INSIGHT WITHOUT ACTION
IS WORTHLESS
Our community makes bold and courageous moves, they take action on long-held dreams which enables them to live the lives they once could only imagine. Curious what might be in store for you?

EMMA RUNDLE
In just over a year I have 💥increased my turnover by one third (and am on target to double it again this year) 💥changed my business model to one that can accommodate more growth 💥learned and understood all my important numbers, including establishing a cashflow and pipeline 💥discovered a new passion for my business and confidence in who I am as a business owner 💥learned how to sell! 💥learned how to set and achieve goals which really make a difference 💥met a whole host of amazing, inspirational people who all give the best support going.
EMMA RUNDLE

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 12, 2022
- 2:57 pm
"I'm on track to hit 50% uplift in turnover!"
MELTING POT CREATIONS
Melting Pot Creations is a content and copywriting business founded 7 years ago.
Melting Pot delivers profile-raising copywriting and content such as blogging, website copy and case studies, as well as helping business owners and executives to establish their personal brand as a thought leader on LinkedIn.
EMMA RUNDLE
Emma has been described by her clients as inspirational, and an exceptional writer with "an amazing ability to pull out the key thread, phrasing and tone of the author immediately".
Emma's love for writing and words started very young as she wanted to be a journalist as a child. She went on to spend the majority of her career working in Corporate Communications roles.
She now specialises in writing content for Coaches, always taking a creative approach to ensure copy is engaging and effective.
Emma set up the business when she had 2 children just 18 months apart. She wanted the autonomy to be able to structure her own day to suit the needs of the business and the family. Having the flexibility of controlling her own working hours and removing the long commute were essential.
THE CHALLENGE
Before joining BBB, Emma's main challenge was business growth. She needed direction on how to do this successfully.
“I began to realise that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was qualified in the delivery of my business but not in how to actually run a business, yet so much of my time was spent doing just this.
I did ok business wise during the Covid lockdown so I knew that I had an in demand service and the business had potential to grow but I needed to know how I could actually make this happen.
I was keen to grow but didn’t have the resources or advice to really know how to go for that."
Emma was drawn to BBB because of George and Tracey's authentic coaching style and the fabulous community environment they have created.
“I was aware of BBB and when I heard George as a guest speaker, I really liked his frank and direct style. I found myself really tuned in to what he was saying and wanted to hear more.
I guess I was looking for a business coach but actually what I liked about BBB is that it was more than that. George and Tracey are fantastic coaches and the fact that they have lived and are living that business growth journey themselves is really authentic, as well as the coaching, you also get a wonderful community. It’s not the same as networking, there is a great balance of supporting and encouraging each other but there is also the dedicated space to talk openly and get support on my business when I need it.
Working alone you don’t really have anyone or anything you are truly accountable to beyond yourself so for me the accountability culture was also a big draw."
In February 2021, Emma joined BBB.
THE RESULT
Emma has welcomed everything that BBB has to offer and has been really impressed with the results she is achieving through goal setting and accountability.
“When I joined BBB it was 1 week until I was straight into a monthly group session and I hadn’t yet set my goals so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was really shocked when I heard people were disappointed with hitting 85% of their goals and I knew that was going to be the environment to help me level up and be held accountable. It was so welcoming and I really felt like it was where I was meant to be.
The energy blew me away, it reignited an excitement and energy for my business. There is a real sense of camaraderie, no one takes themselves too seriously but everyone is ambitious and driven, it cemented that I was in the right place at the right time for me and my business.
The sense of potential was immense, I went from kind of floating around moving in the general right direction to having someone put their arms around me showing me a direct map of where to go. Everything shifted to being deliberate and purposeful.

What Emma loves about the BBB group environment is that everyone is equally invested and celebrates each others successes as well as their own.
“Seeing examples of people like me who were proving that it can be done and are moving their businesses forward is aspirational and reassuring. The challenges are not unique so it makes you feel comfortable and that it’s all achievable.
Everyone is equally invested and genuinely happy to see each other succeed."
DAN GRIFFITHS
I genuinely believe that if you join, you will skip five to ten years of struggling through and navigating shit.
DAN GRIFFITHS

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 10, 2022
- 4:10 pm
"I genuinely believe that if you join, you will skip five to ten years of struggling through and navigating shit."
Principal Compliance
Principal Compliance is a forward-thinking health and safety, sustainability and quality consultancy operating throughout the UK. They help their customers to operate safely, effectively, and profitably, providing simple, sensible and proportionate advice to SMEs. Principal Compliance offers a full suite of services to address a wide range of safety, suitability and quality challenges in operations, management, and leadership.
“Principal Compliance provide a refreshingly uncomplicated approach to managing risks, and unrelenting focus on having a positive impact to your business.”
DAN GRIFFITHS
Dan started Principal Compliance in July 2020 and has 10 years experience specialising in health and safety.
Prior to Principal Compliance, Dan was working in a senior management role delivering strategic direction for effective health and safety management. He left full-time employment to start his own company with massive ambitions of helping businesses navigate compliance and operational risks.
THE CHALLENGE
Before joining BBB, Dan's main challenge was executing his brilliant ideas.
“I had left full-time employment for a year, and wanted to start my own company. I had massive ambitions and I really wanted to do well."
"In the beginning I got lucky, with a few different clients, however I found myself an employee at my own company."
"I was thinking that social media was the way to get customers in. I wasn’t keen on sales, I wasn’t growing the business apart from referrals."
"The biggest thing was that I wasn’t a ‘business owner’ – I had the great ideas but no time to execute them. I was focused heavily on delivery and not charging enough. I felt pretty isolated. There were only a couple of people I could talk to. Going from a senior management role in my previous company where there were lots of peers, it was different - there was no one. It was difficult."
"I was really good at the trade and the job but the business side was challenging."
THE RESULT
Dan stumbled across George's Levelling up with George Swift
podcast, and signed up for a with BBB workshop
“I had been listening to George's on the podcast for a good couple of months, because there are not many of those types of podcasts out there and definitely not that many that are realistic. They are all either marketing heavy or for large corporates. I thought it was good, signed up for the workshop and the rest is history."
"It was real, no-bullshit, no illusion that it was a quick fix. Right from the start we were given realistic expectations: "You aren’t going to get anywhere if you're not going to work hard", stuff like that. And it's all in a language that resonates with me."
“If I hadn't joined BBB I would still have been relying on luck and not really knowing what to do.”

Dan wasted no time in getting involved and implementing everything he learnt at BBB.
“The whole club is welcoming and friendly, and it’s really well structured. It’s normal people wanting to work, and work hard. That’s what I like. Everyone’s got the right attitude."
"I really like all the access you get to the content right at the start. I binged it. They offered simple solutions that were easy to implement."
BBB has given Dan a fresh perspective.
"It’s the clarity – you can see where you need to go. I’ve now got a plan."
“I actually quite like sales now. I think it's good, and I'm so much more confident."
"I'm so much happier and the time I am spending working hard on the business and delivering is so much more effective."
Dan's advice to anyone considering joining BBB.
"I genuinely believe that if you join, you will skip five to ten years of struggling and navigating through shit. It might be something like five years for every one year you spend at BBB."
"I know people that are twenty years in, doing the same stuff – they don't do any sales they've just relied heavily on referrals and things falling on their lap. Twenty years later, and life is the same. If you want to skip the shit, join BBB."
"If, as a small business owner, you think that marketing and posting intermittently on LinkedIn is going to bring clients in, it's not. You need support and guidance. And if you don't have accountability, you ain't going nowhere. That's what I would say to anyone".
"The membership quickly pays for itself if you work hard, fully commit and set goals right, within a couple of months, you're getting a return. It’s a no-brainer."
"I'm so much happier and the time I am spending working hard on the business and delivering is so much more effective."
EMMA WRIGHT
BBB not only showed me what to do but helped me technically set up payments so I could get clients booked in easier. I followed up proactively with confidence and closed a deal the next day.
EMMA WRIGHT

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 12, 2022
- 12:02 pm
We asked Emma what her first month at BBB Success Groups was like…
The challenges for Emma before BBB.
"I needed to build the business in the correct way with the right building blocks and with the right people around me. I wanted to leverage the power of being with business owners that really were building professional businesses as well."
"I trusted Tracey and took the leap."
"I lost my confidence, the reality that not only was I a Financial Coach but also a business owner, hit me. I knew I needed help achieving my business goals"
Emma’s first 48 hours after joining BBB were a whirlwind!
“When I attended my first session, I just wanted to get involved straight away. I just wanted to be one of the team and that's exactly how it felt. Suddenly, you’re not on your own anymore. You’re part of something much bigger and we’re in it together."
Emma wasted no time implementing what she had learned, and using these skills, closed a client just 24 hours after her first session.
"It was clear I had to take on and own the client onboarding process. BBB not only showed me what to do but helped me technically set up payments so I could get clients booked in easier. I followed up proactively with confidence and closed a deal the next day."
"I am now proactively helping clients begin their journey with me. I’m so much more confident and I hit all the stretch targets I set in the first month!"
Emma has really thrown herself into her first month at BBB and is taking advantage of everything BBB has to offer.
"I'm doing the goal-setting audios as a section of my day, every day. I'm also doing the sales challenge. I am committing to my personal and professional development as a business owner. This is amazing that I get this time for myself because fundamentally I really enjoy everything I'm learning. It's not a challenge to sit down and listen to what BBB has to offer."
"I make the commitment to myself each month and the benefits are already measurable. I can really see what I’m capable of now and I’m excited about what’s to come."
EMMA WRIGHT COACHING
Emma Wright is a Charter Financial Planner and Certified Financial Coach with 17 years’ experience in wealth management and has helped 100's of wealthy individuals manage their money. Emma uses her unique combination of skills as a Chartered Financial Planner with my tools as a Certified Financial Coach to enable you to master your mind and your money.
Emma has been running Emma Wright Coaching for a year and a half now, empowering business owners to make the most of their money by designing bespoke wealth strategies which empower her clients to live their best life.
Emma's mission is to empower working women to love their finances so they can create financial independence.

LOUISE PUDDIFOOT
My turnover has increased by 250% since joining BBB.
LOUISE PUDDIFOOT

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 16, 2022
- 11:45 am
Joining BBB makes a massive impact on the success of your business.
WILLOW & PUDDIFOOT
Willow & Puddifoot are the scaleup people development specialists.. They are experts in people, potential and performance, assisting high-growth companies through the challenges of scaling their business, by focusing on the people challenges involved.
They are a L&D training and consultancy business which specialise in delivering Manager Development and work as consultants to support organisations formulate and implement their L&D strategy.
LOUISE PUDDIFOOT
Louise founded Willow & Puddifoot in 2018 after a successful career leading many Learning & Development (L&D) teams.
Louise has a personal passion for developing people. She loves anything to do with psychology and workplace performance and is on a mission to share these techniques with the next generation of organisations so that they and their people can reap the benefits.
"There is so much opportunity to develop people and the benefits are huge both to the individual in terms of confidence and skills set, but also for organisations to enable them to grow and become more effective and efficient".
THE CHALLENGE
Louise found the reality of growing a business much more difficult than she expected.
“I set up the business thinking that I would quickly grow a team but the reality without a solid framework and strategy turned out to be me carrying out predominantly freelance work, with little outside delivery support and lacking the capacity or sales mindset to achieve the revenue I wanted, I needed to seek some support and structure.
I wanted to grow my business beyond what I was achieving, I was really frustrated because I had lots of ambition but I needed some guidance, advice and framework to achieve my goals".
Louise joined BBB for the structure and community of like-minded, ambitious people.
“I joined because I could see that this was the place for structure, support and there was a promise of a great community – they didn’t disappoint. I had tried other groups but couldn’t seem to find the right mix of people who were like me and were ambitious with fast growth plans. When I found BBB it was like I’d found the right tribe for me.
BBB had a rare offering, they give practical advice but a truly unique opportunity for you to feel completely safe in being authentic whilst on your personal and business development journey".
The group environment has really helped support Louise since she joined BBB in March 2020.
“I learn and am inspired so much by others in the group, I also know I am fully supported by not just the BBB team but also a wider community of like minded people".
THE RESULT
BBB has given Louise the confidence and determination to keep growing her business.
“I am now so much more confident to approach and connect with clients, thanks to BBB. I also have a much better understanding of the clients I want to work and I’m focussed on reaching out to them because I know I can provide a great service.
I joined BBB just as Covid hit and saw a lot of businesses, especially in my industry stop and back off due to all the uncertainty. BBB gave me the push I needed to make me keep going and work harder and that made all the difference.
BBB really has given me the confidence and encouragement to keep pushing and keep growing which is exactly what I needed to make my business a success. It’s a great place to ask any questions without feeling self conscious or receiving judgement.
It has definitely been worth the investment and has paid for itself quicker than I anticipated. You have to work but all the guidance and resources needed to be successful are right there".

