Business in Bloom Anna Dunleavy

Today’s episode is part 2 of my conversation with Astrid. Last week, we spoke about Substack - what it is, and when it’s a good choice for business owners. Today, we’re going to briefly chat about Astrid’s choice to move away from social media, and how you might want to consider marketing your business away from the likes of Instagram.

Find Astrid here:
https://astridbracke.com
https://astridbracke.substack.com
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/astrid_bracke/

Social media posts:
- Why I left social media to build community around my business - https://astridbracke.substack.com/p/why-i-left-social-media-to-build
- One year later: reflections on 16 months without social media - https://astridbracke.substack.com/p/one-year-later-reflections-on-16
- Move your business away from social - https://astridbracke.com/move-your-business-away-from-social-media/

On today's episode I’m chatting to Astrid Bracke, who was previously a guest on Episode 76. Today, we chat all things Substack - what it is, what makes it different to other newsletter platforms, and why you may want to consider starting your very own Substack.

We talked about:
- What is Substack, and how does it compare to other newsletter platforms
- What makes Substack different
- Growing a community on Substack
- When Substack might not be the right choice

You can find Astrid here:
- Website - https://astridbracke.com
- Substack - https://astridbracke.substack.com
- Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/astrid_bracke/

Substack related posts:
- My mini-course: Substack for small business owners - https://astridbracke.podia.com/substack-for-small-business
- Should you move your newsletter to Substack? - https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/
- Substack 101: how to use and enjoy the platform - https://astridbracke.com/how-to-use-and-enjoy-substack/

Welcome back to Episode 92!

Today’s guest, Emma Ashru Jones, is a fellow coach. I first met Emma when we both enrolled on a coaching certification a couple of years ago, and over time, we’ve gotten to know each other well. Emma is an integral development coach and she explains what that is exactly, her journey to setting up her business and doing scary things even when self doubt is loud.

Just a little note to say this episode was recorded back in 2021.

You can find Emma here:
https://www.emmaashrujones.com
https://www.instagram.com/emma_ashru/

This week’s guest is Susie Jackson. Susie is a freelance mentor, helping other small business owners with their finances, and in particular, pricing their services, which, I’ve found, is often one of the trickiest parts of running a business.

Things we talked about:
- The reason why so many freelancers struggle with getting their pricing right
- Factors to consider when evaluating your pricing
- Pricing when running your business alongside another job
- Increasing your rates with existing clients - what does this conversation look like, and what’s the best approach
- Preparing to go on maternity leave - considering your capacity, and, of course, pricing!

Find Susie here:
Website: https://www.susiejackson.co.uk
Free Resources: https://www.susiejackson.co.uk/free-resources
IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.organizedfreelancer/
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/theorganizedfreelancer?trk=people-guest_people_search-card

This week’s guest is Christina Golian, a writer and coach, and the founder of The Spark Crew - an online membership for creatives. We covered a lot of ground in this interview, exploring Christina’s career journey up until now, her decision to retrain, why intentionally making time for creativity is important, and we also discussed the state of flow - what it is, and how you can reap its benefits.

Things we talked about:
- Career changes and exploring new avenues
- Making time to feed your creativity
- What is flow, accessing the state of flow, and the benefits that come with it
- Establishing a writing practice as a beginner

You can find Christina here:
Chasing Words and Wonder - https://christinagolian.substack.com
The Spark Crew - https://www.thesparkcrew.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinagolian

Connect with me:
https://www.instagram.com/anna_dunleavy/
https://annadunleavy.substack.com

89: Nurturing our creativity and navigating life changes with Sarah Robertson by Anna Dunleavy