Self-care is a term that’s been thrown around a lot, but what does self-care as an entrepreneur actually look like?
Being a small business owner is a rollercoaster, filled with opportunities and challenges. As founders, we pour our hearts and souls into our businesses, but this can take a toll on our wellbeing after a while.
When you neglect your physical and mental health, it can lead to stress, burnout and overwhelm and it can feel pretty lonely too. But with the right tools and support, you can prioritise your wellbeing as an entrepreneur and ensure you’re set up for success.
Read on to find out what practical self-care rituals you can put in place as an entrepreneur.
Set Boundaries
- Setting clear boundaries in your business is essential for maintaining your wellbeing as an entrepreneur. It's all too easy to become consumed by the demands of your business, leading to burnout and stress.
- To create a healthier business-life balance, start by establishing working hours and sticking to them. Remember this is your business, so the traditional 9-5 doesn’t have to apply! Decide on what hours work for you and ensure you stick to them as much as possible.
- A key to maintaining this boundary is communicating them to your customers and your team. For example, if you outsource some of your work to a virtual assistant, make sure that they know that you’ll only be available 10am-3pm as those are your working hours. Communicating your boundaries to your audience can also be really helpful as a solopreneur as it better sets expectations! For example, if you’re closed over the Holidays to spend some time resting and recharging with family, a simple post on social media letting your audience know that your customer service will be closed during this time can create a better experience and allow you to maintain your boundaries!
- Make the most of new technologies to automate and streamline processes so that you can switch off whilst your business runs in the background! Use email and social media scheduling tools and meeting booking programmes like Calendly to run your business outside of your hours. Need help with this? Request a technology mentoring session here.
By setting these boundaries, you’ll create the space needed for self-care, quality time with loved ones, and the mental clarity needed to make great decisions for your business. Remember, having boundaries isn’t selfish! It’s an important part of protecting your wellbeing and ensuring you can show up as the amazing founder that you are!
Create a healthy workspace
As tempting as it can be to work from your sofa in a snuggly pair of pyjamas, one of the best things you can do to support your wellbeing is to create a healthy workspace.
- If you work from home, try designating one space in the house that will be your workspace. Creating a designated space means that when you finish you’re working day, you’re not then also spending your free time in your “office”. Don't forget, the space doesn’t have to be big! Even if it’s creating a cosy corner of your living room, just having that dedicated space will help your brain switch off.
- When creating your workspace, try to keep it as clutter-free as possible! As the saying goes, a tidy space is a tidy mind.
- Fill your space with things that light you up. Whether that’s a picture of your pooch, lovely candles, matching stationery or just making sure you’ve got your favourite mug to hand, all these things will create a healthy and happy working space for you.
Creating a workspace that you love that’s also functional will mean that you’re more productive and happy when working - which will lead to a better business!
Manage your stress
We know how stressful it is to be an entrepreneur, but there are some tried and tested techniques that you can use to manage your stress.
- Make sure you’re realistic with your time. We all think we’ll be able to get 100s of tasks done in a day, but in reality, we all know we might only get 3 of them done in a day - and that’s okay! By being realistic with your time, you’ll be able to set deadlines that are actually achievable. You’ll also put yourself under less pressure as you won’t be beating yourself up for not getting everything done that you set out to do!
- Despite our best intentions, sometimes stress is unavoidable. When you do start to feel stressed, try to take a step back if you can. Get outside for a walk, cuddle a loved one, try a quick meditation to reset your mindset, or if you can, take a full break and come back to the task or stress at hand with a fresh mindset the next day! Stepping back from your business will give you a chance to reset your mindset and approach the stress with a positive and solution-focused mind!
- Don’t suffer alone - there’s nothing worse than feeling stressed and not having anyone to talk through your problems with. Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or even a mentor and try and find a solution to your problem together. If you’ve not got a mentor yet and you want to give it a try, request a wellbeing session with one of our mentors. They’ll be able to chat through the stress and challenges you’re facing and offer support and guidance to help you through
Find your small business circle
Similarly to not suffering alone, it’s important to surround yourself with people who can support you. Having emotional support from people who just *get it* can make all the difference to your wellbeing
- Join business communities - there are hundreds of communities out there who support and champion small businesses. In these groups you can network, offer services, and meet friends for life! Being part of a community of like-minded people helps make your business journey a little less lonely!
- Check out virtual networking opportunities - amazing services like FSB run regular virtual networking events for small businesses. These sessions allow you to meet founders from around the UK who you may never have bumped into! Meeting founders in different areas and industries to you will expand your business knowledge and better connect you with the small business community.
- Find local friends - many areas will offer net-walking groups (Google them if you’ve not heard of them before, they’re so fun!), local business meetups and opportunities to get to know your local community. Having connections with your local community will help you to feel more connected and stay in the loop about any nearby opportunities that might benefit your business!
- Join online Masterclasses and events and get chatting in the comment section! Here at Digital Boost, we run virtual Masterclasses, networking sessions, and Planning Power Hours to help you connect and collaborate as you grow your business 💪 Check out all our upcoming sessions here.