"BBB is really different to other Business Development /Coaching groups. Their advice is always super targeted because they take the time to get to know your business, they will always tailor an answer so that it’s relevant for your industry or your stage of your business journey.
I love that you get to focus on what really matters for YOUR business. They are always conscious of helping you prioritise where to use the limited time or resources you have to the best effect.
Joining BBB makes a massive impact on the success of your business. I always feel fully supported and nurtured by a group of motivated and driven people.
There’s an element of tough love but you always feel supported and championed. They keep your ambition and goals in mind at all times and pick you up and put you back on the right path. I absolutely know I can run to any of the team with my worries and issues and they are there for me".
“Join BBB – it makes a massive impact on the success of your business”
LISA RUSSELL
BBB is working its magic again. Four new clients signed contracts this week and four are letting me know this week or next. We had no pipeline last week.
LISA RUSSELL

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 16, 2022
- 11:58 am
Today I'm interviewing the fabulous Lisa Russell. Lisa runs Liruss, which is a virtual business services agency which specialises in UK-based VAs.
So Lisa, tell us a little bit about what you do and for who.
So, as you mentioned, we're a Virtual Assistant Agency. We're a team of five VAs and we support small business owners, service-based business owners, with lots of ambition to grow. We support them with admin and social media, primarily.
What has been your biggest success over the last 12 months? Because, let's face it, it's been a bit of an interesting time.
So, at the start of the pandemic we lost a couple of customers. They were biggies as well, so it really hurt, and we've come back fighting. We've doubled our team in size and we’re just growing and growing, which is brilliant. We count our blessings.
"We've doubled our team in size..."
So how hard has it been to bring people into a team during this time? You know, is it difficult to get the right people? Has it been challenging, or has it been quite straight forward?
When we put an advert out, we got loads of applicants. And I think that is, unfortunately, due to the current climate. There's a lot of people looking for work. I guess the area that we're really blessed is everybody kind of has to work virtually. So that goes in our favour.
For us, it's about finding the right people and the right people that fit with the team.
Our team work amazingly well together. We all really bounce off each other, which is nice, but it's finding people that want more than a job. They want to come to work to support small business owners, to grow their business. And they genuinely get excited when that happens, and we see that growth.
So yes, it's a challenge, but the challenge actually is working through all of the CVS and sorting out the best in quality.
I get that. You want heart, don't you? You don't just want someone who wants to show up and do a job...
I'll teach people anything. Yes.
Okay, the biggest challenge then. What's really challenged you over the last 12 months?
Losing a lot of clients at the start of the pandemic and working our arses off to make sure that we continued supporting existing clients, making sure that they knew they had that flexibility of support, but also having faith that we'd come back fighting again. You know, we lose some customers but inevitably we always get more.
We just want to help our clients.
What's been really nice, actually, is that we've had a couple that did stop using us, temporarily, and we've just kept in contact. And now they're using us again which is really, really nice. They've just worked out how to pivot and they've come back, so it's really nice.
I got a text message last night - and these are the text messages I love getting. I won't share all of it because I'd be bleeping some stuff out, but it basically says, "I hope I don't disturb you and that your phone is on silent," it was a late night text. "But BBB is working its magic again. Four new clients signed contracts this week and four are letting me know this week or next. We had no pipeline last week." And then there are a few expletives and lots of emojis.
These are the texts that make my day, completely.
It's a tough journey being a business owner, right? We're very emotional. I'm very emotional as a business owner. When things go wrong, I panic. You and I share a lot of similarities about how we tackle things, which is to freak out!
So, let's talk about that because there was a moment when you panicked. You were worried that you weren't going to recover the losses, you know? So what we tend to do in those moments is grab anything. Anything that comes along, that we think can potentially fix the problem.
Yes, so as I said, I've been a member of BBB for almost two years now. We get a lot of value out of BBB. There is a lot of content that goes out every month. And, if I'm honest, it's really easy to get overwhelmed and try to take everything on all at one time. And it's learning how to filter what you need at which time.
Probably about two months ago now I had a huge wobble and decided that when we were losing business it was because I hadn't got enough of this, or I hadn't got enough of that. Maybe I needed one to one support, completely.
"We get a lot of value out of BBB..."
And so I'll be honest with you - and obviously you know this Tracey - I decided to leave BBB and to go and get a coach, which, at first, seemed brilliant - having that one-to-one time. But there were some fundamental pieces that were missing. I suddenly had no wider community. I suddenly lost what felt like my family, people that have grown with me for the last two years.
And I felt like I'd lost my right arm. I realised that BBB is very much focused on the mindset and overcoming real challenges as they're happening, but together.
It's really easy to take a bird's-eye view of someone's business and say, ‘All businesses should have this, this and this in place. And if you haven't, basically, what are you doing?’ And so, I spent a bit of time trying to look at my business as if it was just some big machine, if you like. And that was a huge mistake.
I didn't even get to the proper leaving BBB part, but my heart was out of it for a good month or two. I just went back with my tail between my legs and said, ‘Do you know what? I want my right arm back.’
And it's really nice. And within the past two weeks it's like a switch has been flicked and I've gone back to basics, focusing on sales again at the start of every day. I'm making that a priority and to always be selling which is always ingrained in you from BBB. Suddenly our pipeline's looking amazing. Like you said, we've taken on four new customers.
And I just remembered why I started and got that passion back again, which is really nice.
I'm really delighted that you shared that because I think it's a really important story. What I love about you, Lisa, is I don't think you fully appreciate your own power. You know, when you focus, when you leverage the basics, when you put your plans together, when you commit, it's like a parting of the waves. And we so often forget our own power, we so often forget what we are capable of when we're in this perpetual turmoil. So, you coming back to those basics and almost instantaneously seeing the fruits of your labour, for me it’s absolute music to my ears. Welcome back!
So, what then is your biggest piece of advice for business owners right now?
Do you know what? It's really easy to get complacent and think that if you've been doing something so long maybe you should try something new. But actually, I think if something works, and it really works, then stick with it is probably my biggest advice.
Lisa, it's been a total joy talking to you today. Thank you for sharing and being really open and honest about your journey. It's so important, I think for other people to hear that running a business is hard. It's harder than people think, but it's unbelievably rewarding and there are ways to make it so much easier, especially when you're surrounded by the right people and the right community.
JAMES FOSTER
BBB supported my personal development. It helped massively with confidence and more critically resilience.
JAMES FOSTER

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 16, 2022
- 12:15 pm
"BBB supported my personal development. It helped massively with confidence and more critically resilience"
FOSTER GROWTH
ABOUT JAMES
James has been in recruitment for almost 20yrs. 2 yrs ago he switched from agency type recruitment to in house recruitment where he joins the clients on a contract basis to do all the heavy lifting around recruitment for them. Overall this reduces the amount of time and cost that the client has to dedicate to doing all the recruitment themselves.
“I’ve not re-invented the wheel, just re-distributed the energy into the parts of the recruitment process I believe will make it run smoother, be more successful and overall more enjoyable.”
James loves helping ambitious Business owners enjoy growing their business through intelligent recruitment.
Working with a candidate to secure a role which moves their career forward, whilst at the same time helping a company find their next great hire, who will help take their business to the next level is very rewarding for James.
THE CHALLENGE
Before joining BBB, James struggled with his focus which impacted the growth of his business.
“Focus was my biggest challenge, and more recently I’ve come to realise that that encompasses a lot more than I originally thought. It includes strategy, client avatar, what product I’m delivering, who to and at what price. All of those things are distractions away from the core things I’m looking to deliver and I can get stuck in that distraction meaning I’m not making progress in growing my business".
Following some career coaching, BBB was recommended to James to help him reach the goals he wanted to implement in his business.
“I’d just completed some career coaching which helped me determine what I wanted personally. I then needed to implement what I’d learned and discovered in my business. Someone told me to look at BBB and recommended what they did and I thought it looked good. I was in the right place to fully utilise what BBB had to offer to their members".
The BBB group environment has provided a huge amount of support to James.
“Inclusion is the key thing for me. It’s hugely supportive and for a business owner it starts to remove that feeling of being on your own. It’s great to have an opportunity to have a network of people who you can discuss ideas and use them as a safe sounding board where you can test the water".
THE RESULTS
James has welcomed everything that BBB has to offer. He has gained a number of measurable benefits since becoming a member.
“Being with BBB has really supported my personal development. It helped with confidence and more critically resilience – If I got a knock back previously, I could lose weeks to that feeling and mindset but that doesn’t happen anymore".
"I made a commitment to self-improvement and I see BBB as part of the tools to achieve that".
"I’m clear and focussed and I now solidly average a good 7hrs of work per day which compared to before is a vast improvement. That’s had a massive impact on my business and that foundation and focus was started because I was with BBB".
"It's fantastic having the community and BBB team to challenge and test my thought processes to achieve the business model I want to deliver".

BBB has really helped James on his journey to reach considerable business growth.
“It’s focussed and driven so if your mindset is on growth then BBB is a no brainer. It’s brilliant if you’re on your own in business".
"If you’ve laid foundations and need support to grow then BBB is spot on".
“You need to be close to knowing what you need to be committing to in your business and then BBB will support you on the journey to implementing it".
"George Swift forces you to focus on the things that are important to your business. He is straight talking, insightful and doesn't pull punches!"
"Other Business Coaching options follow a formula that only fits at a certain point in time but BBB is great because it fits something for you as an individual more often – I always walk away from BBB sessions with something and that’s why it’s worth my time to keep showing up!"
KIM HUGHES
Being around people who will help me to do better and hold me accountable has been key to this, and it’s big thanks to Tracey Miller and George Swift at Bigger Brighter Bolder for all their no-nonsense, no excuses, straight talking advice over the last year.
KIM HUGHES

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 12, 2022
- 2:15 pm
"I have increased my day rate by 30% since joining BBB and we are ready to go again "
GOLDINGS COMMUNICATIONS
Goldings Communications is a family-run Public Relations, reputation management and communications company providing a range of digital and traditional PR services, from consultancy and strategy to delivery and results.
They position businesses, SMEs, charities and not-for-profits in all the right places so that the people who matter the most know who they are, what they stand for, and what they’re best at.
KIM HUGHES
With more than 19 years’ experience in PR, communications and journalism, Kim knows how important it is to have all the right structures in place - robust specialist systems, efficient processes, and her own strong brand.
After completing the BBB Launch Programme in July 2021, Kim joined BBB as Build member to further her business growth.
THE CHALLENGE
Kim worried about making obvious mistakes and wasting time early in business, she wanted to find a solution for this where she would be supported along the way.
"I wanted something that would propel me to where I wanted to be faster so I wasn't wasting time and figuring things out the hard way".
"I definitely needed some stability in the early stages, or at least some support when the peaks and troughs arrived".
"I looked at various business coaching options including 121 coaching but quickly learnt that the power and benefit of group coaching should not be underestimated!"
Kim joined BBB's 3-month intense Launch programme which fast-tracked her business immensely and gave her the community support she had hoped for.
“The Launch programme propelled me to where I wanted to be and everything I learnt along the way has been of great value. I love being part of a community where everyone supports each other and it’s inspiring to see other like-minded business owners getting the rewards and what they deserve knowing we can follow that path".
"The Monthly sessions are super energising and there’s so much to take away and implement. The timing of sessions is perfect as you get a hit just as the boost starts to wear off, it’s like monthly accountability kick up the bum mixed with a shot of high energy enthusiasm".
THE RESULT
Kim has embraced everything that BBB has to offer. Her confidence has grown hugely and she's been surprised by the results she has achieved in such a short amount of time.
“Know your worth - this advice has been instrumental in us driving the business results we wanted. I now know how and where I deliver for our clients best, talk to the client with much more confidence and certainty about how I can help them and lead that conversation as the expert".
"Thanks to George, I am now much more assertive and will stand firm on pricing with clients. I won't offer discounts when challenged which is something I used to struggle with'.
Kim has seen a lot of changes in herself since joining BBB, she is continually impressed by the content being delivered by George and Tracey and the thought and care they give their members.

