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Is it all doom and gloom? (Spoiler alert… I don’t think so)

The news has been full of doom and gloom of late- from the challenging costs of diesel and petrol alongside rising costs of food and more of now, to increased pressure, price rises and even scarcity of fuel, food and lots more to come. But is it all doom and gloom? No… I don’t think it is.

Is it all doom and gloom? (Spoiler alert… I don’t think so)

The news has been full of doom and gloom of late- from the challenging costs of diesel and petrol alongside rising costs of food and more of now, to increased pressure, price rises and even scarcity of fuel, food and lots more to come. But is it all doom and gloom? No… I don’t think it is.

I’m not here to tell you that things aren’t going to change, but hopefully this podcast will provide you with some steps you can take to help your business over the next few months. I also look at the evidence around how some businesses grow and thrive during recessions- so while sweeping generalisations about doom and gloom are dramatic and create good headlines, the evidence doesn’t support this… and it’s worth having a look at that too.

I hope you find this one useful… I think you will.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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Putting equestrian safety in focus with Claire Williams from BETA


The British Equestrian Trade Association’s second Summer of Safety is in full swing. With lots of fabulous lives, content, competitions and information, I took the chance to catch up with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA, to chat about the campaign in its second year.

Putting equestrian safety in focus with Claire Williams from BETA


BETA’s Summer of Safety started in 2021 to help support all aspects of safety around horses. This extends beyond riding hats and body protectors and covers a lot more besides.

One of the big things we talk about on this podcast – and one of the focuses of the 2022 Summer of Safety- is the Accident & Equipment Reporting Form. This brilliant form launched late last year and has been catching incredible data for the equestrian trade ever since. By reporting injuries and accidents, we as equestrians have the chance to help influence safety decisions and design of the future, just by sharing what happens to us when we’re with our horses!

Accident & Equipment Reporting Form- five facts

  • This form was developed to capture information from all riders, regardless of the brand they wear.
  • It’s been created to get as much information as possible connected to injuries and accidents and the role that safety equipment plays in the accidents.
  • The data that’s gathered will help to shape safety equipment and standards of the future.
  • The form is also going to be introduced to Europe. It’s going to be translated into other languages and further help support the trade and the development of equipment.
  • It’s not just about falling off, many accidents happen on the ground, and this data is also really important to feed into the system.

In addition to the above, we chat about safety standards for air jackets, the previous lack of data around injuries and accidents in equestrian sport as a whole, the National Equestrian Survey, hat standards, how hats work- and a very very lucky showjumper!

Find out more about BETA’s passion for safety, the form, and so much more on this episode of the podcast.

To find out more about the British Equestrian Trade Association, have a look at the website, or follow on Instagram and Facebook.

 

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Ask A Masterminder- it’s the little things

This article was first published in Absolute Horse Magazine– to read this issue and any of the others, go to the Absolute Horse website

Ask a Masterminder… it’s the little things…

Small & Supercharged Mastermind is an online group supporting small equestrian and rural businesses and, as such, is bursting with amazingly knowledgeable people with lots to share. In each issue of Absolute Horse, we’ll be asking them a question and members will be sharing their top tips… this issue’s question is…

It’s the little touches…what do you do to go above and beyond your customer’s expectations?

Joanna Wood, Joanna Fair Photography  www.joannafairphotography.co.uk

Surprising my clients with little extra details after booking a shoot with me and beyond is very important to me. I always send out a save the date card to pop on their fridge so they are reminded every day about their upcoming shoot. One I have brought in this year (and one thing they do not expect) is three fine art printed images as a gift a couple of months after their image viewing and we have said our goodbyes. Such a simple gift for my fabulous clients but one they will cherish forever.

Tracy Ormrod, Dressage Test Pro www.dressagetestpro.com

With our app we are not directly involved with the purchase as the Apple and Google Play stores handle everything. We are always available to support customers if they have a technical issue in some way. It is not uncommon to receive a late night message via social media from someone due to compete the next day and they are having problems with their phone! There have been occasions when I have sat on a beach answering a support call!

Helen Goddard-Watts, Fetlox, www.fetlox.com

At Fetlox we love to make our customers feel special when they receive their order.

Carefully wrapping them in tissues paper, enclosing a thank you card, some Look Book cards and finishing them off with a sweet treat.

When the customer opens their package, we want them to feel wowed…it’s the little things that matter.

The orders are then sent out in recycled packaging with a little sticker saying – ‘Love It, Share It, #Fetlox’

Amanda Marshall, 3 Donkeys Clothing www.3donkeys.co.uk

Adding that personal touch is very important to me and 3 Donkeys®. I personally package every order and apart from our coveralls which have their own bag including a hand signed card, they are wrapped in craft paper tied with rafia. I want every order to be ‘gift giving’ ready.

Tracey Cole, Tracey Cole NLP www.traceycolenlp.com

I always offer my full support after certifying NLP and hypnotherapy coaches. Graduates can contact me to chat about business set up, client cases or how to run their latest mindset workshop. In fact, my virtual office door is always open!

Chelle Mullen, Storm & Grace www.stormandgrace.co.uk

We aim to exceed our customers’ expectations with every order – we can custom make designs with stones/metals/initials/hearts etc to suit.  Complimentary cleaning cloths and advice, handwritten dispatch notes, horsehair returned in a card, and the option for gift wrapping and sending direct to the recipient if required.  Oh, and free postage!

