There are so many messages out there about pushing through your comfort zone you can end up thinking if it doesn’t hurt I must be doing it wrong.  But what if you need your business to be comfortable and safe because you’re already dealing with life stuff? For example looking after elderly parents, being a career, or dealing with a chronic illness? 

In this interview, Laura shares how she’s adapted her own business to suit her, her goals, and her family. And how she’s expanding her comfort zone rather than pushing through it. Laura shares valuable lessons she learned that changed and simplified the way she runs her business.

Key takeaways from this episode

• Voxer works like leaving a voicemail message on Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger, but there isn’t a time limit to how long the message can be.
  
• The person can listen in real-time while you’re leaving a message in Voxer.
  
• We need someone accountable to keep our work on track and motivated.
  
• We can learn how to have a successful business without burning ourselves out.
  
• Working on something without burning out is a choice you have to own.
  
• Choosing not to burn yourself out gives you space to be more creative and earn more.
  
• It’s better to expand your comfort zone than go out of it.
  
• Your business will have its hard parts, but you don’t have to make it harder for yourself.
  
• Always ask yourself how you can make things easier and simpler.
  
• Dig deep and figure out what is making things hard to be able to work on it more effectively.
  
• There are many ways to do things; You can always pick the strategy that will work for you.

Episode Timeline:

00:04 Intro

01:08 Episode Intro

02:18 How Laura Robinson changed the way she does her business

03:41 How Voxer works

06:59 Who Laura is and what her business looks like now

08:14 How Laura progressed into mentoring

09:49 The benefits of having someone to keep your business on track

11:31 Laura’s thoughts on having comfy businesses

13:53 Laura’s advice on creating a successful business without burning out

18:48 Laura’s focus this year

20:29 Laura’s comfy business newsletter

24:29 Expanding our comfort zones

27:09 Finding ways to make hard things simpler

29:25 Laura’s advice on making hard things more comfortable

31:39 Picking the right strategy that works for you

33:40 How to connect with Laura

34:39 Outro

How to connect with Laura Robinson:

Website: worditude.co.uk/newsletter

Connect and know more about Ruth Gilbey here:

Coaching: https://www.ruthgilbey.com/coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthgilbeymarketingandcoaching/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruth_gilbey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthgilbey/

Unclear boundaries attract the wrong clients. When you start to work better around your value, your ideal clients will be ready to work with you. This will save a lot of your time and resources in the long run.

In this episode, Ruth talks about how much you should give away for free and how you should decide on what is worth it. She shares her experience with setting up clear boundaries and finding the right clients for her business. 

Listen and Enjoy!

Key takeaways from this episode

• Work around your value, have clear boundaries, and be open to updating and revising them as your business evolves.
• Networking and talking to people give insights into who your ideal clients are, what they need, and what they are looking for.
• You have to try and experience things for yourself to decide what is right for you.
• Sometimes saying no means you set boundaries so people know they can't pick your brain for free, waste your time, and have lots of coffee chats with you.
• Saying yes to doing something for free can also get you in front of someone else’s audience.
• Many people find giving things for free rewarding.  
• No one strategy works for everyone. It is up to you to decide if something is worth it. 
• To best decide on which strategy will work for you, you have to look at what stage you are in your business and what you’re trying to achieve.

Episode Timeline:

00:00 Intro

00:17 Podcast Intro

01:20 Today’s Episode

02:26 How Ruth started setting boundaries in her business

04:56 Finding the right people to work with

06:28 Getting insights and research for valuable content while talking to people

08:36 Should you do paid webinars and challenges to launch your next course?

10:20 When does doing things for free work?

11:31 Ruth’s audiences’ thoughts on working for free

13:28 Deciding on a fair value exchange

14:28 Never undercharge again

15:12 Outro

More about Ruth:

Hi, I’m Ruth, a business coach specializing in helping freelancers and business owners adjust their mindset and their marketing so they can get fully booked with clients they LOVE to work with. I’ve helped hundreds of self-employed women achieve the time and money freedom they craved.

I’ve started this podcast because when I first went all in and left the corporate world to be a freelancer, I was grateful for any work that came my way. After over 20 years of freelancing and working for other people, I started to realize I’d created a glass ceiling for myself.

In 2017, I finally started listening to that voice that had been telling me for a long time that I wasn’t doing what I loved and fulfilling my true potential.  It took a critical illness to give me that wake-up call.  I don’t want the same to happen to you.

You can expect practical advice, inspiring stories, and a lot of aha moments as we uncover and kick to the curb all the obstacles you have been putting in your way.

I’m on a mission to inspire women to start and play bigger in business.

Connect and know more about Ruth Gilbey here:

Coaching: https://www.ruthgilbey.com/coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthgilbeymarketingandcoaching/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruth_gilbey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthgilbey/

Signing up for and contributing to a business bundle can be an amazing opportunity to try something new, learn from other people, and even make money. If done right, it’s overall a rewarding experience.

In this episode, Ruth Gilbey reviews and reflects on the 5 things that she learned from contributing to Elizabeth Goddard’s Christmas Party Goodie Bag Bundle. She also shares 3 things to remember when signing up for these business bundles.