“I would highly recommend BBB to anyone considering business coaching, I have been truly amazed by the results and the change I have seen in myself over the last few months".
“BBB is really person centred – there’s a lot of thought and care put into what they do and you can see that they are continuing to invest to make sure they offer the maximum product for their members. They are always willing to adapt to accommodate their members and offer help wherever they can."
"The content is fabulous, you not only get George and Tracey, they call in connections who compliment their overall message and provide technical specialities to help businesses grow".
CLARE SHEFFIELD
Whatever your stage of business, BBB has something for every issue you might face. But you need to implement what is right for your business at the right time. The feedback from a diverse group of business owners is so valuable
CLARE SHEFFIELD

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 4, 2021
- 10:21 am
ABOUT CLARE
As a branding expert with over 20 years of experience, Clare founded Strong & Together in 2010, to help clients build successful and profitable brands.
“Many of our clients retain us as a brand guardian working continually in partnership to develop their brand value
STRONG & TOGETHER
https://www.strongandtogether.com
Branding Agency for SMEs in Berkshire, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
THE CHALLENGE
Before joining BBB, Clare was faced with some challenges.
“I had built a business based on word of mouth, referrals and local networking. This was great at the beginning but I reached a point of wanting to level up. I had so much more to offer my existing clients and I needed to be more proactive about attracting my target clients”.
Clare joined one of BBB’s Discovery Days and soon became a member.
“BBB offered something different. It was very different to the networking groups I was part of. BBB was on a different level and demonstrated how serious they were about my business and their other members business success”.
“The support and accountability offered at BBB is very attractive. In my discovery day, listening to both George and Tracey speak what they said really resonated with me and it was plain talking and it made sense. There is a real energy and proactiveness at BBB and a huge desire for me and all the other Businesses to succeed”.
THE RESULT
“I am now much more strategic in my thinking for my business”.
Clare has embraced everything that BBB has to offer, especially with the goal setting strategy.
“The act of mapping out and physically writing down my goals and having a deadline has been hugely beneficial for me. This layered with the accountability makes me actually do stuff. I wrote targets and actions before but I was too easy on myself. At BBB I have to report on how I’m tracking and you don’t want to let that 100% success go”.
“I definitely have increased confidence. I’m happier to approach new clients and even make cold sales calls. I feel like I’m also now having the right types of conversation with the right prospective clients. I have a confidence in knowing what I’m doing is the right thing because I have to support and guidance of the group behind me. I know that even when I outsource work it is still my creative direction, quality, ethos and thinking that the client receives and my time is freed up to manage the bigger picture.
“Like many business owners not always been treated seriously and treated like I was just indulging in a hobby. I feel like I am now taken really seriously and that there is a different level of respect. I now feel as though I sit comfortably as a serious business owner”.
“If you’re a business owner that is serious about your business and you’re looking for advice and support without jargon, BBB is a straight talking great community full of business owners who will support you and back you but also challenge and test you”.
“Being able to tick off your goals also gives you a sense of achievement and celebration. If you are employed you have a boss to recognise your efforts and success. Goal setting and BBB replicates that for me so I get a real positive feeling when I can report that I’ve succeeded”.
Clare has seen some real measurable benefits since becoming a BBB member,
“I am now much more strategic in my thinking for my business. Rather than do all the delivery myself to save on costs I use freelance support to enable me to have the time to grow my business by dedicating my time to sales and business growth”.

AMNA HASAN
It's hard to explain how that community can help you, but it's just that case of when you're low, when you need something, or even like the other day when I talked about my branding with you guys. That feedback is so crucial because, as a small business owner, you're very alone. And it can feel like it's just you with the weight of the world on your shoulders and it helps take some of that burden away. You guys have upped my game in more ways than I could imagine. 🙂 Love my BBB community.
AMNA HASAN

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:35 am
Today, I’m joined by the very beautiful Amna Hasan of Write It Up.
We’re going to talk about Amna’s biggest success, her biggest challenge, and the one piece of advice that Amna would give business owners right now.
So Amna, who are you?
Hi there, thanks for having me. I’m Amna Hasan. I’m from Write It Up and I am a brand journalist. I suppose the best way to describe that is that I’m your brand storyteller.
So, depending on what medium you’re using, whether it’s your socials or your proposals or your pitch decks, it’s for me to showcase your brand and get your messaging right and your tone of voice right. And really get your personality flowing through your words. I tend to mainly work with consultants and coaches in that regard because it’s so important for them to have that kind of clear brand identity and presence out there as well.
So Amna, what has been your biggest success?
Gosh, I think my biggest success has been that I’m still here! I know it sounds like one of those things, but I set up my business over a year ago and, at the time, I didn’t really know what to expect.
“…MY BIGGEST SUCCESS HAS BEEN THAT I’M STILL HERE…”
I set this up as a freelancer, to do in between school runs, and it didn’t really have a purpose; it didn’t have any strategy. And then, by the time it had some sort of strategy, COVID hit and I was left with about four months of having zero work and just crying myself to sleep at night.
But I think, for me, the biggest success has been that, you know what, despite all of that I’m here.
I’m now at the point where I’m very clear on what I want to do, in some ways… I probably will look back at this period quite fondly and go, right, you know what? It allowed me to have that breathing space and actually forced me to commit to what I wanted to do.
And being a brand journalist was a huge part of that. It was my why, and my purpose which came out from all of that. And now, I’m very clear on where I need to be.
Obviously, there’ve been challenges along the way, but it’ll be a case of me going forwards and saying, right, this is exactly who I wanted to be all along but it just took me a long time to get there. I think this year really affirmed that for me.
I love that you’re in a place right now where you’re already saying, “I’m going to look back on that fondly.” I think that’s absolutely the right attitude.
It’s been a hell of a year for a lot of people, I know that, and I suppose I can call myself fortunate that I am in a place where I can still be creative with the way that I can just rebrand or rethink it, because I know a lot people have been established for a while and have really struggled with their model.
And, I suppose that’s where the support of a community like BBB comes in, as well, where I’ve just been able bounce off so many ideas and have those meltdowns where I don’t know what I’m doing. “Pick up the phone, Tracey!”
I think everyone’s had at least one meltdown at some point in their journey.
So, biggest challenge – what’s that then?
I think for me, obviously the year has been tough, but I think the biggest thing for me is that expectation that I’d set for myself.
Initially, when I started it wasn’t going to be much of anything, but then, I’ve not really got anybody in my family who runs a business. They’re all either economists or accountants or, you know, people in stable jobs that are doing well for themselves. And for me, I think I’d put loads of expectation on myself that I needed to be a certain way or perform a certain way and hit my goals a certain way.
And with that, when you’re not performing or at the level that you think, you get quite frustrated with that. And as a person, you know, you feel like, gosh, this isn’t really who I need to be. And then obviously that has an impact on your personal and other relationships that you have brewing around that.
And for me, that was the biggest thing – that I felt like I was letting myself down, letting other people down and then not having that clear vision of where I wanted to be for a while.
But I feel like I’ve slightly come out the other side of that, to put a positive spin. I mean, there are still wobbles, like you said, you know, there’s always a meltdown moment. But I think now, I’m kind of like, you know what, that expectation I set for myself is because I wanted to be the best version of this, like whatever I have right now.
I don’t know what that looks like, say, 12 months down the line, but those challenges have kind of forced me to reckon with whether I wanted to pack it all up or keep going. And I’ve wanted to keep going, which tells me that I’m in the right place and exactly where I need to be.
And the fact that you are here fighting, and the fact that you’ve had those days where you want to give in and you don’t, is hitting that standard in itself.
For me, that fight, that grit, is what really makes business owners succeed. Not everybody has it. I think you should be really proud of yourself.
Setting up your business was a real leap of faith for you and you’ve not looked back. You’ve embraced everything. You’ve shown up for everything. You show up for your goal setting and it’s paid off. You honestly deserve the success you’re having now.
Oh, thank you. And I guess this segues nicely into, ‘What would you advise other people to do?’
For me, it’s invest in yourself, and it is a leap of faith. With everything I’ve done, I’ve always been a big believer in trusting my gut. When it hasn’t felt right, I’ve moved away from it. And initially, I think I came to you last September when we did a Discovery Day and I didn’t even have a name for my company.
You were a little bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
I was, and I was looking around and I was so completely overwhelmed by all these people who had it all together.
I remember thinking, gosh, I don’t know if I’m destined to be a business owner or this, that, and the other. It was a complete leap of faith to go, right, you know what? I need a coach, I need that community, I need somebody I can go to and ask the stupid questions and they will tell me they’re stupid questions and then tell me to get on with it. Or, you know, just snap out of it, just get on with it. And I’ve really, really had that from BBB.
“I NEED THAT COMMUNITY…AND I’VE REALLY HAD THAT FROM BBB”.
I think you’re right, it’s hard to explain how that community can help you, but it’s just that case of when you’re low, when you need something, or even like the other day when I talked about my branding with you guys. That feedback is so crucial because, as a small business owner, you’re very alone. And it can feel like it’s just you with the weight of the world on your shoulders and it helps take some of that burden away.
And for me, the biggest takeaway has been invest in yourself, whether it’s through a coaching community, or rebranding, or networking.
I’ve got a brilliant network with BNI and lots of other places that I’ve just really heavily invested in during lockdown – one and two. So, it’s a case of just trying, I think – don’t give up on that. And if it feels like, after you’ve tried all of that, and it’s not working, then I can kind of get it. But I tried it and it worked and it was kind of like, the rest is history, as they say, and for me, I’m really not looking back from that.
I love it. Amna, it’s been an absolute pleasure, as I knew it would. It’s just a joy to talk to you. I cannot wait to see what the next 12 months brings.
ANGELINA RIZZA
I wanted to say thank you to all of you and this isn’t just George and Tracey. This is all of you because the support and the individuals in this group and how much they give is incredible.
DAVE PLUNKETT
I’m a very different person than I was 12 months ago and BBB have 100% played a part in that.
DAVE PLUNKETT

