Episodes
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Networking gets a bad rap, because it’s often poorly facilitated. Creating a space for networking that is both results-driven and human is one of Sara Osterholzer’s superpowers.
Sara is an impact entrepreneur, startup mentor, and Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Sussex. She’s also the co-founder of the Good Business Club, a community for entrepreneurs who want to align people and planet with profit.
The Good Business frameworkThese are questions you can ask of your business to help evaluate the positive impact you’re having. For an in-depth look, take the Good Business Quiz.
What impact are you having on the people who work for you, or in your business?Where are your clients in their ethical journey?What impact is your supply chain having?What is your offering? Is it more sustainable or ethical than the alternative?What is the impact you have on a local level, or within your community?What is the impact you’re having on the environment?Some things to consider
If your business can’t sustain itself, then it can’t have the impact you want.Doing good is a long-term aim. If it feels tricky in the short-term but your intentions are good, give yourself a break.Networking is a long game.A community is not a place (a Slack workspace or an email list or a Facebook group). It’s a collection of people who think differently and want many different things, but are aligned around a common purpose or shared interest.Welcoming and onboarding community members individually takes more time, but it’s likely to provide more value to them, and reduce churn.Links
Connect with Sara on LinkedInThe Good Business ClubAtomic Habits, by James ClearPledge 1%B1G1Nick Pomeroy’s appearance on Ear Brain Heart -
It’s easier to market ethically when starting a business from scratch, but any business new or old can put ethics at the heart of what they do. That’s one of the key findings Chris and Jen discovered when they started helping businesses with ethical marketing.
Chris Thornhill and Jen Bayford formed Growth Animals to help business grow their bottom-line and their impact. But ethics isn’t something that can be added in later – it relies on a company culture that’s far easier to instil at the beginning than to change later.
That doesn’t mean that legacy businesses can’t take a new ethical stance, but they often face challenges around authenticity, and avoiding “greenhushing” (or the perception that a company might be greenwashing).
When considering social media channels, think about the value you can offer, not just the size of the megaphone.Do your values run the grain of your company, or are they just lacquered on?If the Internet were a country, it would be the seventh largest polluter in the world.Organisations should look at the good they’re already doing – or want to do – in practical terms, before seeking accreditation.Too much artificial scarcity erodes trust with the customer.Don’t wait until you’re squeaky-clean to start a campaign with ethics in mind.
Some things to considerLinks
Connect with Jen on LinkedInConnect with Chris on LinkedInGrowth AnimalsThe Progressive Leader’s Guide to Ethical Marketing (PDF)The Social DilemmaDFS advert from the 90sAtomic Habits, by James ClearTake the Growth Animals quiz -
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Everyone’s vying for our attention on LinkedIn. So how can you stand out without simply shouting louder?
For content marketing expert Kate Clarke, the key is writing authentically, as yourself, for exactly the type of person you want to reach. So rather than creating more content or chasing the algorithm, it’s about writing, recording, or live-streaming what occurs to you that can resonate with the people you want to work with.
Good writing starts by knowing the audience. Then bring in your values and your story.Start your content creation journey with video or a live stream. From that, you can generate a blog post, a podcast episode, and more.People buy from people they share values with.It’s important to set boundaries when speaking with an authentic voice, so you can let people in… but not too far in.Don’t be afraid of repeating yourself.Some level of automation or scheduling is necessary to help busy people get their messages out. But remember to ask yourself “is this content valuable?”This can also be hugely beneficial if you have a biological cycle that impacts how visible you want to be.The best ways to bring people into the “know” stage of “know, like, trust” is to be visible. Buy ads (if that feels relevant), go to networking events, pitch to guest on podcasts, build partnerships.
Key takeawaysGeorge Kao’s three-step process for content development
Start with informal content – something you can record while walking the dog.Take that piece and work it into something long-form, like a blog post or YouTube video.Combine the pieces that have worked best into a course or a book.Links
Connect with Kate on LinkedInWork with KateAuthentic Content Marketing: Build an Engaged Audience for Your Personal Brand Through Integrity & Generosity, by George KaoAnswer the PublicFocusmate -
We have a limited amount of self-discipline each day. So how you use what you have is crucial. Robbie Swale started writing a blog post every week on the train in-between stops.
