Friends with Business Benefits

As we hit the midpoint of the year, we’re reflecting on Quarter 2 and looking ahead to Quarter 3 in our respective businesses. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year, dig into our plans for the next three months, and discuss what we’re hoping to achieve before the next time we have this chat. Links and Further Reading Fr...

This week, inspired by the work she’s doing on her new website, Charlie’s asking Franky to share her top tips for writing a compelling homepage. We chat about the things you need to know before you start writing, what information goes where, and the things you don’t need to include on your homepage. We also run through some common pitfalls to avoid and touch on topics like niching, SEO, and readab...

If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Instagram shifting and changing. They’re constantly adding new tools and features, and there’s always different styles of content to consume. As a result, what worked this time last year, probably isn’t giving you the same results today. With this in mind, we’re chatting about current trends and popular types of content on the ‘gram. What’s performing we...

Most people go through some sort of personal crisis at least once in their lives. In the time Franky’s been running her business, she’s experienced a few. Most recently, she’s had to navigate the sudden, unexpected death of her step-father. In this episode, we’re chatting about what happened and what she learned. Why is preparing for a personal crisis something all business owners need to consider...

We’re back following an unplanned, emergency hiatus. Find out what happened and listen as we belatedly reflect on Quarter 1 and look ahead to what’s left of Quarter 2 in our respective businesses. We share what felt good, what didn’t, and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. Spoiler alert: Charlie di...

It’s been two years since we last chatted about how we’re using Substack in our respective businesses. A lot has changed for both of us since then, so we decided it was time to share an update. Listen as we discuss moving the podcast to Substack, growing our mailing lists, turning on paid subscriptions, and in Charlie’s case, turning them off again. As well as sharing what has and hasn’t been work...

We’ve been noticing a rise of some poor manners online of late. Copy-cat content, big brands using photos without permission or giving proper credit, people presenting other creators ideas as their own. SO, in this episode we’re wondering ‘what happened to the Online Etiquette of the early internet’? Listen to hear us share some examples of the types of poor etiquette we’ve noticed recently, chat...

How do you currently showcase and share your work with prospective clients? Do you have a portfolio or gallery on your website? Maybe you treat Instagram like a portfolio or have some kind of PDF you send out? In today’s episode, we’re exploring all these options and more. We cover the purpose of a portfolio, where it should live, and share a range of creative ideas to help you present your work t...

2026 has officially been deemed ‘the year of analogue living’. The internet is going crazy for pen and paper, crafty hobbies, and physical media. In this week’s episode, we discuss the rapid rise of this trend, explore how it’s being interpreted online, and what this might mean for us as small business owners. We also chat about our own analogue habits and hobbies, and ponder why GenZ seem to love...

We’re kicking off the new year with our annual cosy conversation filled with reflections and intentions. Find out what went well for us last year and what we learned from the things that didn’t. We also chat about our words of the year, share a few goals for 2026, and make some solid(ish) plans for Q1. Links and Further Reading Get Wildly Free Join the conversation on Substack to tell us all about...

In our final episode of the year, join us as we run through some of our non-business related faves. As well as our favourite films, TV shows, music and books, we chat about the habits and experiences we’ve enjoyed the most. It’s an episode filled with recommendations, just for you! Thank you for listening throughout 2025 and happy new year! Fancy filling us in on your own favourites? Join the conv...

You’ve heard of doom scrolling, but what about bloom scrolling? Instead of mindlessly consuming content, bloom scrolling encourages you to interact with the digital world more thoughtfully. In this week’s episode, we’re exploring the concept from a few different angles and offering practical tips to make your time online more nourishing. We cover everything from managing screentime and curating yo...

‘Tis the season for a work Christmas do! But what happens when you’re self-employed and the office party is no more?! In this episode, we’re reminiscing about corporate Christmas parties of the past and sharing ideas and encouragement to help you mark the end of another year in your creative business. We cover who to celebrate with when you work alone, and how, from dinner and drinks to craft part...

This week, inspired by Emma Gannon’s recent article, ‘ Unbranding Myself ’, we’re chatting about personal brands. Are they still relevant? What does a personal brand look like in 2025? How do you go about building one, and what are the pros and cons of doing so? As well as these more general observations, we discuss our own personal brands and share how things might be evolving as we head into 202...

Created by Julia Cameron in the 90s, The Artist’s Way is a 12-week creative recovery programme designed to help you unlock your creativity by overcoming common blocks like self-doubt and fear. It uses core principles like ‘morning pages’ and ‘artist dates’ to help you reconnect with your creative self, find more passion and purpose, and fulfil your creative potential. Earlier this year, Charlie co...

What happens when a post on Instagram or Substack Notes suddenly and unexpectedly gains momentum? How does it feel on a personal level, and what impact does it have on your business, if any? In this chatty episode, we’re discussing some recent viral moments we’ve experienced online. As well as digging into what virality looks like in 2025, we cover why we think our posts popped off, what we learne...

We’re back from our summer break! As we head into autumn, we’re reflecting on Quarter 3 and looking ahead to Quarter 4 in our respective businesses. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. Finally, we share a few sources of creative inspiration, dig into our plan...

For most of us, coming up with ideas is an essential part of running a creative business. But whether we need them for client work or our own content, sometimes generating fresh ideas can feel hard. Inspired by our own struggles, this is what we’re chatting about in today’s episode. As well as exploring why you might be short of ideas, we discuss strategies for navigating the natural ebb and flow...

In today’s episode, we’re discussing some recent Internet drama — Glennon’s Doyle’s arrival and sudden departure from Substack. To be clear, we’re not interested in gossip and hot takes. Instead, we’re chatting about our experience watching these events unfold, and how they made us feel about Substack and its users. As well as touching on the dangers of positioning Substack as the antidote to ever...

As we hit the midpoint of the year, we’re reflecting on Quarter 2 and looking ahead to Quarter 3 in our respective businesses. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. As well as sharing a few sources of creative inspiration, we dig into our plans for the next thr...

In today’s episode, we’re talking about the Wheel of the Year, a seasonal cycle of eight festivals, or sabbats, that mark the passage of time through the year, connecting with the Earth's natural rhythms and the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Charlie explains the significance of the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days, describing some of the symbols and traditions associated with the...

Inspired by a recent conversation during one of our real-life co-mentoring sessions, today we’re asking whether a picture is REALLY worth a thousand words. Spoiler alert - Franky doesn’t think so! We’re constantly told we live in a visual world, especially when it comes to doing business online, but are headshots, logos, and brand colours really the most important thing? Listen as we explore this...

When it comes to your business, how much self-belief do you have? In today’s episode, we’re answering this question and exploring why self-belief is so important when you work for yourself. As well as discussing how our relationship with self-belief has changed over the years, we dive into the differences between inner work and external validation. We also share some of the things we’ve tried to b...

In this episode, we’re reflecting on Quarter 1 and looking ahead to Quarter 2 in our respective businesses. Find out what felt good, what didn’t and what we’ve learned in the process. We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. As well as sharing a few sources of creative inspiration, we dig into our plans for the next three months of 2025 a...

After six years of podcasting, we thought it was about time we shared an updated episode on our specialist subject - co-mentoring. For those who don’t know, Friends With Business Benefits wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t started co-mentoring first. As well as sharing our co-mentoring origin story, we answer some of your most common questions. What is co-mentoring and what can it do for your business? W...