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:42 am
I am joined today by the absolutely gorgeous Dave Plunkett. He is a collaboration and partnership expert. He owns two companies, the Collaboration Junkie and LuMilona. He’s been with BBB Success Groups for just over 12 months.
Dave, over to you. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.
First and foremost, I am someone who believes life is here to be enjoyed. I’m a loving partner to Kelly. We should be married by now, but that’s been pushed back a year with everything that’s going on. Two wonderful kids, Luna and Milo, hence LuMilona as that business name.
In terms of what I do to keep me out of trouble, LuMilona helps membership organizations, trade associations, and people with a B2B customer base, with their member or customer engagement.
And then Collaboration Junkie, that’s my why. That’s the passion project – I’m so excited to just be launching that. And that’s the one where I’ve really connected what I’m about.
All the businesses I’ve had have been around those foundations of partnerships and collaborations. And so we’re here to inspire, educate and assist businesses in setting their own partnership programs up so that they avoid the mistakes that I’ve made along the way, or witnessed along the way. To fast track that to really get exponential growth, avoid wasting time, and avoid the risk of wasted opportunity, alongside all the other wonderful benefits of working in a collaborative way. So that’s the two congruent, but interlinked hats.
So, tell us, what was your biggest success of 2020?
Well, I would say it’s not one defined thing, I don’t think. It’s been quite a journey for me over the last 12 months. A massive one. And that’s underpinned by personal development stuff that I hadn’t really ever done properly before.
“I started just putting stuff out there, because I had to, and it’s just gone better than I could have expected…”
On a personal level, the success that I feel most is in terms of positioning myself and where I’ve gone. I started just putting stuff out there, because I had to, and it’s just gone better than I could have expected. People that I didn’t know before, dropping me in referrals around different opportunities, to give advice and pitch myself in. I didn’t expect to get that so quickly, in terms of being the partnership guide, and it’s been really touching, actually. A load of positive validation, which is always kind of nice to have – I don’t care what anyone says, it’s always nice to feel appreciated. That’s gone better than I expected. But the relaunching and the launching of two brands, I think, during what’s been going on – I’m pretty happy with that.
And from someone watching from the side, it’s no accident that that stuff is coming back to you because you’ve been banging this drum for such a long time. When you and I worked together in that networking community, it was your energy and enthusiasm that really appealed. It’s no surprise to me that you’ve done this work and you’re getting your just rewards now. So, well done on that. It’s amazing.
Right, so what was your biggest challenge in 2020?
So, I was by far the biggest barrier to success. I joined BBB – obviously, this coincides, it fits the year that I’ve been with you guys. I knew that I needed to make some changes. I knew I’d started on some personal development stuff. I knew I needed to take that to the next level. I didn’t think I’d get to the point I am now, though. Didn’t think I’d take on that much with what I do, and stuff like that. I’m a very different person now than I was a year ago. Same energy and everything…
It’s like night and day, from who you were when you joined and who you are now, for me it’s like a maturity. It’s like a real levelling-up maturity that’s happened over this last 12 months.
Oh and I feel that. And it’s great – it’s brilliant to do. And it was needed. But I think, at the start, it was just uncertainty around what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to change the main business, the engagement business. I’d fallen out of love with that, and I needed to reignite that, and I’ve done that, but at the same time it still wasn’t fulfilling me. And I couldn’t get my head around what that was.
I think it was probably much clearer to other people around the edge that I needed to deliver personal value, and something that’s really about me and what I believe in, and get that out to the world. I was just getting in my own way.
I knew I could do more, but there was a pull to this feeling that it’s got to be a success because there’s other people involved with it as well. But more than that, it was that personal pride thing of it being a great opportunity and a great business and I should be doing more with that. But, if I’m not happy, then nothing’s going to be a success.
“…I needed to deliver personal value…”
And then, once I’d got over that, although I have to do my thing, because if I don’t do my thing, everything else is going to fall apart. The massive challenge that’s an ongoing one still is the two-hat thing. Managing that on a day-to-day basis has been a huge challenge, with just the huge physical amount of stuff to do. But that means getting over the mindset and getting clarity. It’s been fun, but tough.
It is tough, facing yourself and looking at all the things that you’re great at. You’re looking at where your gaps are and what needs improving. It takes some real courage to do that.
So, what is the one piece of advice, based on all of your knowledge, that you would give business owners right now?
Be opportunity ready. And by that, I mean an opportunistic mindset, and it’s not as simple as it sounds.
We all need focus, I know. Without some of the focus and the goal setting and stuff that I do with you guys, I hate to think where I’d be. I certainly wouldn’t be as far forward as I am now. But just be opportunity ready, and not just for yourself – have that collaborative mindset. It’s part of what being a collaborator is about, have an opportunistic mindset.
We live in a relationship economy. The strength of your relationships, particularly your key relationships, I don’t think will impact the success of your future business as much as it does now. And so, not at the detriment of yourself, but just be aware of what’s going on for you and those in your closest network, where you can benefit and assist and take advantage. Because if you do, the opportunity is everywhere. When you make that mindset switch, the biggest problem is saying ‘no’, or saying ‘not now’. And that’s a constant battle that I have, and I’m sure you do as well, and there are plenty of others do.
There is a thing about being too giving, which I’ve definitely been guilty of in the past. You have to serve yourself as well. Otherwise you’re not going to be here to do the good work for others. But even when times are hard and you’re busy and you’re in that slog of doing stuff, just be aware. Just make sure you don’t shut yourself off to that stuff that’s out there where just a slight tweak to what you’re doing can get you to that end goal so much quicker. And I think it’s available now more than ever.
Love it. Dave, you are a legend. It’s been a pleasure.
I am joined today by the absolutely gorgeous Dave Plunkett. He is a collaboration and partnership expert. He owns two companies, the Collaboration Junkie and LuMilona. He’s been with BBB Success Groups for just over 12 months.
Dave, over to you. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.
First and foremost, I am someone who believes life is here to be enjoyed. I’m a loving partner to Kelly. We should be married by now, but that’s been pushed back a year with everything that’s going on. Two wonderful kids, Luna and Milo, hence LuMilona as that business name.
In terms of what I do to keep me out of trouble, LuMilona helps membership organizations, trade associations, and people with a B2B customer base, with their member or customer engagement.
And then Collaboration Junkie, that’s my why. That’s the passion project – I’m so excited to just be launching that. And that’s the one where I’ve really connected what I’m about.
All the businesses I’ve had have been around those foundations of partnerships and collaborations. And so we’re here to inspire, educate and assist businesses in setting their own partnership programs up so that they avoid the mistakes that I’ve made along the way, or witnessed along the way. To fast track that to really get exponential growth, avoid wasting time, and avoid the risk of wasted opportunity, alongside all the other wonderful benefits of working in a collaborative way. So that’s the two congruent, but interlinked hats.
So, tell us, what was your biggest success of 2020?
Well, I would say it’s not one defined thing, I don’t think. It’s been quite a journey for me over the last 12 months. A massive one. And that’s underpinned by personal development stuff that I hadn’t really ever done properly before.
“I started just putting stuff out there, because I had to, and it’s just gone better than I could have expected…”
On a personal level, the success that I feel most is in terms of positioning myself and where I’ve gone. I started just putting stuff out there, because I had to, and it’s just gone better than I could have expected. People that I didn’t know before, dropping me in referrals around different opportunities, to give advice and pitch myself in. I didn’t expect to get that so quickly, in terms of being the partnership guide, and it’s been really touching, actually. A load of positive validation, which is always kind of nice to have – I don’t care what anyone says, it’s always nice to feel appreciated. That’s gone better than I expected. But the relaunching and the launching of two brands, I think, during what’s been going on – I’m pretty happy with that.
And from someone watching from the side, it’s no accident that that stuff is coming back to you because you’ve been banging this drum for such a long time. When you and I worked together in that networking community, it was your energy and enthusiasm that really appealed. It’s no surprise to me that you’ve done this work and you’re getting your just rewards now. So, well done on that. It’s amazing.
Right, so what was your biggest challenge in 2020?
So, I was by far the biggest barrier to success. I joined BBB – obviously, this coincides, it fits the year that I’ve been with you guys. I knew that I needed to make some changes. I knew I’d started on some personal development stuff. I knew I needed to take that to the next level. I didn’t think I’d get to the point I am now, though. Didn’t think I’d take on that much with what I do, and stuff like that. I’m a very different person now than I was a year ago. Same energy and everything…
It’s like night and day, from who you were when you joined and who you are now, for me it’s like a maturity. It’s like a real levelling-up maturity that’s happened over this last 12 months.
Oh and I feel that. And it’s great – it’s brilliant to do. And it was needed. But I think, at the start, it was just uncertainty around what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to change the main business, the engagement business. I’d fallen out of love with that, and I needed to reignite that, and I’ve done that, but at the same time it still wasn’t fulfilling me. And I couldn’t get my head around what that was.
I think it was probably much clearer to other people around the edge that I needed to deliver personal value, and something that’s really about me and what I believe in, and get that out to the world. I was just getting in my own way.
I knew I could do more, but there was a pull to this feeling that it’s got to be a success because there’s other people involved with it as well. But more than that, it was that personal pride thing of it being a great opportunity and a great business and I should be doing more with that. But, if I’m not happy, then nothing’s going to be a success.
“…I needed to deliver personal value…”
And then, once I’d got over that, although I have to do my thing, because if I don’t do my thing, everything else is going to fall apart. The massive challenge that’s an ongoing one still is the two-hat thing. Managing that on a day-to-day basis has been a huge challenge, with just the huge physical amount of stuff to do. But that means getting over the mindset and getting clarity. It’s been fun, but tough.
It is tough, facing yourself and looking at all the things that you’re great at. You’re looking at where your gaps are and what needs improving. It takes some real courage to do that.
So, what is the one piece of advice, based on all of your knowledge, that you would give business owners right now?
Be opportunity ready. And by that, I mean an opportunistic mindset, and it’s not as simple as it sounds.
We all need focus, I know. Without some of the focus and the goal setting and stuff that I do with you guys, I hate to think where I’d be. I certainly wouldn’t be as far forward as I am now. But just be opportunity ready, and not just for yourself – have that collaborative mindset. It’s part of what being a collaborator is about, have an opportunistic mindset.
We live in a relationship economy. The strength of your relationships, particularly your key relationships, I don’t think will impact the success of your future business as much as it does now. And so, not at the detriment of yourself, but just be aware of what’s going on for you and those in your closest network, where you can benefit and assist and take advantage. Because if you do, the opportunity is everywhere. When you make that mindset switch, the biggest problem is saying ‘no’, or saying ‘not now’. And that’s a constant battle that I have, and I’m sure you do as well, and there are plenty of others do.
There is a thing about being too giving, which I’ve definitely been guilty of in the past. You have to serve yourself as well. Otherwise you’re not going to be here to do the good work for others. But even when times are hard and you’re busy and you’re in that slog of doing stuff, just be aware. Just make sure you don’t shut yourself off to that stuff that’s out there where just a slight tweak to what you’re doing can get you to that end goal so much quicker. And I think it’s available now more than ever.
Love it. Dave, you are a legend. It’s been a pleasure.
CHRIS BROWNLEE
These are great sessions that enable you to take a ‘helicopter’ view of your own business, with positive critical support in the room.

ALLY ILOTT
A Bigger Brighter Bolder day is my favourite day! The community make such a difference to your confidence, motivation, energy and resiliance. Joining Success Groups was the best decision I made last year!
ALLY ILOTT

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:38 am
Today, I am joined by the very beautiful Ally Ilott, of Heritage Estate Planning. Ally has been a BBB Success Group member for seven months now.
We’re going to talk about Ally’s biggest success, her biggest challenge, and the one piece of advice that Ally will give to business owners right now.
So, Ally, welcome. Thank you for coming and spending time with us. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.
I own a company, as you mentioned, called Heritage Estate Planning, and we help people get their wills, their lasting power of attorneys, any trusts, any funeral plans, that kind of thing in place so that their families are protected if the worst happens, in a nutshell.
I think I’ve broken the mould a little bit. I’ve got a big network of will writers and people that do estate planning and I think I do handle things a bit differently. The feedback I get from my clients is very much that it’s a friendly service. They weren’t expecting to actually have fun while writing their will. It seems like a crazy thing to say, doesn’t it? But, hopefully, I try and take the fear out of it. I don’t talk to people in legal jargon or anything that they don’t understand, and usually, people come away from it thinking, ‘I wish I’d done it years ago!’
So Ally, what’s your biggest success?
Wow, I had to really think about this because there have been lots of things that have happened over the last year, but I suppose the biggest one is that this is my best ever year in business, in terms of turnover, and we’re in the middle of COVID, so I would never have thought in a million years that this would end up being the best year, but it really has.
“…THIS IS MY BEST EVER YEAR IN BUSINESS…”
And within that year, as well, we’ve celebrated my office manager’s first anniversary. So, I’ve got a member of staff that I’ve had for a whole year. That made me feel really quite successful as well. So yeah, it’s just been a really interesting and good year from a business perspective, weirdly.
Your success is absolutely in alignment with the focus and the effort that you’ve put in. So, seriously well done. Obviously, this year has not been all light and joy. So, what’s been your biggest challenge?
Okay, well obviously, like everyone, lockdown – COVID – that’s been huge. So, overnight, I’ve had to take my business from being completely face-to-face, in people’s homes, usually, to learning how to use Zoom and Teams and all of those things. I’d never used any of these things before so that was almost a ‘learn this overnight so that I can keep my business going.’
At the same time as all of this upheaval and COVID, I discovered you guys, right at the beginning, luckily for me – that’s how I see it anyway – right at the beginning of the pandemic.
I’ve got BBB and I’ve got you guys. That really, genuinely, got me through, because all of a sudden, I’ve got this community of like-minded, inspirational people that have got your back. You can sound them out with ideas and they just keep you going and keep your energy high.
I’ve had to literally change everything overnight, but with the most amazing support. And I home-schooled a five-year-old and a seven-year-old. I’m just going to get that in there.
You slide that in. That’s no mean feat in the middle of what you’ve achieved. I love that.
It’s interesting, so just like you, we’ve had to suddenly work out how the hell we deliver everything online. I mean, it’s been a huge learning curve, but you’re right. What’s been lovely about it is we’re all in it together. Everyone’s trying to learn how to make it work, we’re all trying to improve our services, we can leverage each other’s mistakes and the resources to do that.
For many of us it’s opened up a huge opportunity. So, rather than it being the detrimental thing that we thought perhaps it was going to be, it has literally opened doors that we didn’t think were possible before.
Yes, it’s been character building Tracey, that’s right.
Well, we call it entrepreneurial conditioning. It’s all that stuff that you have to go through in order to run a successful business. And we’ve had some very concentrated entrepreneurial conditioning this year, that’s for sure.
So, what is the one piece of advice that you would give business owners right now?
“…SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING GREAT BUSINESS…”
SOPHIE DAVIES
I love this. It’s been so inspiring to be part of this group over the last few months. Helping us get through it together!
SOPHIE DAVIES

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:39 am
Today I’m interviewing the amazing Sophie Davies of Your Marketing Department. We’re going to talk about the biggest success that she’s had over the last 12 months, and her biggest challenge.
So, Sophie, tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
I’m all about helping you get control of your marketing. And that is on three levels. The first level is to do with your messaging and your customer persona. Those are absolutely critical to all marketing, and often you’re focused on doing your website, doing any type of marketing, but you don’t focus on your customer or what the messages they want to hear are.
The second is making sure that you’re doing the right marketing for your customers and for your business, and not wasting money.
The third is to be a mentor for any marketing managers that you have within your business. I have huge experience in managing teams and I have a real passion for helping young marketing managers who need a marketing mentor that they can just chat to and get advice from. I’ve been in the business 20 years, so I really want to help those guys.
Tell us, what’s the biggest success that you’ve achieved?
So, there are two areas I always talk about. There’s one of my own business growth, and one within marketing.
“I HAVE TO SAY THAT IT HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE FOR MY BUSINESS GROWTH…”
The biggest thing for me is helping my clients, and the most exciting thing at the moment has been seeing my clients achieve stuff. It takes a long while to get my marketing working. The strategies that I do can take a year to bed in, and I’m starting to see my clients see real successes. One of my clients has managed to get two really big projects that they wouldn’t have got without this marketing strategy. And another, he launched in May. Okay, it was helped by COVID, but it’s also really, really thrived by having consistent messaging.
But the other one is probably that it’s now a year since I joined BBB, and I have to say that it has been incredible for my business growth. It’s really given me focus. I’ve managed to persuade George that marketing isn’t such a bad thing, which, to me, is a massive achievement. It’s a huge deal. George [Founder of BBB Success Groups] is not a fan of marketing.
No, he actually hates marketing but that has been an absolute blessing because it helps me to understand why people hate marketing and helps me to sell. My business has turned around, and that has been the biggest achievement. I was at the point of needing a job – by the end of this year, my husband will not be talking to me about that!
There’s a lot of pressure, obviously, to bring money in, and running a business is not easy.
Yes. I had two years of not making huge amounts of traction. There was no traction. And this has completely changed everything from a business-owner point of view. I’ve got so much more focus and everything.
Right, so, what’s the biggest challenge that you’ve had to handle this year?
My husband works away, so he’s not here most of the year. And when we had COVID I was on my own, homeschooling, trying to really push a successful business and that in itself was a challenge, trying to juggle everything on my own.
And then I had a breast cancer diagnosis, which just added to things and made things even more complicated, because I was still desperate for the business to work and I wanted to keep my clients.
“The breast cancer diagnosis was a massive challenge, but I have to say again that BBB helped me in that.”
I had goals and I had something else to focus on apart from thinking, “I’ve got this horrible thing that’s going to happen, and what’s the unknown.” Because I had BBB and the structure behind it, what it also gave me was the ability to think, “Right, okay, I’ve still got targets to meet. How am I going to do that if I have to go through chemotherapy?”
Sophie has set hundreds of goals so far this year and achieved 100% of absolutely everything that she set out to do. It’s been an inspiration to watch.
It’s been a real learning. The breast cancer thing has been there, and I am inspiring people, but you almost feel everyone supporting you, pushing you forwards, going, “Please do it, please do it.” And, you know, it’s made me really like, “Yay!”
“MY BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE GROWING IN THEIR BUSINESS IS TO FIND A GROUP THAT WORKS FOR YOU.”
For me, BBB works, because it’s a group of people and you learn from everyone. You work with different people. They all have different perspectives. They all come from different businesses. And I’ve always found that, in marketing, having a wider knowledge means you open your mind. And for me, that’s what BBB is really good for.