What started as 12 minutes every week ended up as an 80,000-word book. Robbie is now three books into a four book series about how to start a project, keep it going, and create the conditions for great work.
Confidence comes from the actions you take, not the other way around.Similarly, the mindset to take action rarely just appears. We need to take small steps to build up that mindset.If you want to define yourself as “the type of person who does X”, you can’t ever be that person without taking the first step.Life will always get in the way. How can you leverage your practice so that it’s resilient in those times?Build the rep of recommitting when you lose your streak.Raise the activation energy for the tasks you don’t want to do, and lower the activation energy for the tasks you do.
Key takeawaysLinks
Connect with Robbie on LinkedInCheck out Robbie’s booksThe 12-Minute Method PodcastThe War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven PressfieldBig Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear, by Elizabeth GilbertYou need 3 types of confidence – Rich LitvinTim Ferris’s podcast gearContours of Courageous Parenting: Tilting Towards Better Decisions, by Karena de SouzaLead. Learn. Change. by David ReynoldsW Somerset Maugham -
Running a small business, especially solo, can be isolating, stressful, and frankly triggering. Nick Pomeroy knows that all too well, which is why he’s vocal in encouraging more of us to talk about our mental health.
Nick took the solo path after heading up a design team. And although he felt supported and cared-for by his previous employer, he’d only begin to realise how stressed he’d become after working for himself.
Letting someone know you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re being a burden.Someone close to you may have seen the signs of stress or burnout before you’d acknowledged them.For Nick, if he’s working late, something’s gone wrong in planning.When you consider that being a solopreneur means being good at your job and also at running a small business, feeling like an imposter might not seem quite so outlandish.Find your own contentment point for work and life.We have to move past “hustle” culture and the idea that men need to “man up”.
Things to considerLinks
Connect with Nick on LinkedInBackground – Nick’s design consultancyCaring for your mental health while running a business – Nick’s article for Mind LeedsA retrospective on depression – Nick’s company blog postA write-up on Muse’s UnsustainableThird law of thermodynamicsSisyphusMaslow's Hierarchy of NeedsWhy Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is wrong -
Humans have a hard time understanding that others don’t see the world the way we do. This naive realism causes us to make assumptions that create distance between us and the people we want to serve.
Tamsen Webster is a TEDx speaker, communications expert, and author of the book Find Your Red Thread, which helps people communicate big ideas through cognitive empathy.
Communication has to be sent and received in order for it to be successful. We tend to spend too much time sending messages, and not focusing on how they’re received.Rather than fit our worldview into someone else’s, we need to understand how their worldview informs their decisions.As great as our ideas might be, our audiences don’t know that yet. And simply repeating how great it is over and over again isn’t going to convince them.Write more pitches in a TL;DR fashion. Make them skimmable.Our ideas are almost never for “everyone”, only for those that share the same worldview as us.Find the world beliefs that support your success at an endeavour, rather than focusing on the limiting beliefs that hold you back.
Things to considerQuestions to ask to help establish cognitive empathy
How is our audience thinking about the problem we’re posing?How do they see the world?What are the beliefs that are leading them to the behaviour, feeling, or action that’s relevant to our message?Links
Connect with Tamsen on LinkedInFind Your Red Thread – Tamsen’s bookHow to Bridge a Mental Gap, Tamsen’s talk from TEDx Wilmington Women -
On average, being disabled costs over £500 a month more than not. Couple that with wrinkles in Britain’s benefit scheme that means disabled people don’t have true marriage equality, and you begin to realise how much work there still is to do to build a fairer society.
Rachael Mole’s mission is to help disabled people enter and remain in the workforce. Through her organisation, SIC, Rachael and her team are bridging the gap of ignorance, and helping people living with impairments and chronic illnesses to thrive.