Celebrate your wins
And finally, no matter how big or small, remember to celebrate all the wins you're having!
- Try ending your day by reviewing your tick list and finding one win. At first, you might find it tough to see the wins! But once you get into the habit this can be a really fun and easy way to celebrate the little wins you're seeing every day 🥳
- Taking the time to reflect on the progress and wins you're seeing daily, weekly and even monthly can be hugely motivating. And by finding those moments of positivity and celebration in your business, you create a more motivating and exciting environment for yourself!
As entrepreneurs, it's easy to get bogged down by what's gone wrong, but reflecting on what's going right is going to be game-changing for your mindset 🧠
Conclusion
Self-care is anything but a luxury for entrepreneurs. Wellbeing should be a priority for every entrepreneur, as better wellbeing leads to happier founders and better businesses!
If you give any of these practical tips a try, let us know so that we can celebrate with you 🎉
If you’re on your wellbeing journey and want support, why not meet with one of our mentors? All our mentoring is free and unlimited! In a wellbeing session, you’ll be able to work through your challenges and stresses with the support of a mentor. Our mentors are amazing listeners and always give the kindest support as they know how hard it is to be a founder!
After struggling to find beautiful lights for her home during a house renovation, Thalia noticed a gap in the market and took the leap to start building Sparkle Lighting. Sparkle Lighting has become a destination for beautiful and unique lighting. It's loved by interior accounts across the country and it's thriving thanks to Thalia's hard work!
Although Thalia had some PR and advertising experience, digital marketing was a whole new arena that she knew nothing about. It was a steep learning curve, but luckily Digital Boost was able to connect her with experts who helped her learn new digital skills to grow her business!
A gap in the market
Having had an extensive career in international sales, Thalia has worked in many environments! Before starting her business she had the chance to work in a start-up environment and absolutely loved it. After moving into a corporate role, the strain of the travel and office-based culture presented Thalia with a career crossroads. She could either continue in what she'd always done or take the leap to be her own boss!
After experiencing first-hand how hard it was to source beautiful lighting for her house renovation, Thalia had the idea to create a business that solved that problem. So she set out to create a destination site that specialised in sourcing gorgeous lighting and Sparkle Lighting was born ✨
Tuning into her customer's needs
Initially, Sparkle Lighting offered traditional lighting options for the home. However, Thalia's business truly took off 4 years ago when she decided to add pretty Christmas lights to her website. Her social media had been growing steadily, but after posting the newest addition to the site, Thalia's audience went wild for the new product! She started working on her SEO and leaning into this new niche that her audience was reacting so well to. Eventually adding a new children's and garden range, designed to suit her customers' needs all year round.
Needing digital marketing support
Despite coming from the world of PR and advertising, Thalia says herself that she had next to no digital marketing skills. She went on a 'steep learning' curve with her marketing, learning everything she could to adapt her skills to the new digital world.
Having undertaken some paid online courses, Thalia was intrigued when a friend recommended Digital Boost. Hearing it was a free resource where you could have hour-long calls with experts, for no cost at all, Thalia signed up to give it a go!
An amazing mentoring experience
Thalia signed up for her first mentoring call, totally unsure of what to expect. She came away delighted with the support that her mentor gave her! After learning the mentoring sessions were unlimited, she went on to book mentoring sessions in a whole range of topics!
"I just started realising that it was a real opportunity to talk to an expert about what you're doing"
Knowing that she needed support with digital marketing, Thalia was able to get super specific with the support that she wanted. She booked mentoring sessions with Google Ads and SEO mentors to help her develop her digital skills.
Getting unstuck
"It is quite a lonely existence starting your own business from scratch [...] and sometimes you get really stuck on something. [..] And you go on these [calls] and start talking to [a mentor] [...] and then by the end of it, you get this real excitement because you're getting all this insight and information!"
For Thalia, having some prior business knowledge set her up for success, but it didn't prepare her for how lonely the journey would be. Like many founders that Digital Boost supports, Thalia found solace in the accountability and friendly support that her mentors were able to give her. Being able to book regular mentoring sessions and get support "in the moment" allowed Thalia to keep overcoming hurdles that would have otherwise held her business growth back.
Personalised digital marketing support
Unlike other support programmes, Thalia recognised the power of the personalised support she received through Digital Boost. Whereas other programmes are focused on "one-to-many support", Thalia has seen immense growth thanks to the 1:1 support and personalisation of the mentoring she's received.
Digital marketing results
Since accessing Digital Boost's mentoring, Thalia has been able to develop her SEO skills, confidently doing the SEO for her own website and seing amazing results! And the best part? She doesn't just have generic SEO advice to follow, she's got advice that's tailored to the SEO goals of her business!
As part of her mentoring, she's been able to SEO her FAQs which have better served her customers and built her trust and authority as an online seller.
Unlocking new growth with Strive UK
Strive UK is a programme run by Mastercard that funds initiatives like Digital Boost to support micro and small businesses around the world.