SHAHIDA AFZAL
My business has flourished since being a member, there are things I have managed to achieve that I simply could not have on my own, and BBB have most definitely been a catalyst for that.
SHAHIDA AFZAL

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:41 am
I am joined today by the very beautiful Shahida Afzal, from Trifle Solutions. Shahida is a telemarketing guru, and she’s been a BBB Success Group member for nine months.
So, Shahida, tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
Thank you, Tracey. My name is Shahida Afzal. I run a business-to-business telemarketing company in Reading. I’ve had the business now for over 22 years.
We work with four sectors – IT, pharmaceutical, construction, and manufacturing. We’ve made some serious changes this year in terms of our approach and who we target. And I think this has been heavily contributed to by me finally listening to the wonderful BBB Group and understanding that there are many ways that I can achieve what I’m looking to achieve within the growth of my company.
So, for me, sectors have slightly shifted and targets have slightly shifted, which I’m sure they have for many of you guys out there. But for me personally, what was an ideal customer at the beginning of this year now looks very different.
I’ve got to ask the question: why telemarketing?
I like the fact that I find it really easy to address problems and fix them. And for me, it’s simply about asking questions. And I don’t see it as telemarketing. So, for me, it is about asking questions and how I can match the problems up with the solutions. Whoever it is my company is representing, it’s really trying to understand and get granular with what is actually the problem.
“The feeling of actually fixing someone’s problem…there’s nothing quite like it”
I don’t feel every service lends itself to telemarketing. That’s why we’re very specific with the sectors we work in. But the feeling of actually fixing someone’s problem, especially when they’ve had poor experiences – there’s nothing else quite like it. And yes, I’ve been doing it for a very long time, but I do genuinely believe there’s still so much more to learn.
So tell us about your biggest success over the last little while. What’s really stood out for you over the last period?
So as a business, as I said, we’ve changed direction quite a bit this year. Up until last year, recruitment was a real big challenge for the business. And the reason it was recruitment was because – I’m not going to paint telemarketing as a pretty picture – it is repetitive. And sometimes it does border on mundane.
Finding the right mindset to do this work is very challenging. And in fact, in the 20 years, I’ve been doing this work, there have been very few people I’ve come across who have stuck to it. And I’m quite pleased to say, one of my longest-serving members of the team has been with us for more than 10 years now.
But one of my biggest challenges has always been recruitment and getting reliable people. Because we’re at the university, it’s assumed that we’re using or working with students. That’s not the case.
I’ve never used a recruitment agency. And it was just getting my head around that it’s an investment. Using an agency that really understands you is actually a worthwhile investment. And that has really changed the shape and direction of the business to a point where during the peak of the lockdown, Trifle employed four full-time telemarketers, which is huge for us. And we continue to take on staff currently, with a view to, by the end of next year, having twenty full-time members of the team.
I love that. And for someone that’s run their business for so long, to then be open to other ways of working – other possibilities – I think that’s pretty courageous.
So, what’s been your biggest challenge over the last little while?
Our biggest challenge has been applying what we do to people who need it the most in the current climate.
It was thinking that we had to make changes. It was getting lost with COVID, thinking we needed to flex into a different way of working. But actually, for us the challenge became more of a blessing in disguise. Because here we were, trying to generate business for companies we thought we could help in this period.
But, actually, if we’d stuck to what we know and what we’re good at, business for us was still there. So, it was recognising that we didn’t actually need to change it that much. And in fact, we carried on doing what we were doing.
The business is very fortunate that we have grown quite a bit during this climate. What was initially a challenge when the shutters almost came down at the beginning of March, we turned around. We persevered. And we took it head on and stuck to our guns.
I hear you. But credit where credit is due. It’s been inspiring, for sure.
“IF IT WASN’T FOR ME GETTING IN TOUCH WITH BBB AND JOINING YOUR GROUP, THERE’S SO MUCH I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT I’M DOING TODAY”.
Thank you. And I would like to say, I know telemarketing isn’t always everyone’s preferred method of getting the word out and promoting their services, but for Trifle Solutions in particular – all the seeds that we’ve been sowing – one of our biggest customers during lockdown came through someone who I had emailed seven years ago, and it was absolutely amazing considering about ninety percent of our customers withdrew their work. They just paused.
And like many businesses, I sat there in that office thinking, “What do I do now? I have jobs to protect.”
And when we least expected it, we had an order come through from a company, who seven years ago I was in conversation with, and it kept people in jobs and created additional jobs at a time when we least expected it.
Phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. Well done.
So, what’s one piece of advice that you would give business owners right now?
Stick to your guns. If you believe it worked in the past, there is no reason it wouldn’t work now.
We’re often disheartened because we don’t see instant results, or as immediate as we would like them to be. But if we stick to our guns and we know that it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the right avenue to pursue, then you will see the rewards.
And just before we go, Tracey, I wanted to say that if it wasn’t for me getting in touch with BBB and joining your group, there’s so much I would not be able to do that I’m doing today. It was the inspiration. It was changing the mindset. It was just giving me another way of thinking that has really inspired me to make the decisions that I’ve made. So, thank you guys.

NICK MILNE
As a member, it's brilliant to identify the successes you've had, and then feel the energy from everyone else's wins. This captured that amazingly 👏
ANNIE HALL
This year has been a whirlwind in many ways for everyone, but being part of the BBB group and community has been the best place to be for me! I have really valued all the sessions, the opportunity to reflect, build on my strengths and learn from the goals I didn’t quite make and why!

JON DAVIES
My revenue has doubled within 1 year and I now have a strong, clear forecast of real growth in the business.
Two years ago, before BBB I was all about the art, vibe, and culture. Now I have a real passion for sales and earning money, I can clearly see my roadmap to success.
I’ve always had a strong belief that I would be successful, but I didn’t know how it was going to happen, now I have the vision of how that’s going to happen and that comes from what I’ve learned at BBB.
JON DAVIES

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:45 am
ABOUT JON
With over 15 years experience as a gardener and designer, Jon is passionate about connecting people and nature. He works on domestic and public space design while growing his team in and around London.
Jon started out as a musician in his 20s, he then went on to channel his creativity into gardening which helped him to provide more stability for the family and still be his creative self. He became a self-employed gardener straight from University after realising that he could work better as his own boss and has never looked back.
“I’m competitive and I like seeing, feeding, and thriving off of others' energy and passion”
THE CHALLENGE
Before Jon joined BBB he was struggling with financial challenges and didn’t fully understand how a business worked.
“I was very much living hand to mouth, I felt like an artist trying to survive. I also suffered with a worrying health problem and was in a bad way. I realised that the stress around the business was intensifying that and also if I didn’t make my business more successful, I’d have nothing to provide my family with”.
It got more challenging for Jon as time went by and he soon realised it was time for change.
“I was at death’s door and I needed financial stability. I found out about BBB at exactly the right time. I needed the wisdom, guidance, experience and structure that George, Tracey and the BBB community could help me with.
“Pre BBB, I was so pissed off from doing shows and spending loads of money, which was frustrating as I was giving so much and getting nothing back. I needed to take away the ego and become more commercially focussed…”
In June 2019, Jon joined BBB.
THE RESULT
“I’m now working harder and stronger…”

Jon has embraced everything that BBB has to offer. The goal setting strategy has been fundamental to turning his business around.
“It’s helped me connect with the long-term vision and then put in place the framework to help me reach and get closer to my bigger goals every day. Goals are also incredible for your mental health; it keeps you moving forward and gives you something to focus on every day and a sense of achievement when you have done it. For me a lack of goal setting creates waywardness".
Jon has soaked up the BBB culture and is now seeing huge benefits to his business.
“I’ve set up an entirely new income strand through being with BBB. Gold & Wild came from George giving me some direct and much needed advice that I needed to stop fucking about with vanity projects and actually get some money coming in. Setting up Gold & Wild has created some real business health. I now have a larger workforce, more and better calibre clients and more interesting work. Most importantly, it has given me some financially stability which in turn frees up my creativity".
“My revenue has doubled within 1 year and I now have a strong clear forecast of real growth in the business".
"2 years ago, before BBB I was all about the art, vibe and culture. Now I have a real passion for sales and earning money, I can clearly see my roadmap to success. I’ve always had a strong belief that I would be successful, but I didn’t know how it was going to happen, now I have the vision of how that’s going to happen and that comes from what I’ve learned at BBB".
During his time with BBB, Jon has gained a huge amount of confidence, drive and determination which has set him up for continued success and business growth.
“I now sleep at night! Previous. to BBB, my unconscious stress levels were massive. I’d wake up and the first thing I’d feel was dread. I’m now working harder and stronger, but I’m calmer and more focussed and I’m definitely more confident".
"I have stepped up in all areas...we’ve planted a great seed for our future success".
"During 2020 BBB has been an absolute rock of support. The BBB community has come into its own and I knew the advice and guidance I needed was there with Members hosting skills workshops about Bounce Back Loans and George giving his passioned and wise advice, keeping us all focused and moving forward".

JULIA BLAKE
Personally the only group like this for me is BBB – I’d give up electricity before I gave up BBB it’s that instrumental to me.
JULIA BLAKE

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- March 24, 2022
- 4:44 pm
BLAKE CONSULTANTS
Accelerating your business growth by developing systems and processes that overcome challenges and maximise opportunities.
JULIA BLAKE
Eleven years ago, Julia started out on my mission to help business owners become more successful. After having spent more than two decades in the software and banking industries and with a degree in International Business, Julia was ready to follow her passion to be a catalyst for growth – and has done so ever since.
Running her own business gives Julia a solid understanding of the challenges faced by other business owners. Julia can offer solutions that can make a real difference to her clients in a way that a large consultancy may not be able to.
“My goal is to help you, the business owner, accelerate your business growth by developing systems and processes that overcome challenges and maximise your opportunities."
THE CHALLENGE
Before joining BBB, Julia was struggling to grow her business and couldn't understand why.
“I’d been running my own business for 4-5yrs before joining BBB and had plateaued, but I wasn’t able to understand why, there was no one pronounced thing that was causing me massive pain but I was frustrated and wanted to be doing better. I’d also been through some significant personal life changes and challenges before joining BBB so knew if I was going to make changes to my business I wanted to be somewhere that was safe and supportive as well as informative and challenging."
Julia joined BBB because it was a great fit for her.
“I’d known George and Tracey for some time before joining BBB through networking, there was no way we weren’t going to find each other at some stage, it was a great fit. I knew that they would provide what I needed…a safe space to be ambitious and the proud business owner that I was inside."
The BBB group environment has really helped Julia with all the highs and lows that come with running your own business.
“At BBB there is always someone there to pick you up when you’ve fallen, it’s incredibly supportive and safe and the concept of BBB being a community is so apparent. The BBB community and the BBB team are always there. What George & Tracey have created at BBB to support and guide ambitious business owners is their purpose and they have an amazing team around them who share the same ethos and values."
Julia joined BBB in 2014.
THE CHALLENGE
BBB has given Julia the confidence she needed to achieve things she never thought possible.
“Without BBB I wouldn’t have had the confidence to start up Stronger Together (A collaborative, supportive group for Business Owners to share ideas, advice and experience to help them thrive). They reinforced that I not only have the knowledge but the right mindset to do this and do this well.”
Julia has benefited in many ways since joining BBB just over 6 years ago.
"I’m now more ambitious and driven than ever – I was recently asked if I was thinking of slowing down as a business owner but I actually feel like I’m just entering a 2nd stage of my entrepreneurial life and I’m more ambitious than ever.
I’ve learnt that it’s ok to want more, to be ambitious and to celebrate my success. Some places don’t support that but at BBB it’s a big thing."
"I’ve been given the freedom and ability to grow and the tangible skills to develop into the person I want to be."
THE RESULT

