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Sharon Howe from The Mulberry Tree At Home is on Small & Supercharged Podmas

Sharon Howe Mulberry Tree At HomeSharon Howe from The Mulberry Tree At Home is on Small & Supercharged Podmas

Being Dasher, festive drinks and the very best Christmas gifts…


Sharon Howe is co-founder of The Mulberry Tree At Home, a lifestyle brand that grew from Sharon’s desired to have beautifully made wooden furniture with equestrian and country twists. From incorporating horseshoes into pieces of furniture in her own home, the business was born when friends suggested that the pieces made could be sold.

In this episode of Small & Supercharged Podmas, Sharon chats about why she thinks she’d be Dasher, a very random make your own Christmas present that’s yet to be made, what drink makes her feel festive, and her favourite Christmas gifts. It’s a good one…

This is part of the Small & Supercharged Podcast’s Podmas where each day, between 1-24th December I’ll be sharing some Christmas cheer with a little help from some of the incredible people I work with in one way or another.

Music used -“Jingle bells” by scottholmesmusic.com

Find Sharon and The Mulberry Tree At Home in all the places below…

Website

Instagram

Facebook

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Emma Warren is on the Small & Supercharged Podmas Podcast!

Emma Warren & Rhea Freeman

Emma Warren is on the Small & Supercharged Podmas

Designing 25 pieces of jewellery and getting excited about a Cherry themed 2020


Emma Warren is a great friend of mine, but in addition to this, she’s also the Managing Director of Hiho Silver, runs the award winning Dimpsey Glamping with her lovely husband Andrew, and also works with Blackdown Shepherd Huts.

In this episode of Podmas, we talk about what it’s like bringing out 25 special edition pieces of jewellery in one year, expanding Dimpsey with a lovely new Brace Hut from Blackdown Shepherd Huts, and very exciting developments to look out for in 2020. We also chat random gifts, who embodies all things Christmas in the Warren household, and why gin isn’t just for Christmas. Because it really isn’t!

This is part of the Small & Supercharged Podcast’s Podmas where each day, between 1-24th December I’ll be sharing some Christmas cheer with a little help from some of the incredible people I work with in one way or another.

Music used -“Jingle bells” by scottholmesmusic.com

Find Emma, Hiho and Dimpsey in all the places below.

Emma Warren on Facebook

Emma Warren on Instagram

Hiho Silver website

Hiho Silver Facebook 

Hiho Silver Instagram

Dimpsey website

Dimpsey Facebook 

Dimpsey Instagram

And if you want to find out more about Emma and all the things she does, Emma has actually been on the podcast a few times before! If you want to tune in and have a listen, here are some of the previous episodes below. Enjoy!

The power of collaboration and trying new things

Being a multipassionate with Emma Warren

Is work/life balance a myth?

social media graphics guide

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Faye & Barry from Horseshoe Hearts & Gifts is on the Small & Supercharged Podmas Podcast!

Faye & Barry Horseshoe Hearts & Gifts

Image by Sophie Callahan

Faye & Barry from Horseshoe Hearts & Gifts are on the Small & Supercharged Podmas Podcast!

The Christmas gift that started a business…


Faye & Barry from Horseshoe Hearts & Gifts are on today’s Small & Supercharged Podmas. I’ve loved following Faye and Barry since they started and it’s been so lovely to see their product range and business grow, and to see how many people are delighted with the bespoke products they create. In this podcast, you’ll hear all about their business highs (including a new website – shout out to Yello Media!), lows, and there’s some serious Christmas present hint dropping too!

This is part of the Small & Supercharged Podcast’s Podmas where each day, between 1-24th December I’ll be sharing some Christmas cheer with a little help from some of the incredible people I work with in one way or another.

Music used -“Jingle bells” by scottholmesmusic.com

Find Faye & Barry in ALL the places below…

Instagram

Facebook

Website

Five social media posts all equestrians can use this week

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From making your own cross country colours to building Super X Country with Becci Harrold

From making your own cross country colours to building Super X Country with Becci Harrold

I’m SO excited to share this episode with you! I’ve been working with Becci Harrold from Super X Country for quite a while now and continue to be inspired by her and what she does. In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I chat to Becci all about the rise of Super X Country. We chat about how the brand we know today started on Becci’s sewing machine after a disappointing trip to the tack shop. And how it’s grow and developed over the last nine years.