Listen and Enjoy!

Key takeaways from this episode:

A business course bundle is a collection of digital products from different contributors. You either sign up for free for a bundle of things in exchange for your email address or you could pay a low-cost paid option for one.

5 Things I Learned from Contributing to Elizabeth Goddard’s Christmas Party Goodie Bundle: 

1. It is a great way of building your list without using ads.

2. You can make money from contributing something even though you’re giving away something free. 

3. You get an amazing behind-the-scenes experience.

4. It’s good to try things out and experiment. It’s an interesting and rewarding experience.

5. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn how other people do things and to get inspiration from them.

Some Things to Remember When Signing Up for Business Bundles:

1. Be open to different ways of growing your list.

2. Avoid sign-up overwhelm.

3. Remember there’s a value exchange when you get something for free.

Episode Timeline:

00:04 Podcast Intro

01:08 Episode Intro

01:58 What a business course bundle is

03:27 What Ruth contributed to the collection

04:06 A great way of building a list without using ads

04:41 Earning while contributing something for free

05:47 An amazing behind-the-scene experience

06:43 Trying things out and experimenting

07:26 Getting inspiration from other people

08:00 Ruth’s advice

10:35 Outro

To learn about being a Bundle Contributor or hosting your business bundle, look at Lizzy’s Summits and Bundles Success course.

More about Ruth:

Hi, I’m Ruth, a business coach specializing in helping freelancers and business owners adjust their mindset and their marketing so they can get fully booked with clients they LOVE to work with. I’ve helped hundreds of self-employed women achieve the time and money freedom they craved.

I’ve started this podcast because when I first went all in and left the corporate world to be a freelancer, I was grateful for any work that came my way. After over 20 years of freelancing and working for other people, I started to realize I’d created a glass ceiling for myself.

In 2017, I finally started listening to that voice that had been telling me for a long time that I wasn’t doing what I loved and fulfilling my true potential.  It took a critical illness to give me that wake-up call.  I don’t want the same to happen to you.

You can expect practical advice, inspiring stories, and a lot of aha moments as we uncover and kick to the curb all the obstacles you have been putting in your way.

I’m on a mission to inspire women to start and play bigger in business.

Connect and know more about Ruth Gilbey here:

Coaching: https://www.ruthgilbey.com/coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthgilbeymarketingandcoaching/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruth_gilbey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthgilbey/

Feeling sad and unmotivated about your business is a real thing. The many toxic positivities out there do not help business owners normalise the ups and downs of having a business. What we need to do is to accept these feelings, face them, and plan our next step.

In this episode, Ruth Gilbey shares 5 practical steps to help you reflect and get your motivation back if you’ve fallen out of love with your business.

Listen and Enjoy!

Key takeaways from this episode:

5 Practical Steps to Do if You’re Feeling Unmotivated:

1. Don’t make rash decisions based on temporary emotions but equally, don’t stay stuck. Make sure there's nothing else going on, like literally being tired!  Overwhelming and burnout is s the real thing.  
2. Take a break or get a change of scenery and have a good night’s sleep. Take some time out and revisit the problem. This works for all issues, not just falling out of love with your business!
3. Get curious. Dig deeper into why you might have fallen out of love with what you’re doing.
4. Give yourself permission to change your mind or evolve your business. Know that it's ok to change what you're doing but do it on your terms and your time frame.
5. Find the right person to talk things through. This isn't always a family member but someone who will understand you and what you’re doing.

Episode Timeline:

00:00 Podcast Intro

01:08 Episode Intro

01:50 Toxic positivity in the world of business

02:17 Not loving every single thing about your business

03:36 Temporary emotions

04:57 Flexing your time to make it work for you and your energy

04:57 Taking a break

05:35 Getting curious

06:06 Giving yourself permission to change your mind

06:53 Finding the right person to talk to

08:22 Episode recap

09:50 Outro

More about Ruth:

Hi, I’m Ruth, a business coach specializing in helping freelancers and business owners adjust their mindset and their marketing so they can get fully booked with clients they LOVE to work with. I’ve helped hundreds of self-employed women achieve the time and money freedom they craved.

I’ve started this podcast because when I first went all in and left the corporate world to be a freelancer, I was grateful for any work that came my way. After over 20 years of freelancing and working for other people, I started to realize I’d created a glass ceiling for myself.

In 2017, I finally started listening to that voice that had been telling me for a long time that I wasn’t doing what I loved and fulfilling my true potential.  It took a critical illness to give me that wake-up call.  I don’t want the same to happen to you.

You can expect practical advice, inspiring stories, and a lot of aha moments as we uncover and kick to the curb all the obstacles you have been putting in your way.

I’m on a mission to inspire women to start and play bigger in business.

Connect and know more about Ruth Gilbey here:

Coaching: https://www.ruthgilbey.com/coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthgilbeymarketingandcoaching/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruth_gilbey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthgilbey/

Should you use your own name for your business? You don’t want to be stuck in thinking and procrastinating over the perfect name for your business. Thus, naming your business after your name might be helpful to get going. However, there are opposing views on this matter. 