BBB has given Julia the confidence she needed to achieve things she never thought possible.
“Without BBB I wouldn’t have had the confidence to start up Stronger Together (A collaborative, supportive group for Business Owners to share ideas, advice and experience to help them thrive). They reinforced that I not only have the knowledge but the right mindset to do this and do this well.”
Julia has benefited in many ways since joining BBB just over 6 years ago.
"I’m now more ambitious and driven than ever – I was recently asked if I was thinking of slowing down as a business owner but I actually feel like I’m just entering a 2nd stage of my entrepreneurial life and I’m more ambitious than ever.
I’ve learnt that it’s ok to want more, to be ambitious and to celebrate my success. Some places don’t support that but at BBB it’s a big thing."
"I’ve been given the freedom and ability to grow and the tangible skills to develop into the person I want to be."
The support from the BBB team has been instrumental in Julia smashing her goals and overcoming any challenge that comes her way.
“George is phenomenal and so genuine. He is a source of pragmatic guidance, research and information. He’s like all the best bits of others all rolled into one. He has the ability to always dig deeper and then the skill and experience to get to the route cause of your challenges."
"Personally the only group like this for me is BBB – I’d give up electricity before I gave up BBB it’s that instrumental to me.
BBB gives you the confidence to push forward as long as you’re willing to embrace the learning and changes.
"BBB has taken the recent challenges head on. They ooze perseverance and have really shone through by offering different ideas during a challenging time. They’ve been an absolute rock to their community".
“Personally the only group like this for me is BBB – I’d give up electricity before I gave up BBB it’s that instrumental to me."
EMMA LOVEHEART
As a BBB member for several years now, I would not be where I am in my business without it. I have grown my business from scratch with the support of BBB, looking at my personal growth and business growth simultaneously. The two go hand in hand if you want to truly succeed, and that’s what I’ve worked on to build my 6-figure business. I’m proud to be part of the BBB family and to continue to go from strength to strength.
EMMA LOVEHEART

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:49 am
ABOUT EMMA
In 2011, Emma discovered she had a spiritual gift that enabled her to connect with universal energy.
“I now make homes happier! I work to release poor energy in homes and replace it with positive energy.”
INTO THE LIGHT
Emma Loveheart is a home healer who works on bringing positive energy to your home.
THE CHALLENGE
Ten years ago, Emma discovered she had a spiritual gift that enabled her to connect with universal energy. This discovery came very quickly and without warning. Emma, at the time working in HR, knew that she had to do something with this new gift.
Six years ago Emma spoke to George about wanting to explore this spiritual side of her. Emma had already experienced family and friends not understanding her newly found gift but George was open and accepting. She discovered that it was ok to do what she wanted to.
“BBB have supported me to overcome my fears, I saw 2 paths to take and one was glowing, so that’s the journey I made.”
Emma joined BBB because she realised that personal development was what she wanted and needed.
Having come from a fairly conventional and secure lifestyle Emma now faced financial, as well as personal, challenges in her new business. Emma had to work through emotional blocks whilst making her business work.
“Unfortunately, during this time, the person closest to me didn’t agree with my pursuits. After 24 years together I divorced my husband, lost contact with nearly all our friends, lost my dream home, and split up my family unit. I became a single person reliant on benefits to survive. Despite the change in my circumstances however, I never gave up on my business.”
“When I was going through my divorce I was struggling emotionally – Tracey simply said, ‘it’s not the worst thing that can happen Emma’ – it was blunt but was exactly what I needed to get back in the game!”
Investing in herself and back into the business has been a key learning for Emma. Even when money was tight Emma looked at whatever money she was spending and how it could create more opportunities.
THE RESULT
“I had to put myself out there. I spent £5000 to take a speaking opportunity and no direct business came out of it but I still saw the success because I was moving forward, investing in myself and my business and putting myself out there.”
In Summer 2019, Emma had an article written about her healing work printed in The Daily Mail. This came with a massive influx of clients.
“The response was phenomenal. I had 1,300 hits that day on my website and nearly 200 emails. The enquiries and referrals are continuous as a result, but I was only able to initially manage the response because I had systems and support in place. I had a structured business and I was mentally strong because of the work we do in BBB.”
The wider BBB community has given Emma contacts, skills such as marketing and processes, and loads of support. She admits that sometimes it’s also given her the honest blunt comment that she needed to keep her moving forward.
“I’m now running a 6-figure business – I started at the beginning charging £75, now I can charge £350 and my intentions are to charge more as I develop and progress – even then I will still be continually investing back into the business. You have to believe in your worth and it will happen”.

EMMA HUMPHRY
I survived 2020 and actually achieved 1yrs worth of revenue in the last 6 months of the year. Having a group of people you can ask anything of at any time is what I value most – it doesn’t matter if the question is about staff, client, juggling business and kids there’s always lots of support and input to move you forward. Personally I get as much from giving input and solutions to others as I do from getting help with the question I bring.
EMMA HUMPHREY

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- May 10, 2022
- 2:11 pm
GENIUS MARKETING
https://geniusmarketingltd.com
Genius is a creative agency where strategic and conceptual thinking are prized above all else.
"I survived 2020 and actually achieved 1yrs worth of revenue in the last 6 months of the year"
ABOUT EMMA
Emma started out in media sales and soon discovered writing clients’ ads was the bit she really liked. A few years of in-house digital and direct marketing showed her that she loved strategy as much as creative. As marketing director, Emma wasn’t getting enough time on either, so she then spent another few years in creative agencies to finesse her skills. Emma was then ready to go it alone. And thus, Genius was born.
“Genius prides itself on bringing the very best people into the fold.”
EMMA HUMPHREY
Prior to Genius, Emma had been working for a marketing agency but after having her first child, she realised it was going to be a challenge to go back full time and juggle the little one. Emma decided to go back as a freelancer but soon got bored of freelancing and a co-worker suggested that she should look at running her own agency.
Emma decided to do things a bit differently to the agencies she had worked for previously. She set up Genius in January 2016 and got rid of a lot of industry frustrations, promoted flexible working and also made sure that the creative got to work a lot more directly with the client. She started completely from scratch having to find new clients. It was just Emma and one other working at Genius when it started .
THE CHALLENGE
Things were very different for Emma before joining BBB.
“Before joining BBB in October 2018, I would describe myself as being “In Hell!” I felt like I should be able to make my business grow and make this work but it wasn’t happening.
I was great at the delivery for clients but I didn’t really know how to run a business and was making expensive mistakes. I felt really alone and really doubted if I could do it."
BBB got in touch with Emma at just the right time, she needed guidance and support to help grow her business.
“I got a LinkedIn message from Tracey inviting me to look at joining BBB which was a community of like minded business owners. It stood out to me, it sounded different to all the networking I’d tried and I needed something different."
"When I attended my first session I instantly felt real connection to people at a similar stage of business to me, I felt comfortable and I loved that people were really trying to help, support and solve each others problems, they weren’t there just to pitch for business – I needed this community of like minded people – I was in!"
Before and after joining BBB is like Night and Day for Emma.
“Before BBB. I had no confidence in building a team, now I happily recruit as soon as the growth merits it."
THE RESULT
“I’m so much more confident and I’m super focussed on sales – I’d actually say I’m quite addicted to it now I’ve seen how I can make it work.”

Emma has embraced the BBB community and often provides valuable support to other members.
“Having a group of people you can ask anything of at any time is what I value most – it doesn’t matter if the question is about staff, client, juggling business and kids there’s always lots of support and input to move you forward."
"Personally I get as much from giving input and solutions to others as I do from getting help with the question I bring."
Since joining BBB Emma has grown her business to a team of 8 and achieved 1yrs worth of revenue in the last 6 months of 2020.
“I really noticed that BBB was like a parallel universe during Covid, people outside BBB I were speaking to were scared and unsure what to do. Whereas inside BBB there was concern but focus and determination..”
“I feel supported – Just after I joined BBB I had a really tough time in my business but Tracey picked me up, dusted me down and got me back on track."
“I’m growing my business, whereas before I wasn’t – but what’s really nice is I’m growing my business working with clients I really like – It brings me joy."
“Throughout lockdowns I was running my business and juggling two small children including home-schooling but I always made time for BBB – It never crossed my mind not to show up from my BBB sessions as it’s so important for me and my business.
"George is an inspirational intelligence and Tracey is a tiger mentor - protective, supportive, get’s you back up and fighting again!"
HELEN STEEL
If you’re considering BBB Success Groups, go with an open mind, be ready to be challenged, and then amaze yourself with what you can achieve.
HELEN STEEL

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:46 am
ABOUT HELEN STEEL
Helen started her first business at the tender age of 20. Upon selling it and destined for a promising future in the business world, she developed her corporate career in business development and account management, most recently as a Global Account Director for HP, managing accounts with TCVs in excess of £500 million.
She founded Streamlion 5 years ago, looking to bring together her exceptional track record in growing businesses and her extensive network of valuable connections.
Her personal experience, coupled with her ‘super connector’ status, creates the powerful driver behind Streamlion’s success. Helen is an Ambassador for Transmit Start-Ups and has developed a network of private Angel Investors.
“We deliver everything required for successful business growth, from startup loans to preparing and executing your exit strategy”.
Helen had experienced 1:1 coaching but not with any lasting results. Books and courses weren’t quite hitting the mark for her.
“You can read all the material and learn as much theory as possible but nothing is quite like hearing from people who have actually been there. I was on the hunt for the growth engine.”
THE CHALLENGE
As someone with a broad skill set, it’s easy to lose focus and Helen found herself dabbling in lots of different things, unable to decide which route to go down. She enjoyed the start up funding side of her business and had 100% success rate in funding approval.
“I was doing OK, but I wasn’t running a big business and I knew I needed something to help me get to the next level”.
Helen had experienced 1:1 coaching but not with any lasting results. Books and courses weren’t quite hitting the mark for her.
“You can read all the material and learn as much theory as possible but nothing is quite like hearing from people who have actually been there. I was on the hunt for the growth engine.”
BBB Success Groups was recommended to Helen.
“BBB was recommended as something quite special, exclusive and delivered results. I was most drawn by the goal setting and accountability as I knew this would make a big difference to me and someone working predominantly alone.”
THE RESULT
Determined to keep going with her goals, Helen pivoted to specialise almost solely on start-up and small business funding…
Helen joined BBB and set some big goals. 6 months in and a major client who experienced disaster wiped almost 50% of her revenue off the table. Determined to keep going with her goals, Helen pivoted to specialise almost solely on start-up and small business funding and quadrupled her revenue in less than 12-months!
“BBB has been instrumental in me handling this huge challenge, believing in myself and still sticking to the goals I laid out at the beginning of this year”.
“I had no idea how this year would turn out but I’ve exceeded my own expectations of what I was capable of achieving in a short space of time. I have built a team and I’m recruiting again. Being able to learn from people who have already trodden this path has been invaluable.”
“You end up really feeling part of something much bigger than just you and the people in my group, who I now love as friends, make it easier to navigate the challenges whilst holding you accountable to achieving what you said you would do. There’s a trusted eco-system of expertise to leverage business owners all on the same growth path as you.”
“If you’re considering BBB Success Groups, go with an open mind, be ready to be challenged, and then amaze yourself with what you can achieve.”
GAIL WATSON
The BBB network is incredible! It’s so rewarding being able to contribute to others and I feel like I’m levelling up.
GAIL WATSON