From making her own cross country colours to building Super X Country with Becci Harrold

In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, Becci shares the inside story of brand, her passion for eventing, her love for work and so much more. Here are the show notes for episode 29 all about Super X Country. In this episode you will hear…

  • How the idea for Super X Country was formed after not being able to find nice cross country colours in tack shops.
  • The way that Becci took an idea and a passion for design and made it into a business… and how she even made her first website when she was at college.
  • About Becci’s roles at her business and how she’s had to employ a team to help her fulfil the orders that the website receives.
  • All about the huge range of customisable XC colours available – but also how if a customer is looking for a really specific purple, for example, Becci can source and find these materials and create one offs.
  • How the brand developed and the people that Becci worked with along the way to help to develop the Super X Country range, in terms of the cross country colours and more.
  • Why and how Becci went from making bespoke, made to order cross country colours to incorporating clothing into her offering.
  • How Becci felt winning ‘best’ with Horse & Hound – her Sportsline Gloves and Leggings both won the accolade.
  • What it’s like to have sell out products that you’ve designed, tried and tested.
  • Why it hasn’t been plain sailing with the breeches, how Becci lost a lot of money in the process, and also what she’s learnt from it and how she moved on.
  • The balance between working full time for the family business as a locksmith and running her business.
  • How she fits everything into the day.
  • Why she loves tradestands, what she gets from them, and why she absolutely loves going to the events and meeting her customers.
  • Looking back at first tradestands that she had to exhibiting at Badminton and some of the best events in the country.
  • How Becci has used every experience to grow and develop her business.
  • The feelings associated with doing so well at shows, and how she felt when she got back from her first Badminton .
  • Why Becci still loves packaging the orders and how not being able to pack up each order now she’s got so busy is one of the most things that has made her sad about getting so big.
  • We talk about Badminton, all the aspects that go into having a tradestand and how although it’s one of the huge highs of the business, it’s also associated with a lot of stress.
  • We talk about working with riders like Imogen Murray, the opportunities to work with five star riders, and exciting opportunities in the future.
  • How Super X Country has grown so much, and how social media is a huge part of this. We also talk about the buzz that Becci gets from seeing riders wearing her Super X Country colours at the events she attends and competes at.
  • The lowest point of running the business and how losing the money on a rogue supplier had a really horrible impact on her. We also talk about how having a negative issue at the start my have helped save her in the future.
  • We talk about top tips when it comes to launching your own business – from how to know if your idea is a good one and how to promote it using social media. Becci also talks about how she’s helped her friends grow their businesses and followings through social media.
  • Tips to post on social media including how scheduling apps can help you with posting, trying and testing new ideas, and we chat about the algorithm too.

If you’d like to find out more about Super X Country and/or follow Becci and her eventing accounts on social media…

Becci Harrold Eventing

Becci Harrold Eventing Website

Instagram – blheventing

Facebook – Becci Harrold Eventing

Super X Country

Super X Country websiteI

Instagram – SuperXCountry

Facebook – SuperXCountry

If you liked this episode, you’ll like these blogs too…

A few minutes with Becci Harrold

Behind SXC’s Sports Leggings

Rhea Freeman Newsletter
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How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business – Small & Supercharged Podcast

How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business - Small & Supercharged Podcast

Testimonials. Do you feel icky at the mention of the word? Do you start sweating when you think of having to ask customers for them? In this episode of the Small & Supercharged podcast, all about testimonials, I tell you what they are, how to gather them, how to ask for them, why they’re valuable… and how to use them too.

I start off by talking about how I use testimonials in my business and why they’re of value. I have a number of them in my Testimonials tab. I have to say, even talking about the testimonials I have and reading a couple out (to show the nuggets that I wouldn’t be writing myself!) makes me feel weird. So I completely understand any negative feelings you have about doing this… OK? But trust me when I say that I wouldn’t feel weird if I was reading something about you… I think it’s something that only bothers us – the person they’re about!