Emily Hamlett, Glorious Grouse www.gloriousgrouse.com

The act of a handwritten note or card seems to be a dying art, however, we all appreciate it, today more than ever as it shows effort and thought over and above an email or a text. I think as a small business I feel I need to provide something that the larger businesses can’t always do, and that in my opinion is the personal touch and show you are buying from a real person! I really appreciate people purchasing from me and I like to show that by way of a little note hoping that they are delighted with their purchase. The note always seems to be the first thing people mention in their feedback! I also offer to write out greetings cards and send their gift to the recipient direct, which saves the purchaser time and further postage costs, so they receive a beautiful country themed gift with a personal handwritten card. Isn’t it the best when you get a package from someone and it’s packaged up beautifully and inside there is a little note, and you know that as well as receiving a lovely item you are also supporting a small business!

To find out more about the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group here.

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Safety and equestrian standards with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA

Claire Williams BETA

The second Summer of Safety podcast with the British Equestrian Trade Association is here, and today we’re chatting all about safety (obviously!), standards, fitting and lots more too.

Safety and equestrian standards with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA

On this episode, I caught up with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA, to chat all about the standards that apply to riding hats and body protectors. We also chat about the importance of a good fit and why buying online can make hat and body protector fitting a challenge.

To find out more about the British Equestrian Trade Association, see the website here, or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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Really easy Reels

Reels have been in the social media news a lot of late, and whilst many people like watching them, creating them can be a bit of a time consuming chore.

Really easy Reels


And yet, if you try and shun these short-form video snippets, the chances are that you’ll be losing out on reach and getting your message and content out to the people you really want to see it.

So what can you do? On today’s podcast, I talk you through some really simple, fast Reels ideas that anyone can do in moments. I promise.

Are they going to be as good as the incredibly timed masterpieces we see on the accounts of influencers whose job it is to create content? They’ll be different to these, and that’s fine too. But through using the tools inside the app and changing your thoughts from ‘no, I don’t want to’ to ‘how can I make this work for me?’, you have a much (much) greater chance of Reel success and Instagram growth.

How to create Reels in next to no time…

  • Check out Templates on Reels. Templates allow you to take your Reels to the next level without spending hours and hours trying to get every single transition in the right place in time with the music.
  • Gather content during your day to show a process. Set up your phone and get it to film something during the day or during a process. You can then speed it up for Reels.
  • Reels don’t have to be videos! An easy way of doing Reels is to use images, or use an image and then add timed text for that dynamic element.
  • Find trending sounds and use these over relevant videos. Really easy and very effective.

 

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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#ad #spon #aff … let’s talk labels and influencer marketing

Oh, this is one of the most requested podcasts, so I am delighted to be able to bring you a podcast all about labelling your sponsored/gifted/affiliate linked content. This is a MUST listen for anyone who is or would like to be an influencer. It’s really important…

#ad #spon #aff … let’s talk labels and influencer marketing

This is a subject that is a constant point of annoyance for me, which makes being able to share more about it so important. Be clear- I know that everyone makes mistakes and everyone needs to learn- but when I see repeat ‘offenders’ who really should know better at the same time as seeing others really scared to do the wrong thing, well, it just doesn’t sit well me me at all. So hopefully, this podcast- the information within it and the addition resources available mentioned- should really help those who want to do the right thing.

I do understand that it can be really confusing, but I always refer people to the guide available on the ASA’s (Advertising Standards Authority) website that helps talk people through it all. So I reached out to the people over at the ASA and I’m really thrilled to say that they have listened to this podcast and have said they’re happy with the content. Why did I do this? Because it’s so important to me that everything is as accurate as it can be. I want you to listen, learn, check out all the free resources and no longer be confused about what to label your content (when you need to, of course).

This is a podcast for influencers- yes- but it’s a podcast for anyone who has ambitions to be an influencer, who receives free products or payments (but maybe doesn’t see themselves as an influencer), and also brands. Yes, brands, I’m talking to you. It’s really important you know how this works too.

We need to be doing a better job of labelling content correctly. I see so, so many examples of incorrect and misleading ads. We need to do better. And this podcast should help.

Some key points to remember about labels and influencer marketing

  • If you want your audience to trust you, label things correctly. People need to know when they’re being sold to.
  • There is a code that relates to influencer marketing. Get familiar with it but don’t fear it.
  • It’s against the law if an ad isn’t clearly identifiable.
  • Don’t promote something as unbiased and generic when you’ve been incentivised to do it. This could be because you’ve been paid to say it or even if the product has been gifted.
  • ‘Payment’ isn’t just money. Payment is also the loan of a product, a free trip, or a gifted item.
  • Any payment needs to be disclosed. Affiliate links also fall into this category.
  • Ads must be really easy to understand and clear. This means putting your ad label upfront- on social, the front of your caption. The first word.
  • You don’t have to use the word ‘ad’, but there’s more information in this guide about what words can be used, and some that you might want to avoid.
  • If the label isn’t easy to understand for a normal person, that’s not a good one to use.
  • If the label is hidden at the end of the caption, that’s not advised as it’s not clear.
  • You can get help if you’re stuck- check the guidelines PDF here, but you can also find info relating to the copy advice line and more.
  • Make it clear. Always. If you take nothing away from this podcast or blog, please let that be to make it clear. Read the guidelines here.

 

And remember, when we, as consumers, see people labelling ads as ads, can we support them? If it’s something that creator is passionate about, shouldn’t we be supporting them anyway? Don’t not react or engage because something is an ad!

 

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