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:48 am
ABOUT GAIL
Gail is Director of Elementary Events, she has extensive experience in event delivery all over the globe. Compliance and regulation is in the forefront of her mind and she holds a deep understanding of the stringent code of practice in the pharmaceutical industry having successfully gained the IQ Level 3 Organisation Diploma in the promotion of Prescription Medicines from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
“I ensure only high standards of service are achieved at all times”.
THE CHALLENGE
Gail set up Elementary events in March 2019 after having a poor experience returning to work after having a baby. This was the catalyst she needed to go out on her own but it was not easy to leave under those circumstances.
“When I set up the business I thought I’d have time to figure it all out. But I got my first referral 2 weeks into starting up so I ploughed straight in. Whilst this was great it actually didn’t give me the reality of what it actually was to run my own business. I felt like a chancer and that I wasn’t running a proper business”.
“I had no clear direction, I wasn’t clear on my offering or what I should be charging. I didn’t appreciate in any way that I’d need to be the salesperson in my business – I was just underprepared for it all”.
“I had an OMG moment when that first contract finished – I had no idea how to create a network or how to do sales calls”.
“This was around the time that Tracey approached me via LinkedIn – I’ll admit I was hugely sceptical at first. This was someone outside my sector and I couldn’t work out how Tracey or BBB could in any way be right for me. I was intrigued though, so I started to follow BBB on LinkedIn and seeing Tracey’s videos and posts helped me find the signs I needed to validate BBB, what they were doing was really authentic. They had an upcoming event, so I decided I had nothing to lose”.
“When I attended the event and heard George talking it really started to make sense to me, I felt like this was what I needed. I was worried that everyone would be at a higher level than me, that they would have business qualifications and be bigger than me. But in reality, George spoke in plain English and building my business felt really achievable. I came away thinking this is really what I need. Going through the case studies of current members made me realise that BBB was full of normal people and what they were achieving felt obtainable to me and they were really relatable”.
In February 2020 Gail joined BBB. She quickly discovered that the support and encouragement from the other BBB members was everything that she needed.
THE RESULT
“I joined BBB in February 2020….and Covid hit! My business disappeared overnight. I worried that I’d just committed to BBB and now I didn’t even have a business. That first meeting after the big UK lockdown announcement I cried – I was so worried what everyone would think of me, but everyone was so supportive, and the BBB team and members just rallied around me. I realised that if anyone was going to get me through this it was BBB and the members".
"If I’d been on my own during that time I would probably have been deluded and thought this will all blow over and brushed it all under the carpet – If I’d done that, I wouldn’t have a business. What actually happened is I pivoted and diversified. BBB encouraged me to look at what other skills I could offer the Pharma sector. I’m now able to offer my target market a more varied offering and will be continuing this in my business going forward".
"I’ve not only developed my business and my business skills, I’ve also developed hugely as a person. George’s content on self-esteem and opening myself up to work on other areas of personal development has increased my confidence. I felt so broken from the experience I’d had leaving my former employer but I can now honestly say I feel much better about it and I have a much stronger sense of self-worth".
Gail's business now has a much clearer direction and the goals she sets continue to push her forward.
"Financially whilst I’ve only been trading for 2yrs, 2020 was my best year, which given I was an events specialist during a global pandemic is quite an achievement. I achieved a 27% revenue increase".
"Having reviewed my business model with George I was hesitant how much I needed to increase my prices by. He encouragingly but firmly advised me that this was the way to go – I’m now confidently quoting and charging at £30ph more that I was when I started".
"I feel like I’m levelling up – I’m assessing work I’m doing and deciding to walk away if the client isn’t right for me or it’s impacting my other clients. I’ve taken on VA support and I’ve started to consider options to subcontract some of the work I’m doing".
"The BBB network is incredible. It's so rewarding being able to contribute to others and there’s always the opportunity to learn from others – you may not have been thinking about the question they asked before the session but the value you get from it can be huge".
"For me the one thing I can say about George in particular is that he is a confidence builder. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the whole BBB team".
“The BBB network is incredible. You get so many different perspectives and it’s a great opportunity to take yourself out of the detail of your own business and look at the bigger picture".
JESSAMY WALKER
Anyone I know reading this will know how much I attribute Brown Dog’s growth and resilience to BBB’s help.
JESSAMY WALKER

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:51 am
Today we are joined by the fabulous Jessamy Walker of Brown Dog Financial. Jess has been a BBB member for three and a half years. She’s a Lifestyle Financial Planner with a twist. She does things slightly differently to your traditional Financial Planner. Today, we’re going to ask Jess what her biggest success and her biggest challenge have been over the last 12 months.
So, Jess, tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
I run Brown Dog Financial Planning, which is a financial planning service based on your life and your lifestyle rather than just buying investments. It’s creating a proper plan. Money has to underpin your story, not the other way around. But money is the tool that does it.
So, Jess, what’s the biggest success that you’ve had over the last 12 months?
At the beginning of the year, we took on some social media and started posting once or twice a week. Something I’ve been meaning to do for ages – I set it as a goal. Suddenly it has to happen, doesn’t it, when you do that?
“We’ve had lots of leads – lots of enquiries. It’s great”
We did that and it was gathering momentum and doing quite well. And then I wrote a couple of articles about furlough and redundancy and the impact on life. And it’s just taken off. We’ve had lots of leads – lots of enquiries. It’s great.
That’s fascinating. I talk to lots of business owners who really struggle to make social media work. So, the fact that that’s your success… I’m very excited about that – well done.
It’s taken probably 12 months to get my head around it and get it organised. With a continual nudge, we did it.
That’s the only thing we’ve done differently that I can attribute it to.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced then?
The biggest challenge this year? Moving a team from office space to working from home – the tech.
Having done the social media that then meant the clients were coming in, suddenly the team had to go elsewhere. I furloughed one. I sent one home – the technology didn’t work. Complete change of IT systems and everything we’ve had to do. All of that – new software, new everything, new setup – while working flat out.
It’s hard, it’s really hard. You need 30 hours in every day, really. We took a bit of time to sort it out, and it’s much better.
So, what is the one piece of advice that you would give business owners?
Know your numbers.
Doing what I do, I’m going to say that. But know your numbers in a very broad picture – what comes in, what goes out, what your tax bill is going to be.
Set up a separate account for your tax bill, and pay yourself properly. Don’t just draw money from the business because that’s what you’re worth. Pay yourself as if you’re working for someone else. Or aim to get to that stage because it doesn’t happen immediately, but yes, know your numbers.
I love that. And we were talking just before about tax bills and a couple of times I got hit by that tax bill. I didn’t see it coming, which obviously is ludicrous. But then I did it again the following year!
You’re not unusual, Tracey.
The number of people that just try and muddle along and have it in one. And then, particularly in the first year when you pay, you don’t think you’ve made any money. Because you’re only setting up. And then suddenly you get a tax bill and on your own earnings you pay this year’s and the year on account. And everybody’s telling us not only have I got to pay tax, I’ve got to pay next year’s ahead. Where does it come from?
“KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!”
Set up an account somewhere. 20%.
And then, with what’s left after the end of the year, go party with it. Say that it’s a reward at the end for paying your tax bill!
Just before we finish, I just wanted to mention goals, because you mentioned, “I set my goal and so it has to be done.”
We take goals seriously at BBB, but there are a very small handful of people that have set goals throughout this year and are on it to achieve 100% of absolutely every single goal they’ve set so far throughout the whole of 2020, and Jess is one of those people.
I just wanted to acknowledge that because it is no mean feat. It’s no mean feat in a normal year, but to keep showing up to these goals in the year that we’ve had is pretty special.
Thank you. So, I set this month’s goals and thought, oh yeah, there are quite a few, but that’s okay, those are achievable. And then you started the Sales Challenge and I added a few more.
Did you? That’s great!
Jess, thank you. It’s been absolutely amazing and valuable to talk to you.
Thanks for your time today, I really appreciate it.
JAYNE JOHNSON
YOU have created an amazing community G&T – thank you a million times xx.
JAYNE JOHNSON

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:52 am
ABOUT JAYNE
Different to other recruitment companies, Jayne works to become a respected business partnership with her clients to find recruitment solutions that work. Her experience brings a superior ability to match individuals and skills to the company and the role.
Better People is a recruitment business employing 2 people. Specialising in sourcing candidates for owner managed businesses who know that bringing the right people into their business is what’s going to help them achieve their growth goals. Better People cover everything from helping with the right job description, post hire, salary banding, benefits package, interview scripts, client interviews and an advisory service for onboarding.
THE CHALLENGE
Jayne set up Better People Ltd 8 years ago. Despite the years of experience in her field, like many business owners Jayne would have long periods of doubt about her ability to create a successful business and subsequently get distracted from her goals.
“I had many peaks and troughs and always had one eye on the permanent job market, just in case. Even though my business was growing I never really felt successful.”
Jayne has now been with BBB for 8 years.
“Before BBB I was struggling with self-esteem issues, I was limiting possibility and lacked confidence and did not have the right mindset.”
“I joined BBB to solve all those issues, to get a feel of community, obtain shared accountability, mutual respect and mentors.”
Jayne saw immediate successes in her early years with BBB including a 45% increase in revenue and 30% increase in repeat business.
However, 3 years ago, having really established her business, Jayne’s business partnership unfortunately broke down and in 2017. Jayne found herself in the position of having to build her business back up again, but this time on her own. With the support of BBB, Jayne did this, and she did this quickly.
“I got back up and running quickly. I was ready to throw the towel in, but BBB and the group showed me how to deal with it properly.”
THE RESULT
“Had it not have been from the support of BBB I wouldn’t have my business now.”
In 2019, Jayne’s business was back and running at £160K.
“In my early stages, BBB helped me to grow my business to £4- 5k a month. More recently they have supported me through a business partnership breakdown, and have helped me rebuild a fully viable business employing 3 people, I’m now a £160K business!”
“I’ve got a huge amount of direct business from the BBB members from being able to share my expertise in the room I have built trust for people to work with me. It’s given me real insight that just because someone is successful at one thing, I’m successful at my thing.”
“BBB provide Incredible emotional support. The group are there for you professionally and personally. You’re allowed to be human and share vulnerability.I feel like I could be open about anything, however awful and embarrassing.”
“George Swift is so dynamic and informed. If you’re building a business, you need to be with BBB.”
“Everyone wants everyone to win – there’s a shared ambition and a shared intention”.
“I’ve got so many ideas and inspiration. It’s opened up opportunities and spawned innovation in my business. There is so much knowledge sharing. Without being in a room with those people I wouldn’t be the person I am today – it’s inspiring, humbling and motivating.”
ROB GODDARD
I’ve been part of other groups, but BBB has been the top one for me, which is why I’ve kept going for nearly nine years because I see it as a team. It’s a group of people who’ve become friends.
There is no shortcut and it’s bloody hard work and you get lots of downs – things don’t work, lots of failures, where you have to wipe the dust off your feet and start again or rethink things. So that’s why it’s essential to be part of a group because, to be quite frank, if I weren’t part of Success Groups and the Masterminds that came later on, I don’t think I’d be in the position that I am today. And because it is lonely at the top.
ROB GODDARD