How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business – Small & Supercharged Podcast

In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I talk all about testimonials. How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business. In this episode, I will…

  • Explain how testimonials show a different side to you and your business, and the value they can bring to potential customers.
  • Walk you through a couple I have and show the elements contained within them that are real gold when it comes to potential customers. I’ll share with you the nuggets in these testimonials that will really speak to your customers.
  • Talk about why testimonials can be really useful because they can uncover ‘pain points’ that potential customers might have… and the reason that they might be coming to you anyway.
  • Explore the other things that testimonials can also share about you… because it would feel like you were being cocky and arrogant if you said them yourself. Things like working as a team, increasing business, being dedicated, etc.
  • Explain how, from your point of you, they can be really valuable feedback. They can show you things that your customers really love about you and places you excel. You can then look to use these in your copy (in a non icky way!!), or put additional thought behind creating the content you do to promote what you’re doing.
  • Talk about how testimonials can help to reassure potential customers – yes, they address pain points, but if you have customers concerned about aspects of the business or product you sell, you can either ask customers to write testimonials around the subject or just hope that these come up.
  • Explain the difference between what a testimonial brings to the party vs. an about us page or a products or services page.
  • Talk about who to ask – and why if you pick the right people, you’ll be unlucky to meet a problem.
  • How to ask for testimonials and why it’s not a weird thing to ask. You can just explain why you’re looking to gather testimonials, the section you’re looking to grow online, and that you’d really welcome their input. You can also tell your customer that there’s no pressure for them to do it.
  • Discuss different ways to use testimonials – from a video testimonial to written, connecting to a blog about the client or extracting snippets for social media.
  • How you can use your email signature as a place to promote your latest testimonials, to help connect with your customers.
  • How you can use testimonials in printed material, like in catalogues, on flyers, etc.
  • How bloggers and vloggers should be using testimonials too. The influencer space is competitive, so if you can get feedback from businesses you have worked with, showing how well you’ve worked with them, it will help you.
  • How media packs connected to magazines often use testimonials to help promote their publication and ad rates. It brings a real life element to it all.
  • The importance of getting permission to use people’s words to promote yourself. Sending a message via email or DM saying a nice thing is lovely, but it doesn’t mean that you should use their words in a really public way without their say so.
  • And I finish by talking about why you should never, ever, ever fabricate a testimonial or endorsement.

And if you liked this, make sure you have a look at this blog all about six was to use testimonials.

Thank you so much for listening to this week’s podcast – if you’d like to leave a review on iTunes and/or subscribe, click the link below!

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes
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The Small & Supercharged Podcast is here!

I’m a teeny tiny bit excited about this – welcome to the Small & Supercharged Podcast – episode 1…

Yep, the Small & Supercharged Podcast has officially launched! Named after the Small & Supercharged Facebook group (the group I set up to help support small businesses, particularly in the equestrian and rural sector), this podcast is going to be embody the group. It’s going to talk about PR, marketing, websites and social media (of course!), but also interview a range of business owners about their skills and knowledge too. The aim of the podcast is to be a real hub for small business. To help business owners feel a whole lot less alone, more informed and ready for whatever challenges their business life brings.

And, of course, for people who want to join the Small & Supercharged Facebook page and feel more of that community love and support, please accept this as an invitation to join the group… just please fill in the questions!

So, without further ado – here’s episode 1, enjoy!

 

If you liked the Small & Supercharged Podcast (and I’m kind of hoping you did!), the please consider popping over to iTunes and subscribing. And if you’d like to leave a review and rating I would be SO grateful. Thank you.

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Behind… the Small & Supercharged giveaway! | Rhea Freeman

Small and Supercharged Giveaway

The Small and Supercharged giveaway bundle

Have you seen the Small & Supercharged giveaway? This AMAZING competition has recently launched on my Facebook page and the prize bundle is INCREDIBLE. I want to say a ginormous thank you to all the businesses who have donated prizes (I’m going to walk you through them all below) – the winner is going to have a very good day when this bundle of joy arrives!

What’s the Small & Supercharged giveaway?