Digital Boost was so impressed by the growth Thalia had seen from her mentoring sessions that they put her forward for a very special opportunity with the Strive UK team.
Strive UK produced a report about the impact of small businesses in the UK that was presented at the Houses of Parliament. As part of that presentation, Thalia had the opportunity to talk with members of parliament, showcase her products at a pop-up shop and even give a talk about how much mentoring has helped her business to grow!
The press around Strive UK's report also resulted in a Times Magazine feature and radio interview where Thalia had the chance to promote Sparkle Lighting. After the radio interview alone, Thalia went on to have a record day of sales!
What's next for Sparkle Lighting?
Since we interviewed Thalia, she's continued to meet with our mentors regularly, attend Masterclasses and join us for new Planning Power Hour sessions to keep the momentum in her business 💪 She's now working on her business strategy, aligning her plans with her goals, and getting clear on her KPIs and metrics so that she can grow even more 🚀
We're delighted to have been a part of Thalia's journey and we can't wait to keep supporting her as Sparkle Lighting grows even more!
Celebrating our mentors
The support that Thalia received wouldn't be possible without the kindness of corporate partners like Mastercard, BT, NatWest and so many others that make it possible for us to offer our mentoring totally free of charge.
Thalia was supported by incredible mentors like Tom and Ian from the BT team, Karen from the Digital Boost team, Maddie from Guide Dogs UK, Chris from Polything Marketing, Alvaro from Apple and so many other incredible volunteers who give their time to support founders.
If you're a small business and want to access our free mentoring, you can sign up here 👇
So, that grand plan you had for your business hasn't quite... well, gone to plan 😅 As entrepreneurs, our business journey is often squiggly and can feel like you're on a rollercoaster. But it can really take a toll on your wellbeing when things feel like they're constantly not going to plan.
It's important to reflect on your plans so that you can find a path forward - but you might be wondering, how do I do that?! Sarah Stewart is a time management coach and knows a thing or two about planning! Read on to find out Sarah's tips and tricks to get your plan back on track for success 💪
As a time management coach, I’m a massive advocate of planning ahead of time. However, I was recently asked the question “If the plan doesn't work out, or isn't working; what then?”
Here's the steps I follow when I feel like things haven't gone to plan 👇
1. Reflect on what the plan actually was
Your next steps will totally depend on what your plan *actually* was in the first place. Plans will look different for everyone. You may have planned to launch a new product and missed your deadline, or you might have planned for a productive day, and have a child off school ill.
Reflecting on what your plan was will help you to work out your next steps to get back on track.
2. Remain calm
If you have gone off track, I think it's important to (try to) remain calm - I've been complimented on my calming influence a few times now in professional settings (my background is project management in the pharmaceutical industry), and I do think it's important to stay grounded. For me, my mindfulness practice helps with this. Take some slow breaths, and come into your body. Remember everything is fixable and nothing is permanent.
3. Acknowledge how you are feeling
Know that whatever you're feeling is totally normal. Depending on the situation, it might be that you want to write about how you're feeling (grab a pen and paper and see what comes out!). Or you might want to speak to a business friend or mentor and chat about what's happened. A problem shared is a problem halved.
3. Reflect
When you've been able to reset your mindset, you'll then be in a place where you can reflect on the situation calmly. It's a great time to objectively reflect on what was going well with your plan and what things could have gone better. These are important things to note down as they'll help you to improve in the future! Remember, failure is inevitable, but it's what we learn from it that sets us up for success.
4. Accept what's happened
I think there's also something around acceptance. Know that not all plans will work out, and that's also ok. Not everything is in your control.
5. Reasses
The next step might be to re-assess, perhaps coming back to your intention of the plan. Give some thought again to what your desired outcome of the plan is, and are you still shooting for this same goal post or are there some adjustments needed? Perhaps you weren't clear at the outset about what the endpoint was, and this may have caused some of the issues that you've encountered.
6. Readjust
I'd then start thinking about adjusting the plan or starting over with a Plan B. What options are on the table? If there are a few options available, can you consider the pros and cons of each to help with any decision-making? It might be that you want to sit with these for a while and decide how you feel about each before you make any moves.
Get back on track
Once you've completed those steps, you don't have to rush back to creating a plan! As long as it's not a time-sensitive goal, you can always slow things down and create some headspace to really reflect on what your key business priorities are now. Use this time to get clear on where you're headed, and how you will measure your progress.
Once you're ready, take action… even if it's messy and not perfect- you’ve got this!
Sarah is one of the amazing businesses in our community that we've been able to support through our free business mentoring. We're so happy she's been able to give back to our community by sharing her unique skills to help others succeed!
If you're currently reworking a plan that fell through, why not book a free mentoring session with one of our mentors? We'd suggest requesting an 'initial diagnosis' call as this will help you to identify the needs of your business at this moment 💪 In no time at all, our mentors will help you to get back on track for success! 🙌
Black History Month is a chance for us to celebrate Black people around the world. And as a small business community, it's also a unique chance for us to reflect on how we can better support Black business owners. Whilst we support Black business owners all year round, it's important to us to challenge ourselves to keep doing better. Rather than being part of the noise, we want to offer practical ways to engage all year round. So we've compiled a list of ways to support Black-owned businesses throughout the year.
