Friends with Business Benefits

This week we're revisiting the topic of Substack. We disscuss whether or not the platform is a part of our content plans in this season, and what we're feeling called to consume and create there. Charlie shares how she is showing up on Substack this year and Franky touches on creating for the platform as a copywriter. We also breakdown the differnt ways you may engage with Substack content as a re...

We celebrated 100 episodes of Friends With Business Benefits and five whole years of podcasting by going live on Instagram to record this episode.  Having hit such a big content creation milestone, we made that the focus, answering listener questions about creating and sharing content for your business. We cover podcasting, productivity, brainstorming ideas and more! Whether you’re an OG listener...

Inspired by Gretchen Rubin, we’ve both adopted the habit of compiling a list of aims at the start of a new year. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, but for us it’s never a business-focussed list. Instead, we both include fun, playful things we want to prioritise. We’ve found it’s a great way to identify what we want the year to hold. In this episode, we’re sharing our ‘24 for 2024’ lists in t...

It’s time for our annual ‘planner meeting’ where we review the previous year's planners and journals and discuss what we’ll be using for the year ahead. As well as sharing the notebooks and diaries we’ve invested in this year, we explain how we’ll be using them to stay organised at work and at home. It’s a must-listen for stationery fans and those who prefer pen and paper-based productivity tools!...

We’re kicking off the new year with our annual cosy conversation about 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 2024, and make some solid(ish) plans for Q1.    Work With Us charlieswift.com love-audrey.com   Find Us On Instagram @loveaudrey83 @_charlieswift  ...

Join us as we run through some of our non-business related 2023 favs. We chat about our favourite films, TV shows, music and books, as well as discussing the purchases we've made, habits we've followed, experiences we've enjoyed and places we've been. An episode full of recommendations for you! Thank you for listening throughout 2023 and a very merry christmas from us both! Get full access to Frie...

In this mini episode we’re jumping on a TikTok trend and sharing a list of things that make our business worlds better. From daily habits and wellbeing rituals to clever software and our favourite tech, there’s plenty of inspiration for everyone.       Links and Further Reading: Franky's favs... ' What is Comentoring ' podcast episode Boatman VA services Circle planner   Charlie's favs... Trello 1...

In this episode, we’re talking about putting your prices up. It’s a topic we originally planned to discuss this time last year, but when we came to record, neither of us felt up to discussing money on mic. Not only is it a tricky subject to broach - increasing your prices can be a tricky thing to act on in your business.  12 months later, we’re finally ready to explore this subject with you. Frank...

Inspired by Halloween earlier this week, we’re sharing things that give us the business scaries!    For Charlie, it’s overcommitting, public speaking and talking to camera, while Franky struggles to share her professional expertise on Instagram and record voiceovers for reels. As well as discussing where these fears come from, we explore ways in which we might be able to overcome them.         Wor...

In this episode, we’re going over some Instagram basics and sharing tips to help you overcome common stumbling blocks and avoid overwhelm.   As well as things like writing the perfect bio and using your pinned posts effectively, we cover stats and data, content ideas, trends and more. We also discuss mindset in relation to the app and run through a few ways to prevent it from sucking the joy out o...

91. Q3 Reflections, Q4 Intentions   In this episode, we’re reflecting on Quarter 3 and looking ahead to Quarter 4. 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 final three months o...

The online world is fast paced. There’s always something new to discover. New software, new social media platforms, new types of content. When it comes to trying new things in your business, do you tend to feel overwhelmed or excited?     Today’s episode was recorded back in July when we were both in the early stages of trying some new things. Charlie was experimenting with the recently launched s...

Inspired by a recent video from Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, today’s episode is dedicated to one of the app’s older features - Instagram Stories. It may not be as shiny and new as Reels or Threads, but it’s still a valuable marketing tool, not to mention Franky’s favourite place to hang out online! We chat about how we use Instagram Stories, the pros and cons of the platform, and the types of...

As we head into what should be the warmest, sunniest part of the year, we’re sharing how we embrace and survive the summer season. Whether you love this time of year or not, there’s something in this episode for everyone.     As well as discussing how we’re planning to juggle work and childcare during the six-week summer break, we’re sharing some of our favourite seasonal rituals and lots of advic...

In this chatty episode, we’re reflecting on Quarter 2 and looking ahead to Quarter 3. 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 the year and discuss what we...

When you’re working towards a specific business goal or dream, how do you get on with self-imposed deadlines? Do you find them easy to stick to or do you avoid setting them in the first place? In this episode, we’re responding to a listener's question, digging into the subject of deadlines and sharing everything we know about getting things done. As well as discussing different types of deadlines...

In this episode, we’re approaching the topic of feedback from a few different angles.  For Franky, asking clients for feedback is baked into her working process. As a copywriter, she produces drafts for clients to review. The quality of the feedback she receives can have a huge impact on the final product. Over the years, she’s worked hard to ensure this happens in a thorough and efficient way. Sh...

After a year of regularly creating and sharing reels on Instagram, Charlie recently had a video go viral. In this episode, we’re chatting about her experience and what it feels like to suddenly have so many eyes on your content. As well as digging into the reasons why this particular reel seems to have done so well, Charlie explains what she’s learned and how she’ll be approaching future content c...

In this episode, we're discussing what makes a good email lead magnet. We share our differing stances on having lead magnets in our businesses, chat through the pros and cons of differnt types of lead magnets and how to choose one that aligns with your strategy. We also share what to do once you have your lead magnet in place, how to buil an email nuture sequence and how to make the most of your c...

This week, inspired by Charlie’s recent experience launching three new services, we’re talking about naming things within your business. We know this can be a huge obstacle when you’re creating new products and packages. After all, if you want to sell something, you’ve got to know what it’s called!  Franky offers a copywriter’s perspective, sharing tips and advice to make the process a little easi...

It’s that time again! We’re reflecting on Quarter 1 and sharing 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 our last check-in. As well as sharing a few sources of creative inspiration, we dig into our plans for the next three months and discuss what we’re hoping to achieve before the end of...

This week we’re responding to a listener request and diving into the popular topic of routines. We’re sharing how we approach the working week and juggle running a business alongside other responsibilities like looking after our children and managing a chronic health condition.    As well as describing our morning and evening routines, we’re chatting about what our working weeks look like, how our...

Seasons of stress and overwhelm are nothing new, especially if you run your own business, but has our ability to cope been impacted by the pandemic and other world events over the last few years? It certainly looks that way from where we’re standing.    In this episode, we’re chatting about our current capacity for stress and how we think our resilience has been affected by everything we’ve lived...

Although working from home can provide the perfect opportunity to eat well, it’s easy to slip into bad habits. Eating at your desk, skipping lunch completely and surviving on caffeine and biscuits.    Before we were business besties, we bonded over our love of food. In this episode, we’re talking about the things we cook and eat while working from home. As well as being a love letter to lunch brea...

Have you heard the Japanese phrase ‘techo kagai’? Roughly translated, it means ‘planner meeting’ - taking the time to review your previous year's planner and journals and decide what you’ll use for the year ahead. In this episode, we’re holding our own techo kagai and sharing our planner plans for 2023. From bullet journaling fails to the notebooks and diaries we’re investing in this year, it’s a...