The Small & Supercharged giveaway is a simple competition with a few purposes. First of all, it’s to celebrate my Small & Supercharged Facebook group getting over 1000 members. To me, that’s just plain crazy. It’s such a fab group and I am SO proud of it, but I didn’t imagine it would grow at such a rate and do so much good. To get to over 1000 fabulous members is amazing to me. And I wanted to celebrate.

So – I posted in the group and asked if anyone would be interested in donating a prize to the prize bundle. The idea would be to promote S&S and this milestone, of course, but it would also be to promote some of the amazing members inside the group. The remit was that anyone could donate a prize as long as it didn’t cross over the path of someone else who had already agreed. I didn’t want have a prize bundle made up of, I don’t know, 20 saddle pads, for example. As great as saddle pads are, that wouldn’t work as a prize. But luckily the diversity of the group shone through and an amazing bundle was created. Here are the prizes in the bundle – in alphabetical order by company name for fairness!

Hiho Silver Friendship Bracelet

Hiho Silver Friendship Bracelet

Who has donated to the Small & Supercharged 1k giveaway bundle?

Black Nova Designs has given a USB stick and a year’s hosting

Bling in the Show Ring has given a stock pin with pink, pearl and white elements

Doris & Co has given a lovely British creamware ‘Hold Fast’ Half Pint Mug

Equestriman has given a branded baseball cap

EvoEquine has given a tub of natural leather balm

Haynet has donated a lovely branded mug and pen

Hettie Company has donated a beautiful tweed iPad case. Made in Britain and soooo pretty!

Hiho Silver has given a stunning Exclusive Sterling Silver Horseshoe Friendship Bracelet

Hoofprints has donated a Small & Supercharged branded mug and coaster

Mackenzie and George

Mackenzie and George

Horse Riding With Confidence Scotland has donated a gift voucher for a session

Horsemanship Magazine has donated a magazine subscription

Horseshoe Hearts & Gifts has given Linked Horseshoe Hearts

Huf Designs has given a beautiful turquoise SKUP

Inkpot & Press has donated a Kikki K Goals Journal – ideal for stationery lovers!

Loch Leven Equine Practice has given an extensive equine first aid kit. Not only are first aid items included, but it comes in a great bag with a handy guide.

Lois Rose Fine Art has given one colouring book

Lotte Simons Photography has donated a stunning equine photo print

Mackenzie & George has given a handmade feather brooch by Wendy Goode, and a new leather keyring with branded brass rivet

Mother Bee has given a bundle of goodies for horse (Soothe & Protect), human (Soothing Lip Balm & Yard Hand Rescue) and tack (Leather Balm)

NKC Equestrian has given TWO places on an equine first aid course

My Dogs Deli has donated a box of canine goodies

Rowan & Ruby has donated a gorgeous tweed keyring

Safe Care Equine has donated two bottles of Total Body Wash

Super X Country has given a pink bobble hat from its current collection

Safe-Care Equine, The Herbal Horse, and Lotte Simons Photography

Safe-Care Equine, The Herbal Horse, and Lotte Simons Photography

Tail End Jewellery has given a £40 gift voucher

The Collar Club has give a subscription box for dogs

Tidy Tack Rooms Ltd has donated two saddlepad storage bags

The Equine Business Assistant has donated a pen, horse paperclips and a voucher for a hour of services

21st Century Rider has donated a Back On Track saddlepad

White Horse Leather has donated a leather headcollar

Wimpy Eventer has given two books: How To Get Your Leg Over and How To Stay On Top

 

I’ve added Arianna Huffington’s book, Thrive, and a Project Book notebook

How can you enter AND find out about all the amazing prizes above?

Well, that’s simple! In order to enter, just pop on over to my Facebook page. The post is pinned to the top of the page and you can find out more about ALL the companies involved and tagged there too. Please give them a little social media love and support. Without their generosity, this giveaway would be, well, non-existent, if you can show them a little love that would be fab.

And what if you want to join Small & Supercharged?

Wimpy Eventer, Haynet, and Hoofprints

Wimpy Eventer, Haynet, and Hoofprints

Then be my guest – just come on over and ask to join the Small & Supercharged group on Facebook. Just one thing, PLEASE answer the questions. At time of writing this blog, I have 94 requests pending approval. Why? Because most of them didn’t answer the questions and I can not see from their profile if they’re a good fit for the group. I know. I take my role of creator and admin a *bit* too seriously.

