Start Scale Succeed

I get it, as a product business owner Linked In may be the last plate you want to spin so it’s potentially not really on your to do list, but this weeks episode of Start scale succeed I chat with Laurie Macpherson on how you can unlock it’s potential and reach your ideal clients and market weather that's a retailer, a journalist or your DTC customer.  Here are some of the topics we cover  Power of...

Renee created a bootstrapped business with just £2500 which has grown into a renowned swimwear brand  If you had said that you wanted to create a business that gave you the freedom to travel and create a nomadic lifestyle, a product business wouldn’t have been the top of my list but Renee has just done that.    In this weeks episode we chat about Rushing and Rapid Expansion Renee talks about the p...

We all saw the numerous collaborations Barbie did before the movie launch from make up to Airbnb  But many of you don’t have the Barbie budget or the clout of a million dollar movie behind you so how can you make a partnership work for you, why should you do a collab and how do you pitch to the brands you are interested in working with.  They are all of thing topics I'll be chatting with Natalia C...

How do you inject more personality into your brand, help keep customers engaged and tell a story? One of those ways is by using stop motion in your creative socials, videos and reels. And today I'm chatting with Alice Loveday, founder of Loveday Social and the queen of Stop Motion.    Highlights include    - **Introduction to Stop Motion:   - Definition and magical elements of stop motion.   - Why...

When was the last time you audited your website and looked at it from the point of view of a user? This weeks episode we chat all about increasing your website conversion and enhancing the experience of the user.  Aime Cox from Studio Cotton is an  expert when it comes to crafting and designing websites  and shares their insights and tips on why your conversion may not be where it should be and wh...

Communications expert, journalist and PR guru Priscilla Pollara joins the start scale succeed podcast to chat  Pitching to journalists and how to engage with them and how to find the right ones for your brand & products.  Creating the story the journalist wants to hear and feature Collaborating with aligned brands to boost your visibility and leverage audiences  Engaging customers through compelli...

The tables are turned this week where Nicole is chatting with Jacqui Ripley spilling the tea on what retailers want and what to include in your pitch deck and some other nuggets such as  ⭐️ Rookie mistakes brand owners can make including packaging⁠ ⭐️ How to grab a buyer's attention ⁠ ⭐️ The key information to put in a retail deck⁠ ⭐️ How to handle negotiation⁠ ⭐️ The importance of getting yo...

Connecting and engaging with your customer is key and one way to do this is through pop ups. This week’s guest is Matt Hopkins founder of the great brand exchange.   The Great Brand Exchange was founded in 2014 with two goals in mind. The first was to help small businesses grow and scale by giving them a route into retail. And the second was to bring exciting, unique, local products to major retai...

You are what you eat, well in this case you are what you put on your skin, inspired by superfoods and plant based ingredients Roshanne transitioned from a legal career into the beauty industry and founded The Glowcery.  Listen to hear how  Before Roshanne  even launched she had been sent a cease and desist from Chanel  How the brand launched and why it was successful from the beginning  How the Gl...

What’s a personal brand and how do you build one when you are also building your product business? This weeks episode Martha Keith founder of Martha Brook Stationery joins the start scale succeed podcast and we chat about how  you can make your brand stand out with personal branding, sharing your story and bringing your community on the journey.  Highlights include  How & why you should show up as...

What to do when your product  business just isn’t working for you anymore?, this is where Kayley was a few months ago and she has reassessed and reflected on what she wants her brand and business to be and so she is pivoting and changing her business model.  In this episodes she shares her journey of how she started,  the challenges she has faced and why she is pivoting to move forward with podcas...

At some stage in your business journey you may look for  investment to help you  start or grow. This week in  ep 141 Luke Desmond joins the podcast to demystify investment and explain the investment landscape, who you should be approaching depending on what stage your business is at and the funds you are looking for.  Highlights of this episode include: Pitching to Investors: The value of a compel...

This weeks episode Nicole chats about how  to build commercial ranges for your product business.  Nicole shares some of the mistakes she made whilst working as a buyer for major high street retailers and how you can create and develop products that are the right fit for your business  Focusing on people, the product and profit  Nicole breaks down actions to take when planning for the seasons ahead...

