Start Scale Succeed

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...

I’m often asked how long it takes to start a product business and the answer is how long is a piece of string as there are so many variables at play.  These variables are something I discuss with TV fashion stylist turned Founder  Judy Gilroy creator of  home organisation brand @clossy who shares her journey of why after thinking about two other business previously she bit the bullet and started h...

Hands up if you remember the Barbie Launch extravaganza? I'd never seen anything like it and it made me look more at experiential marketing, what it was and how it works. Connecting with your consumers and creating a memorable experience is key to help building your brand. This week in the Start Scale Succeed podcast I dive more into that with my chat with Katie Peake founder of backlash creative...

It's never too late to start your business.  In this weeks episode of Start Scale Succeed, I chat with founder Karen Saul who started her ethical and sustainable brand brand Good Wash Day mid lockdown in her 50's. Good wash day is a organic cotton jersey towel ethically sourced to eliminate the frizz that standard towels can cause. Kind to all hair types. Karen shares about the twists and turns of...

From Barrister to Beauty brand to B-Corp This weeks episode of the start scale succeed podcast we are chatting all about becoming a B-corp with This is silk founder Sonal Keay who during her legal career began a side hustle focused on the benefits of silk in skincare based on her own skincare needs and problems which then flourished and became her main focus and business Sonal shares her start up...

Do you find selling easy? and are you using your socials to sell as much as you could. If you answered no to both of those questions then this episode is for you.  Today's episode is a must-listen for every small business owner and entrepreneur looking for sustainable strategies to boost client engagement and sales without the burnout.  Special guest Sara Dalrymple , a renowned sales trainer and m...

One of the challenges that a small business can be faced with is  when a larger retailer with bottomless pockets blatantly rips off your designs. This is one of the topics I'm talking to Cara the founder of snoozeshade  on ep 122 of Start Scale Succeed. Cara Sayer, founder of Snooze Shade,  shares  her gripping journey of battling corporate giants and protecting her invention. With her blend of pe...

In this episode, host Nicole Higgins sits down with Georgia Williams, founder of Ray of Social and Canva Queen, to discuss how to create content that captures attention and stands out from the competition. Georgia shares valuable tips on finding your unique voice, showcasing confidence, outsourcing tasks, and creating a content plan with a purpose. Whether you're starting fresh or in need of a con...