Anyway, a HUGE thank you to the Small & Supercharged group for their help with the giveaway. And best of luck to you if you enter… entries close at the end of May ’18.

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For the love of flat lays

So today it’s all about flat lays – why? Because last month’s Small & Supercharged VIP challenge was all about flat lays… and the winners have now been selected… but before I let you look at the videos announcing the winners (Ok, you can just scroll down!), I wanted to give you a bit of background about it.

Why flat lays?

Each month in Small & Supercharged VIP, all the members have access to a carefully created resource pack, made with an expert. Last month was flat lay. Why? I love flat lay and by embracing it I have saved money on buying stock images, created some social images that have got great engagement and more. And I did it all on my kitchen table. And it cost me nothing. OK – it took me a bit of time, but no longer than it would take me to trawl the stock image sites and find pics I like…and then forgotten my Paypal password six times, been furious and reset my password again… and then bought. You get the idea…

Are flat lays hard?

And you know what else I found? They weren’t half as challenging as I thought they would be. I mean, you have to think about a flat lay, but they’re actually really fun to create. And messing about with lovely things and arranging them differently is actually rather relaxing, and very rewarding.

However, I’m not an expert… so I recruited one for VIP… and that expert was Rachel Bragg.

The flat lay queen

Rachel is the lady behind Sweet Images Photography and is a friend, client and general all round superstar. I had a chat with her about flat lays because  I have long admired the ones that she has produced for her own social – just look at her Instagram feed.

And the challenge

Rachel put together a superb resource pack for the VIP members that talked about flat lays, worked through examples, gave a tutorial and tips too. And more than that, Rachel gave feedback on all the posts inside the closed Small & Supercharged VIP group. It was brilliant. To add a competitive elements (because I’m nothing if not competitive!), VIPers were invited to post their flat lay onto their Instagram feed, tagging myself, @rheafreemanpr, and Rachel @sweet_images_uk, and using the #smallandsuperchargedvip… you can have a look for this hashtag now and see the results. They’re nothing short of incredible. Anyway… the winners.

The winners are…

We decided to pick two winners for the flat lay competition… so we actually picked three. I know. But when you watch the videos. You’ll understand why. So, I’ll leave you in Rachel’s safe hands to explain who won what and why.

Fancy joining Small & Supercharged VIP or want to find out more? Have a look here…

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The Flat Lay Challenge – #smallandsuperchargedVIP

Join my free small business group on Facebook to chat and network with likeminded people.

If you’ve been hanging about on Instagram this month (and if you follow me too!), you might have seen me mention the #smallandsuperchargedVIP hashtag, and that’s because of this month’s Small & Supercharged VIP challenge, which is all about flat lays.

I asked the fabulous Rachel Bragg from Sweet-Images Photography to work with me on a resource pack for this month’s Small & Supercharged VIP, because I wanted to create a pack all about flat lays. I LOVE flat lays, both looking at them and trying to create my own, and I know the value that they have (as does Rachel!). Rachel creates flat lays regularly for her own social media and if you follow her on Instagram, you’ll have seen some of these beauties over the last few months. I was delighted that Rachel agreed to be our VIP expert this month, and she created two great instructional videos (and we have a competition running for August too!), and the results have been amazing. We have a lot of content posted in the private VIP group, but we’ve also encouraged members to share on Instagram, using the #smallandsuperchargedVIP, and Rachel will pick the winner at the end of the month.

So – why did we go for flat lays?

I can’t think of one business that a flat lay wouldn’t work for. Not one. Actually, I spoke with Rachel, at length, and we talked through a range of businesses from mechanics to dentists, riding instructors to rural businesses. We couldn’t find one that it wouldn’t work for. They’re also SO useful because we all know that posts with images have much better engagement on social media, but where do you get these images from? Do you buy them? Do you try and bodge your own? DO NOT STEAL THEM (please, don’t!!), but it can get pricey and more. Flat lays are a way to address this. And they’re really good fun too.

Isn’t a flat lay just fun? How does it apply to business?

