To me traditional networking groups feel stuffy and out dated, just the thought of one puts my teeth on edge. Living in a city where there is a lack of creativity can make you feel uninspired, my aim was to counteract this and provide a hub where people's natural creativity can shine. I decided to launch an online (anti-networking) networking group as that is where I spend most of my time. Social media is a HUGE part of my life and plays a gigantic role within my business. It felt like the perfect place to start and connect with my tribe. I created a closed facebook group called the 'Conversational'. It is the most positive, feel good place where my mates support one another and develop their ideas..
This was the first meet up at my new Showroom. When I looked around the room it was the most incredible feeling. To see women really connecting in person, smiling and laughing. It was just how I had imagined, informal and the room was buzzing with excitement. If you would like to join us at the next one you can check them out HERE.
If you live too far away from me, I seriously urge you to start your own group. There are people out there just like you looking for sisterhood at its finest.
For the past few weeks I have been working really hard to create the 'Southwood Stores Showroom'. I have been visualising how it would look and feel for so long. Seeing it all come alive feels like a dream coming true to me.
I have a beautiful showroom where my customers can come and see products in the flesh. People are now able to come and try on our GRAY sweatshirts. I also have a lovely office and stock room where I work behind the scenes.
I have created a place where the online community can come alive too. We will be holding creative workshops where people can gather, have fun, maybe even learn new skills. We have a few things listed HERE to let you know what is going on.
We have the amazing Origami Est coming to teach us the art of accordion folding. You’ll have the chance to make your very own pendant lampshade, a stunning addition to any abode. EST will provide a beautiful spectrum of colours to fold from, any specific colour requests are welcome when booking.
My whole business and ethos has always been about women supporting one another. There will be lots of different events and workshops aimed at helping women gain confidence in their own abilities. We are looking forward to some amazing guest speakers coming along to our 'Southwood Social Hub'.
We are in an exciting era of small business owners smashing through social media like a tornado. The larger companies are struggling to keep up and understand the consumer power of platforms like instagram and pinterest. They are so powerful and used correctly are a great free marketing tool where you can reach audiences that are a perfect match for your business. The key is strong imagery. Your website and social media feeds are your shop front, your branding.
I am a photographer based in Buckinghamshire and whilst a lot of my work comes from referrals I also get a lot of business from my instagram feed. I don't use instagram to only share images of my work, I use it to help build my brand and give people a feel for my studio and personality. I also offer the same sort of packages for other small businesses.
Lifestyle shots of your products are hugely important, people want to see how they can be used in day to day life, or how they will fit into their home and wardrobe.
I am also able to offer one to one workshops for people who would like to know how to photograph and edit their own photos for social media using just their iPhones.
You can contact me via shaneen@rosewarnecoxphotography.co.uk
When we started this blog a few years ago it was always about inspiring women to live a happy full life. It was about being brave enough to take risks and make your own choices that might not fit into what is perceived by others to be the norm. Even after studying at college for years and only a few months into my first ever job I was always yearning for more I never felt fulfilled in a work place. 21 years on I am truly the happiest I have ever been in my career and my personal life.
I have never been driven by money but being able to make a wage doing what I love most and am truly passionate about I feel full of gratitude.
Social media has given women like us a platform, a voice and it is bloody incredible. I choose my own hours that suit my lifestyle and family. I feel so privileged to be part of this amazing time, a time when we are able to create my own happiness doing a job that I love.
I think it is so important to surround yourself with a positive environment, have deep meaningful discussions with like minded women who are movers and shakers in their own right. Living outside of London I have always craved to move to a more exciting place. Then I had the epiphany that I could create this community online using social media. I recently started a group on facebook called the 'Conversational'. It is a non-profit group where women in business of any description can use the space as a kind of forum. Share concerns and successes, ask questions or just have a chat if you are having a bad day. There are over 300 women in my little group already and it is a very positive community. If you fancy joining us all search the group name and request membership.
Are you a small business struggling to get your voice heard on instagram? It is becoming more and more evident that instagram is a hugely powerful tool when used correctly. It is an amazing way to showcase your business and products and can transform your ability to reach new audiences.
The hard part is getting your feed noticed in amongst the thousands and thousands of others, there is a definite "knack" to it. Shaneen is able to photograph your products and provide a digital copy of instagram ready images to help you boost your social media outlets. Or if you would prefer to learn how to do it yourself she also offers one to one workshops to show you how to take eye catching instagram images with nothing but your smart phone and a few apps. The photography workshops work brilliantly alongside Hayley's social media sessions.
You can read more about it here. Or drop Shaneen an email - shaneen@rosewarnecoxphotography.co.uk for more information.
Hayley Southwood is a Mum, a wife and a serial and often accidental entrepreneur. She lost her Mum to cancer when they were both far too young and in a moment of madness bought an ice cream van from ebay.
When her husband got home from the pub on the night of the purchase, upon hearing her news he thought that she had totally gone completely mad. But as part of her grieving process he went along with her seemingly scatty idea to renovate this old Bedford cf. Her plan was ambitious, the intention was to create her own bubble of happiness, an escape from the sadness that was facing her in her everyday life.
Vintage Scoops was born in 2010. With little to no marketing budget Hayley taught herself about social media, hit twitter in a big way and was an early embracer of Instagram and Pinterest. Her business grew by word of mouth and her ever growing social media following. Over 18 months Mrs Scoops and her Vintage ice cream van had been featured in over 100 publications including YOU magazine and Country Homes.
Vintage Scoops was the second business Hayley had launched, the first was a specialist boutique Nursery School in East Northants calked Little Stars Kindergarten which is still thriving today.
When Hayley felt the time was right and she was ready to re-invent herself she used social media to sell her Ice cream business. Hayley then went on to launch her blog drawing once again on her social media following it became an instant success . Hayley launched breathe happiness alongside Shaneen a photographer friend she had met through the wedding industry. Whilst blogging Hayley was racking her brains to come up with another business idea that could draw on her experience and knowledge she had gained.
Her understanding and passion for social media gave her the platform to launch an online store selling products you couldn't find on the high street.
Five years on Hayley still uses social media to sell and market her brand and ideas.
Hayley is offering one to one sessions where she will help to assess your social media platforms, or help you create new ones. Develop a social media strategy specifically suitable to your business. Social Media is a powerful tool that enables you to get get your brand noticed, build relationships with your customers. You can find leads, reach press, create trust and loyality. drive traffic to your website and so much more! Best of all social media is an affordable marketing tool that we can do from our own homes.
A one to one session costs £120 for a two hours.
Feedback from people Hayley has worked with-
Ally Mackenzie- Vintage Ice Cream Business Owner
"I'd like to say a huge thank you to Hayley for her excellent social media training. I met with Hayley for a 121 so I could start things off right with my new business. Hayley is inspirational and so encouraging when it comes to new businesses. I would happily recommend Hayley to anyone who is needing clear and easy to follow advice on using social media. Hayley is so lovely to work with. Her approach to social media is inspirational. Hayley is both creative and commercially minded, giving me the set of skills to proceed in to the world of business and social media".
Jordanna Marston- Photographer
"My social media session with Hayley was fun, informative and easy to understand. She gave thorough step by step instructions on how to get your brand out there and some handy tips that I would never have thought of. It was time and money well spent. I learnt and laughed lots"
We get a great mention on this lovely blog post here all about 'creating your own small glamping business' READ HERE
Bryony Richardson- Owner of Poppy Children
"Hayley helped us get off the ground with many forms of social media. Helping us to understand what a powerful tool it could be, how it would help grow our business and open up our business to many new customers all over the world. She also gave us the confidence to use instagram and twitter, we have a lot to thank her for to this day. She is the queen of social media !"
Lisa Pocklington @lisapocklington Stylist-Designer-Maker
"Hayley was one of the first people I ever followed on Instagram & I have watched her successfully grow three businesses with what looked like effortless ease. That's why, when I decided to delve into using social media for my own work, it was a no brainer that she was my go-to mentor. Her knowledge is extensive, her enthusiasm is contagious and she keeps me accountable - a real motivating factor. This girl really knows her shiz & will do wonders for your biz. She's also really bloody lovely too!"
Hayley is based just outside of Milton Keynes, one hour from London and one hour from Birmingham via train.
If you would like to get in touch to find out more please email Hello@southwoodstores.co.uk
So you all know I got myself a new workspace and I am kind of excited about it. It is so nice to have a dedicated work area, for packing and wrapping. I am also offering 'collect in person' for local lovelies too.
I am going to hold open days where people can come and have a try on and see our products in person before they buy. I will be letting people know about these events through our NEWSLETTER so be sure to sign up.
Another idea I have had is to hold our very own 'Networking Meetings'. I have joined a few groups over the years since I have been self-employed and to be honest they just are not for me. I thought it could be kind of cool to share a pot of tea with some like minded souls, share ideas, worries, tips and info. We all have very different skills, it would be great to offer each other some support or even just an ear as being self employed can be pretty tough sometimes. So if you are self-employed and running your own creative business I would love to hear your thoughts. You can drop me an email if you interested Hello@southwoodstores.co.uk We are in a little village just outside Milton Keynes, an hour on the train from Birmingham and London.
I launched my online store just over 18 months ago and have been running my business from my home. Working from home gives me freedom to choose my own hours and work around my family, which I love. The stock was over spilling into our family space and it was time to think about moving my business on. We looked at all the options including renting a commercial property. I needed a space where I could wrap, store stock and hold open days etc. In the end we decided to stick with a home based business as it really works for me and my boys, oh and of course Sid our dog!
We have worked really hard to create a space that allows us to do all of the above and we finally moved in yesterday. The word excited doesn't come close to how I feel right now. I will have my own workspace where people can collect their orders in person or pop in for a cup of tea.
We are not quite finished and as I type this we are still sorting out stock but I have been desperate to show you all what we have been up to. Be warned you can expect millions of photos in your feeds! (hahahahaha)
There will be opportunities to come and visit us, more details will be announced on the blog soon. In the meantime you can visit our store HERE
We love blogging and it has been an amazing journey, we have got wonderful sponsors. We have also made so many new friends along the way.
If you are new to blogging or thinking about starting one up there are a few things to think about.
* Who is your blog aimed at ?
* Why do you want to blog?
*What type of blog will it be?
* Are you prepared to give up your time?
*How will you promote your blog?
We had no shame in telling anyone that our blog is monetized straight from day one, that basically means that our blog is a business. We charge for advertising and product reviews etc. We also charge for the tiles on here etc.
Shaneen and I both work on lots of other projects so for us to give up one day a week (at least) it had to be worthwhile financially.
We both work really hard on social media, chatting to our readers on a daily basis through all the various platforms. (one of my favourites parts)
It is really important to post at the same time each day so your readers know what to expect. This can get a little tricky in the holidays when the kids are all on a break from school..
Decide how often you are going to blog and try really hard to stick to it. (be realistic)
Keep your content honest and always be true to yourself (your readers will see straight through you)
Your passion and personal style is what will make your blog unique and interesting.
We are so pleased to be shortlisted for The Amara Interior Blog Awards. A massive thank you to everyone who voted for us, we can't begin to tell you how excited we are.
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