What is Black History Month?
Black History Month (BHM) is celebrated in October in the UK and February in the United States each year. It's a chance to recognise and honour the contributions and achievements of Black individuals around the world. BHM promotes a deeper understanding of ongoing systemic racism and discrimination, educating people around the world and offering and chance to unite and work towards a brighter future.
Why it’s important to support Black entrepreneurs
The Saïd Business School found that Black business owners numbered more than 10,000 in the UK and had a clear desire to support their communities. From this, we know that Black businesses create valuable jobs & opportunities and give back to local communities. Despite these soaring numbers and social responsibility goals, Black-owned businesses are disproportionately affected by a lack of funding and wealth equality. Backlight's Black Owned Business 2023 report found that BME founders were twice as likely to have given up equity in return for investment compared to white business owners.
At Digital Boost, our mission is to empower the next generation of business owners with the skills and knowledge that they need to grow their businesses. The disparity that affects both Black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs is clear to us. So we want to be a part of the change that gets us on the road to true equality.
So what can you do to support Black business owners year-round?
Vote with your money
It's a cliche, but voting with your wallet can be the best way to support Black-owned businesses. It also shows the industry that there is demand for these businesses! You can find amazing creators on websites like Etsy and Not On The Highstreet to purchase products and support their businesses.
Amarachi is one of the amazing founders in our small business community who sells her products through Not On The Highstreet. She's the founder of Lucocoa, London's first bean-to-bar chocolatier. Every single Lucocoa bar is hand-made by Amarachi and her team in London! Amarachi started Lucocoa after realising that the chocolate industry was broken. Child and slave labour are present in many cocoa farms, so with Lucocoa, Amarachi is taking a stand! By working with farmers that she knows and trusts, she can ensure that her chocolate is totally free of slavery and fair for all.
You can check out Amarachi's amazing chocolate on her website here and follow her entrepreneurial journey here.
📸 image taken from www.lucocoachocolate.com/
Become a mentor
Helping business owners develop their skills is key to ensuring that Black business owners can thrive. If you have a skill that you're willing to share, you can become a Digital Boost mentor and start mentoring today! All our mentors are volunteers, so our mentoring allows you to give back to the small business community. Our mentoring is totally flexible to you and your schedule, so it's easier than ever to fit into your day!
Our platform allows you to indicate whether you'd specifically like to help certain underprivileged groups, so you can ensure you're giving your time to those who need it most.
Support on social media
We know it's a tough time financially for a lot of people, but support doesn't have to cost the earth! Engaging with the social media accounts of Black businesses can increase their reach and grow their audience 🚀 Next time you're on social media, remember to like and comment on any posts that you see - and if you can share or save the posts, even better!
Attend local events & pop-ups
Throughout the year lots of local events and pop-up shops are hosted to specifically support and promote Black-owned businesses. Check local Facebook groups and community newsletters to find out about upcoming events in your area and attend if you can!
One great example of this is Black Culture Market, which we've been able to support with our mentoring programmes. Black Culture Market offers Black business owners the opportunity to showcase and sell their products at iconic events across London. Black Culture Market exists to close the wealth gap and create more jobs and opportunities! You can find out more about Black Culture Market and the upcoming events here.
📸 image taken from www.blackculturemarket.co.uk/
Invest in Black business owners
The disparity in fundraising for Black business owners is well documented. Crunchbase has reported that Black entrepreneurs usually receive less than 2% of all VC dollars each year, and companies led by Black women receive less than 1% overall. This is why it's so important for investors to be aware of this disparity and take action to close this gap. If you're in a position to invest in a business, consider investing in a Black-owned business!
Collaborate
If you're a fellow business owner or creator, consider collaborating with Black-owned businesses throughout the year. Collaboration is a great way to show support for other business owners and also amplify the voices of others! Collaboration could be running a joint competition on your socials, inviting guest blogs on your website, or hosting a mini-event together 💜
Support legislative change
Use your voice to support legislative change in local and national arenas. There has been lots of momentum in these changes over the last few years, but it's important to keep pushing change forward! Sign petitions, talk to your local councillors and advocate for the change that you want to see.
Conclusion
There are many ways that you can support Black business owners throughout the year to ensure that equality is achieved for all. Whether you're investing, adding your voice to the movement, or buying from Black business owners, any small thing you do will go a long way to achieving this goal!
So you're a small business looking to fundraise - but how do you stand out from the crowd when you get to pitching?
Storytelling is a tried and tested technique that will take your pitch to the next level and unlock more funding for your business, here's how 👇
Why you should fundraise for your business
We're 99% sure if you're reading this blog that you know why you should be fundraising for your business, but just in case fate has landed you here, here's why you should fundraise 😊
When you're an entrepreneur, so much of those initial few years are based on you fronting all the costs of your business. This can take a toll, not only your bank account, but the growth of your business too. If you're ordering stock, trying to hire a team, or just generally growing your business, all of this hinges on the capital you have in your business.