Yes, flat lays are fun, but they also apply to business. Being able to show your products easily and in a cost effective fashion, or even illustrate your service in a cost effective way, can be HUGELY valuable and generate interest, leads and reach. The images can be used for a range of other applications too, which can see you save on stock image costs at the same time as creating something more personal to you.

How can I learn more about flat lays?

You can obviously have a Google and get inspired, but you can also join the Small & Supercharged VIP community. The challenge aspect runs throughout August, but all members have access to previous resource packs through a password protected area on the website. Membership costs £10pcm (but this will be increasing soon!). Find out lots more here.

And a thank you

I would like to say a massive thank you to Rachel from Sweet-Images Photography. I have thanked Rachel in the group, but I wanted to give her a more public shout out. Rachel has been giving tips to VIP members all month as their flat lay images have appeared in the group, helping to encourage, support and improve the flat lays as the month has gone one. And the results have been amazing. Follow Rachel on her social platforms below, or see the website here.

Rachel’s Facebook

Rachel’s Instagram

Rachel’s Twitter

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The start of Small & Supercharged VIP

Small & Supercharged VIPSo, today’s blog is as close to a shameless plug as you’ll see on this blog. It’s all about the members group, Small & Supercharged VIP, which launched on 1st July, which was the Saturday just gone… and even though enrolment is now closed for July, you’re still welcome to register for the August intake here. But let me tell you a bit more about it…

What is Small & Supercharged VIP?

The short answer is it’s a membership group designed to support small businesses from all industries through providing resources, support and challenges to help business owners up skill, become a WHOLE lot more visible and grow their businesses. There’s a password protected area on my site for VIPers where all the content lives, but it’s also posted inside the VIP Facebook group each month too. So you get it wherever you try and hide!

How is it different to Small & Supercharged?

Small & Supercharged, the Facebook group that started this whole journey, is a community area. People ask questions, exchange ideas and chat. And it’s great. But what became apparent was the need for additional help and support… and I don’t mean this in a patronising way. I’m a social media, PR and marketing bore. I read wayyyy too many books, I admin far too many accounts (!) on a number of platforms, I advise a lot of businesses and I have been working in PR, social media and marketing, both running my own agency and in house, for over 10 years. I’m not doing this to tell you how brilliant I am. Far from it. See, the thing is, I’m immersed in this stuff each day. Ask me the best EPOS system and you might as well ask me about quantum physics. It’s not my bag. I know people who know (and you’ll find a few in Small & Supercharged!!), but I know how to promote businesses, how to leverage social media platforms, how to grow a tribe of raving fans and how to develop small businesses and products. So what if there was a way to combine the stuff I knew with the stuff that you knew about your business and your customers?

And that’s what kick started the small business coaching service I offer…

Yes, getting under the skin of people’s businesses excites me. I love it. I like finding out how they work, what makes them tick, how they could improve and develop and how they can do this. Seeing my clients do well gives me a bigger buzz than my own successes, always has done to be 100% honest with you. Combining my skill set, knowledge and my passion for learning and development with the business brains of my clients has worked incredibly well for coaching. The one to one environment allows me to give very specific advice, create very specific links and introductions and come up with very specific plans and strategy. Sometimes these sessions involve sending additional materials too, when I email over my recap. This can be through finding useful Youtube videos and articles to summarise what I’m talking about… but where I can I always try and create my own resources.

And then it struck me – other people could make use of these resources too, along with my one to one coaching clients… and Small & Supercharged VIP was born!

Small & Supercharged VIP provides resource packs, challenges and support for just £10pcm. I’ll be completely honest again and say it’s very different to one to one coaching but works very well in conjunction with this but also well on its own. Not everyone wants one to one coaching and that’s fine. But lots of people want to up-skill and work with experts (and I’m not just talking about me, there’s a raft of experts contributing to VIP…) as well as test new ideas in a closed environment. There’s a lovely range of people in VIP so far and I am SO excited to see how it grows and develops. I’m planning to close enrolment on 1st of each month because each month will have a challenge, and someone joining halfway through won’t get the full benefit. But people can register and get themselves set up for the next wave and join the fun for the next month. Here’s the link

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