As well as costing more, being disabled can impact your dignity. Mark shares a story of his application under the Conservative government’s Personal. Independent Payment (PIP) scheme, which is the last millimetre at the tip of the iceberg for what many disabled people face. That’s aside from being told we’re cheating the system.Some of the questions Rachael had to ask herself as a young woman entering the workforce:
Can I talk to employers about my disability?Can I ask for reasonable adjustments?How much help can I ask for until I become a burden?Once I'm a burden, are they going to want me?Things to consider
Diversity of thought is essential to teams. That means it’s essential to hire people from different backgrounds.Gen Zers are seeking to put their money behind organisations with ethics, sustainability, and inclusion in mind.The term “purple washing” that Mark brings up relates specifically to the performative co-opting of feminist messaging.disabled people don’t exist to provide inspiration.Links
Connect with Rachael on LinkedInFollow @rachaelmole on TwitterFollow @thesicceo on InstagramThe Purple PoundDisability Pride Month -
“It’s really easy to make a podcast”, they say. “Everyone deserves to tell their story”. But what if your story is too hard to tell, no matter how important it feels to set it free? HR expert and now podcaster Serena Savini faced these questions and stared down her demons in order to tell her story.
Serena was born with a congenital heart disease that kept her from doing the things most kids love: running, playing, even attending some birthday parties. When this combined with an accident at work, a spark was lit that would allow her not only to learn more about her heart, but open it up to listeners around the world. In her podcast, she holds space for people who are returning to work after an illness or injury, or who have a transformational story to tell.
We have an inner intelligence that we need to listen to more.Ask for help, even when it feels like you don’t know what you need help with. It’s OK to tell someone you’re struggling, even in what feels like a professional situation.You can create something for yourself, even in public, and that’s OK.You can tell your own story, however personal, as long as you have the safety to do so.Telling your story and handing others the mic is a generous act.Push yourself out of your comfort zone, but from a position of safety. That contradiction is easier to resolve with help.
Some things to considerLinks
Connect with Serena on LinkedInI’m Back!, Serena’s podcastSong of Myself, 51, by Walt WhitmanVision 20/20 -
Most of us are to some extent purpose-washing. That’s because it’s tricky in a complex system to make every decision fully inline with our beliefs. Sophie Turton is an expert at helping impact-driven organisations put their words into action.
Sophie co-founded The Joyful, a brand and marketing agency for purpose-driven businesses. Her work involves helping businesses of varying sizes create a net positive impact, and is a champion for individuals’ agency in creating change.
A lot of businesses are trying to do right, but are are the mercy of external forces.What feels in purposeful alignment in one culture may not work at all in another.Net positive impact means that even the smallest organisations can have an impact.Small to medium sized enterprises make up 99.9% of the UK business population (gov.uk, 2021).Human beings need to feel they have a purpose.Even those who preach the gospel of good intent still makes mistakes. Pobody’s nerfect, but we can strive for better by owning our mistakes.Every time we use our voice or stand up for others, we push larger companies to make better choices.
Things to considerLinks
Connect with Sophie on LinkedInThe Joyful’s Impact Wheel exerciseWhat is greenwashing, why should you care and what can you do about it?Lizzo apologises for using ableist slur in new song ‘Grrrls’ -
If what you’re making doesn’t light you up, it’s unlikely to do the same for others. That’s among the tenets that fuel Paul Macauley’s creativity along with his messaging.
Paul is a writer, performer, and creator. He also coaches people who need help in their own creative practices. In his discussion with Mark, he dives into the process behind his own creative output, which puts authenticity at the centre.
Paul’s websitePaul's YouTube channelConnect with Paul on LinkedInExplaining the Pandemic to My Past Self, Julie NolkePaul’s video on imposter syndromePaul’s video on productivity (the one that make Mark lol)
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Stephen Dargan can remember being seven, riding his bike in the sun as the seasons changed from spring into summer, and knowing that he was happy. Since then, he’s tried to bottle that feeling and kept being nourished by it.
Stephen works with teams and organisations to help them build happier working environments. He’s the host of the Wow @ Work podcast, that explores the way the world of work is transforming. Stephen has a wealth of knowledge about how humans can be happier, merging joy and purpose to empower us to do our best work and live a fulfilling life.
Follow Stephen on LinkedIn (but only if you really want to)FlowFour Thousand Weeks, by Oliver BurkemanHumankind : A Hopeful History, by Rutger BregmanPsychological safety in teams, from We Not MeImplicit Association Test, Harvard UniversityWorld Happiness Report36 Questions – How to Fall in LoveLearning Happiness with Dr Tal Ben-ShaharThe 4 day week, with Elena KerriganTop Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing, by Bronnie WareThe 4 Day Week, by Andrew BarnesDefault mode networkGapminderThe Happiness Advantage, by Sean AchorWakeUp.ie
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Brand isn’t about picking a font and a colour. It’s about articulating how your work meets the needs of the people it serves.