It's a tough line to walk as an entrepreneur, but luckily there are lots of investors out there who have grants and pots of money to support you on your journey!
Finding investors
You know you're ready to grow your business, but how do you find investors?
There are lots of options out there, but a great place to start can be local growth hubs. These are government-run programmes that are often able to signpost you towards local grants and funds you may be eligible for.
You'll also find national grants on the government website which can be super helpful if you want to go for bigger grants and funds.
And finally, lots of corporate companies and charities offer private grants and funds to support their company-wide initiatives. It's worth checking out NatWest, The Prince's Trust, the Cartier Women's Initiative and other big corporations to see what funds or grants they may be backing 😊
What does a great fundraising pitch look like?
Okay, so you're ready to fundraise and you've got your pitch interview - but how do you create a pitch that stands out?
To keep it as simple as possible, you want to create a pitch deck that clearly shows your potential investors the problem you're tackling and the solution you're offering.
It's not groundbreaking, but by focusing clearly on the solution, you're quickly showing your investors that what you're aiming to do is focused and actionable!
But this alone won't make you stand out from the crowd, but this is where storytelling comes in. The only thing differentiating you from your competitors is your unique journey and mission so let's leverage that!
Keeping things simple
The first thing to remember when weaving your story into your business pitch is that it has to be as simple as possible.
The best way to do this is to imagine that everyone you're pitching to has never heard of you or your business before, they've not read your brief or your proposal so this is totally new information to them.
Some people prefer to do the '8-year old test' - if you were to pitch your idea to an 8-year old, would they understand what you do? If you answered yes, you've nailed the first part of your pitch! If you didn't pass the test, it's time to go back to the drawing board and simplify.
Crafting your unique story
As humans, stories help us to connect with one another. If you're not giving your investors the full story, they'll naturally fill in the blanks themselves which is what we want to avoid!
The more you tell your story and build that picture for your investors, the more they can connect with you and your dream, making them more likely to invest in you.
When crafting your story, ask yourself the following questions:
- What's my why? What inspired me to start this business? (Check out Simon Sinek's 'Start with why' for help with this)
- What unique lived experiences have influenced my business or the industry I'm working in?
- What shared thoughts and feelings can I draw upon to really engage my audience?
Bringing it all together
So now you've got your unique story written, it's time to bring it all together in your pitch deck. Remember the golden rule: the best salespeople are those who don't make you feel sold to. So try to weave your story into your pitch naturally - the best way to do this is to use your story as the starting point for your pitch and then build around it.
Once you have this nailed, you just need to make sure you're water-tight on those hard-hitting questions your investors may ask:
- Why do you want funding?
- What will this funding do for your business?
- What's your 5/10-year plan for the business?
And there you have it, that's how you can stand out from the crowd through storytelling when fundraising for your business 💪
If you'd like support to perfect your pitch deck, or fancy practising your actual pitch with an expert, our fundraising mentors are on hand to help!
Connecting with our small business mentors is totally free and unlimited, so why not give it a try 👇
After a late ADHD diagnosis, Michelle set out on a mission to ensure no one else had to navigate this diagnosis alone. That's how her business, Find Your Spark was born. She spent over a decade building her incredible business whilst juggling freelance roles to sustain the business. It wasn't until she stumbled upon Digital Boost's free business mentoring in 2022 that everything changed.
In just 12 months, Michelle had unlocked clarity, gained accountability and tripled her client base! She now regularly features in press publications, is recognised as a leading expert in her industry, and is helping more people than ever thanks to the support of her mentors.
A personal diagnosis sparked Michelle's business mission
At the age of 37, Michelle received a late diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Prior to this diagnosis, she had no idea she had ADHD as the condition has historically been misunderstood, particularly in women. Growing up in the 90s, Michelle's condition went under the radar in school as ADHD wasn't recognised by the NHS until 2000. And when it came to Michelle's late diagnosis, ADHD services weren't available to adults so she had to navigate her diagnosis privately.
After going through this experience, Michelle was inspired to start her business in 2011. Initially focusing on young people at risk, Michelle wanted to help young people figure out what unique talents and skills they had and help them find their spark.
Having held down many full-time roles, Michelle realised she was more suited to the self-employed life where she could tap into her creativity, and give herself variety and flexibility and so Find Your Spark was born ✨
Taking the brave leap to self-employed life
Everyone's entrepreneurial journey is different and Michelle's is as unique as her! In 2011, she took the brave leap of faith to start Find Your Spark. She was also able to sustain a part-time freelance role that allowed her to build up her business. She admits that the first 9 months of building Find Your Spark were really tricky, but having that freelance income was a massive help. It gave her the breathing room she needed to build up her client base and increase her income.
