Plus how to build a brand that connects and converts - KIS Issue 27

This week:

Update: Where do I even begin?! This has been a monumental week for our family as announced that we have sold our broadband company to AllPoints Fibre Network (part of Octopus Group). My husband and I have been working on this deal day and night for months and months, and to say I’m elated it’s out there in the world is an understatement. I’ve officially now left my role on the board of Brillband, whilst my husband and the rest of the team will all stay in their positions for this new chapter. Working alongside Duncan whilst he has grown a broadband company from the ground up has been one of my wildest entrepreneurial rides to date (working with your spouse is definitely not for the faint of heart!). And whilst I’ll still be Brillband’s number one fangirl from the sidelines, the big question for me is what’s next?! (Aside from taking a break!)

Dunc - I know you’ll read this so indulge me in some public praise. I couldn’t be prouder of everything you have achieved so far! These last 4 years have had some of the hardest curveballs we’ve ever faced in them and in every season you’ve been an unwavering pillar of strength and inspiration as the captain of the ship. I’d do it all again. We love you x

Words to live by: Just keep swimming

Podcast to listen to: Healing your Relationship with Money on the Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This Podcast with Emily Fletcher

Challenge: It won’t come as a surprise to you that I’m always looking for ways to make some additional money. And this week I went on a bit of a resale spree. I took my own advice, did a big clear out and within a few hours I’d made over £500 on vinted 😱🤯. So this week my challenge to you is to see what you can do to make a bit of extra cash. It doesn’t have to be ground breaking, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you just need to take action!

What my running journey can teach you about starting a business

At the start of August this year I decided to make running part of my personality. We’ve all seen the memes…

I’ve picked running.

So here’s how it’s been going and more importantly, what you can learn from it.

• Like lots of things I do, I decided I was going to start running and immediately took action and went out for a run! I felt great, look at me running!

• I gave up because I lost that first 10 day inertia and it was getting hard to do both from a physical and a time perspective (sound familiar?)

• Then when the guilt of quitting set in and Instagram served me a few more running videos, I went on a few runs with friends. This was pivotal. It was infinitely easier to run in a group. I was no longer showing up for myself, but I was staying accountable to seeing other people.

• I started the Couch to 5k running programme at the beginning of September and the inertia from my first run was back - I could do this and I was going to be a runner because now I had a programme…

• 8 weeks later and I am still on week 4 of the programme. It’s not that I’ve not been running, I have, 3 times a week since the start of September. It’s that I’m not ready to move on. If I want to get better, I have to go at my pace and be realistic about where I am - mid-thirties, post-partum and I’ve never done any cardio in my life.

Running is completely new to me. And whilst I would love to be running 5k non-stop already like all the super-fit instagram runners, I know that I need to practice.

The same principle applies when you try something new in business. Social media ties everything up in a pretty little bow and has you believe that growth is linear. Week-by-week, you improve and you compound that improvement and growth beautifully, and within a few weeks you’ll be a millionaire. It’s just not true.

There are things that definitely help, following a plan for growth, getting help, learning from others, and being part of a group for accountability (this is why I started the Keep It Simple Club).

The lesson? Follow a plan, go at your pace. It’s ok to stay where you are for a while until you are ready for the next step up.

Inside the Keep It Simple Club

The Week Ahead - Week 45

This week was filled with lightbulb moments inside the members club thanks to a live implementation session hosted by Miranda Shanahan (you may know her from TikTok as @mirandadoesbrands) on how to build a brand that connects and converts. This session was absolutely incredible, packed full of insight.

If you’re a member and you missed the session you can catch the replay now inside circle. If you have fomo and want to join us, you can do that right here! ❤️

This week we’re focusing on ONE thing - keeping things super simple and implementing a system for streamlining and automating one key money making process in our businesses.

The most valuable process to implement will likely be different for everyone so identifying this process is where we are going to start!

This week’s notion dash is now available inside circle in the Couch to £5k area.

What’s Working - Asking The Audience

When was the last time you asked your customers what they want? This week I was reminded of how important it is to ensure this is a continuous cycle and not to fall into a trap of thinking you know what your customer wants.

Often we do this because we feel like we know our customers so well. We are our customers, so of course we know what they want? Not necessarily.

I was extremely surprised by the results of a recent customer survey on where they felt they needed the most help when it came to AI. I had assumed that everyone was already using ChatGPT and had the basics of the platform nailed. I was so wrong. Most people who were using the platform didn’t feel confident in their abilities to get the most out of AI and then there was another camp of people who were just so lost and confused they weren’t using it at all.

Not the results I was expecting. So whilst I had planned a series of workshops on intermediate-advanced use of AI in business, instead I changed tack and decided to run a one-off workshop on the fundamentals of chatgpt for business and walking people step-by-step how to build their own customGPTs (robots) for specific use cases in their business. (You can check it out here)

I put the class live last week and almost 100 people have already signed up for a spot. The lesson? Ask the audience.

Here’s my workflow for customer surveys:

1. Segment my audience into three groups:

   1. Group A - I know on a personal level with context on their business. These might be members from my community or people I speak to regularly on social media in comments or DMs

   2. Group B - have purchased from me previously and usually have bought a complimentary product

   3. Group C - have never purchased but actively engage with my content, opening emails etc.

2. Then I look at my segments and I try to remove anyone from Group A that I think might provide me with confirmation bias. It’s very easy when people know you to just say “yes” that’s a great idea, but what’s useful for you is to have a broad and honest cross-section of customers.

3. I send two kinds of survey. One which is integrated into beehiiv (like the one below). This makes it easy for people to click and give feedback. Then to group A and B I send a JotForm (which integrates with Zapier and AirTable) which gathers a some richer data and allows for longer comments.

The trick I find with asking your audience what they want is to ask them frequently and to keep it simple.

Have a great week ahead & remember to keep it simple.

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