Using a distributor for your beauty or wellness  brand can catapult your growth.  In ep 139 of start scale succeed host Nicole Higgins chats with Catherine Collins about the practical tips for identifying and collaborating with the right distributor.  Catherine established a distribution agency in the middle east and now provides expert consultancy for beauty and wellness brands  This week some of...

The retail market in the middle east is worth approx $80 billion dollars, but how do you break into that market as a brand and what do you need to consider  In this episode of Start Scale Succeed Nicole chats with Abbie founder of base brands a brand strategy & consulting company based in Dubai about selling and launching in the Dubai market  Some of the areas discussed are:  Tips and advice for b...

Recent closures of high street chains further highlights the challenges of bricks and mortar stores, but how are the new kids on the block building their businesses and creating a community.  This episode I chat with Cat Anderson founder of sustainable clothing store Treen a  vegan fashion retailer, offering a selection of style must-haves from a carefully selected group of brands that make a posi...

Are you using your stories to their full potential?  Using stories to connect and sell is key to help you business grow. Ep 136 is with creative content consultant May Castillo our key focus today is How to sell in your stories.  Some of the topics we chat about are:  "Fearless Selling" - Overcome the emotional barriers to confidently sell your products or services. "Sales Foundations" - Understan...

On average 35-40% of your turnover in your product business should come from your email marketing. If you're not quite reaching that target then this episode is for you.  This week in the start scale succeed podcast I chat with Hannah Spicer email marketing expert  During the podcast, Hannah shares valuable insights on: - Mistakes businesses make with their emails - Building effective retention an...

In this episode of Start Scale Succeed host Nicole Higgins is joined by guest Katie Tucker, author of "Do penguins eat peaches  and founder of Product Jungle. Together, they delve into the essential topic of understanding customers and how businesses can leverage this understanding to thrive. Katie provides invaluable insights into market research, customer discovery, and the importance of alignin...

The UK wedding industry is worth £14 billion and this weeks’ Guest is definitely having their slice of the pie.  Revolutionizing the bridal industry with the “airbnb” of bridal rentals.  I chat with co-founder Ella Gaskell about PS Bridal Rental,  a rental and resale platform.  Celebrity Stylist Ella partnered with Zoe Jervoise Graham  to start the business after establishing during covid that the...

Content pillars - a term we often hear talked about in relation to social media and creating content but what are they?  how many should you have? and how do you establish what they are, In this episode Nicole chats with Char Dixon ex head of marketing for Dune and New Look (to name a few ) and founder of loud mouth content.  Chars’ aim is to reduce the overwhelm of content creation for small busi...

From running home on her lunch break  to post orders to now owning a bricks and mortar store, a thriving online business and co-founding a ladies fashion brand.  In this weeks episode of Start scale succeed (ep 131) I chat with Sophie Cafolla founder of stock & Co a stunning children’s lifestyle brand on how the brand has evolved over the years and why bricks and mortar is key to their growth.  So...

In this episode, we sit down with Nikki Coe, a branding expert and business coach specializing in working with co-founders.  Nikki shares her insights on why 65% of high-potential businesses fail due to co-founder fallout and offers valuable advice on nurturing successful partnerships.  From identifying tensions within the business to the importance of open communication, Nikki provides practical...

Goals aren’t just for January.  In this workshop style episode host Nicole Higgins takes listeners through a comprehensive guide on setting strategic business goals for future success. Drawing from her extensive experience in corporate strategy and entrepreneurship, Nicole outlines the importance of setting goals and the actionable steps necessary to achieve them. Split into 3 parts Reflections, R...

Resilience, Rebrand and Reinvention.  These are some of the topics I chat about with Ness, founder of the find boutique in this weeks podcast episode. The experience of rebranding, handling business setbacks, including a social media hack, which meant she lost all her followers and had to start from scratch.  The strategy behind weekly drops, engaging customers through live sessions, and the shift...