By 2022, the business had grown so much that Michelle was able to go all-in on Find Your Spark, give it her full attention, and embark on making her business mission a reality 💪
Those ten years didn't come without doubts and Michelle admits that at times she did think about returning to full-time employment, but her determination saw her through and she kept at it and she's so glad that she did! She now has a thriving business that's helping people around the world and she's where she's meant to be ✨
Joining the #SheMeansBusiness programme and finding Digital Boost
Back in 2022, Michelle took a chance on a free programme run through Meta, the #SheMeansBusiness Bootcamp. Digital Boost partnered with Meta to support the winners and runners-up of their competition, providing a Bootcamp for the winners that featured 1:1 mentoring, exclusive Masterclasses and peer roundtables to help them develop as female founders. Despite not knowing what she'd signed up for, Michelle threw herself into the opportunity headfirst. She attended all of the live sessions and signed up for our free business mentoring.
Before Michelle found Digital Boost, she was being pulled in lots of different directions. She was trying to build her business alongside multiple freelance roles and felt like she wasn't clear about her 'why' or where her business was headed.
She was taking every opportunity open to her to find that clarity, and that's when she met Bethan, her Digital Boost mentor and long-term advisor!
Finding a mentor
When Michelle completed the #SheMeansBusiness Bootcamp, she decided to check out Digital Boost. She was able to immediately request free 1:1 mentoring sessions with experts from BT, NatWest and many other amazing corporations who encourage their employees to share their skills through Digital Boost's volunteering initiative.
Michelle is a big believer in fate and it was absolutely fate on the day that Bethan, a volunteer from Lloyds Banking Group, accepted Michelle's mentoring request! After that initial mentoring session, Bethan agreed to meet Michelle regularly to help support her on her business journey! They have consistently met every fortnight for the last 12 months 💪
The power of ongoing mentoring
When they first began working together, Michelle would come to the sessions with a rough list of what was going well with her business and what was not going so well. When they first started meeting in 2022, the 'not going well list' was quite a bit longer than the 'going well list'. As they've continued to work together, the 'not so good' list has all but disappeared! They have now begun working together on more strategy-focused sessions. Bethan is helping Michelle to figure out her offering, developing her programmes and pricing so that everything is strategic and not pulling Michelle in too many directions, whilst still maintaining the growth and momentum that Michelle is striving for.
Before Michelle met Bethan, she says herself that she had so many ideas that normally, she'd just do them all. Everything would be scattered and there'd be no thought process behind them, just action and reaction. But now she has Bethan's guidance, Michelle is carefully considering her ideas and thinking before she acts. She is moulding them to her ideal clients and marketing them in the right way. This clarity and structure have made Michelle's life so much easier! As well as freeing up her time, she is ensuring everything she puts out aligns with her brand and her audience's needs, which is a huge win!
A free 6-week programme unlocked the final piece of the jigsaw
Whilst receiving this ongoing mentoring, Michelle once again by chance saw an opportunity for more support. In collaboration with BT, we launched a brand new 6-week Jumpstart programme. The programme offered in-depth support designed to get small businesses back on track.
Michelle stumbled across the application on Instagram and thought, why not go for it? The programme took Michelle on a journey where she was able to get back to basics. She reconsidered her business mission, her ideal clients, and her marketing and finance options.
For Michelle, the structure of the programme was key to unlocking new success for her business. As a solopreneur, the weekly homework tasks kept Michelle on track, adding much-needed accountability to help her achieve her goals. She received invaluable feedback from the programme team, as well as support from BT's mentors. They helped her go deeper into the content and answer some longstanding questions she'd had about her business.
Rethinking Michelle's ideal client
One of these longstanding questions was, who is my ideal client? When she first started out, Michelle wanted to support young people at risk and help them unlock confidence. But as her business evolved and as she dug deeper into her own experience with ADHD, she felt called to add more of that into her offering. She realised she was in danger of becoming a jack of all trades, master of none.
That was until Michelle was able to reflect on her ideal client in the Jumpstart programme. She was guided to consider niching down in her business. When she considered who she truly wanted to support, she discovered that was parents of children diagnosed with ADHD. This would allow her to still support young people but in a way that she was never supported. She wanted to educate others earlier on! This was a lightbulb moment for Michelle, and once she honed in on this niche, her client base tripled!
She realised that having this niche didn't mean having fewer clients, it meant having more of the right clients. And once she'd made that mindset shift, she unlocked a new level of her business.
Leaning into Michelle's niche
When leaning into her niche, Michelle experienced some naysayers who questioned whether it was the right decision for her business. When you're a solo founder, it can be really hard to drown out the noise and not take on the opinions of others. But luckily, Michelle had Bethan's encouragement to tune into her intuition and do what's right for her and her business! With Bethan's encouragement, Michelle has stayed the course and is now turning clients away because she's so busy! She features regularly in the press having established herself as a leading voice in the ADHD support and coaching space.
The future of Find Your Spark
Michelle is now clear that her mission is to support as many people as possible with their ADHD diagnosis, and she's ready to continue growing Find Your Spark to make this dream a reality. Michelle regularly delivers ADHD support workshops and offers coaching and resources to her community, you can follow her journey here.
