Finding the right guidance can be transformative when you're a creative entrepreneur. Meet Kate, founder of Kate Walton Collections who's had this exact experience with Digital Boost! through Digital Boost's creative business mentoring, Kate's business is thriving 🚀
Kate is a talented artist who transformed her passion for painting into a flourishing wallpaper & prints business. Thanks to the support of her mentors Kate has been able to grow her business, securing deals with amazing interior brands and outgrowing her studio! You can watch Kate's interview here or read the full interview below 👇
A creative past
At the beginning of her journey, Kate created beautiful hand-painted murals. However, being a mother challenged her to start thinking differently about her business. On-site murals were becoming hard to juggle alongside childcare, so Kate began exploring other avenues for her business. With her love of painting, she found herself drawn to creating hand-painted wallpapers.
Whilst creating wallpaper was a new avenue for Kate, her designs found traction in the interiors space thanks to the beautiful designs that were inspired by Kate's countryside upbringing.
Navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship
Kate admits that those early days were more about 'rediscovering [her] identity as an artist'. She also says that when she first started her business, it didn't feel like a real business! As a creative starting a business, there's so much passion poured into your art sometimes it can be challenging to see the business side of things initially.
Although incredibly talented as an artist, Kate jokes that she wasn't the most organised when she first started her business. She acknowledges that she didn't necessarily have a business plan or marketing on her radar, so knew she needed support to grow her business!
Finding Digital Boost
Knowing that she needed strategic support, Kate found Digital Boost's free mentoring platform. Kate could browse thousands of mentors and filter by topics that she wanted support with to find the perfect mentors to meet her needs.
With Digital Boost, it meant I could really look through and find who was best suited to what I needed
Kate was supported with her business strategy, website and marketing by Digital Boost's mentors, and saw tangible results and a growth in confidence thanks to their mentorship.
The power of personalised support
With creative businesses, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't always work because the business is so unique! That's why Digital Boost's mentoring was the perfect fit for Kate and her business.
She was able to meet with experts 1:1 and get truly personalised support that addressed the needs of her unique business.
Kate was matched with Ian from the BT team to get help with her marketing! Ian volunteers his time to help small businesses through BT's longstanding partnership with Digital Boost 😊
SEO mentoring
Ian played a crucial role in helping Kate to navigate the challenges of running a creative business. He reviewed Kate's website and helped her to optimise it to increase website conversion. Focusing specifically on SEO optimisation, Ian helped Kate to upskill and learn all about SEO and how to use it to organically grow her business. SEO was totally new to Kate, but through Ian's support, she's now confident using tags and optimising her content to rank for SEO in her industry. Kate noted that her website had a 'complete turnaround' thanks to Ian's SEO support!
Building confidence
As a solopreneur and creative business owner, feedback can be hard to come by. This is why mentoring has been so impactful for Kate; having a mentor means she has access to feedback and can 'bounc[e] energies' and ideas with someone!
As a result of Digital Boost's mentoring, Kate feels less 'stressed' about her business. All her plans 'are laid out in [her] head in a more organised way' now thanks to mentoring!
Additionally, Kate has also seen her belief and self-confidence increase thanks to the support and championship of mentors like Ian!
Celebrating wins as a founder
When we asked Kate what she was most proud of, she had two wins!
She secured a collaboration with Lick, a luxury paint brand, that showcased 3 exclusive Kate Walton wallpaper - you can see the campaign here 😍
At the time of our interview, Kate had outgrown her studio and was building her dream space! ✨ Thanks to all her hard work and the support of her mentors, Kate's business is growing and we couldn't be prouder of how far she's come!
We're looking forward to seeing more gorgeous prints and wallpapers as Kate's business grows and we can't wait to see the new studio too 😍
If you've been inspired by Kate's mentoring story, why not try our mentoring for yourself!
We've got 1000s of volunteers ready to help you reach your business goals 🚀
Meet Nick: A Digital Boost Volunteer Business Mentor
We have a community of volunteer business mentors, all giving their time freely to support small businesses and charities! We're on a mission to share their experiences and hopefully inspire even more people to try their hand at mentoring. Today we'd love you to meet Nick from the NatWest team 😊
Nick is the Enterprise Manager for NatWest and he's passionate about helping small businesses to thrive! With over 28 years of experience, Nick shares his skills and knowledge with founders around the world through Digital Boost. He's dedicated to supporting micro-businesses and charities at every stage of their journey so they don't have to struggle alone.
We were lucky enough to interview Nick and hear about his experience as a volunteer business mentor!
Q: What motivates you to work with small businesses?
A: My passion for small businesses stems from a deep understanding of the challenges they face. Over the years, I've witnessed firsthand the dedication and resilience of micro-business owners, and it's truly inspiring. I believe in the importance of supporting these entrepreneurs; they're the backbone of not only the wider economy but local economies too.
Q: Why did you become a volunteer business mentor
A: Over the years I've been fortunate enough to accumulate a wealth of knowledge and experience. I feel a sense of duty to share this knowledge and give back to the next generation of business owners. Mentoring allows me to share lessons learned from my own journey, and share the experiences I've gained working with other entrepreneurs across my career. For me, it's the fuel and the inspiration I need to go about my day-to-day work. Any time I meet with a mentor I feel inspired and I pour that energy back into what I'm working on!
Q: Can you share a standout experience from your time with Digital Boost?
A: One particularly memorable experience was mentoring a determined founder who had been grappling with various challenges in their business. Over the course of several months, we worked together to address these obstacles and formulate a strategic plan for growth. Seeing the progress and success that this entrepreneur achieved was immensely gratifying. It just goes to show how much of a difference mentoring can make for founders, regardless of where they are in their journeys.
Q: How do you balance mentoring with your other responsibilities?
A: Balancing mentoring with my other responsibilities requires careful time management and flexibility. Fortunately, my role at NatWest provides me with the flexibility to integrate mentoring sessions into my schedule. I love seeing supporting founders, so I prioritise my time to meet regularly with mentees throughout the week.
Q: What have you learned from your experience as a mentor?
A: As a mentor, it's been really interesting seeing just how universal certain challenges are for business owners. Whether that's navigating the world of digital marketing or working out the logistics of running a business, many entrepreneurs face similar obstacles along their journey. As a mentor, I've gained so much insight into what affects founders and how I can tailor my skills and guidance to support them and their unique needs.
Q: How would you describe Digital Boost to potential users and volunteers?
A: For me, I think Digital Boost serves as a lifeline for entrepreneurs seeking guidance and support on their business journey. It provides a platform where individuals can tap into a wealth of expertise and resources, ranging from marketing and legal advice to funding opportunities. Similarly, for volunteers, it presents a chance to make a meaningful impact by sharing their knowledge and experiences with aspiring entrepreneurs.
Conclusion
Nick and all the volunteer business mentors on our platform make the world of difference to founders all around the world! And as Nick says, mentoring doesn't have to be complicated, it really is as a simple as offering founders the space to sound ideas and get clarity to move forward ✨ If you're inspired by Nick's story, we'd love to invite you to join our mentoring community.
Unlike other mentoring programmes our mentoring is flexible to your schedule, has no time commitment, and can be done from the comfort of wherever you are in the world 🌍
If you're ready to make a real difference, join our volunteer community here 👇
Meet Sue, the visionary behind National Forest Ebike Holidays! Sue runs a sustainable tourism business that offers electric bike and walking holidays in the National Forest. Sue's passion for nature led her to start her business, but she soon realised that she had a knowledge gap when it came to the digital world.
Sue describes herself as the ‘pre-computer’ generation, and she’s not alone! Digital Boost supports many entrepreneurs from all stages of life, and one of the main challenges is moving into the digital world. Thanks to the support of her mentors, Sue’s business is thriving and she’s seen organic traffic and bookings in her business thanks to her new digital skills.
Sue's Vision
Sue's journey began with a vision to offer unique, sustainable tourism experiences in an area of the UK often overlooked by traditional tourism. After exploring some off-the-beaten-track holidays in Germany, Sue saw an opportunity to showcase the hidden gems of the National Forest. With this vision,
National Forest E-bike Holidays was born!
📸 images from Diane Jarvis via National Forest Ebike Holidays
A passion-led business
National Forest Ebike Holidays, is more than just a business! It's a reflection of Sue’s deep-rooted love for nature and her desire to share its beauty with others. The National Forest has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last century. With the transition from coal mines to incredible greenery, the landscape has gone from ‘black to green’ thanks to the hard work of local conservationists. Inspired by this transformation, Sue is passionate about continuing this regeneration and educating guests through her sustainable tourism business.
Embracing Sustainability
Sue encourages guests to travel to the area in eco-friendly ways, taking the train or carpooling to create as little environmental impact as possible. Her tours are all focused on ‘leaving no trace’ and ensuring that her guests can enjoy the area of natural beauty whilst not damaging the landscape. Sue also donates money from each booking for tree planting so that she can positively impact her area! Every aspect of Sue’s business is beautifully thought out and a testament to her dedication to preserving her local area.
Impact of Digital Boost’s Mentoring
Coming from the ‘pre-computer era’, Sue says that she was looking for support to increase her online presence. With a 25-year background in marketing, Sue had all the "practical" marketing skills to build her business. But she didn't have the digital skills to confidently grow her business online. Sue needed support to reach a larger audience online, so she was introduced to Digital Boost through Leicestershire's Business Gateway programme.
Initially, Sue was looking for support with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to reach a new audience. But she admits that she didn’t really know much about digital marketing so thought mentoring could be the answer!
Digital Boost connected her with Jonny, a seasoned volunteer mentor who supported Sue as she moved into the digital marketing world.
Saving time and money
After meeting with Jonny, Sue soon realised that her business wasn’t ready for pay-per-click marketing. In her own words, she acknowledged that she had the website, the social media and the SEO. But there was more that she could do that wouldn’t cost her money before she needed to move into PPC.
Sue describes how Jonny helped her to look at her business as a whole. Rather than seeing her marketing as individual pieces, he helped her to see the bigger picture of her marketing strategy. He asked questions to get her thinking strategically so that she could understand how to align her marketing efforts with her goals.
By helping Sue step back and see the bigger picture, Jonny saved her an enormous amount of money and time! Sue says that rather than wasting time setting up PPC ads and ‘frittering’ away money without a strategy, Jonny’s guidance allowed Sue to take stock and double down on the organic marketing that she could do that wouldn’t cost her a penny!
Building confidence
Sue was blown away by the ‘quality of the mentoring’ and described her experience with Jonny as ‘incredible’. She noted that Jonny was an excellent listener and, not only was he really experienced, he was also an amazing teacher too! Jonny always ensured that Sue understood the topics they covered together in their mentoring sessions. As a result of Jonny’s mentorship, Sue saw her confidence grow! She left her mentoring session armed with new confidence and knowledge to take the digital world by storm.
Measurable Success
With the support of her mentors, Sue’s digital efforts have started to pay off! She’s increased traffic to her website and secured bookings which is an amazing achievement. We’re so proud of the progress that Sue has made with both her business and her confidence and we can't wait for more people to discover her incredible business!
We also loved hearing that we’re not the only ones celebrating Sue! National eBike Forest Holidays was awarded the Silver Award for sustainable tourism by Visit England in 2023! This is a huge milestone in Sue’s journey and a testament to her commitment, vision and hard work as she grows National Forest Ebike Holidays.
Conclusion
Sue had the vision and drive to grow her business, but needed the support of an expert to guide her as she ventured into the world of digital marketing. The advice of a mentor can make all the difference to small businesses as they navigate new territories like this.
Small businesses don’t have time and money to waste, and by having the support of her mentors, Sue was able to save money and still grow her business! And not only that, but as we’ve seen time and again here at Digital Boost, mentoring has unlocked new confidence for Sue. She now knows that whatever lies ahead in the Digital world, she can tackle it. And she’ll always have the support of Digital Boost’s mentors at her fingertips.
Whatever stage of business or life you’re at, our mentors can help! So if you’re a founder who needs to build their confidence and skills online, why not connect with our mentors and access free support?
The entrepreneurial journey often begins with a simple spark of inspiration, a desire to create something unique and personal. For Natalie, that spark ignited when she found herself in search of a phone case that truly reflected her personality. Dissatisfied with the generic options on the market, Natalie decided to take matters into her own hands - so Creative Banter was born! Having seen her family build many amazing businesses, she was inspired to create something of her own. Knowing she needed support, she turned to the small business mentoring offered by Digital Boost and Boost Lancashire and saw a huge shift in her business thanks to the mentorship she received!
From Personal Passion to Thriving Business
"It all started back in 2019," Natalie recalls. "I remember getting a new phone and wanting a case that was more than just a generic pattern. I wanted something that spoke to who I am." As an illustrator, Natalie was inspired to create a design that reflected her and her life and so she illustrated her very first phone case.
But what began as a personal project quickly evolved into something exciting! Natalie's friends and family loved the cases and soon she'd had many requests to create unique phone cases for her network. Natalie began this project whilst she was studying animation and was encouraged by her teachers to turn her passion for illustration into a business venture. She began slowly designing cases for her friends and families alongside her studies, and her small business was born!
The Evolution of Natalie's Business
Initially, it was a side hustle—a creative outlet that allowed Natalie to express herself and share her art with others. But as time went on, she realised that her illustrations held the potential for something greater. "I started to realise that this is actually what I love to do," Natalie reflects. "So, I expanded my offerings to include more than just phone cases—gifts like canvases and cushions."
Every step of Natalie's journey has been organic and fuelled by her own experiences as a customer. Having added these new offerings, Natalie again was inspired by her own experience when she was planning her wedding! "We were creating our own stationery for the wedding," Natalie shares. "And it hit me: Why am I not doing this for other people?". Once again inspired by her own experiences, she began to offer custom stationery services as part of her business and immediately had more friends and family queuing up for her services.
📸 Creative Banter
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Support
Natalie acknowledges that entrepreneurship isn't without its challenges, especially when it comes to financial constraints. "It's a struggle sometimes when you're like, but I'm broke," she admits candidly. In those early days of building a side-hustle, it can be hard to strike the balance between working a 9-5 and trying to break into a fully-fledged small business.
As so much of Natalie's early business came from friends and family, it didn't initially feel like a small business! But some key 'aha' moments marked a turning point for Natalie. One of those was the moment her phone notifications were blowing up with website visitors! Being discovered by customers who weren't her friends and family was a moment where Natalie realised she'd gone from passion project to true small business!
The Transformative Power of Mentorship
The support Natalie received from Boost Lancashire and Digital Boost proved instrumental in her entrepreneurial journey, providing guidance, mentorship, and invaluable resources to help her navigate the complexities of running a business.
Natalie's initial introduction to business support came through her sister's involvement with Boost Lancashire. Witnessing the growth and success of her sister's business under the guidance of a mentor, Natalie recognized the value of having a mentor of her own. Inspired by her sister's experiences, Natalie decided to seek out her own mentor through Boost Lancashire—a decision that proved immensely beneficial. "That was really good," Natalie reflects. "Because, again, there were things that I had no idea about, and they really helped me to figure out." From essential tasks like maintaining financial records to more complex aspects of business management, Natalie's Boost Lancashire mentor provided guidance and support every step of the way.
As Natalie's circumstances changed and she prepared to relocate to Surrey, Boost Lancashire introduced her to Digital Boost. "At the beginning, I thought it'd be a very similar [service]," Natalie recalls, "but then I was pleasantly surprised." As well as 1:1 mentoring, Digital Boost offered Masterclasses, accelerator programmes and networking sessions to support small businesses and charities! Having experienced personal support from Boost Lancashire, Natalie was impressed that a similar level of support could be accessed virtually through the Digital Boost platform - and all free of charge!
The Impact of Digital Boost on Natalie's Business
"Before, I didn't have access to all the knowledge that I need," Natalie reflects. "But coming to Digital Boost, it feels like I have access to the world's knowledge."
Through Digital Boost, Natalie was able to access a huge variety of mentors, who all brought unique perspectives and support that she could apply to her business. With over 70+ mentoring topics offered, Natalie had access to support in areas she didn't even know she needed!
Natalie has been lucky enough to be mentored by Ian from the BT team. Ian volunteers his time through Digital Boost to support small businesses and charities around the world. Ian is a Digital Marketing expert and has supported Natalie in developing her website, SEO, and brand positioning so that she can stand out in her market and get more customers! Natalie admits that before 'Digital Boost, no one was visiting my website'
Natalie describes how Ian will tell you how it is and isn't afraid to tell you when something isn't working in your business! She's found this to be immensely helpful as having constructive feedback has allowed her to develop a website that's working for her and her business. Thanks to Ian's support, Natalie's website is now getting discovered by new customers and generating more sales!
This was most impactful after Natalie attended her first wedding fayre with her business. She recalls how excited she was as it was on her 'bucket-list' and how many potential customers were blown away by the innovation of her designs. She even got noticed by the local press when they were blown away by her reversible seating plan, which includes an illustration of the happy couple on the back, so you don't have to throw the seating chart away after the day! With so much interest generated on the day, Natalie then had an amazing website to direct them to buy from her, all thanks to the mentorship of Ian 😊
📸 Creative Banter
Building Confidence
But what's changed most for Natalie as a result of mentoring is her confidence. For Natalie, having Ian's mentorship has been 'validating' and she doesn't underestimate the power that validation has had on her business journey. She acknowledges that confidence has been her 'weakness' on her journey. Every entrepreneur knows how hard it can be to put yourself out there and feel confident in what you're selling - it's normal! But for Natalie, having an expert like Ian look at her business and say that it's 'great' and better than other options on the market has been a huge confidence boost for her.
What struck Natalie was when Ian said to her: 'I believe in your business and I believe in your stuff'. Having a small business mentor believe in you, even when you're struggling to yourself, was game-changing for Natalie. With the support of Ian, she's gone from strength to strength and her business is flourishing.
Looking Ahead
As Natalie's confidence grows, so does her business! She's gone from strength to strength as a result of Digital Boost's small business mentoring and the future is very bright for Natalie.
Natalie's story is a testament to the power of mentoring and having someone in your corner cheering you on. Whether that's friends, family, other small business owners, or a mentor, never underestimate the power of your support system when building a business.
If you've been inspired by Natalie's story and would love to find out more about how our small business mentoring can support you, you can find out more here! 👇
"I can’t believe more people aren’t doing it. Everybody should be using Digital Boost"
With an extensive business background, Nicola was looking for support to grow the social media for her new sustainable small business. Thanks to Meta’s She Means Business programme, she found Digital Boost’s free mentoring and her business has since gone from strength to strength!
The journey to becoming an entrepreneur
Having been an entrepreneur since 2007, Nicola jokingly says she was practically ‘unemployable’ so a 9-5 job was never on the table for her. She’s a natural businesswoman, with a list on her phone of all the crazy inventions and ideas she’s had over the years. After exiting her first business, she knew she wanted to create something more, but none of her ideas were exciting her.
Eye-opening waste
📸 image from citytosea.org.uk
Based in Devon, Nicola spent much of the Pandemic exploring the local estuary with her children. She was horrified at how much plastic waste was washing into the estuary, and even more shocked at how much of it was menstrual waste.
In the UK, over 200,00 tonnes of menstrual waste goes to landfill every single year and can damage the environment like Nicola experienced.
Spending time cleaning up the estuary during the Pandemic ignited a passion in Nicola to address the period plastic issue. When she discovered this passion, Nicola knew it had to be her next business. She got ‘goose pimples’ and ‘that whoosh’ that made her know she was on the right track!
Support from Meta and NatWest
“Without the programme [...] I wouldn’t be where I am now”
After spending the first year of her business developing her products and researching manufacturers, Nicola knew she needed support to dive into the Digital world. Her business was a far cry from her previous business in the wine industry, so she knew she needed a helping hand.
Through NatWest, she found the application for Meta’s She Means Business programme. Nicola was one of 50 female founders selected out of over 3000 applications - something she’s immensely proud of.
Nicola credits the programme with giving her the push she needed to really digitalise her business. She says that without the programme, she ‘would still be sitting on the periphery of working in a digital market’ and wouldn’t have known how to take her business from idea to success.
Through the programme, Nicola received credits for Facebook Ads and support from Meta to develop an ad campaign. Social media for small businesses can feel daunting and it can be easy to feel boxed out by “the big players” when your budget is small. It’s why programmes like this are so important as they give amazing businesses like Power of Pants the chance to upskill and understand how to leverage social media to grow their businesses!
The programme also gave Nicola much-needed accountability and a focus that allowed her to move her business forward. Knowing that she had homework to complete, meetings to attend, and networking sessions to take advantage of motivated Nicola to complete the programme - leading to success!
Finding Digital Boost
The She Means Business programme was supported by NatWest and Digital Boost, with Digital Boost facilitating panel discussions, round-table sessions and unlimited free mentoring for the programme participants.
Nicola discovered Digital Boost through the programme and was totally blown away by the free mentoring and Masterclasses she could access.
Now, thanks to the ongoing support of Digital Boost’s mentors, a year on and things are ‘looking clearer’ for Nicola.
She acknowledges that she had everything she needed, but it was all ‘jumbled’ in her head before she found Digital Boost.
Social media for small businesses
During her mentoring sessions, Nicola has been able to get clarity around her ideal client and put this to work in her social media marketing.
With over 20 million potential ideal clients, ranging in age, circumstance and gender, Nicola had struggled to get clear on how to attract her dream customers.
She’s now worked with mentors to get clear on her audience, taken SEO Masterclasses, and had support to develop Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns.
Nicola credits Digital Boost with learning how to ‘really understand social media’. She’s learnt the ‘mechanics of how to do [social media]’ and ‘how to reach people’ which she says has been ‘invaluable’ for her business.
@powerofpants on Instagram
An 'amazing' introduction to Visa
"It was like the stars aligned’
Through their partnership with Visa, Digital Boost was able to invite Nicola to an exclusive mentoring day with members of the European Leadership team!
Nicola joined a 3-hour personalised workshop with two members of the team to workshop ideas to grow Nicola’s business.
Serendipitously, Nicola’s mentors were huge sporting advocates and realised her vision to challenge the way periods prevent many people from taking part in sports.
Through their network, they were able to introduce Nicola to key experts to support her as she took on this new challenge with her messaging.
For Nicola, having mentors not only offer advice but also show so much enthusiasm and open doors to further her business was invaluable. The confidence it gave her was unmatched and she left the workshop totally blown away by this newfound energy!
Impact
“[I] 100% would not be in the position I am now if I hadn’t done any of this and met the mentors and gone through the programmes”
It’s been an absolute delight to see Nicola go from strength thanks to the support she’s received from us and our partners at Meta, NatWest and Visa.
It just goes to show that no matter where you are in your business journey, or what previous experience you have, support is beneficial for everyone! And when it’s personalised through mentorship, there’s no limit to how much a business like Nicola’s can grow!
Want to get on track for success like Nicola did? Whether you’re looking for help with social media, strategy, marketing, fundraising or HR we’ve got you covered with our free mentoring for small businesses and charities!
After struggling to find beautiful lights for her home during a house renovation, Thalia noticed a gap in the market and took the leap to start building Sparkle Lighting. Sparkle Lighting has become a destination for beautiful and unique lighting. It's loved by interior accounts across the country and it's thriving thanks to Thalia's hard work!
Although Thalia had some PR and advertising experience, digital marketing was a whole new arena that she knew nothing about. It was a steep learning curve, but luckily Digital Boost was able to connect her with experts who helped her learn new digital skills to grow her business!
A gap in the market
Having had an extensive career in international sales, Thalia has worked in many environments! Before starting her business she had the chance to work in a start-up environment and absolutely loved it. After moving into a corporate role, the strain of the travel and office-based culture presented Thalia with a career crossroads. She could either continue in what she'd always done or take the leap to be her own boss!
After experiencing first-hand how hard it was to source beautiful lighting for her house renovation, Thalia had the idea to create a business that solved that problem. So she set out to create a destination site that specialised in sourcing gorgeous lighting and Sparkle Lighting was born ✨
Tuning into her customer's needs
Initially, Sparkle Lighting offered traditional lighting options for the home. However, Thalia's business truly took off 4 years ago when she decided to add pretty Christmas lights to her website. Her social media had been growing steadily, but after posting the newest addition to the site, Thalia's audience went wild for the new product! She started working on her SEO and leaning into this new niche that her audience was reacting so well to. Eventually adding a new children's and garden range, designed to suit her customers' needs all year round.
Needing digital marketing support
Despite coming from the world of PR and advertising, Thalia says herself that she had next to no digital marketing skills. She went on a 'steep learning' curve with her marketing, learning everything she could to adapt her skills to the new digital world.
Having undertaken some paid online courses, Thalia was intrigued when a friend recommended Digital Boost. Hearing it was a free resource where you could have hour-long calls with experts, for no cost at all, Thalia signed up to give it a go!
An amazing mentoring experience
Thalia signed up for her first mentoring call, totally unsure of what to expect. She came away delighted with the support that her mentor gave her! After learning the mentoring sessions were unlimited, she went on to book mentoring sessions in a whole range of topics!
"I just started realising that it was a real opportunity to talk to an expert about what you're doing"
Knowing that she needed support with digital marketing, Thalia was able to get super specific with the support that she wanted. She booked mentoring sessions with Google Ads and SEO mentors to help her develop her digital skills.
Getting unstuck
"It is quite a lonely existence starting your own business from scratch [...] and sometimes you get really stuck on something. [..] And you go on these [calls] and start talking to [a mentor] [...] and then by the end of it, you get this real excitement because you're getting all this insight and information!"
For Thalia, having some prior business knowledge set her up for success, but it didn't prepare her for how lonely the journey would be. Like many founders that Digital Boost supports, Thalia found solace in the accountability and friendly support that her mentors were able to give her. Being able to book regular mentoring sessions and get support "in the moment" allowed Thalia to keep overcoming hurdles that would have otherwise held her business growth back.
Personalised digital marketing support
Unlike other support programmes, Thalia recognised the power of the personalised support she received through Digital Boost. Whereas other programmes are focused on "one-to-many support", Thalia has seen immense growth thanks to the 1:1 support and personalisation of the mentoring she's received.
Digital marketing results
Since accessing Digital Boost's mentoring, Thalia has been able to develop her SEO skills, confidently doing the SEO for her own website and seing amazing results! And the best part? She doesn't just have generic SEO advice to follow, she's got advice that's tailored to the SEO goals of her business!
As part of her mentoring, she's been able to SEO her FAQs which have better served her customers and built her trust and authority as an online seller.
Unlocking new growth with Strive UK
Strive UK is a programme run by Mastercard that funds initiatives like Digital Boost to support micro and small businesses around the world.
Digital Boost was so impressed by the growth Thalia had seen from her mentoring sessions that they put her forward for a very special opportunity with the Strive UK team.
Strive UK produced a report about the impact of small businesses in the UK that was presented at the Houses of Parliament. As part of that presentation, Thalia had the opportunity to talk with members of parliament, showcase her products at a pop-up shop and even give a talk about how much mentoring has helped her business to grow!
The press around Strive UK's report also resulted in a Times Magazine feature and radio interview where Thalia had the chance to promote Sparkle Lighting. After the radio interview alone, Thalia went on to have a record day of sales!
What's next for Sparkle Lighting?
Since we interviewed Thalia, she's continued to meet with our mentors regularly, attend Masterclasses and join us for new Planning Power Hour sessions to keep the momentum in her business 💪 She's now working on her business strategy, aligning her plans with her goals, and getting clear on her KPIs and metrics so that she can grow even more 🚀
We're delighted to have been a part of Thalia's journey and we can't wait to keep supporting her as Sparkle Lighting grows even more!
Celebrating our mentors
The support that Thalia received wouldn't be possible without the kindness of corporate partners like Mastercard, BT, NatWest and so many others that make it possible for us to offer our mentoring totally free of charge.
Thalia was supported by incredible mentors like Tom and Ian from the BT team, Karen from the Digital Boost team, Maddie from Guide Dogs UK, Chris from Polything Marketing, Alvaro from Apple and so many other incredible volunteers who give their time to support founders.
If you're a small business and want to access our free mentoring, you can sign up here 👇
After a late ADHD diagnosis, Michelle set out on a mission to ensure no one else had to navigate this diagnosis alone. That's how her business, Find Your Spark was born. She spent over a decade building her incredible business whilst juggling freelance roles to sustain the business. It wasn't until she stumbled upon Digital Boost's free business mentoring in 2022 that everything changed.
In just 12 months, Michelle had unlocked clarity, gained accountability and tripled her client base! She now regularly features in press publications, is recognised as a leading expert in her industry, and is helping more people than ever thanks to the support of her mentors.
A personal diagnosis sparked Michelle's business mission
At the age of 37, Michelle received a late diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Prior to this diagnosis, she had no idea she had ADHD as the condition has historically been misunderstood, particularly in women. Growing up in the 90s, Michelle's condition went under the radar in school as ADHD wasn't recognised by the NHS until 2000. And when it came to Michelle's late diagnosis, ADHD services weren't available to adults so she had to navigate her diagnosis privately.
After going through this experience, Michelle was inspired to start her business in 2011. Initially focusing on young people at risk, Michelle wanted to help young people figure out what unique talents and skills they had and help them find their spark.
Having held down many full-time roles, Michelle realised she was more suited to the self-employed life where she could tap into her creativity, and give herself variety and flexibility and so Find Your Spark was born ✨
Taking the brave leap to self-employed life
Everyone's entrepreneurial journey is different and Michelle's is as unique as her! In 2011, she took the brave leap of faith to start Find Your Spark. She was also able to sustain a part-time freelance role that allowed her to build up her business. She admits that the first 9 months of building Find Your Spark were really tricky, but having that freelance income was a massive help. It gave her the breathing room she needed to build up her client base and increase her income.
By 2022, the business had grown so much that Michelle was able to go all-in on Find Your Spark, give it her full attention, and embark on making her business mission a reality 💪
Those ten years didn't come without doubts and Michelle admits that at times she did think about returning to full-time employment, but her determination saw her through and she kept at it and she's so glad that she did! She now has a thriving business that's helping people around the world and she's where she's meant to be ✨
Joining the #SheMeansBusiness programme and finding Digital Boost
Back in 2022, Michelle took a chance on a free programme run through Meta, the #SheMeansBusiness Bootcamp. Digital Boost partnered with Meta to support the winners and runners-up of their competition, providing a Bootcamp for the winners that featured 1:1 mentoring, exclusive Masterclasses and peer roundtables to help them develop as female founders. Despite not knowing what she'd signed up for, Michelle threw herself into the opportunity headfirst. She attended all of the live sessions and signed up for our free business mentoring.
Before Michelle found Digital Boost, she was being pulled in lots of different directions. She was trying to build her business alongside multiple freelance roles and felt like she wasn't clear about her 'why' or where her business was headed.
She was taking every opportunity open to her to find that clarity, and that's when she met Bethan, her Digital Boost mentor and long-term advisor!
Finding a mentor
When Michelle completed the #SheMeansBusiness Bootcamp, she decided to check out Digital Boost. She was able to immediately request free 1:1 mentoring sessions with experts from BT, NatWest and many other amazing corporations who encourage their employees to share their skills through Digital Boost's volunteering initiative.
Michelle is a big believer in fate and it was absolutely fate on the day that Bethan, a volunteer from Lloyds Banking Group, accepted Michelle's mentoring request! After that initial mentoring session, Bethan agreed to meet Michelle regularly to help support her on her business journey! They have consistently met every fortnight for the last 12 months 💪
The power of ongoing mentoring
When they first began working together, Michelle would come to the sessions with a rough list of what was going well with her business and what was not going so well. When they first started meeting in 2022, the 'not going well list' was quite a bit longer than the 'going well list'. As they've continued to work together, the 'not so good' list has all but disappeared! They have now begun working together on more strategy-focused sessions. Bethan is helping Michelle to figure out her offering, developing her programmes and pricing so that everything is strategic and not pulling Michelle in too many directions, whilst still maintaining the growth and momentum that Michelle is striving for.
Before Michelle met Bethan, she says herself that she had so many ideas that normally, she'd just do them all. Everything would be scattered and there'd be no thought process behind them, just action and reaction. But now she has Bethan's guidance, Michelle is carefully considering her ideas and thinking before she acts. She is moulding them to her ideal clients and marketing them in the right way. This clarity and structure have made Michelle's life so much easier! As well as freeing up her time, she is ensuring everything she puts out aligns with her brand and her audience's needs, which is a huge win!
A free 6-week programme unlocked the final piece of the jigsaw
Whilst receiving this ongoing mentoring, Michelle once again by chance saw an opportunity for more support. In collaboration with BT, we launched a brand new 6-week Jumpstart programme. The programme offered in-depth support designed to get small businesses back on track.
Michelle stumbled across the application on Instagram and thought, why not go for it? The programme took Michelle on a journey where she was able to get back to basics. She reconsidered her business mission, her ideal clients, and her marketing and finance options.
For Michelle, the structure of the programme was key to unlocking new success for her business. As a solopreneur, the weekly homework tasks kept Michelle on track, adding much-needed accountability to help her achieve her goals. She received invaluable feedback from the programme team, as well as support from BT's mentors. They helped her go deeper into the content and answer some longstanding questions she'd had about her business.
Rethinking Michelle's ideal client
One of these longstanding questions was, who is my ideal client? When she first started out, Michelle wanted to support young people at risk and help them unlock confidence. But as her business evolved and as she dug deeper into her own experience with ADHD, she felt called to add more of that into her offering. She realised she was in danger of becoming a jack of all trades, master of none.
That was until Michelle was able to reflect on her ideal client in the Jumpstart programme. She was guided to consider niching down in her business. When she considered who she truly wanted to support, she discovered that was parents of children diagnosed with ADHD. This would allow her to still support young people but in a way that she was never supported. She wanted to educate others earlier on! This was a lightbulb moment for Michelle, and once she honed in on this niche, her client base tripled!
She realised that having this niche didn't mean having fewer clients, it meant having more of the right clients. And once she'd made that mindset shift, she unlocked a new level of her business.
Leaning into Michelle's niche
When leaning into her niche, Michelle experienced some naysayers who questioned whether it was the right decision for her business. When you're a solo founder, it can be really hard to drown out the noise and not take on the opinions of others. But luckily, Michelle had Bethan's encouragement to tune into her intuition and do what's right for her and her business! With Bethan's encouragement, Michelle has stayed the course and is now turning clients away because she's so busy! She features regularly in the press having established herself as a leading voice in the ADHD support and coaching space.
The future of Find Your Spark
Michelle is now clear that her mission is to support as many people as possible with their ADHD diagnosis, and she's ready to continue growing Find Your Spark to make this dream a reality. Michelle regularly delivers ADHD support workshops and offers coaching and resources to her community, you can follow her journey here.
We're so proud to have been a part of Michelle's journey! We're delighted that our mentors and free programmes have been able to support Michelle at every stage of her journey. She's an absolute powerhouse of an entrepreneur and we look forward to continue supporting and cheering her on on her journey!
If you resonate with Michelle's story and want to unlock this clarity and growth, you can join our community and access free mentoring here.
Meet Ellie, our member of the month for July! With a focus on connecting people back to nature and protecting the environment, Ellie creates beautiful hand drawn illustrations and sustainably produces all her incredible cards and gifts! 💚
We caught up to find out all about her business and why she loves being in the Digital Boost community 🥰
Tell us a little bit about your business
I am an illustrator and print my artwork onto a range of cards, homewares, and gifts. After I had my kids I wanted to go back to my more creative roots (I was in graphic design previously) and wanted to prove it was possible to run a creative and GENUINELY sustainable business that made a profit. (I'm still working on that last bit...)
Taken from Ellie's Instagram @elliegood_illo
What's your favourite thing about being a small business owner?
I love the flexibility and freedom and control.
Let's chat about your business journey...
It all started when my second child was very small. I started making cards, printed in England on 100% recycled paper. People liked them and I quickly scaled up to selling online, selling wholesale and expanding my product range. Everything I make has to be useful or meaningful - and be made with closed-loop production or biodegradable. Over a year ago I employed a VA, who helped set up lots of systems as I found I was getting overwhelmed with all the different jobs I was doing. Last year I started using a brilliant fulfillment company, and I am hoping to outsource more jobs and create new product lines this year. It's still very hard work but it is good to know that I'm at a point where people love my products and I have a much clearer idea of the direction I want to take things in.
What made you decide to join Digital Boost?
I heard about it on an Instagram live with Holly Tucker and thought it sounded like such a brilliant resource. I have had some excellent advice and support, particularly on email marketing, from the mentors on the platform. I've recommended it to so many people!
What's changed or happened in your business since you started being mentored?
I've been more focused on the importance of email marketing, and I have also had a couple of sessions with people on SEO, so have got my head around that a little bit more too. The latter actually helped me realise that I can't take SEO on myself, so have outsourced that. It's great to have some basic understanding of what you're outsourcing though and the session definitely pushed me forward with that.
And finally, what's been the proudest moment with your business?
Two things! My notebooks were featured in the Guardian over a year ago and I still get hits from that today. Secondly, I've been working on a Sleep Journal with a life coach friend and we just won an award for it, so we are stoked about that!
Taken from Ellie's website, www.elliegood.co.uk 🧡
Want to try our free business mentoring for yourself? Click here to get started 👇
After discovering Digital Boost's free business mentoring, Gary couldn't believe there wasn't a catch! He was able to meet with expert mentors who helped him to develop his website and increase his sales by 1300% in just a few months 🚀
Meet Gary...
Gary is the genius behind YoBack, a revolutionary health & wellness product that's designed to ease back pain and improve posture! Having experienced back pain for many years following an accident, one day Gary had the idea to create a totally portable wheel that would allow users to stretch out their back, wherever they were in the world.
The idea was born on a napkin in a restaurant and within just a few months, Gary had mocked up the designs and was ready to take his idea to the world 💪
Image from YoBack
Finding free support
Having attended many virtual networking sessions with our partners at the FSB, Gary was introduced to Digital Boost! He joined a couple of Masterclasses before deciding to see if he could get some help with his website. He took the leap and within 24 hours he had a session booked with an eCommerce Website mentor!
"I called my partner up and said, 'this is amazing! I've just had a conversation for an hour and 20 minutes about my website [...] and it cost nothing, it's free! It's amazing"
Gary, Founder of YoBack
Visa mentoring day
After experiencing great results from his 1:1 mentoring, we decided to invite Gary to an exclusive Mentoring Day we were hosting with our partners at Visa. Throughout the year, we work with incredible industry partners to create special experiences that take mentoring to the next level. Gary was able to meet with some of Visa's top-level European team to discuss his product and by the end of his personal workshop, he'd come away with a whole new approach to his product and reimagined who his ideal client was!
Getting results
After realising how powerful mentoring is, Gary has gone up to become a Digital Boost regular, consistently booking sessions and taking steps to make his business better day by day 💪 Through our free mentoring programme, we've been able to support Gary with business strategy, export trade, conversion rate and so much more!
And through consistent hard work and support from our community, Gary has increased his sales by 1300%! 🚀
What Gary's mentors have to say about him
"Gary came to me with a great product, however the strategy did not fully encompass the amazing work he had been doing so far nor highlighting the full potential of the product. As a result we stripped everything back to basics, from the Website, the digital marketing proposal and business strategy to get a solid foundation and start again. Within the first few weeks we saw sales more than triple and since then Gary has pushed the brand into new platforms and exploring additional marketing opportunities which has seen a growing brand reputation and sales increasing. I am very happy to have played a part in his business and no doubt his early retirement."
Ian D., BT mentor
Watch Gary's full story here
Want to see how mentoring can help your business?
Meet John, our Mentor of the Month for May! 🎉
This week marks John's 2-year anniversary volunteering with Digital Boost, so we caught up with him to find out why he loves mentoring small businesses 🧡
Where are you based in the world?
Belfast, Ireland
What's your day job?
Regional Ecosystem Manager at Ulster Bank and Dealmaker for Department for Business and Trade
What's one thing you're amazing at?
Taking complex things and simplifying them down... or in a word, storytelling.
What do you love about mentoring small businesses and charities?
Being able to play a small part in helping someone move closer to their dream is what brings me happiness.
If you could start your own business, what would it be and why?
I have, I previously launched a wifi software company. Next time it'll definitely be something more fun. As an ex-food critic, I'd definitely love to build something that crosses over food and tech.
What's one top tip you always share with small businesses?
Saying you're an expert and mentor is easy to do on LinkedIn, but it doesn't make it true. Just because you see someone wearing a vintage Nirvana 1992 Reading Festival t-shirt doesn't mean they were at one of the most iconic concerts of all time. Investors do diligence on entrepreneurs before investing money into a business. You're basing strategic decisions on an expert's advice. Make sure you've done your own diligence to know you can rely on that advice.
If you could sit next to one famous person at a dinner party (dead or alive) who would you choose and why?
I like a raucous party, so I'll pivot and say my dinner party is loud (with a mix of punk and grunge music blasting) so everyone can dance. And I'll invite along Kurt Cobain, Joan Jett, and Anthony Bourdain.