly matters. This episode is particularly useful for founders who feel stuck, plateaued, or overwhelmed by too many marketing options, and who want a more strategic, focused approach to growing their business. To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk [https://creatingthecurve.co.uk] To chat to our guest Micheal, find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgordeev [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgordeev]

E50: Why Customer Conversations Beat Assumptions Every Time

Most founders understand that customers matter. But understanding that in theory and truly knowing what customers think, want, and struggle with are very different things. In this solo episode, Anna builds on recent discussions about synthetic customers and explores one of the most common blind spots in small businesses, not spending enough time understanding customers properly. Customer research is often pushed to the bottom of the list because it feels time consuming, awkward, or difficult to know where to begin. Yet it remains one of the fastest ways to sense check ideas, spot new opportunities, and avoid building something nobody wants. Anna shares practical ways to get started, from simple conversations and informal interviews through to using AI as a pattern spotting tool. Not as a replacement for real people, but as a way to speed up learning and help businesses see what they might otherwise miss. For founders who feel unsure whether their offer still matches what customers need, or who are noticing that sales feel slower than they used to, this episode is a reminder to step back, listen carefully, and reconnect with customers. In this episode, Anna talks about: * Why customer understanding is one of the most overlooked foundations of business * How synthetic customers and AI can help test ideas faster * The role of customer interviews and real conversations * How AI can help spot patterns in customer feedback * Why markets shift and how to sense check direction * Simple ways to start learning from customers without formal research * How better customer insight can reveal new opportunities This episode reinforces a simple but often forgotten truth, customers are not just part of the business, they are the business.

E49: Using AI Synthetic Customers to Test Your Ideas Before Launch with Matt Wilkinson

AI is changing how businesses understand their customers, but many founders are still unsure where to start or how to use it in a practical way. In this episode of Creating the Curve, Anna is joined by Matt Wilkinson, founder of Strivenn, to explore how AI can help founders get closer to their customers without needing massive budgets or complicated tools. Matt shares his journey from scientist to AI consultant and explains how his background in research and marketing shaped the way he approaches AI today. The conversation focuses on one particularly powerful idea, synthetic customers. These are AI-powered personas built from real data, insights, and research that allow founders to test ideas, messaging, and products before taking them to market. Together, Anna and Matt explore how founders can use AI to create deeper customer insights, test ideas earlier, and avoid the costly mistake of building products that nobody actually wants. They also talk honestly about where AI works brilliantly and where human insight is still essential, particularly when it comes to emotion, storytelling, and connection. This episode is packed with practical thinking for founders who want to use AI in a thoughtful way, not just to produce content, but to make better decisions and build products that truly meet customer needs. In this episode, Anna and Matt discuss: * What synthetic customers are and how they work * Why most businesses struggle to truly understand their customers * How AI can help founders test ideas before launching products * The difference between logical insight and emotional understanding * Why customer research is still essential, even with AI * How AI helps analyse large volumes of customer feedback quickly * The risks of relying too heavily on assumptions * How founders can start experimenting with AI without large budgets * Why AI should support human creativity, not replace it * The importance of keeping customers at the centre of decision making This episode highlights how thoughtful use of AI can help founders move faster, reduce risk, and build solutions that people genuinely want. To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk [https://creatingthecurve.co.uk] To chat to our guest Matt Wilkinson, head over to: https://strivenn.com [https://strivenn.com]

E48: Networks Are Built One Conversation at a Time

Networking can feel uncomfortable, awkward, or even pointless when you first start, especially if you don't know where to go or who to talk to. In this solo episode of Creating the Curve, Anna reflects on the practical realities of networking, particularly what it looks like when you're starting from scratch with no existing network. Drawing on her own experience of moving into a new area and building connections from zero, she shares honest insights into how networks are built gradually, not instantly. The episode explores the different purposes of networking, from meeting like-minded people to finding potential clients, and why being clear about your intention makes networking far more effective. Anna also talks about practical ways to discover events, build confidence, and make networking feel more manageable rather than overwhelming. A key theme throughout the episode is that networking is not a natural talent reserved for confident people. It is a skill that can be learned, improved, and refined over time. In this episode, Anna covers: * What networking really looks like when you start from zero * How to find networking opportunities when you don't know anyone * The importance of understanding your purpose before attending events * Why networking works best when you build relationships over time * Why confidence in networking grows through repetition * How supporting others makes networking easier and more natural * Why networking is a skill that improves with practice Whether you're new to networking or feeling stuck in your current approach, this episode offers a grounded, realistic look at how relationships form and how opportunities grow from consistent effort. To find out more about Creating The Curve, our community and membership, go to: https://creatingthecurve.co.uk [https://creatingthecurve.co.uk]