We're so proud to have been a part of Michelle's journey! We're delighted that our mentors and free programmes have been able to support Michelle at every stage of her journey. She's an absolute powerhouse of an entrepreneur and we look forward to continue supporting and cheering her on on her journey!
If you resonate with Michelle's story and want to unlock this clarity and growth, you can join our community and access free mentoring here.
Mentoring can be a daunting concept. You won't be alone in thinking "Oh that's not for me, I don't have enough experience to be a mentor". But at Digital Boost, we see mentoring a little differently.
We prefer to think of it as a conversation where you share your skills and experience with someone who needs some help. No one knows everything, but everyone knows something they can share with someone else. Does that sound more like something you could do?
Let's dive into what makes an amazing business mentor, the key skills you're going to need, and how you can get started on your mentoring journey 🚀
Who can be a business mentor?
Guess what? There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. At Digital Boost, we believe that anyone with a willingness to make a positive impact can be a mentor. Whether you're a seasoned professional working in the corporate space, a tech guru, a creative genius, or own your own business, your unique experiences and insights can be invaluable to someone seeking guidance to grow their business.
Mentorship transcends age, gender, and background - it's all about the willingness to share, listen, and uplift. So, if you have a genuine desire to help others thrive and the humility to learn from your mentees as well, you're already halfway there! 🤗
What makes a great mentor?
- Passion for Sharing: A great mentor is someone who has a genuine passion for sharing knowledge. Whether it's providing specific industry advice, offering entrepreneurial guidance, or unravelling complex concepts - when you're excited to share your knowledge, it's contagious! When mentees feel that excitement, they become inspired and more confident as they embark on their business journey.
- Active Listening Skills: The best mentors are good listeners. They listen to their mentees' needs, concerns, and aspirations, creating a safe space for open and honest conversations. Taking an empathetic approach to mentoring allows you to build trust with your mentees and give them the support they need.
- Patience: Being a good mentor means understanding that not everyone has the same experiences or learns at the same pace, and that's okay! Great mentors lead their sessions with patience and empathy, understanding that growth takes time and will look different for each mentee.
- Constructive Feedback: As a mentor, you need to be able to give feedback that's both insightful and constructive. It's important to guide your mentee towards new ways of thinking, without impacting their confidence. Great mentors will be able to deliver feedback in a way that's positive and nurturing.
- Encouragement and Motivation: Being a mentor isn't just about providing knowledge; it's about being a cheerleader for your mentees! Great mentors offer encouragement, nudging mentees past self-doubt and inspiring them to continue chasing their goals.
Your journey to becoming a mentor
So, how can you kickstart your journey as a mentor? Here's how to get started:
- Choose your skills: We've all got skills that will help others and often, we don't even realise they are skills! Think about what you do for a living, what skills you do daily that are specific to your job, and what you've picked up over the course of your career - what can you share with others? People often say that being a mentor helps their confidence and this is one of the reasons why! You'll be surprised how much you have to share. 💖
- Decide what type of mentoring you want to do - Think about what kind of mentoring you want to do. Do you prefer one-off conversations or building an ongoing mentoring relationship? At Digital Boost, we offer both! Think about how much time you want to give, and when you can fit it into your schedule. 🤔
- Find a platform: Mentoring is becoming more popular and there's now a community out there that will suit every mentor! Whether you're looking to offer business mentoring (as we do at Digital Boost) or you're looking to mentor young people from underprivileged backgrounds, a quick scan of Google will be the best starting point for finding an opportunity that's right for you!
- Look for training opportunities - Many mentoring platforms will offer training and development opportunities (like Digital Boost's Mentor Training course) that will help you become an amazing mentor AND benefit your career too.
Conclusion
In the words of Mandy Bailey, one of our volunteer mentors from our partners at Royal Bank of Scotland's MentorMatch programme, if you've got a skill, you can be a mentor! Mentoring isn't just about expertise, it's about human connection and having a passion to see people excel. At Digital Boost, we firmly believe that mentorship has the power to drive positive change in the digital world and beyond.
If you've reached the end of this blog post, we're confident you've got the passion and skills to become one of our volunteer mentors! Click here to join our community and find out more about our mentoring mission 👇
It is an incredibly hard time to be a small business owner. Businesses that have been trading for years are struggling more than ever. Together with our partners at BT, we have created Small Business Jumpstart, a six-week programme designed to help micro-businesses get unstuck. 🚀 We held the first of these programmes in May and June this year!
Unlocking growth
The aim of Small Business Jumpstart is to give small business owners strategies and practical tips for growing their businesses. Through a combination of hands-on workshops, expert mentorship, and useful templates, we equipped businesses with the tools and knowledge needed to create their personal action plan, overcome their obstacles, and unlock growth!