Anne Miltenburg pursued her life’s purpose by taking the skills she’d acquired in years working for design agencies, and desalinating that knowledge to people in the developing world. She founded Brand the Change to provide workshops, tools, and training materials to put world-class brand knowledge in the hands of impact entrepreneurs.
Knowledge – like a tool – is neutral. It’s how we choose to use it that matters.When entering an unfamiliar space, strike partnerships with people who know the space.The most interesting people in the world have trouble describing what they do, or why it matters.“If the whole world is your ocean, it’s really hard to go fishing, because the fish could be anywhere.”Take an interest in people and you’re more likely to have that interest returned.Originality is crucial when building a brand.You don’t own your social media followings.
Some things to considerLinks
Follow Anne on LinkedInBrand the ChangeHooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, by Nir EyalShujazzFind Your Red Thread, by Tamsen WebsterWe are Podcasters – Podiant’s video manifesto -
The idea that you can be human at work is still not fully realised, and not reflected in the way we communicate online. Matthew Bellringer is someone who helps those who don’t feel like they fall into the mainstream – especially at a neurodiversity level – to do their best work.
Matthew understands the struggles that many people who experience the world differently go through. Whether it be masking, code-switching, or being asked to be a domain expert on your brain chemistry, Matthew helps turn many of the gifts labeled as deficiencies into strengths.
This episode talks about neurodiversity, disability, and access. Also there is some category 1 swearing. Also Mark says something rude about willies.Some things to consider
It’s great to be curious about people who are different. But we can’t expect everyone to be our tour guide at all times.We should normalise the idea of setting out what we need in order to do our best work.It’s OK not to make everything shareable and accessible if that is beyond your reach right now. If you know it’s not accessible and you don’t care, that’s a different story.Risk is an inherent part of being human, and there’s dignity in risk.Links
The Startup of You, by Reid HoffmanThe Friends Phoebe and Joey “repeat after me” meme templateConnect with Matthew on LinkedInMatthew’s websiteDelightful Dissent -
If you’re trying to sell a product that warrants consideration, jumping to the sale too quickly is more likely to result in failure than success. Frances Khalastchi, co-founder of Better Bolder Braver, explains in this episode how we can use the journey of consciousness to guide prospective clients and customers to a purchasing decision, using empathy.
Along with Simon Batchelar, Frances works with coaches to help them reframe their attitudes to marketing, and position themselves as the guide in customers’ stories, not the hero.
You don’t have to be in service of everyone all the time, at the expense of your own wellbeing.Business can benefit from more ethical and empathy-driven approaches to marketing, rather than relying on charm pricing or artificial deadlines.Prospective customers and clients go on a journey from problem-unaware to most-aware, and you can create empathetic content that meets them at different parts of that journey.
Some things to considerLinks
Find Frances on LinkedInBetter Bolder Braver -
Marketing can feel opaque and magical – it either works or it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t work, it can be hard to learn from it. But as Mark’s first guest reveals, marketing is much more about doing the work and showing up consistently. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get to enjoy it.
Simon Batchelar is one half of Better Bolder Braver, a community and learning space for coaches who want to feel better about marketing. Simon and Frances of Better Bolder Braver have helped Mark get to grips with his own marketing, and enjoy the process of content creation.
There are a million videos and blog posts about your topic, but none of them have your viewpoint and your personality. That matters.You need to create the Netflix of You – make your stuff bingeworthy.Create content for people to watch, read, listen, and do.
Some things to considerLinks
Connect with Simon on LinkedInBetter Bolder BraverNick Himowicz (Nick Himo)The Happy Startup School@PodcodeTV on TikTokTom Scott doesn’t like coffeeSimon and Frances’ Marketing Masterclass Crowdcasts -
You're listening to a trailer for Ear Brain Heart, the podcast that explores the way we show up for audiences, build trust and effect change.
My name's Mark Steadman. And I'd run a school for creative, purposeful people who want to use their voice to create impact, but who were also trying to keep on top of life. On this podcast, I'll be speaking with entrepreneurs, thinkers, and change makers who are working towards a better future.
The show will launch on May 1st, 2022.