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:50 am
Hello and welcome. So today, I’m joined by Rob Goddard. And I wanted to do this interview because, at our BBB Success Group kick-off event this year, we gave out our first ever lifetime achievement award.
Rob has been a founder member with BBB for coming up to nine years, and Rob and I have been on an incredible journey together. Rob is responsible for some of the most inspiring stories that we have but also some of the interesting times we’ve had at BBB, and he’s also responsible for one of the best business trips I’ve ever been on. The best trip, let’s be honest, that I’ve ever been on, where we set up a Mastermind in Dubai!
Watching Rob’s journey has been just an absolute privilege. And I wanted to interview Rob so you could get just a little bit of the inspiration that we’ve felt in BBB, over the last little while.
– I’ve had a few awards over the years, but each one just fills you emotionally, just to get recognition from your peers is beautiful. I did have another one, as well, which is the 100% percent achievement award.
And I’ve hit target for the last six years, every month, every quarter, every year. So, guess what? There’s no surprise that you do quite well in business if you hit the targets you set yourself.
– It’s really interesting you say that because you’re our first ever lifetime achievement award but in terms of notable achievements in 2020, we gave out more than ever, partly because of the challenge that we’ve all had but really because of how people have stepped up, and of the ones that got recognized, a vast proportion consistently showed up and did 100% of their goals throughout the year. And these weren’t tiny goals. These were big goals that people were setting and finding ways of achieving, regardless of what was thrown at them.
– But it wasn’t always like that, because we met nearly a decade ago, because I was suffering from depression.
I was depressed. I’d made a suicide attempt overseas – obviously didn’t work. And I came back to the UK with a third of a million in debt, because I had a big mortgage plus a lot of personal debt, credit cards and loans and stuff. And I owed money to the revenue as well, but I came back faced with problems.
And the thing I wanted to do when I got back to the UK, was to build my confidence. So I typed confidence coach into the LinkedIn search engine and up you popped – Tracey Miller, Confidence Coach.
We met and you gave me, over a number of months, one-to-one mentoring, coaching, someone to listen to. And then, off the back of that, you started Success Groups, in quite a small and humble way, in a barn, at the back of your garden.
But I knew I was doing the right thing and I was with the right people, even though my life was shit. I first went self-employed in November 2008, which was a week after Lehman Brothers went bust and the world went mad, and we entered the five-year recession. So I set up my first business, first time around, during the last recession, which lasted many years. So people know me now and they see Rob in a different way, which is as a serial entrepreneur, successful, and got the trappings with it in life. But that’s only recent.
– Let’s look at where you are now. You’re CEO of a successful business. You’re in a multi-million pound business that you’ve grown. And you’re looking at exiting. That’s the position that many business owners aspire to – what they dream of. But you’ve just touched on this journey. It’s really easy to judge you from where you are now – you’ve got all this stuff – but just like a lot of the business owners that we work with and a lot of business owners that are going to be watching this, you started from nothing. In fact, you started from way less than nothing, you started with minus a third of a million!
– And that’s why I just scoff at all these get rich quick schemes, because there is no such thing as getting rich quick, apart from the person running that course. There is no shortcut and it’s bloody hard work and you get lots of downs – things don’t work, lots of failures, where you have to wipe the dust off your feet and start again or rethink things. So that’s why it’s essential to be part of a group because, to be quite frank, if I weren’t part of Success Groups and the Masterminds that came later on, I don’t think I’d be in the position that I am today. And because it is lonely at the top. And particularly if you’re a one-man, two-man band, you need people around you to give encouragement, support, maybe have some insightful comments, maybe ask you a difficult question, that you know deep down you should answer, that you don’t have the courage or conviction to do it. You can’t do it on your own.
A lot of the decisions I’ve made in my businesses have been as a result of a Mastermind session or a number of sessions and seeking the wise counsel of others. I don’t make any apologies for giving you a plug with what you do.
– Please don’t apologize for that, that’s fine, you carry on.
– I’ve been part of other groups, but BBB as has been the top one for me, which is why I’ve kept going for nearly nine years because I see it as a team. It’s a group of people who’ve become friends.
But out of that is a real positive underpinning of the business journey. And as business owners, we think we’re made of granite and we can do it all ourselves, and we’re a legend in our own lunchtime. The reality is somewhat short of that. We do need other people, and I certainly couldn’t have achieved what I have in recent years, without that input and that support from the group.
– We typically target the under 100K and then the early six figures. But you’ve been with us for quite a while as a multi-million pound business. And what’s been interesting about that is that you’re still you – you’re still the you that gets challenged.
We have to evolve. New things come in and we have to learn how to develop and grow. It fundamentally sits with you. All that happens is that the scale of the problem or the quality of the problem becomes greater. But fundamentally, you still go through the same emotions, the same process in order to fix those problems. And what’s been lovely has been seeing you bring a real mixture of personal stuff, business stuff, but fundamentally you on your journey – how you as the business owner navigate emotionally through this stuff. It’s been a real privilege to see that evolution.
– And in recent years, my journey’s been one of moving from being an operator to an investor. And it’s a journey that many business owners don’t make for all sorts of reasons. One is that some business owners don’t like letting go – that’s a nice way of saying they’re control freaks. And if you’re ever going to scale a business to any sort of size and make it saleable, you need to get yourself out of the picture as the owner.
If you can’t do that, your business is likely to be unsaleable, which may not be a problem if you want to work for the rest of your life until you drop down dead. But most business owners do like to sell their company at some point. And actually, the more compelling thing is to lead a life that you really want.
And you can only do that if you’re not working 80, 90 hours a week, 24/7. Removing yourself from the centre of your own business is something to pursue in the longer term. It will free up your life. You will have time to come back to do the things you really want to do.
And you talked about exiting a business that I created. I have exited, but I’m still part of it. I’ve exited the operations because I’ve built a team of talented people around me that. Now I’ve got a team of experts that are really good at the individual parts of the business. And that releases me to do other stuff.
And I’ve invested. I’m a non-exec director in a number of other businesses. And I run a group of business owners, helping them on that business journey myself. I want to help others, not just keep it to myself, hence doing this recording with you.
– I love that. It sounds amazing. You’re now in that place where you’re exiting the bit that you want to leave behind, but you’re keeping the bit that you want to do. And you’ve got your other interests, which is what you’ve always fundamentally wanted to do. But, no disrespect Rob, there’s nothing special about you. You’ve just grinded it out. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, because obviously I think you’re amazing, but what you’ve done is continually shown up. You’ve continually set your goals. In the face of adversity, you’ve brought together your peers to help you navigate through it. But you know, all you’ve really done is continue putting yourself out there and continue doing.
– And I was in a hole for about 330K.
And now that’s a distant memory, but you’re right. The positive is, any one of us can achieve the successes that we look for. What we need is a structure and a plan and the support of others around us, that are aligned with our thinking and what we want to achieve. And it will come, even though there’ll be setbacks and there’ll be tears.
I can remember in the early days, crying in my car before a sales pitch. I had to get the tears out because I was depressed. I wasn’t earning a lot of money and the business was very fledgling. But I had to have the tears in the car.
I parked the car around the corner because it was a 14-year-old Audi A4, and then walk to the sales appointment, and that still lives with me. So yes, it won’t be easy, it’s a bloody tough job. But when you achieve regular success, there ain’t nothing feeling like it at all.
As an employee, there’s no job that would give you that.
– So I think it’s really important for people to hear that. You were not born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You were not born with some kind of superpower. You’ve had to grind it out from a place at rock bottom. Massive depression and huge debt. I understand that there are people out there dealing with that now, but you’ve been there, and you’ve moved through it and so can they. It is just about finding the right environment and keeping on showing up.
Don’t give up, that’s the key to this.
– Because when we have a period in our life that can be quite dark, quite shitty, we think that we’re the only ones that have gone through this and we’re telling ourselves a lie, because most people go through that and it’s normal. The difference is what you do with those feelings. Do you go within yourself and become insular? Or do you reach out and seek the support of other people that really do want you to succeed?
– That’s the key – being in an environment where people want you to succeed. So many people are struggling with what’s going on economically, socially, but also personally at the moment. And they just don’t have a support infrastructure. They’re not on the same wavelength as the husband or the wife or family members. And it’s pretty isolating running a business as it is, without all of that. So I think it’s so important.
– We’ve had a recession, but we haven’t felt the full effects of it, because of government assistance and support. We’ve yet to have the worst of it, and so now is the time to hunker down with a supportive business group, to navigate what are going to be quite choppy waters for the next few years – high unemployment, more difficulty getting new orders. People are still spending money but it’s harder to get that new business.
– Correct. It’s interesting what you say, because I’m having conversations with lots of people who just want to hold on. They’re thinking, if I just hold onto what I’ve got, everything will be okay.
– I’m sure that’s what people in the Titanic thought when it was sinking. But the thing is, you can’t tread water in business. You actually have to do something. Otherwise you will sink. The nice word that they use sometimes is consolidate. Well, if you consolidate, you’re likely to go out of business and certainly you will lose market share because some of your competitors won’t be consolidating, they’ll be going on the front foot.
– When we did a talk with you and Ian Mitchell of BGI, a while back, he was talking about progressive enterprises. They’re the ones that, in a recession, are aggressively going after their market share, going after their clients, whilst looking for operational efficiencies. Those are the ones that consistently succeed in a recession. And that includes the small business. That includes the one-man band. You still have to aggressively go after your market, whilst looking at how you can be as efficient as possible. It makes no difference what size you are. The principles are the same.
It’s interesting seeing how many people have been quite progressive during this last 12 months and the difference that’s made to their business. Take BBB as a sample of what’s possible. It’s been phenomenal seeing what people have achieved over that 12 months against all odds.
– Absolutely, and I think going on the front foot is the secret. That doesn’t mean spending loads of money. That just means doubling down on what you’re doing and that may be effort and energy, and it may be actually rethinking what you do as a business and re-engineering the business, so it fits the new environment, because this environment that we’ve had for the last year is going to continue for the foreseeable.
– So, Rob, what’s your one bit of advice for anyone that’s struggling right now?
– Never give up. Always show up, but never give up because it will improve. If you’re in a dark place, in a difficult place you can’t see a way out, it will change. You can’t change the world but you can change the thing that’s within you.
We create our own little mini world inside us.
– That’s a start, if we all changed our own little mini worlds, it would make up the big world. I think that’s a good place to start.
Rob, I’m delighted to be able to give you our first ever Lifetime Achievement Award. I’m hoping it’s the first of many that we’re able to give out.
Rob Goddard, it’s been an absolute joy. Thank you for taking the time.

SUE RIZZELLO
I love the goal setting process – it focuses you and you simply get more done. That can never be a bad thing.
KIRSTY WARD
What a fantastic community to be a part of! Such an inspiration and motivation to get through whatever this year throws at us!
SIMON FENTON
Having a group of people that can help you, makes an enormous amount of difference. You are not alone.
SIMON FENTON

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:54 am
Today, I'm joined by Simon Fenton. Simon is Managing Partner and Founder of Fenton Elliot Solicitors. He's an Employment Lawyer of 28 years and he's been with BBB Success Groups since December 2019.
So, Simon, tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
I'm an Employment Solicitor. I specialise in helping people negotiate through the labyrinth of the laws that are employment law. And I came to it relatively late, because I spent my 20s either travelling around the world or being a perpetual student, but what it meant was that I came to it with just a little bit more life experience than a lot of people.
And it means that I generally look at things from my clients’ perspective - what do they want to achieve, and how can I help them get there? And if you ask me a question about whether the law allows you to do something, that's not really what you're asking, what you're asking is, "Can I do it?" So, my answer is, I will search for a way to help you do it. And only very, very occasionally do I say, you're asking the impossible. Most of the time there's another way or a third way.
It's been a particularly interesting time for you, recently, with everything that's been going on.
Yes, it's been very busy. The COVID rules - the furlough rules - we were changing on a week to week basis. People would be asking me for advice, I'd be giving them a definite ‘this is what the law says’, and then, the following week, I'd have to call them back and say, ‘yeah, they changed it, so you can't do that anymore.’ It was quite difficult to keep on top of it because it wasn't law, it was guidance and rules and government websites.
"They said ‘unprecedented’ - they were not kidding..."
We're still sort of in that slightly. You put a rule in place and with the rule in place, you don't put the what ifs. So, what if somebody decides to go sick, but then they're shielding and then they get pregnant? I don't know. Let's have a think about this. And you break it down into its constituent questions and you try and work it out. But we don't have any case law, so we've got no guidance. We're just using what we think is the best way to do it. So, yeah, it's been very interesting.
So, in the last 12 months, Simon, what was the biggest success that you've had?
Well, there's the temptation to talk about what the clients have achieved, how I've helped somebody do this and helped somebody do that, I recognise that that's a success. But for me, the biggest success was launching my business on the1st of May 2020. Because at that point, we were six weeks into lockdown. And, I mean, I've been planning this for many months, and it was always going to be the 1st of May. But then, as lockdown happens, and April happens, you think, ‘I don't actually have to do this. I could just wait, right?’ It's all uncertainty. The cards have been thrown in the air. We didn't know where they were going to fall. Do I launch it? Or do I just hold and wait to see what happens?
And actually, my thought was, people really need this now. This is something that I can really help. If I can be visible and here and available to help, that's what people want. So, it makes sense to provide people with what they want when they want it rather than wait to see. It was a little bit of a leap in the dark, but it worked. It's been successful. It's been what people needed.
Things are rocketing for you at the moment. What was the biggest challenge that you overcame?
The challenge came in the decision to launch my own law firm, because it's a law firm, you need the regulatory approval, you need professional indemnity insurance, you need premises, you need a website etc.
[When COVID arrived] - I could have said ‘stop’ - but you can't just say, ‘Well, next week I’ll launch a law firm.’ It takes months to get that organised.
So, the biggest challenge, I think, was making that decision and a lot of people, a lot of lawyers, don't do that, because they don't know what the regulatory aspect is, how oppressive it is or isn't going to be. And when you break it down, it's doable because people launch law firms, right? So, it must be doable.
Having people to talk to about it, who've done it, makes an enormous difference ... really powerful. So that helped. So, the challenge was making the decision and the success was doing it.
"Having a group of people that can help you, makes an enormous amount of difference. You're not alone."
What’s the one bit of advice that you would offer, as your little nugget for business owners?
Get a mentor, get a group of people that you can tap up for advice, who have no skin in the game in your business. They're not a solicitor, they're not a fear, they’re not a solicitor in your firm. They're not a shareholder - they just have your interests at heart from a business point of view, because you've got to know, like and trust them ... a group of people that can help you, makes an enormous amount of difference. You're not alone.
I’ve had a business coach who was useless - nice, but really no help at all, not from a practical point of view; you don't necessarily stumble on the right person the first time around.
We met at a networking thing. [refers to Tracey] And you said, ‘Just come along,’ and I said, ‘That's not for me... but I did, and it struck a chord.
So, I'm really pleased. A year on and I'm not thinking about leaving. You have to find the chemistry which works for you.
KAREN BENNETT
Hand on heart I can honestly say that without George Swift, Tracey Miller and the group members of Bigger Brighter Bolder (Mindset for Success) I would NOT have an equine and pet photography business.

MANDY BARTER
George and Tracey have sponsored us for 5 years, helping me with public-speaking anxiety and becoming a CEO. With mindset coaching, goal setting and the great positivity and challenges from the group, the charity has expanded and supported 1,200 people with cancer.
MANDY BARTER

- Bigger Brighter Bolder
- October 12, 2021
- 10:55 am