The six sessions, which lasted one and a half hours each, covered business strategy, branding, marketing, customer service, and finance. Each one, hosted by volunteers from BT, included a workbook of templates and breakout activities, where the business owners could put what they learnt into practice and get and give feedback to each other, creating a supportive and encouraging community. 💖
Tailored support at every step
One of the key features of the programme and core principles of Digital Boost is that our support is tailored to each business. To support the live sessions, participants also had 1:1 mentoring sessions with our expert volunteer mentors, who offered insights, feedback, and direction throughout the journey. Participants submitted homework each week to get tailored and actionable feedback every step of the way! 🎯 We're thrilled that our participants have since continued meeting with mentors after the programme has ended as they continue to implement everything they learnt 🤗
Giving small businesses a Jumpstart
We create our programmes for small businesses, so feedback and suggestions are so important to us. We want to make sure we're serving the right support in the right way. Throughout the programme, participants shared helpful suggestions, which we implemented as we went along and glowing feedback at the end! 🤩
Here's what Michelle from Find Your Spark said about the programme:
🚀 "The jumpstart programme is one of the best I have been on. 100% recommended to sign up for!!!" - Michelle from Find Your Spark
🎉 "Participating in the Jumpstart programme was a fantastic learning experience. It really helped to consolidate my thinking and helped me structure a strategy. Met some great people as well. Time well spent. Return on investment 100% plus" - Michael from Abceder
🤩 "I’ve learnt so much. I’ve already sent out my first newsletter and put things I’ve learnt into place!" - Seena from Bottlebee
We're so pleased with the feedback and we are really looking forward to seeing the long-term impact over the next few months as the businesses continue to grow and thrive! 🚀
Future opportunities for a Jumpstart!
We have received a lot of interest in Small Business Jumpstart, so we are currently running our second cohort with plans for more to come soon! 🥳 Make sure you have subscribed to our newsletter to be the first to know when applications open! 🤗 Until then, you can access free 1:1 mentoring with our expert volunteer mentors who can help you grow!
Meet Chris, our Mentor of the Month for August! 🎉
Chris has been one of our volunteer mentors for over a year now and in that time has run over 30 mentoring sessions and hosted group Masterclasses too 💪
Chris is such a huge support to our community so we're excited to have the chance to celebrate him today! Get to know Chris here 👇
Where are you based in the world?
London, England 🇬🇧
What's your day job?
Founder of Polything Marketing Consultancy
What's one thing you're amazing at?
Deconstructing complex business challenges and formulating relevant strategies to achieve success
What do you love about mentoring small businesses and charities?
Seeing individuals and companies thrive and grow
If you could start your own business, what would it be and why?
I'd like to start a coaching and consultancy business for Neurodiverse founders, and entrepreneurs
What's one top tip you always share with small businesses
Keep things simple and focus on the most important resource, your time.
What song gets you on the dance floor? 💃
What's your party trick?
Solving a Rubix Cube
If you could sit next to one famous person at a dinner party (dead or alive) who would you choose?
Oliver Sachs
What Chris's mentees have to say 👇
"We had a very inspiring talk about where I am, and where I would like to be. Chris has great knowledge and some shared experience, and was very empathic and positive about strategy for the future."
Douglas, Douglas Hartington
"Chris was great - super knowledgable and was able to tailor his advice to my level of understanding, with some excellent tips and take-outs. Thank you!"
Ellie, Ellie Good Illustration
Read Ellie's Digital Boost success story here
Chris is one of our top mentors and offers mentoring in business strategy, digital marketing, social media marketing and more!
Meet Gail, owner of Pack Holidays and our Digital Boost Member of the Month! 🥳
Gail joined us at the start of 2023 and we've loved seeing her business grow since then. She's gone from strength to strength, and as a team of dog lovers 🐾, we've loved seeing Pack Holidays grow into an amazing business thanks to Gail's passion and energy 🥰
We caught up with Gail to find out more about her business journey and how mentoring has helped her on that journey 🚀
Tell us a little bit about your business
I own Pack Holidays, a dog friendly holiday rental company with cottages in Norfolk, Scotland and The Peak District. I was inspired to start my business as I have three dogs and finding truly dog welcoming properties where dogs are catered for, allowed everywhere in cottages and are welcomed, rather than tolerated, were few and far between. So I decided to do it myself in 2016 ....and here we are now!
📸 www.packholidays.co.uk
What's your favourite thing about being a small business owner?
Flexibility and people!
Let's chat about your business journey...
I started with one cottage (my own) and have grown organically since 2016. Key recipe for success and repeat business is EXCELLENT customer service, excellent products and genuine customer care every step of the way.
What made you decide to join Digital Boost?
To hopefully help others and to learn from others too
And finally, what's been the proudest moment with your business?
The demand exceeding supply in a difficult market this year
Gail came to Digital Boost through our friends at Small Business Britain and we're so happy that they introduced us to Gail!
We're so inspired by Gail's story and we love the passion that she's brought to her business - we can't wait to see even more holiday lets join the Pack Holidays family 🥳
Gail has had free business mentoring from experts like Jamie and left amazing feedback about her experience 👇
Really appreciate the advice, support, honesty and candour! Thank you so much! Lovely to speak to someone as motivated, determined and challenging as me!
Gail, Pack Holidays
If you'd love to experience the power of our free business mentoring and see how much it can change your business, find out more here 👇