In this episode, Ruth Gilbey tackles one of the most frequently asked questions in her social media accounts: Should you use your own name for your business? She shares the pros and cons of using your name as a brand to help you decide on what you should name your business. 

Listen and Enjoy!

Key takeaways from this episode:

Using your own name means you are developing a personal brand. Whereas if you create a business name, you’re building a brand and a company that’s bigger than just you.

Pros and Cons of Using your Name as your Brand:

PROS:

1. Quicker to get going
2. Quicker decision-making
3. Quicker to get traction
4. Quicker to get engagements
5. Quicker to get clients
6. Quicker to create that know, like, and trust with people

CONS:

1. Quite difficult to sell a personal brand to another company
2. Harder to raise finance to expand
3. Harder to exit for someone else to run the business
4. Harder to outsource certain parts of your business (social media or marketing) because you are the face of your business

Episode Timeline:

00:00 Episode Intro

00:23 Podcast Intro

01:28 One of the most frequently asked questions 

02:28 Ruth’s usual advice when naming a business

03:03 Why Ruth came up with her business name

04:27 How Ruth’s business evolved since 2009

05:51 Pros and cons of creating your personal brand

07:28 The conclusion

07:52 Outro

More about Ruth:

Hi, I’m Ruth, a business coach specializing in helping freelancers and business owners adjust their mindset and their marketing so they can get fully booked with clients they LOVE to work with. I’ve helped hundreds of self-employed women achieve the time and money freedom they craved.

I’ve started this podcast because when I first went all in and left the corporate world to be a freelancer, I was grateful for any work that came my way. After over 20 years of freelancing and working for other people, I started to realize I’d created a glass ceiling for myself.

In 2017, I finally started listening to that voice that had been telling me for a long time that I wasn’t doing what I loved and fulfilling my true potential.  It took a critical illness to give me that wake-up call.  I don’t want the same to happen to you.

You can expect practical advice, inspiring stories, and a lot of aha moments as we uncover and kick to the curb all the obstacles you have been putting in your way.

I’m on a mission to inspire women to start and play bigger in business.

Connect and know more about Ruth Gilbey here:

Coaching: https://www.ruthgilbey.com/coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthgilbeymarketingandcoaching/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruth_gilbey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthgilbey/

In this episode, Ruth interviews Diane Houston. She shares how she started her business journey, the biggest challenges, and the hardest decisions she had to make in this journey. She also shares some practical advice for people who wants to start their business.

If you are thinking of starting something and an opportunity comes, the first decision that you have to make is to step out and go for it. It will always be better to make a mistake, learn from it, make a pivot, and continue to grow than to never take the first step at all.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Make sure that all the decisions you make are your decisions.
• You will learn from things you do well and things you do not do well.
• First impressions usually tend to be right.
• If you are a solopreneur or just starting your business, one of the first hires should always be your right hand.
• Build habits and do positive things no matter what happens in the world.
• Read everything you can get your hands on.
• Make sure that you are everywhere, whether it's online and store, marketplaces, or direct selling mixture.
• Look after yourself first.
• Have something you can rely on, a favorite podcast, a good friend, or a book that you keep going back to.
• You have to keep being level-headed and you have to be open to all the opportunities that are coming to you.
• Be mindful of what you are consuming
• Communicating your brand story is the most important thing you can do in times like this

Episode Timeline:

00:04 Podcast Intro

01:09 Episode Intro

01:45 Who Diane Houston is and what she does

02:52 What lead Diane to the business she has today

06:29 Diane’s advice for people who want to start a new business journey 

07:42 The biggest challenges with Diane’s business journey

11:12 What it’s like to work with friends and family

12:22 Diane’s advice for people with what’s currently going on in the economy

15:23 Marketing channels that work for Diane’s business

16:45 How to connect with Diane

17:25 Outro

Connect with Diane Houston here:

Website: https://www.gildapearl.co.uk 

More about Ruth:

Hi, I’m Ruth, a business coach specializing in helping freelancers and business owners adjust their mindset and their marketing so they can get fully booked with clients they LOVE to work with. I’ve helped hundreds of self-employed women achieve the time and money freedom they craved.

I’ve started this podcast because when I first went all in and left the corporate world to be a freelancer, I was grateful for any work that came my way. After over 20 years of freelancing and working for other people, I started to realize I’d created a glass ceiling for myself.

In 2017, I finally started listening to that voice that had been telling me for a long time that I wasn’t doing what I loved and fulfilling my true potential.  It took a critical illness to give me that wake-up call.  I don’t want the same to happen to you.

You can expect practical advice, inspiring stories, and a lot of aha moments as we uncover and kick to the curb all the obstacles you have been putting in your way.

I’m on a mission to inspire women to start and play bigger in business.

Connect and know more about Ruth Gilbey here:

Coaching: https://www.ruthgilbey.com/coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthgilbeymarketingandcoaching/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruth_gilbey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthgilbey/