indie business club

This episode is about the pros and cons of being (in my case, very mildly) famous in your industryI’m joined by LinkedIn legend, founder of The HoLT, and all-round wonderful human Lea Turner.Lea knows a thing or two about being famous - she’s built a following of over 208k followers across LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads.In the episode we talk about…- how Lea built her huge following- what’s changed since she started posting on LinkedIn- why fame is a luck multiplier- how to get “more famous” in your industry- why being famous isn’t all sunshine and lollipopsI invited Lea onto the podcast because sometimes I walk into a room and a couple of people know who I am, but I don’t know who they are. For Lea, it’s like that times a hundred. This balance of “power” is sometimes a bit strange to navigate, so I wanted to know how Lea copes with her microfame and what tips she has for people looking to grow their “personal brand”.I hope you enjoy listening in on our candid conversation.About my co-host - Lea TurnerLea Turner is founder of The Holt, the community where freelancers, solopreneurs, and small business owners connect, share ideas, and grow together.Before starting The HoLT Lea spent four years training people how to use LinkedIn to grow their business, and she should know having amassed (at the time of recording) over 176,000 LinkedIn followers. Find Lea on LinkedIn right here.TracklistThis episode is named after the Lady Gaga album Fame Monster, with notable tracks Paparrazi, Money Honey and Beautiful, Dirty, Rich 😎GuestingAfter I put it out there that I wanted to guest on more pods*, the lovely Lucy Heavens invited me onto her CMO Therapy podcast. My episode is out today, all about tone of voice. I had a lovely big ol’ chat with Lucy getting all passionate about word stuff. Listen right here :) Excuses, excusesI hoped to get this episode out about two weeks ago. But I was too busy with work. Then last week I was too busy having fun with my pals at The Marketing Meetup conference. ICYMI here’s my highlight reel from Dave Harland’s talk.When Ben left the podcast, I was determined to keep up putting episodes out every two to three weeks. But a heaptonne’s changed since then. Before, I was working with my three retainer clients (Copy Or Die, The Marketing Meetup, Bignose & Beardy).Now, I’m still working with all three. But my role at Copy Or Die has, er, grown somewhat. Instead of working with COD founder Dave Harland one day a week I’m now full time as Dave’s Managing Partner and Brand Voice Lead. Which is a blimmin dream - he’s brilliant to work with and we have a lot of fun. Most importantly, our clients are happy bunnies. We’ve been nagged/advised by friend of the show (and next time’s guest) Jonny Rose on how to use video to better demo what we do. So expect some absolute cringe attempts as we “build in public” *gulp*.Byeeeeeee,Mel PS: This was a long episode, so Will’s Bookshelf gets a break this time.Find my producer, theme composer and man with a plan Ant Henderson on LinkedIn.And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

How to use a newsletter to grow your business💌This time, I’m joined by Molly Scanlan to discuss how to grow your business using the ancient (okay, at least decades-old) art of writing newsletters. Like this one. But do as I say, not as I do. We talked about…- why you should start (or resurrect) your newsletter in 2026- how a newsletter isn’t the same thing as email marketing- examples of newsletters we love and why- how a newsletter can “world build” as well as show your authority- why you should talk about your newsletter “to an uncomfortable degree”And your friend and mine Will Slater is back with #WillsBookClubAbout my co-host - Molly ScanlanMolly Scanlan is a web designer, event speaker, quizmaster puzzlenerd and karaoke diva. She builds sustainable websites for non-evil businesses. The websites she makes are “better for the planet – but don’t look like they’re woven from brown rice”.Like me, Molly is a columnist for Freelancer Magazine. She also co-founded a social enterprise and co-hosts Cowork Crew London with your friend and mine Ange Lyons. She is busy. Molly also has one of my favourite newsletters of all time (it’s SO short!) called Molly Gets It Done, which is why I’ve asked her to join me on this episode. She’s also one of my business besties. Find her on LinkedIn right here. TracklistThe name of this episode is Delivery, a song by Babyshambles from their 2007 album, Shotter’s Nation. I was single for the first time in my adult life in 2007. I had a great time. It’s also when I was last single because it’s the year I met Mr Barfield. 19 years ago?! Bloody hell.It’s classic 00’s Britpop-rock and I chose it because if you send out newsletters you might choose to monitor your delivery rates and open rates… geddit? ResourcesIn the episode, we talk about newsletters we love. You should try ’em some time. But first, Molly’s newsletter again - Molly Gets It Done - it is SO SHORT!Ange Lyons’ Font Love FridayA monthly newsletter on fonts, typography, and designery thingsLucy Werner’s Hype YourselfNB - in the episode, I called this newsletter “a substack” and spoke about how it’s on that platform, but it’s now hosted elsewhere. Partly due to the horrible situation we speak about in the episode. Signup is at the bottom of this page. Dave Smyth’s Five LinksA short roundup of links to do with user experience, privacy, accessibility and sustainability.Amy Nolan’s The Doodle DabblerA short newsletter by our favourite doodler (and friend of the show) Amy Nolan, which includes a doodle prompt to get you scribbling.The Welsh Kitchen by Ross ClarkeGet a recipe to a traditional Welsh dish along with links to Welsh songs and other Welshy things.Dave Harland’s The Word Friend of the show Dave can explain what his newsletter’s all about. Emails to “help you come up with the weird, witty and funny words and ideas that all of the bore-bag brands in your sector struggle with.”She’s so luckyAs a freelancer, you've got to ask yourself one question… “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk? If not, Freelancer Magazine’s running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” where I go into the (proven!) ways you can adjust your attitudes and behaviours to get more lucky. You get over a dozen other expert sessions, for keeps. Get your ticket here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

I blagged a mini strategy session from the wonderful Charelle Griffith 👌In episode 34, Charelle talked us through how to do our annual plan. I then asked her for a little bonus chat at the end about how she thinks I should grow this podcast. Her first question absolutely stumped me. Why do I want to grow this podcast? Errrrr… 🤷‍♀️In brief - to build my profile, help as many people as I can, hopefully get it to a point where it pays for itself. Charelle then gave me the best bit of advice I think I’ve ever heard. And it’s so beautifully obvious. It’s easier to get people to listen to your podcast if they already listen to podcasts. So guesting on other people’s podcasts is a great way to bring in new listeners who are already podcasty. So I did what I was told.I posted on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok saying “please can I come on your podcast”. Now I’ve got around a dozen invitations to work through. Thank you everyone who’s reached out or tagged their podcast pals.If you have any podcasts you think I should pitch to (or your own that you’d like me to guest on 😉) please reply to this email to let me know.Creator DayI’m back at Creator Day in May to record another live episode of indie business club podcast. I’ve got two special guest co-hosts lined up to do it with me - all will be revealed next week. I can’t wait. It’s always such a fun time in Poole. Speakers at the event include previous guests Gus Bhandal and Phil Agnew along with Lea Turner, Michelle Goodall, Jon Alexander and Katie Stokes.📅 Thursday 14th May (with my live podcast recording Friday 15th, in the morning)🌊 Poole, Dorset🎟️ Tickets from creatorday.uk 🍦 Save £20 on your ticket by using the code TeamMelThere’s also a special Cowork Crew on the Wednesday 13th May, so I’m going to try and get there for the Wednesday through to Friday. Freelancer Magazine Masterclass SeriesFreelancer Magazine is running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” along with a tonne of other freelancer experty people talking about topics like branding, onboarding, tone of voice and PR. More info right here (my affiliate link, where it costs you the same as it would if you bought it anywhere else, but I get a bit of cash to help fund the podcast).You get 14 practical workshops designed by experts especially for freelance business owners, with recordings to watch back whenever you like. The value is ridiculous so get your ticket here (again, there’s recordings, so don’t worry if you’ve got other stuff on that week).LinkedIn Algorithm Be LikeI enjoy everything has ever written but this post in particular tickled me. Go follow him here and on LinkedIn. I’ve cut and pasted his post to maximise the chance you’ll read it but please go and thumb it here too. Andrew’s post:—————————————————————HAGGLING WITH LINKEDIN OVER THE REACH OF MY POSTS:ME:Hi LinkedIn. Do you reckon you could show this post to a decent chunk of my followers please?LINKEDIN:Dunno. What’s it about?ME:Just trying to let more people know about the work I do.LINKEDIN:15.ME:Excuse me?LINKEDIN:15 people. That’s how many people we can show it to.ME:That seems… a little low.LINKEDIN:Now it’s 12.ME:Well, what about this. A pal of mine is looking for work, what can I get for a post telling people how good they are?LINKEDIN:4.ME:Come on.LINKEDIN:7, but three of them are chickens.ME:You’re joking.LINKEDIN:Yeah. They’re all chickens.ME:Can you show it to anyone who aren’t chickens?LINKEDIN:Do you have Premium?ME:No.LINKEDIN:Then you get the chickens. And we hate you.ME:Fine. How about a post congratulating an independent agency I know on a brilliant campaign they’ve just done?LINKEDIN:We can show that to literally one person. His name is Ken.ME:Will he be interested?LINKEDIN:Not really. He’s more into the chicken content.ME:So… why…LINKEDIN:Plus, he’s super angry, like all the time.ME:Ok…LINKEDIN:You want us to show this thing to Ken?ME:Definitely not.LINKEDIN:That’s probably best. He’d really hate it and he gets super rude. You got anything else?ME:Well, there is this one thing, but I doubt it’s worth mentioning.LINKEDIN:Let’s hear it.ME:Well, I used A.I. to create this shoddy video of me playing crazy golf with all the different Batmans and…LINKEDIN:100 million.ME:Woah, really?LINKEDIN:200 million. Everyone should see that A.I. Batmen Crazy Golf Video. It’s super aligned to our vision and values, somehow.ME:Wow, that’s amazing, thanks LinkedIn! Then I can just add a link to my…LINKEDIN:A single chicken. And you’re shadow-banned. And we killed your fish.——————————————————————Byeeeeeee, Mel Find my producer, theme composer and certified grownup Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Make 2026 the year you promote the absolute heck out of yourself 👌This time, I’m joined by Gus Bhandal to talk about ways you can build up some good old fashioned hysteria for your personal brand and your business. Gus is a LinkedIn expert. I have an unhealthy relationship with LinkedIn. So of course we gave the platform some air time :) But we also talked about…how speaking at events has grown our profilesthe time Gus was a pub landlord (I didn’t ask if he ever got to shout “get outta my pub!”)stuff we see other people post online that makes us go “oh noooo” 😐why it pays to be positive when you’re putting yourself out theregetting famous (in our tiny bubble)And your friend and mine Will Slater is back with more bizpiration in #WillsBookClubSidenoteOn the topic of LinkedIn, I did a poll this week asking “If you know something was written by AI, do you keep reading?” Depending on what time you read this email, you might still be able to vote. But if you’re too late, you can at least see what the final tally was by clicking the picture below. I find it so interesting that despite all the hype around AI and how we’ll get “left behind” if we don’t use it, 57% of this sizeable sample of humans finds AI generated writing a major turnoff. Something to bear in mind when deciding whether to a) get a robot to do it or b) bring in me and Dave at Copy Or Die copywriting agency to get some squidgy human brains on the project.About my co-host - Gus BhandalBack to the episode, and my guest co-host Gus. He’s a marketing strategist, social media specialist, LinkedIn trainer, and founder of The M Guru. He recently launched The Squeeze, a LinkedIn focused membership for freelancers and founders who want to get more out of the platform. Gus also co-created the LinkedIn focused conference UpLift Live. Find Gus on LinkedIn (chronically, like me) and on Instagram. Next steps…If you want to take LinkedIn more seriously, get yourself to UpLift Live to hear from the world’s leading LinkedIn experts and influencers. Including your friend and mine Dave Harland, who’s speaking at this year’s event. The full line-up is on the Uplift Live website. It’s in Birmingham on Thursday 26th March and you can get £20 off your ticket right here by using the code MELB. I get a few quid when you use the code, which will go on paying sound guy (and sound guy) Ant’s next invoice. TracklistBTW, today’s episode name is Hysteria, a single by Muse from their 2003 (whaaat?!) album, Absolution. I picked it because as business owners we need to hype ourselves up and whip our clients into a frenzy of hysteria, so that they’re uncontrollably excited to work with us. Also coz Muse were the first band I saw live when they supported Skunk Anansie at Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1999. Good times.Let me know, how are you going to hype up yourself and your business this year? I’m going to try and bag a couple of speaking gigs, run more workshops (IRL and in person) and get onto more podcasts as a guest (it’s less work than making my own episodes) 😉Speaking of workshops…Freelancer Magazine Masterclass SeriesFreelancer Magazine is running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” along with a tonne of other freelancer experty people talking about topics like branding, onboarding, tone of voice and PR. More info right here (my affiliate link, where it costs you the same as it would if you bought it anywhere else, but I get a bit of cash for aforementioned sound guy).You get 14 practical workshops designed by experts especially for freelance business owners, with recordings to watch back whenever you like. My talk is called ‘How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery’ (no lotto win guaranteed).Also speaking are…​Alex Thompson - ‘Go from order taker to trusted partner: earn more by doing less’.Amy Nolan - ‘Amy’s lunchtime doodle creative livener’.Alastair Thomson - ‘Getting funky with finance’.Angela Lyons - ‘Create a memorable freelance brand across all platforms’.Anita Ellis - ‘First contact to signed contract – take control of your sales and onboarding process’.Eman Ismail - ‘Turn followers into clients: how to turn your newsletter into a lead machine’.Gus Bhandal - ‘The LinkedIn content superstar strategy’.Heather Murray - ‘Reach new revenue levels (without hiring) with AI’.Jess Bruno - ‘F*ck the algorithm – how to build a personal brand and double your visibility’.Lucy Werner - ‘Using your personal stories to get PR’.Penny Brazier - ‘Write like yourself (everyone else is taken)’.Ryan Percival - ‘Create a LinkedIn profile that works while you work’.Tamu Thomas - ‘Impossible to ignore: 3 steps to get paid to speak and build a magnetic expert profile’.The value is ridiculous so get your ticket here (again, there’s recordings, so don’t worry if you’ve got other stuff on that week).Byeeeeeee, Mel Find my producer, theme composer and certified grownup Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Create a plan to make 2026 your best year in business yet 👌Producer Ant says this might be his favourite episode so far. But is he just hyping me up since it’s my first episode of the post-Ben era? 🤔 Have a listen and let me know what you think.My first guest co-host is Charelle Griffith, a business growth strategist, award-winning Chartered Marketer, event speaker and The Annual Planning Queen 👑Planning your business yearI’m the voice of the (lazy) people - I don’t do much planning in my business. But Charelle’s seen the difference it can make when people take planning their business seriously.In the episode, we talk in-depth about each step of Charelle’s framework:1) Review and reflect on the past year2) Set and record your goals for the upcoming year3) Marketing strategy4) MonitoringCharelle gives a compelling case for why we need to plan. For example, did you know, one study found self-employed/freelance workers take an average of just two weeks off each year?One of the (many) golden nuggets of advice Charelle gives is to book out your time off at the start of the year, to make sure you’ve ringfenced your downtime. There’s a heaptonne of similar gems of wisdom in the episode, so let me know which part resonates with you most.And if you’re put off by the enormity of planning for a whole year, remember that while the plan you get at the end is important, it’s the process that’s the most valuable part. The thinking, the reflecting, the decision making. It’s vital you set time aside to think properly about all elements of your business. I hope this episode helps to convince you.I couldn’t have hoped for a more generous, fun guest. Thanks Charelle for giving us so much businessy goodness.And in a new feature, your friend and mine Will Slater dips into a not-so-obvious business book to give us a bit of inspiration in #WillsBookClubAbout my cohost - Charelle GriffithThrough her business, CharelleGriffith.com, Charelle provides business growth and marketing consulting, mentoring and training to help small, but mighty, business owners to strategically grow thriving businesses they love, and that enable them to live their best life.Find Charelle on LinkedIn and on Instagram.Resources and next steps…You can download Charelle’s free Annual Planning Checklist and her Annual Reflection Questions. And if you want to book your private 1:1 Annual Planning Strategy Day with Charelle, you can read more about it right here.TracklistToday’s episode is named after the song Running/Planning by CMAT. Because we often spend so much time RUNNING our businesses we forget to make time to PLAN, geddit? Also, I’m obsessed since seeing her perform live last month (ICYMI).Needy feedback requestAs you know, I’ve been a bit *gulp* about going solo(ish) with the podcast. So I’d love to hear what you think about the new episode and format. I’m open to constructive criticism obvs, just maybe save it til January after I’ve had a nice little rest. Hit reply to this email, or comment if you’re reading in Substack.Cheeeeeers,MelFind my producer, theme composer and big biz boi Ant Henderson on LinkedIn.And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This is the last episode I recorded with Ben before he left the podcast. If you didn’t want to do your CPD homework you just had to say so, Ben 😏This will be the last indie business club episode for a little while. I’m going to take some time off to plan out how to move forward with it. But whatever the format ends up being, I’ll definitely have…indie business insightsguest co-hosts andmy sound guy (and sound guy) AntAnywayyyy, back to today's b-side: training and CPD (that’s Continuous Professional Development). Ben and I discussed the benefits of attending conferences and training, as well as talking about budget-friendly free (and nearly free) ways to get your CPD fix.I was surprised at how little budget people who responded to the ProCopywriters survey commit to CPD. But then I am an absolute schlaaaaag for a conference. And I class that sort of in-real-life CPD as a massive part of my marketing. It’s also worth noting, times have been difficult for many freelancers out there so the budget isn’t always there to do all the courses, conferences and meetups you want to.But if you’re looking for an affordable way to get out of the house and learn, the Marketing Meetup has local in-person events. You get pizza, drinks, and a marketing talk from as little as three quid. I host the Northampton one - come along on 6th November if you’re close by. TMM also has a huge back catalogue of recorded webinars on their website. Including the one that we were on :)It can be really difficult to prioritise CPD as a business owner when you’re juggling a million and one other things too. But even just dedicating 10-15 minutes a day to reading, listening to a podcast, watching a webinar, it adds up across the week to make a big difference. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

When we covered the topic before (in episode 14 Handbags and Gladrags), we set ourselves the goal of becoming an award-winning podcast.And if you want to be award-winning, you have to actually enter awards. Even Oscar winners have to be put before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences “for your consideration”. So we stuck in our application. Indie business club got shortlisted in the Podcast Jingle Of The Year (well done, Ant!) and Podcast Of The Year in the business and money categories at the Independent Podcast Awards. As finalists we'll also be up for the big one, the overall Independent Podcast Of The Year🤞🏻Soon, we’ll find out if we won. Will report back 🫡In this b-side, we also chat about how winning a copywriting award last year has impacted my business and why you should put yourself forward for stuff too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Ben and I are on our way to Manchester today for CopyCon 🤩 I spoke at the event last year and the year before that, our Copy Or Die pal Dave Harland spoke. Dave’s meeting us there and this time, we're looking forward to a totally talk-responsibility-free CopyCon with lots of learning, loadsa laughs, and hopefully a sizeable karaoke sesh. We do love giving an event talk, though. Last week we spoke together at Nottingham Digital Summit all about how you can “shorten the gap” by using three strategies; tone of voice, curiosity, and reciprocity. Maybe you were there? :)If you weren’t but you're nosy (or just like chocolate brownies) we've popped the resources right here. You get:- the best brownie recipe in the world- our guide to tone of voice- our talk slides (which you won't have context for if you weren’t there, but they sure do look pretty if I say so myself)New episode out todayThis podcast episode is our conversation with The Marketing Meetup’s Joe Glover all about freelancing.We look at…- our freelance origin stories- what to think about before taking the leap- how to attract clients- how to cope in tumbleweed times- pricing your work- and loads of other stuffDedicated listeners will spot that this is recycled content. Yes, it is :) but we recorded some new podcast content this week…Awards, revisitedYesterday, we recorded a follow-up to our previous episode about awards (Handbags and Gladrags). It’ll be out in a few weeks. It’s almost a year since I won the Women In Marketing Brand Copywriting Award, so the next episode is a look back on how it’s impacted my business (spoiler alert = 💰) And ICYMI indie business club has been shortlisted for Podcast Jingle Of The Year, and Podcast Of The Year in the business and money category at the Independent Podcast Awards. We’re off to London in a few weeks for the awards show. I might pack my sequinned dress for max glam points. Ben’s outfit is TBC. At lunchtime on the awards day we get to go and poke around at Apple Podcasts HQ in Battersea.We’ll (obviously!) let you know how we get on. YouTubeThe episode is already on the TMM YouTube channel right here 👇Cheers, Mel (& Ben)Find our producer, theme composer and bald-faced beaut Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called All These Things That I’ve Done and it’s all about how to put together a portfolio to show off what you can do. We look at…creative ways to give a good account of yourselfwhy it’s best to get something out there, even if it’s just “for now”the importance of making your portfolio as “you” as you canMake sure you subscribe to the channel to get your bell poked when the YouTube video goes live. VoicenotedToday’s voicenote is from long-time (day-one listener!) friend of the show, copywriter and poet Gemma Strang. Mel first met Gem at the Women In Marketing Awards where they were both shortlisted. Gemma is a true creative with a fizzy brain. It comes through in her portfolio, which you can ogle here: Gem’s Portfolio and find her on LinkedIn here. Your Friend And MineThis time our friend of the show is photographer Wendy Gannon, who you can find on LinkedIn. Wendy is the Queen of Angles, a personality-led photographer and consultant for unapologetic female founders. You can read more about her empowering project, femalefivemillion.comStuff we said we’d put in the show notesCain Lewis’ portfolio Joe Coleman’s incredible website - getcoleman.comA creative prompt generator shared by Leigh JamesPat on the backFinally, some news we’ve been itching to share with you… indie business club has been shortlisted for two awards at the upcoming Independent Podcast Awards 🎉🥳.We’re in the running for Podcast Jingle Of The Year, and Podcast Of The Year in the business and money category.Way back in episode 15, The Masterplan, we set a goal for indie business club to become an award winning podcast. At the time we didn’t even know if there were awards for pods like ours, but we found the IPAs soon afterwards and nominated ourselves.That’s right, we nominated ourselves.Initially I felt a bit cringe about it. But I re-listened to our episode on industry awards (episode 14, Handbags And Gladrags) and got over myself. Mainly because of what our voicenoter from that episode Charles Commins said:“It's lovely recognition of the work that you have done, and it can give you a little bit of gravitas. And even when you put yourself up for awards, to get nominated, to be seen by maybe your peers, whoever it is that's judging those awards, to be recognised as one of the best entrants into that category in that awards that year is fantastic. So it gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling.”We wanted that warm, fuzzy feeling.And Charles* is right. To be shortlisted feels amazing. I’m really proud of us. The awards night takes place in London in a few weeks. Mel and I will be there, and we’re hoping to tempt Producer Ant down from the North. We’ll keep you posted (about Ant, and whether we win).Cheers, Ben (& Mel)Find our producer, theme composer and beardless (*sob*) beauty Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. *Charles’s podcast “It’s All Cobblers To Me” is also shortlisted at the IPAs, in the sports category 👏👏👏 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called Moving Pictures and it’s all about using video to market yourself and your business. We look at…why some people would rather poo in their hands and clap than record themselvesreasons you might want to consider choosing videos over doing the abovehow to get over yourself and get startedI’m currently editing the video version of this episode, which will go on YouTube by the end of the week. Make sure you subscribe to the channel to get your bell poked when it goes live. VoicenotedToday’s voicenote is Ben’s stiff competition for “loveliest voice on this episode” it’s Jonny Rose. Jonny runs The Story Club where he helps B2B founders get confident on camera and turn video into consistent content that actually builds their business.You can find him on LinkedIn where he shares tips and (kind) nags to get people to use video in their marketing. Disclaimer… we say on the episode that LinkedIn changes the rules so quickly everything could have changed by the time this airs. And maybe it has?! Big thanks to Jonny for recently sharing this PDF LinkedIn report on video, which seems to put B2B video front and centre again. https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/marketing-solutions/global/en_US/site/pdf/wp/2025/the-art-and-science-of-video.pdf Your Friend And MineThis episode’s YFAM is Craig Williams, a graphic designer providing box fresh designs that deliver excellence for events. When I went to Craig’s LinkedIn profile to get the link to put in these show notes I was THRILLED to see how he’s laid out his bio with song title references as subheadings. So go have a look and connect with him while you’re there. YouTubeAnd if you’re catching up on your to-do list, break up the boredom by watching our last episode. Phill from Nudge podcast tells us all about behavioural psychology and how you can use certain principles to your advantage when marketing your business. Watch it here 👇Cheers, Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and bearded beauty Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. 🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Want to trick people into buying from you? Then read on!Jokes, that’s deeply unethical, please don’t do that.Today’s pod episode is a bit special. Firstly, it’s episode 30 (toot toot 🎺) and secondly, we’ve got a guest! He’s the host of the UK’s #1 marketing podcast and he’s also probably the UK’s #1 “marketer who could trick you into buying something from him” (but he won’t coz he’s a nice guy) it’s…👏 Phill Agnew from Nudge 👏The episode is called Where Is My Mind and it’s all about principles of behavioural psychology you can (ethically!) use to your advantage as an indie business owner.We had a lovely time recording with Phill. Lotsa laughs and lotsa insights including…- how to get some reciprocity (I can’t say it without singing Lauryn Hill in my head - IYKYK)- why it helps to demonstrate the effort behind your work instead of outsourcing everything to AI- the pratfall effect and why showing your human side helps (to a point)- how obsessed Phill is with Ben’s lovely voice (🙄)We also got some behind-the-scenes intel on how Phil uses psychology to promote his own podcast Nudge, including how he gets people to sign up to his email list.On a completely unrelated topic.. 👀 In the episode Phill mentions the 25 books he recommends you read in 2025 and 5 you should avoid (you can tell he’s a psychologist). Slap your email address in right here at this here link here here it’s this one here to get Phill’s knowledge in your box.YouTubeI’m behind in editing the episode videos for YouTube because it takes lots of effort (which is a good thing - see above) but I skipped a few to make sure this one is ready to view in time so you get to see Phill’s lovely face. Watch it here.We’ll leave you with Phill’s testimonial about the episode 😎👇"I don't think I've laughed this much on a podcast in a long time"Cheers,Mel & BenPS: The capital of Tuvalu is Funafuti.Find our producer, theme composer and legal eagle Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch older episodes of the show on YouTube here. 🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is brought to you by Copy Or Die, the copywriting agency we work at, which Ben co-founded with Dave Harland. If you say you listen to the podcast we’ll probably give you I dunno, 0.05% off or something. Subscribe nowHi, Mel here,Today’s episode is all about starting a podcast. In our first attempt at recording our last episode (on starting something new), we rambled on and on about indie business club. It felt too self-indulgent (even for us) so we re-recorded that episode and made starting a podcast an episode topic in itself. As you can tell by the extended runtime, we enjoyed self-indulgently talking about ourselves. In this episode, we covera bullet point, quick (hah!) recap of our podcast origin storydecisions to make when considering starting a podcastquick audio quality wins (including getting your mic the right way around)cushions, and other sound mufflersbare minimum gear and tech requirementssome “behind the scenes” chat about how we’ve improved stuff along the wayhow and why to put structure into your podcastDisclaimer: we are not podcast experts. Far from it. This is just a conversation about how we’ve done things, and why.A rare time I’ve checked what I said I’d put in the shownotes 👇Podcasts we’ve been on as guests…Mel’s is hereBen’s is hereAnd we had a question in from Martin Dewar about what gear we use. Here’s our “stack” (as the kids call it):Ben’s mic: Rode NT-USB.Mel’s mic: Rode Podmic USB - and we both have mic arms so we can avoid bashing the mics too much. Riverside FM for recording.Anthony P Henderson’s magic scissors (and magic brain) for editing.Canva and Riverside for editing the videos. Canva for our graphics. Substack for publishing the podcast and sending out these here emails.VoicenotedToday’s voicenote is by Graham Coath, a LinkedIn content creative, podcast maker and business consultant. He also has a LinkedIn sales training course which you can read about here. Graham’s podcast with Marianne Mills is A Better Way Of Life.Your Friend And MineThis week’s YFAM is a beautiful human inside and out. Leyla Alexander is a graphic designer who helps brave brands stand out, connect, and grow with thoughtful branding and graphic design.Alongside her design studio, she founded and runs You Are The Sea, a sustainable, ocean-inspired clothing brand that gives back to the sea by donating £2 to Surfers Against Sewage for every item of clothing sold. Find Leyla on Linkedin here and on her website where you can sign up for her newsletter, The Happy Palette. ResourcesOne of the best ways to learn about podcasts is to listen to other podcasts! Shout out to Being Freelance, the podcast by our pal Steve Folland. Steve interviews freelancers about their journey and as he’s a podcast producer himself, the production value is excellent.Colin Gray runs ThePodcastHost.com and has a youtube channel with tonnes of great info. Our pal Charles Commins started Mic’s Podcast Club with Vic Turnbull. It’s a regular online meetup that’s a great source of support, advice and community. Chris Stone has a newsletter here on Substack called Podcast Strategy Weekly. Catch the replayHave you seen our Marketing Meetup webinar on how to grow a freelance business? Please watch it to pump the numbers 😉 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Nikki Pilkington - SEO expert, copywriter, legend, and friend of the show. You can get 20% off Nikki’s full SEO course and on-page SEO toolkit with our code IBC20. Learn more at nonwankyseo.comToday’s episode is all about starting something new. It’s called Roll With It (we promise we aren’t just jumping on the Oasis bandwagon…) In the episode, we talk about- why you should follow your gut when something keeps “winking” at you- shiny object syndrome (and what it could mean)- worky and non-worky new things- how taking advice from others can be a good (and bad) idea- examples of people we know who have gone for it and started something newWe ripped off Buzzfeed/LadBible so this is a listicle episode 😉 Here are some things we think you should consider before starting something new…1) Do you actually have time to do this thing justice?2) If it’s a product or service, does anyone actually want it?3) How realistic are you being with yourself about the work involved?4) What’s the cost to you?5) What’s the ROI?6) What does success look like?7) What should you outsource?8) If you’re starting with someone else, how will you divide up tasks?And of course you can expect our usual conversational meanderings. If you’re pondering a new thing, give the episode a listen and then let us know if it’s helped. VoicenotedToday’s voicenote comes from friend of the show Sophie Cross. Sophie is editor and founder of Freelancer Magazine, the quarterly print magazine that also offers subscribers lots of other benefits including three virtual coworking calls per week and lunch and learn sessions. You can subscribe at: freelancermagazine.co.uk - look out for our faces in there. Thank you Steve, Jen, Glenn and Fiona for your kind words :)Your Friend And MineThis week’s YFAM is Glenn Sturgess, a legendary copywriter with an illustrious career as head of copy at some of the biggest agencies and businesses. Glenn’s written ads that you’ve definitely seen and heard. He's now freelance and running his business Write This Way Ltd. Glenn is incredibly generous with his time and advice and he’s a big supporter of the show too. Find Glenn on LinkedIn here. Catch the replayWe spoke to Joe Glover all about freelancing at The Marketing Meetup webinar. Please watch it so the view count gets nice and high. Coz we’d love a part two 😉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6H03qh6UA4&t=1s Thank yoooooou, Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and audioslave Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch older episodes of the show on YouTube here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hi, Mel here,Today’s episode is all about audio branding. And so, we’ve brought in the expert! Of course, it’s sound guy (and sound guy) our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson *insert big cheering noises here - it’s what he’d want* Subscribe nowWe talk aboutwhy audio branding workshow to insert a little audio magic into your businessour favourite jingles (maybe we mentioned yours?) though sadly Ant was reluctant to sing despite being a literal rockstar (we’ll link to that story another day if he lets us)some random jingle factsWe had an incredible response to my request for jingle suggestions on LinkedIn. Sadly, we couldn’t possibly run through the whole lot (the episode is already way longer than normal!) and you’ll have to listen to see if we got to yours ;)George Levens and Emma Pritchard sent in some jingle voicenotes and a special thank you to the incredible Stefanie Mellano for her rendition of… well, you’ll have to hear it yourself. Paul Burgess sent in some punk band covers of jingles:VoicenotedToday’s voicenote comes from our pal Jack Chambers-Ward. Jack is Marketing and Partnerships manager at Candour search agency, and he hosts the Search With Candour podcast and Sequalisers, a podcast about fixing bad film sequels. He’s already a friend of the show (episode 12) and he’s the first listener I ever met in the wild who we didn’t already know. Hopefully we’ll be able to do a podcast crossover with Jack some time. As predicted in the show, we have not included all the links in the shownotes because there were frankly way too many to keep track of. But that’s okay because Google exists ;) I will remember to put this in though - Molly Scanlan’s newsletter (for excellent facts and info on how to be less evil) is at www.mollygetsitdone.comCatch the replayWe spoke to Joe Glover all about freelancing at The Marketing Meetup webinar. Please watch it so the view count gets nice and high. Coz we’d love a part two 😉 Thank yoooooou, Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and special VIP guest star Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch older episodes of the show on YouTube here. If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs with a £3 contribution at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Today’s episode is all about outsourcing. Are you an outsourcer? Or an outsourceee? Or both? Did I just make up those words? At least one of them. Either way, to keep it easy we’re using “outsourcing” to cover any projects that are done by someone who’s not on the payroll. We discuss the pros and cons, what to watch out for if you’re outsourcing, how to be a good outsourceee (we should use more triple-Es in made-up words) and highlight how outsourcing can help you scale your business both up and down, depending on how things are going. BTW, this episode is supported by Freelancer Magazine, the quarterly magazine for freelancers, founders, and the freelance-curious. Along with the mag (which is printed or digital) your subscription gives you a whole heap of other benefits including three virtual coworking sessions every week. You can subscribe here or find it on LinkedIn and on “instantgram” @freelancermag. Ben and I are both in the upcoming issue on client processes and getting new clients. Look! Ben’s the COVER GIRL!VoicenotedOur lovely pal Jo Marshall is today’s voicenoter. Jo runs All Things Words, the copywriting agency for higher education providers. Jo and her team provide copy audits, course copy and content. Shout out to Louis and Ivy too! You can find Jo on LinkedIn and at allthingswords.co.uk.Your friends and mine A double bill this time and first up is VA to creative types like us, Erin Buck. Erin is a firm supporter of the show and knows a thing or two about podcasts herself, having hosted Women In Business podcast for multiple series. Find her at her website and on LinkedIn. We also want give a shout out to friend of the show and past voicenoter (episode 13) Rishi Dastidar who has a new book which is out now. A Hobby Of Mine is published by Broken Sleep Books, and is described as “an unrelenting catalogue of cultural observations which becomes an absurd and profound portrait of modern life”Buy it from brokensleepbooks.com and all good bookshops.And can you do us a favour?We’re speaking on The Marketing Meetup webinar this coming Tuesday 17th June at 2pm. Please come along and watch us get quizzed by Joe/James from TMM so we don’t have to talk to an empty room. Okay, so it’s virtual and there’s no real room… and you aren’t on camera anyway, but you know what we mean. Sign up is here. Thank yoooooou, Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and apprentice roofer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch older episodes of the show on YouTube here. If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs with a £3 contribution at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Today’s episode is all about testimonials. But just before we get into it… we’re incredibly excited about this 👇We’re doing a Marketing Meetup webinar with Michelle L P Boland all about how to grow your marketing freelance / consultancy business in 2025. Doing a TMM webinar is major #Goals so please help us make it a success by coming along! 😄We’ll talk all about how we’ve each built our businesses and give allll the indie business intel and tips. It’s not until 17th June but you can sign up here to get it in your calendar :)TestimonialsNow. Onto the episode. It’s all about testimonials, which seem to be a sore point for lots of people. Do you…ask for them? get them? use them?Full disclosure, we’re not exactly great at asking clients for them. This is one of our “do as we say, not as we do” situations..! It sometimes feels a bit icky. And then time just dribbles by and before you know it, two years have gone by. Bit late by then.I asked people’s opinions on LinkedIn and got some great tips. Several people noted how it’s useful to be ultra specific about what you’re asking for. So if you want to highlight your organisation skills / communication / professionalism / slick onboarding process etc. (delete as appropriate) then tell your client that when you ask for a testimonial.Others try and grab natural comments as they go along. There’s a “Wall of Remembrance” on the Copy Or Die homepage (scroll down a bit to see it) thanks to a plug-in called testimonial.to (I think we might have said i o on the episode sorryyyyy).VoicenotedLuckily, we have the Peter Pan of graphic design Dave Officer as today’s voicenoter to give us a steer. He made us ponder why it feels gross to ask for testimonials and talks about how he approaches asking for them. It was an epic feature-length voicenote, so we’ve had our sound guy (and sound guy) Ant weave Dave in and out of the whole episode.Your friends and mineThe YFAMs from this episode are everyone we mention in this episode!Gemma Strang, Jodie Newman, Leigh James, Jo Shock, Stacey Eleczko (find her helpful article here), Eddie Shleyner, Dave Harland (again!), Adrian Elton, Amy Hawthorne, Jeremy Freeman, Gemma Champ, Lou Major, Erin Buck, Samantha Harman and Ruth Sedar.We didn’t have time to cover everyone’s testimonials tips so we will revisit the topic in future. Email us on [email protected] if you have any comments and we’ll try and include them in our testies part two.One last wangOkay, it probably won’t be the absolute last time I wang on about this but we’re so proud of our live episode. We’d love you to listen to it if you haven’t already. We had a jolly old time making it, as you can see. Please give it a listen 😉 Thanks again to Mark Masters and the team at FOUNDRY Poole.And one last askWhile we’re on the topic of asking for testimonials, can you leave us one please? 🙏 You email us ([email protected]) or leave one on our individual LinkedIn pages here for Mel and here for Ben. Or you can leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thank yooou! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This earlier-than-expected episode is called Let’s Go Surfing* and it’s a LIVE Q&A episode recorded at FOUNDRY Poole as part of Creator Day 2025. Extra special thanks to Mark Masters at You Are The Media for organising the space and inviting us to record our first live episode *TV announcement voice* recorded in front of a live studio audience. Thank you to the team at FOUNDRY as well for taking such great care of us. BTW the video version of the live recording won’t go up for a little while yet - I’m still wrangling with the massive file size :)Q’s got A’d (mostly…we’re okay admitting when we don’t know stuff)We had a range of questions submitted on LinkedIn: Robyn Santa Maria on when to burn it all down and start againSeyam Hamed on how to rest without the guiltFelicity Wild on what clients really wantGrace Hall on how to get a retainerRaymond Manzor on where to focus your efforts when there are 29 things you could do right nowWe also had questions live in the room: Mark Masters on how to switch offChristine Gritmon on when to work for freeRachel Extance on how to do market researchPhoto credit: Steve Folland of Being FreelanceThank you to everyone who came, especially Becky Greaves for sending me this link to a LinkedIn post Ben mentions on the show when talking about how engaging a freelancer on retainer is more cost effective than having an employee. Creator DayFriday’s recording closed out Creator Day. On Thursday, I spoke on stage** at the main conference day about how to be lucky. I talked about how chance events impact careers, and the three things you can do to harness luck:1) get over yourself and post - put yourself out there online2) network, network, network - meet people, with the goal of friendship first3) go brain-to fingers - don’t over sanitise your content to the point it doesn’t sound like you anymoreIt’s thanks to doing those three things that I ended up meeting Ben. And it’s how we’ve approached building an audience for indie business club podcast too. We don’t make promises about how you can hack your way to six figures, or sugar-coat freelance life to make it sound all sunshine and lollipops. We don’t have fake personas or masks we put on to record. We certainly don’t try and polish our episodes too much. And we try and get out there to events to meet people and turn online connections into real-life relationships. Creator Day is one of those special events where you walk into the room and feel like you’re surrounded by friends. You might not have met all of them yet, but they’re future friends at least. If you want to get in on the action next year, earlywirly bird tickets are on sale now. Your friends and mineThank you so much to everyone who came along to watch the live recording. We really appreciate you sticking around a little longer after Creator Day to join us in our first studio recording. It’ll be weird going back to recording remotely on Riverside!Check out what friend of the show Amy Nolan created to showcase the day. What a legend. You can buy Amy’s doodles as postcards and pngs at her shop here. We’re hoping to make it back again next year. What a blast. Cheers, Mel & Ben* (if you’re not sure if you know the song, you probably do)**if you were at Creator Day, I’d love to know what you thought of my talk. Please can you spare 3-5mins to fill in this form?Find our producer, theme composer and speedy splicer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch older episodes of the show on YouTube here. If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs with a £3 contribution at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called Separated by Motorways and it's all about working with your friends. We’re at Creator Day today. So the YouTube video will be up in the next week or so. Here we are at last year’s event, which was only the second time we’d met in person. This photo was taken at FOUNDRY, where we’re recording a live podcast Q&A episode tomorrow morning. Let us know your indie business/freelancer questions on [email protected] and we’ll answer as many as we can.Could you work with your friends? Have you?On the face of it, it seems like an easy decision to work with people you're friends with. But doing so comes with its own unique challenges and rewards. On this episode, we’ll talk about:How to make a success of it (i.e. stay friends)Making sure you're on the same page when working with your palsPutting in place boundaries so it all works outVoicenotedWe’ve got long-term friend of the show Bonnie Harrington on to talk about working with friends. Bonnie is a Bristol based copywriter specialising in writing for independent businesses and brands with a conscience. We've both worked with her and can verify she's ace. Find Bonnie on Instagram @wordsbybonnie and at wordsbybonnie.com Your friend and mineToday’s YFAM is Paul Smart, a business counsellor who fixes the “you” in your business. A bespoke mixture of counselling, coaching, mentoring and good old practical advice can get you where you want to go. Paul also runs a regular Friday music collective on LinkedIn which I love to get involved with.CopyCon DiscountSave 10% on all tickets to CopyCon, the conference for professional writers. This October, we’re heading to Manchester for the main conference day on Friday 3rd. Get your tickets here. Email the showGet in touch on [email protected] with any questions you have about indie business life, or share your freelance/founder challenges. We may well feature you in a future episode. Cheers, Ben & MelFind our producer, theme composer and Sainsbury’s superfan Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch the show on YouTube here. A like and a subscribe goes a long way 😉 If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs with a £3 contribution at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogue21 Got Your Money: pricing projects20 Joy Division: work-life balance19 Daytripper: conferences part deux18 The Day We Caught The Train: conferences ft Nick Crawford and Lorna Smart17 Hanging On The Telephone: ghosting ft Will Slater and Heather Pownall16 Heart Shaped Box: niching ft Ayo Abbas and Raymond Manzor15 The Masterplan: goal setting ft Janine Coombes and friends b-side Word of the yearb-side LinkedIn revisited14 Handbags and Gladrags: Industry Awards ft Charles Commins and Fab Giovannetti13 You’re The Voice: Tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan12 Plug In Baby: Software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward11 Somebody Told Me: Referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson07 A Design For Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Episode 22 is called Bloc Party and it's all about celebrating your wins as a freelancer, founder, or indie business owner. Subscribe nAre you good at celebrating wins? Lots of freelancers, founders and indie business owners are rubbish at it. You hit a goal, you tick it off, you move on. Rinse, repeat. But if you don’t stop to enjoy the wins (however small) it can make everything feel like an endless slog.In this episode we discuss ways to mark the milestones, what we’re going to do to celebrate one year of indie business club (coming up soon!) and we also talk about how it’s hard when you don’t have a manager to go “hey, you’re doing a great job!”So in case no-one else says it to you today... Hey. You’re doing a great job. It’s important to share and celebrate when stuff goes well. One of our recent wins is partnering with ProCopywriters to promote CopyCon, which is in Manchester on 2nd - 3rd October. I spoke at the event last year and we’re both going along again this year with friend of the show (and Copy Or Die colleague) Dave. You can get 10% off your ticket with the code IBC10 for CopyCon 2025. Treat yo’self.In the episode, Ben mentions how at Creator Day 2024 we took promo pics for the podcast. We also stepped out from the after party to listen to sound guy (and sound guy) Ant’s sample theme tunes for the podcast. Now Creator Day 2025 is in just two weeks (today 🎉) and you can get £40 off your ticket with code: IndieYATMVoicenotedAnita Ellis is a punchy copywriter for bold brands, offering brand positioning, web copy, and case studies. Anita talks to us about how she celebrates the wins (spoiler, it involves cake) and how important it is to record the small wins as well as big stuff. Shout out to Mr Ellis, who started Anita’s business birthday tradition.Your friend and mineToday’s YFAM is Jen Sands, an online business manager and wing-woman for entrepreneurs looking to scale and revitalise their business. Jen and her team of change makers and time reclaimers will help you create, systemise, and manage your processes. Jen’s been a great supporter of the show since day one and you can find her at jensands.co.uk.Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or feel the overwhelming urge to give us a glowing testimonial? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in a future episode. Cheers, Mel & Ben Find our producer, theme composer and Sainsbury’s superfan Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and you can watch the show on YouTube here. A like and a subscribe goes a long way 😉 If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs with a £3 contribution at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Episode 21 is called Got Your Money and it's all about pricing work as a freelancer, founder, or indie business owner. If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs with a £3 contribution at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖Pricing was the first topic we ever covered way back in episode one, released 27th June 2024. No need to listen to that one. Our sound quality and (professional podcast conduct) has come a long way since. On this new episode, we discuss:what to consider when you price up projectscharging for your time versus value-based pricinghow to deal with pushback on pricewhether to work for freeIt's such a complex and nuanced topic, we'll probably come back for a third episode in another ten months.VoicenotedBusiness coach Phil Budd gives us his thoughts on how to price up work as an independent business owner. Phil owns the High Performers Academy [ https://highperformersacademy.co.uk ] and is coach and business owner with ActionCOACH UK. You can find Phil on LinkedIn here. [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-budd ]Your friend and mineThis time we give a shout out to Laura Bean. Laura's an internal communications specialist and copywriter who very generously let us know about a glitch on one of our YouTube videos. What a star. She's a wonderful supporter of the show. Thanks, Laura![ https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurabeancopywriting ]Listener discountsYou Are The Media’s Creator Day 2025 is on Thursday 15th May in Poole, Dorset.Mel’s speaking on the Friday morning, we’re recording a live episode of this podcast at 11ish at Foundry. Book here and save £40 with the code IndieYATMProCopywriters’ CopyCon 2025 is on Friday 3rd October in Manchester. With our code you can save on all packages. Book here and save 10% with the code IBC10YouTubeAnd you can watch the show on YouTube here. A like and a subscribe goes a long way 😉 The latest episode will go up a little later today.Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or feel the overwhelming urge to give us a glowing testimonial? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in a future episode. Cheers, Ben & MelFind our producer, theme composer and beard trimmer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶Support the show at ☕ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub 🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Episode 20 (TWENTY! 🥳) is called Joy Division and it's all about work-life balance. If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖We first discussed the topic way back on our LinkedIn lives (we should bring those back). At the time, I had a lot going on and found the subject quite triggering. On the show, we discuss:whether it’s actually possible to find balance as an indie business ownerways to switch offthe “email fear”apps that can helphow a creative outlet can help you gain balancelistening to your bodyfinding joy in your workVoicenotedThis time we hear from our friend Bhavini Lahkani, a graphic designer specialising in brand identities and marketing collateral. Bhavini is an obsessive drinker of good coffee and eater of pistachio tiramisu (NEED) and you can find her at b81designs.com (where her blog is the excellently named “pixels & percolators”) and on instagram @b81designs.Your friend and mineThis time we give a shout out to Timon Spiesschaert, an international listener based in Ghent. Timon is a freelance copywriter & digital marketer at his business, Timon van Gent. Timon is a great supporter of the show, often sending us messages and comments. Thank you, Timon!Listener discountsYou Are The Media’s Creator Day 2025 is on Thursday 15th May in Poole, Dorset.Mel’s speaking and if you stick around until the Friday, we’re recording a live episode of the podcast at 11ish at Foundry. Book here and save £40 with the code IndieYATMProCopywriters’ CopyCon 2025 is on Friday 3rd October in Manchester, with fringe events the day before. With our code you can save on all packages. Book here and save 10% with the code IBC10YouTubeWe’ll never stop reminding you to watch the show on YouTube here. It takes ages to edit the videos so a like and a subscribe goes a long way 😉Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or feel the overwhelming urge to give us a glowing testimonial? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in a future episode. Cheers, Ben & MelFind our producer, theme composer and scissorati Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶Support the show at ☕ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub 🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogue18 The Day We Caught The Train: conferences ft Nick Crawford and Lorna Smart18 The Day We Caught The Train: conferences17 Hanging On The Telephone: ghosting ft Will Slater and Heather Pownall17 Hanging On The Telephone: ghosting16 Heart Shaped Box: niching ft Ayo Abbas and Raymond Manzor16 Heart Shaped Box: niching15 The Masterplan: goal setting ft Janine Coombes and friends 15 The Masterplan: goal settingb-side Word of the yearb-side LinkedIn revisited14 Handbags and Gladrags: Industry Awards ft Charles Commins and Fab Giovannetti13 You’re The Voice: Tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan12 Plug In Baby: Software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward11 Somebody Told Me: Referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson07 A Design For Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Episode 19 of indie business club podcast is coming at you faster than usual. We recorded a second episode on conferences, called Daytripper, so we could include feedback we got from LinkedIn. If you missed our first conferences episode, The Day We Caught The Train is here. If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖VoicenotedWe’ve got a voicenote in from the inimitable Susie Palmer-Trew. Susie is a change consultant and founder of Growth Club, a community for people in the change management industry. Susie is also a public speaker and explains her different approaches to events, depending on the context. Your friend and mineOkay, so we’re cheating this time and calling all the LinkedIn contributors our friends of the show. Whether they like it or not. Exclusive Creator Day discount for our subscribersSpeaking of conferences… why not come along to You Are The Media’s Creator Day 2025, on Thursday 15th May in Poole, Dorset. If you stick around until the Friday, we’re recording a live episode of our podcast at around 11ish at Foundry.Our email subscribers can save £40 off the cost of a ticket for Creator Day. Book here and use the code IndieYATM.YouTubeWe’ll never stop reminding you to watch the show on YouTube here. It takes ages to edit the videos so a like and a subscribe goes a long way.Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or want to warm our cockles with a glowing testimonial we can brag about? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in a future episode. Cheers, Ben & MelFind our producer, theme composer and mouthclick collector Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶Support the show at ☕ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Episode 18 of indie business club podcast is called The Day We Caught The Train and it’s all about going to conferences, networking, and events as an indie business owner.In it, we cover:the CPD benefits of attending industry conferencesthe other reasons it’s well worth goinghow to decide which events to attendIf you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖VoicenotedWe’ve got a voicenote in from lovely Nick Crawford, marketing strategist at Twist Consultancy Ltd. Nick has benefited from networking over the years and he also runs the Milton Keynes Marketing Meetup. Your friend and mineThis week’s YFAM is Lorna Smart. Lorna is a proof-reader and she’s been such a huge support since before we even started the podcast back when we were doing our “Barfield & McKinney” LinkedIn lives. So thank you Lorna, we appreciate you!YouTubeDid you know you can now watch the show on YouTube here? Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or a filthy conference story that HR had to get involved in? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in a future episode.Cheers, Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and scissor jockey Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶Support the show at ☕ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub 🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Episode 17 of indie business club podcast is called Hanging On The Telephone and it’s all about professional ghosting.In it, we cover:reasons why prospective clients might ghost youways to try and prevent it happeningwhat to do if you do get ghosted andif you’re ghosted on payment, this blog from FreeAgent might be usefulIf you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖VoicenotedWe’ve got a voicenote in from cat-daddy Will Slater, creative content specialist at 43 Clicks North. Will’s also an event speaker and specialises in storytelling as a marketing tool. Your friend and mineThis week’s YFAM is the lovely Heather Pownall. Heather is an award-winning media and marketing consultant, podcast producer and ideas machine. She’s also producer for friend of the show Ange Lyons’ podcast, Creatives Like Us. YouTubeDid you know you can now watch the show on YouTube here? You get to see all our facial expressions and the messy bits Ant cut but I can’t be bothered to trim off the video. Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or a story about how you’ve been ghosted? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in a future episode.Cheers, Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and kitchen renovator Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶Support the show at ☕ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub 🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogue16 Heart Shaped Box: niching ft Ayo Abbas and Raymond Manzor15 The Masterplan: goal setting ft Janine Coombes and friends b-side Word of the yearb-side LinkedIn revisited14 Handbags and Gladrags: Industry Awards ft Charles Commins and Fab Giovannetti13 You’re The Voice: Tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan12 Plug In Baby: Software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward11 Somebody Told Me: Referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson07 A Design For Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hello, If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖In episode 16 “Heart Shaped Box”, we talk about…how and why to nicheikigai (Mel had written it down wrong, no wonder she couldn’t say it)VoicenotedWe’ve got a voicenote in from marketer Ayo Abbas, an award-winning strategic marketing consultant who specialises in working with construction and built environment firms. Ayo also has a podcast (podcast pals!) called The Built Environment Marketing Show. You can find Ayo here on LinkedIn, here on her website and here for her podcast. Your friends and mineRaymond Manzor is a sustainability copywriter for climate heroes. Ray also has a substack where he writes about climate change issues. What do you reckon?Mel set a goal for ten listeners to email in and let us know what they think of the show. We’ve had some incredible feedback in so far but we’re greedy and want more more more so please let us know what you think of the show. It helps us stay motivated 😉 [email protected] Email the showGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Or a story about how you niched? Get in touch on [email protected] and we might feature you in our upcoming Q&A episode.Cheers, Ben & MelFind our producer, theme composer and big kid Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶Support the show at ☕ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hello, and welcome to our first full-length podcast episode of 2025 🙌🏻 If you enjoy the show, you can chip in on our production costs at ko-fi.com/indiebusinessclub please and thank you 💖In episode 15 “The Masterplan”, we talk about…how setting goals can help you to protect your boundariesthe power of writing your goals downhow setting a specific number as a target can have a limiting effectMel’s knowledge of the phonetic alphabet (what a treat)how “vanity” goals can still influence your business positivelysetting aside time for thinking about your goals*the dog poo outside Ben’s house how to say hello in American (howdy to our US listeners 👋🏻)We (well, Mel) also set a goal for ten listeners to email in and let us know what they think of the show 👀 Just gonna leave this email address here… [email protected] Always be improvingYou might notice in this episode we had precisely zero accurate statistics to hand. No wonder producer Ant gave us this succinct but stern advice after he edited it. VoicenotedAs always, a cracking voicenote on the topic. Janine Coombes is a Sales and Marketing coach for 1:1 coaches, consultants, mentors & strategists. She’s also an event speaker and very experienced brand marketer. You can find Janine on LinkedIn, and at janinecoombes.co.uk. Get on the waitlist for the book she’s writing for coaches at easy-yes.com. Your friends and mineJust to mix it up, we’re giving a shout out to two of our friends who have exciting stuff in the pipeline. Friend of the show Dave Harland is launching a course called Write The Funny, which is basically 20 years of Dave’s wordmessaboutery condensed and refined into a video course. Sign up at thewordman.co.uk/course for a healthy discount when it comes out.And our first ever Your Friend And Mine back on episode 01, Ange Lyons has launched her very own podcast called Creatives Like Us.The podcast is dedicated to opening up the conversation and amplifying the voices of underrepresented creatives, especially people of colour. Hosted by graphic designer Ange, this podcast is all about breaking down barriers and showing that a successful career in the creative industry is possible for everyone.Creatives Like Us is here to empower and uplift the next generation of diverse talent, whether you're a student, graduate, or exploring a new career path. Ange’s dream guest is Idris Elba so if you know him, hook her up!Ask us anythingGot a burning question about being a freelancer, founder, or independent business owner? Send them to in to [email protected] and we might feature you in our upcoming Q&A episode.Cheers, Mel & Ben*If you have a recommendation for a brilliant spa hotel in the Birmingham area for Ben and his business partner Dave to have a relaxing goalsetting day, let us know. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

On this minisode we discuss the concept of having a "word of the year". In case you missed it, we’re speaking at the Alt Marketing School open day on Thursday 16th January. There are 14 speakers and we’re talking about tone of voice and why it’s important for your brand and your business. Click the pic for tickets.It’s an affiliate link so if you opt for the paid ticket for lifetime access to the talks, we get some cash which we’ll put towards the cost of making the podcast.See ya,Ben & MelFind our producer, theme composer and big kid Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogueReplays here…b-side LinkedIn revisited14 Handbags and Gladrags: Industry Awards ft Charles Commins and Fab Giovannetti13 You’re The Voice: Tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan12 Plug In Baby: Software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward11 Somebody Told Me: Referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson07 A Design For Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hello, Mel here,We’re rounding off the year with a b-side to revisit LinkedIn. The b-sides are shorter chats than a normal episode, so if you've got any topics you'd like us to chew over for 10-15 minutes, let us know.A brief, unimportant disclaimerTurns out I got my Paul brothers mixed up in this b-side. Apologies to any boxing fans. Though, true boxing fans probably don't know their Jake from their Logan either.Ben's meme banSince we covered all things LinkedIn in I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline, Ben's been more open-minded about the platform. He's even had some smash hit posts, though the experience left him “utterly underwhelmed”. He concedes there's that little dopamine hit from seeing red notifications. And being on the platform more has also led to him having more conversations, which is what it's all about of course. Ben's never had Facebook, so hasn't been exposed to the plethora of memes the rest of us have. I had to have a stern word to stop him tipping over into “what do you call a bread roll where you're from?” territory.Content pillars for the winBen mentioned how useful it was to have his “three words” from the personal branding episode. It’s helped him lean into LI a little bit more.One of his words was witty (coz he is) which gave him a bit more confidence to share posts he finds amusing. He's trying to be less formal and more off-the-cuff. I’m a fan. BUT Ben's actually let his LI presence slip since we recorded the b-side. Admittedly it’s the school holidays but SORT IT OUT, MCKINNEY *wags finger*Are you planning to get on LinkedIn more in 2025?We're here for you. Well, I am anyway. Ben might need to be dragged along with you.See you in 2025,Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and big kid Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogueReplays here…14 Handbags and Gladrags: Industry Awards ft Charles Commins and Fab Giovannetti13 You’re The Voice: Tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan12 Plug In Baby: Software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward11 Somebody Told Me: Referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson07 A Design For Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hello, Award-Winning-Copywriter Mel and Non-Award-Entering Ben here.Today’s episode is called Handbags And Gladrags. It’s all about industry awards and whether they’re worth entering as an indie business owner. Spoiler: Mel says yes.Industry awards don’t always come with a great reputation. I (Ben) have definitely been a bit sniffy about them in the past. But it’s been a lovely thing to see the joy and confidence that winning first place in the Brand Copywriting Category at the recent Women In Marketing Awards has brought Mel, as well as the deserved attention she’s received because of it. She also took home a cool little award which looks like one of the crystals off The Crystal Maze. I always wanted to go on that show. Although I’d have probably got myself locked in in the Science zone.Anyway, back to the show. We talked about why you should put yourself forward for awards in your industry. And what to look out for when checking if awards are reputable. Mel also talked about how the glow of winning reaches well beyond the adrenaline of the awards night. As well as the obvious confidence boost, the validation and promotion from industry peers and the feedback from the judge (copywriting legend Vikki Ross) has led directly on to Mel winning more work.An award-winning podcasterNo, not one of us (yet). Although, on that, we did set ourselves a challenge of winning (or at least entering the indie business club podcast into) an award next year. Our voice note comes from expert producer and award-winning podcast host Charles Commins. Charles voicenoted us on his way to Football Supporters Association awards, where his pod It’s All Cobblers To Me was nominated for Best Club Podcast Of The Year. He spoke about how winning the award in 2021 gave him and his business that little extra bit of oomph.Fab Fab’s fabulous shout-outThis week’s Your Friend And Mine is Fab Giovanetti, headteacher at the Alt Marketing School and host of Cowork Crew in Cambridge. Fab also hosts her own podcast, The Alt Marketing pod (which Mel and I have recently guested on :). She’s an absolute force for good and I’m so pleased she’s a friend-of-the-show.Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and on the indie business club LinkedIn page.See ya,Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and tall Swift fan Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogueReplays here…13 You’re The Voice: Tone Of Voice ft Nick Parker, Rishi Dastidar and Amy Nolan12 Plug In Baby: Software ft Jo Shock and Jack Chambers-Ward11 Somebody Told Me: Referrals ft Bob Burg and Penni and Jo Pickering10 Paranoid Android: AI vs creativity ft Tom Albrighton and Molly Scanlan09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson07 A Design For Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons00 What’s The Story? Podcast origins This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Today’s episode is called You’re The Voice, and we talk about what tone of voice is, why it’s important to you and your business, and how to get in touch with your own unique verbal identity. It’s a bit of a high-pressure episode because we both offer tone of voice work in our businesses (me as a freelancer, Ben as part of Copy Or Die, the copywriting agency he runs with friend of the show Dave Harland) and we kinda need to know what we’re talking about. Did we do ourselves justice? You decide. What is tone of voice?In a nutshell, tone of voice is the way you sound across all the places you use words. Your voice is the personality and the tone is how it’s adjusted depending on the context. You can fit in or stand out, depending on your brand. The famous buzzword bingo brands like Oatly, Innocent, and Liquid Death get a mention. But tone of voice isn’t just for “wacky” voices. It’s for immensely serious, professional, dare we say dull voices too. Why is it important?You’ve got a voice whether you like it or not, so we recommend that indie business owners and freelancers are aware of how they want to sound. The important thing is that you stay true to the brand/yourself. We talk a bit about how to get in touch with your own verbal identity including using “morning pages” (free-flow writing) to allow your voice to come out. For larger outfits, it’s important to have a guide that lets everyone “sing from the same hymn sheet”. A strong, consistent tone of voice can help your customers and wider network get to know, like, and trust you. Which, as we’ve covered in previous episodes, is the key to getting referrals and business leads. Voicenotes from voice peopleWe’re fortunate to have two fab voicenoters this time. Rishi Dastidar is a poet, tone of voice expert and brand copywriter who writes regularly for The Guardian. Nick Parker is an author and creator of Voicebox, a full tone of voice tool/system. He also has a short course that you might find useful when trying to spot which of his Eleven Primary Voices you identify with the most. You can also read more about tone of voice on Nick’s Substack Tone Knob. Voices in voicelandTo learn more about tone of voice, we suggest (as well as Rishi and Nick) you go follow people like…Vikki Ross (check out her bland book for what not to do)Jonathan Wilcock - SoWhatIf?Felicity Wild - Brand Language LabBethany Joy - Bethany’s beautiful websiteChris West - Strong LanguageYour Friend(s) And MineThis time we give a shout-out to long-term friend of the show, penfluencer, line tamer, and Freelancer Magazine’s number one doodler, Amy Nolan. Amy runs her illustration business inkypix4u and has a clipart shop where you can buy her doodles to use in your projects and presentations. Here’s one I bought earlier…but please don’t steal it coz it’s Amy’s IP.Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and on the indie business club LinkedIn page.See ya,Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and labrador Swiftie Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

There’s so much tech around nowadays, it’s hard to know where to start. Today’s episode is called Plug In Baby, and we talk about which software we use in our own indie businesses. Safe to say, we aren’t the techiest of bros. Tetchiest, more like.We’ve got a voicenote from exec VA and all-round processes legend Jo Shock, who talks us through what to consider when choosing your software. You can find Jo here, where she has a free Client Management Journey Checklist: Streamlines Virtual.In the episode, we cover all kinds of software from financial tools to streaming and client management stuff. Ultimately, we favour simple-to-use analogue tech without too many bells and whistles. Bring back music-only iPods!Ben’s software TL:DL just make friends with someone who knows how to use Canva 😏Your Friend And MineThis time we’re shouting out Jack Chambers-Ward. Jack works for Candour as Marketing and Partnerships Manager and hosts the Search With Candour podcast. He is also a published author and runs a very successful long-running pod called Sequelisers, all about movie sequels. Jack and Mel met at BrightonSEO, where Mel was dumbstruck to hear Jack listens to indie business club podcast. Our first listener in the wild! Jack lives in Norwich so Ben auto-likes him (kidding, he’s not a fan of ALL Norwich people... but he does like Jack). Maybe one day we’ll get to do a collab / crossover episode. Quick reminder, we’re both at Cowork Crew Cambridge tomorrow Friday 15th November. Ben’s speaking about how to be your own best customer. Mel’s at Cowork Crew Northampton next Thursday 21st November, speaking about how to find and use your unique voice. Annnd find us wherever you get your podcasts, and on the indie business club LinkedIn page.See ya,Mel & Ben🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

We met up in Norwich this week (thanks, half term) to plan out our upcoming episodes. We’ve got topics up to #20, but we always welcome suggestions. Themes include tone of voice (suggested by Amy Nolan), software, and copywriting (it’s probably about time).Today’s episode is called Somebody Told Me, and we talk about how inbound referrals can boost your business. We picked this theme because both of us have benefitted massively from inbound leads. When you’re recommended by someone else, onboarding the client is often a far simpler process. We got our longest voicenote yet, but we know you’ll forgive us when you hear it’s from a legend in the field of referral marketing, Bob Burg. He of “know, like, trust” fame. You might remember us taking about the principle on the Personal Branding episode, Shiny Happy People. Bob is a Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker on referrals, relationship building, and genuine influence. He co-authored the international bestseller, “The Go-Giver” and co-founded The Go-Giver® Success Vault. Bob outlines the four main benefits of marketing your business based on inbound referrals, including the borrowed influence and trust you get from being the name people suggest when you’re not in the room. Your Friend(s) And MineYou say Kah-bo, I say Kay-bo. Let’s call the whole thing off. Not really. Also, it’s Kabbo so we were both wrong. The people (that’s right, it’s a duo) we feature as this episode’s Your Friend(s) And Mine are partners in both business and in life. They run Kabo Creative, a website and graphic design studio. It’s Penni and Jo Pickering! They also run The Marketing Meetup Northampton with Elisha Horrocks, and the couple also founded Cowork Crew Northampton. Busy busy! You can find Penni and Jo on LinkedIn and at coworkcrew.com, kabocreative.com and The Marketing Meetup Northampton. Ben and I are both speaking at Cowork Crew in the next few weeks as it happens…Ben’s at Cowork Crew Cambridge on Friday 15th November, speaking about how to be your own best customer. We’ll both be there so come and say hi. Mel’s at Cowork Crew Northampton on Thursday 21st November, speaking about how to find and use your unique voice. Friends of the show Molly Scanlan, Ange Lyons and Tom Garfield are involved with Cowork Crew, too. Molly is hosting the new South East London Cowork Crew, with Ange as the first speaker on Friday 22nd November. Tom is setting up Central London Cowork Crew, launching soon. Sign up for updates. We know ALL the best people 😎Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and on the indie business club LinkedIn page.See ya,Mel & Ben🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogue01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock07 A Design for Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve Folland10 Paranoid Android: AI ft Tom Albrighton and Molly ScanlanFind our producer, theme composer and labrador Swiftie Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hi, Mel here,Today’s episode is called Paranoid Android, and it’s all about AI. Specifically, generative AI. Even more specifically, the large language model (LLM) kind. Think ChatGPT and the suchlike. This one's a re-record because my mic - despite being plugged in and switched on - wasn't picked up by the software. Even though the software said it was. I’m over it, though.Quick disclaimer...if you use AI, we aren't judging. We're just giving our views as (spoiler alert) humans who value human words.This episode includes a voicenote from one of the cleverest people we know, Tom Albrighton. Tom's author of multiple books including the most recent AI Can't Write, But You Can and you can find him at abccopywriting.com.Tom explains how the beauty of communication is that it's one human to another; something AI can never replicate. If nobody could be bothered to write it, why should we bother to read it?I mention some of the latest uses around AI I heard about when I spoke at BrightonSEO. Brands are now creating content with the specific intention of content being used to train up LLMs. The favoured method appears to be a hybrid "teammate" approach where brands use generative AI and have humans as the prompters and editors.We acknowledge we've been in an AI-less bubble, surrounded by people who are similarly as disenchanted with the whole prospect. Visiting a tech conference was an eye-opener for me regarding how widely used it is outside that bubble.Is it cheating to use gen-AI? Perhaps not if both parties agree to it first. We discuss the wider ethical considerations of using LLMs. For example, it's estimated to "cost" 500ml in water per 100 words ChatGPT generates. So the considerations go way beyond just contracts and disclosure.Some commenters have compared the cold, metallic churn of AI to how humans get inspired by other words and works of art/music. Ultimately we find this an incomplete, frankly insulting comparison. The human sum goes...inspiration + your skills + your life experience = unique creative outputWith AI, it's… input + prompt = unoriginal output We liken the creativity to wallpaper paste, to avoid offending fans of the colour beige and the flavour vanilla. Sorry, painters and decorators.For us, it comes down to a matter ofprofessional pridethe satisfaction of getting from A to B by earning it through mental effortquestionable ethics, on every levelicky vibesBut we asked the question, are we getting left behind? Will we look back and wish we'd embraced our robot overlords sooner? We're okay with going against the tide for now. Our advice to anyone who's concerned about the impact of AI...Start to differentiate what you offerStand out from the boring contentBecome essential to your clientsAsk yourself, “How am I different? How am I better?” There is so much you can do for your clients that AI just can't. So get out there and make it visible.We also highlight how important it is to have a strong verbal identity/tone of voice and subtly (shamelessly?) point out that we can both provide that service to clients. Sound guy (and sound guy) Ant finally gets his “personal brand” words we forgot to give him previously. And Ant’s band got a mention, too. Can you spot him?Your Friend And MineThis time we shout out a freelancer we respect for her short, funny and fact-sprinkled newsletter almost as much as we respect her for her ability to create low-carbon websites and speak at events. She’s also just a genuinely ace human we both have the honour of calling our friend. You can find Molly Scanlan on LinkedIn and at her website mollygetsitdone.com.Find us wherever you get your podcasts, and on the indie business club LinkedIn page.🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThe back catalogue01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock07 A Design for Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie Johnson09 Shiny Happy People: Personal brands ft Lea Turner and Steve FollandSee ya,Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and labrador Swiftie Ant Henderson on LinkedIn 🐶 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hallo, Ben here,Today’s episode is called Shiny Happy People, and it’s all about building a personal brand. Mel and I dig into what a personal brand actually is, and what having one might do for your business.Have you got a personal brand? Do you want one?? Do you need one???In this show, we’ll ask and answer all those questions and more. As a slight spoiler, Mel will say that we’ve all got a personal brand whether we like it or not, and I’ll try and get over the slightly icky feeling that leaning into my own personal brand leaves me with.Our voice note comes from a social media queen, Lea Turner, who tells us how she used her own personal brand to build a community that has changed her business and her life (P.S. Lea’s just launched her own podcast - here’s the Spotify link…).There’s a slight cringe moment where Mel and I try and describe our own and each other’s personal brands in three words (we’re both kinder to each other than we are to ourselves), and we finish the show with our famous Your Friend and Mine feature. This week it’s the inspirational Steve Folland from Being Freelance.Find us wherever you get your podcasts (or just listen by clicking the link above). And, as always, thanks for your support so far.The back catalogue01 Fools Gold: Pricing your projects ft. Tom Garfield and Ange Lyons02 It’s Oh So Quiet: Finding Clients ft. John Lyons and Bonnie Harrington03 All Together Now: Communities ft. Mark Masters and Ant Henderson04 A Little Respect: Client Relationships ft. Jodie Newman and Sophie Cross05 Flaming Lips: Public Speaking ft. Pascalle Bergmans, Becki Wilson and Nikki Pilkington06 I Bet You Look Good On The Timeline ft. Dave Harland and Jonathan Wilcock07 A Design for Life: Creating for yourself with guest co-host Dan Nelken ft. Penny Brazier and The McKinneys08 Chasing Rainbows: Business planning ft. Alastair Thomson and Melanie JohnsonFind, follow, and enjoy us…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audibleand on the indie business club LinkedIn page.See ya,Mel & BenFind our producer, theme composer and tallboy Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Hi, Mel and Ben here,Today’s episode is called Chasing Rainbows, and it’s all about business planning. There’s a strong theme of “do as we say, not as we do” in this episode 🙃. We both tend to approach our business planning with the start point of, “how do we want our family life to look?” We both have young children and share school run duties with Mr Barfield & Mrs McKinney. For others, business goals might be all about earning as much as possible even if it means working 80-hour weeks. Alastair Thomson’s book How to Build a Better Business Plan: A hands-on action guide for business owners is available here. The Business Model Canvas is available online, this page has an explainer video and download. Both Canva and Miro have templates so have a look if you have those pieces of software.We discuss how important it is to have ringfenced time to reflect on the business and plan ahead. Ben attends Phil Budd’s quarterly planning sessions and Mel is part of friend-of-the-show Jodie Newman’s Business Allotment, with monthly planning. We give a shout out to Melanie Johnson (aka Mel1). Mel’s from The Sussex Social, and her LinkedIn newsletter covers all things social media marketing. Do you have a business plan? What format do you use?Please follow, like, review, whatevs…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThanks for listening,Mel & BenFind our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and our indie business club page is also there. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

I’ve got a special guest co-host this time, because Ben’s been on paternity leave. This one’s called A Design For Life and features the lovely Dan Nelken. In this episode we talk about the importance of creating stuff for ourselves. It’s a long one, as we covered a lot of ground. Dan explains how adding structure into your routine can improve your creative output, even if it feels counterintuitive to try and control the flow.There's a science behind why we get our best ideas when we're relaxed but as Dan points out, people who are prolific in their output tend to have windows of time, processes and discipline.Copywriter and literal rockstar Penny Brazier tells us how being in bands (see Tiger Island on Instagram) has helped fuel her creativity as a writer. Expect meandering detours through other topics including alcohol (or lack of), karaoke, Dan’s brother’s band, an exclusive revelation about Dan's pinkie, Sophie Cross rapping, Seth Rogen's pottery, and whether Canadians use the term "seaside".Dan’s website has all the info you need to sign up to his newsletter, buy his course and his book. Find him at nelkencreative.comIf you’re in the UK, Dan’s book currently has 18% off on Amazon - have at it here.Please follow, like, review, all that good stuff…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleBen will be back on the mic next time, when we discuss business planning. As always, we’d love to get your feedback on the podcast so far and any topics you’d like us to cover.Thanks for listening,Mel & Ben (& Dan)Find our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn.Our indie business club page is also over there on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called I Bet You Look Good on the Timeline, and we’re talking about everyone’s favourite/most hated social media platform… LinkedIn. In the episode we talk about how incredible LinkedIn and how much Mel (hi) loves it. Ben is… slightly less enamoured.We went to top LinkerInner and Friend Of The Show Dave Harland for a voice note about the impact a single post can have.And as always, we shout out a fellow indie business owner we think is top notch. This time it’s Jonathan Wilcock, a copywriter and dungeon master at sowhatif.co.uk.When he’s not sweating over copy, Jonathan enjoys sweating over his victims, with his series Copywriters On The Rack. We’ve both had the honour of being squeezed for words.Read what Mel said on the RackRead what Ben said on the RackPlease follow, like, review, whatevs…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleIf you'd like the transcript (it keeps glitching) you can request it by emailing [email protected] for listening,Mel & BenFind our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn. Our indie business club page is also over there. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called Flaming Lips, and we’re talking about public speaking as a way to build your profile and attract more clients. We’ve both spoken on large stages, and one of the reasons we wanted to start a podcast was to…* improve our public speaking* get more speaking gigs, both in-person and on podcastsIn the talk we mention Ben’s speaker performances at Creator Day this year and at Copy Cabana in 2017, which you can watch here.In this episode, Pascalle Bergmans gives us her top tip for people who want to start delivering event talks. Her website is presentales.com.And as always we have our regular “Your Friend And Mine” feature where we big-up a fellow indie business owner we think is great.Please follow, like, review, whatevs…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThanks for listening,Mel & BenFind our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and our indie business club page is on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called A Little Respect, and we’re talking about Client Relationships.We’ve got a contribution from creative force of nature Jodie Newman at The Business Allotment and as always we shout out an indie business owner we think is ace. One thing that came out in the discussion is just how much running an indie business relies on having processes and boundaries in place. We also touch on the danger of falling into the classic “employee mindset” trap. But we also talk about how to surprise and delight your clients, which Jodie is especially great at.Please follow, like, review, whatevs…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThanks for listening,Mel & BenPS: #TacticalBumlickerFind our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn and our indie business club page is on LinkedIn too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

This episode is called All Together Now and we’re talking COMMUNITIES.We’ve both been part of various communities as freelancers, and in this episode we mention…Freelancer Magazine including its virtual co-working sessions and The Marketing Movement on LinkedIn by editor Sophie Cross.You Are The Media including the annual event Creator Day by Mark Masters (who features on the episode).Being Freelance, the community and podcast by Steve Folland.The usual beg to please follow, like, review, whatevs…Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and AudibleThanks for listening,Mel & BenFind our producer and theme composer Ant Henderson on LinkedIn - you’ll hear he’s taken absolute audio liberties during the “Your Friend And Mine” segment 😏And our indie business club page is on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Ben McKinney and Mel Barfield discuss strategies for attracting clients during economic downturns, emphasising the importance of diversifying marketing efforts, posting on LinkedIn, and avoiding relying solely on one platform or approach. They also discuss the value of authenticity, consistency, and specificity in leveraging social media platforms for business growth, and share tips for managing challenging clients and projects, including taking a step back to assess situations objectively. Finally, they touch on various aspects of freelancing, including marketing oneself, managing clients, and finding work. Fractional CMO and Hat fan John Lyons gives his advice on how indie business owners should market themselves. Mel and Ben give an indie business owner a much deserved shout out. https://barfieldandmckinney.substack.com/ https://www.indiebusinessclub.com/ Produced by Ant HendersonTheme by Ant Henderson This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Ben McKinney and Mel Barfield discuss pricing strategies for freelancers and small business owners. They emphasise the importance of understanding value propositions, having a sales process, and being confident in pricing. They also addressed gender disparities in confidence and pricing, with findings from Ben's call for writers revealing a consistent gap in rates charged by men and women. Mel and Ben also covered intricacies of pricing and payment, including managing client expectations, negotiating rates, and receiving upfront payment. They stressed the importance of setting fair prices, balancing flexibility with capacity, and prioritising the client's needs. Tom Garfield provides his take on pricing, and Mel and Ben give an indie business owner a much deserved shout out. https://barfieldandmckinney.substack.com/ https://www.indiebusinessclub.com/ Produced by Ant HendersonTheme by Ant Henderson This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

Mel Barfield and Ben McKinney have been learning all about podcasts.Especially about how microphones work. And how they don’t.First sound guy (and sound guy) Ant informed Ben his microphone was back to front. Then Ant insisted an episode be re-recorded because Mel’s mic was “way too hot”. All good fun though. This episode is “What’s The Story” - a shorter introductory episode to give some background to the podcast. Mel and Ben detail how indie business club came about and try to give one another's back stories. With mixed results.You can follow the podcast on…SpotifyApple podcastsAmazon MusicAudibleAnd follow indie business club on LinkedIn for random video snippets too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com

A podcast for independent creatives. Packed with tips, advice, and food for thought for freelancers, founders, and business owners in creative industries. Hosted by Mel Barfield and Ben McKinney. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com