In 2023, we’ve been able to support thousands of businesses and offer countless hours of mentoring to help them grow.  This is all thanks to the amazing support of our mentors who all volunteer their time to help small businesses and charities. 

To show our appreciation, every year we announce our Mentors of the Year 🎉  These are mentors who have stood out to us through the support and energy that they’ve given to our community.  

Come and meet them here ⬇️

Most mentoring sessions - Ian D.

Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Ian from the BT team who has supported 117 businesses with his mentoring sessions this year! 

Ian is a huge champion for small businesses and we’re really lucky to have him supporting and cheering on our mentees!  You’ll find Ian hosting mentoring sessions and Masterclasses for our community, on a net-walk meeting small business owners, or running a JiJitsu class in his spare time. 

Ian is the Programme Manager for BT and has a huge skillset including Digital Marketing, Business strategy and more - all of which he brings to his mentoring sessions.  Through his skills and experience, Ian has been able to help amazing businesses from all over the UK to thrive.  You can read how he helped Gary to increase his sales by 1400% here and he’s also helped Keri from Snow Windows to maximise her Facebook ads so she’s generating 1000s of views on her ads!

Here’s what our mentees have to say about Ian: 

"Thank you for your feedback on my website strategy. Your no-nonsense approach was the prompt I needed to make the crucial changes to my strategy, messaging and website that I had been putting off for some time. I guess I just needed someone else to confirm what I already knew! It's got me unstuck and I now feel like I am making some real progress that's going to make all the difference! So thank you 🙏🏻"

"Ian is a great mentor who is definitely an expert in his field. I came away with so much more understanding into the areas of branding and marketing that I need right now. I am clearer about my next steps and that’s valuable, I can’t imagine how many mistakes or how costly my advertising would be without proper strategies in place. I’ve got some work to do and I’ll be looking for another session. I would highly recommend Ian to anyone having similar issues, he knows his work and explains it in such simple terms anyone will come away feeling the same. Thank you all at Digital Boost 🙏🏿 You’re providing an awesome service"

Most Masterclasses hosted - Louis I.

Meet Louis, one of the awesome mentors in our community who’s hosted the most Masterclasses for us this year! Louis is a Marketing Manager who after many years working in the digital world, went on to complete a Masters in Business in Madrid 😀

Louis is a joy to work with and his Masterclasses are fantastic.  Every presentation is well thought-out, provides the audience with tangible takeaways and always ensures that everyone leaves with more digital skills than they came with! This year Louis has hosted Masterclasses about sales, AI and customer experience to support our community as they grow their businesses.  

Here’s what Louis’ mentees had to say:

"Thank you so much for your time, Louis! I was left with so many takeaways and things to action upon... looking forward to putting some into practice. Appreciate your support."

"We wish to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for the remarkable guidance you provided in the area of website marketing. Your willingness to share your expertise and insights has made a profound impact on our understanding and approach to effectively promoting our website. Your mentorship has been invaluable in helping us navigate the complexities of online marketing strategies."

Marketing mentor - Gurpreet D.

The first, much-coveted award of Marketing Mentor goes to… Gurpreet! Gurpreet has been with us since 2021 and in that time he’s provided support to hundreds of businesses around the world. 

Gurpreet is an award-winning marketing expert with over 18 years helping businesses to deliver exceptional marketing strategies. He's also the founder of Digital D, a marketing agency that aims to create tangible marketing campaigns that convert!

What makes Gurpreet such an amazing mentor? He’s excellent at breaking down complex marketing problems and turning them into digestible and actionable steps for our businesses to take.  Our community particularly love how Gurpreet can tailor his advice to meet a mentee’s prior knowledge and how confident he leaves them feeling after the session! 

Here’s what Gurpreet’s mentees had to say: 

"It was a very informative and practical session. I learned in an hour more than I could in a day or two. Gurpreet helped me to understand how Google ads work and how to set it up. He was polite and professional, he is an expert in digital advertising. Highly recommended.

I'm immensely grateful for your guidance on how to increase traffic to our website. Your insights and advice have been invaluable. They did not only help me understand the intricacies of website marketing but also gave me the confidence to implement effective strategies to enhance my online presence. Your mentorship has truly made a positive impact."

Marketing Mentor (2!) - Tom P.

Marketing is such a massive topic and we simply couldn't pick one mentor! So let us introduce you to Tom from the BT team, our joint Marketing Mentor for 2023! 😊 Tom has been an enormous support to our community this year. He's helped our mentees to take their marketing to the next level and truly grow their businesses! He's been a particular support to Thalia and has helped her to keep growing Sparkle Lighting ✨

Tom mentors through BT's volunteering programme. He works on the Digital Products team and has experience leading teams to develop products from lifecycle right through to launch! His skills and experience are vital to helping our mentees to thrive and we're so grateful to have him volunteering his time to help our small businesses 😊

Here's what Tom's mentees had to say:

"Tom was a great mentor and helped me implement some changes to try and improve the results of my Google Ads campaigns. Thanks so much"

"Tom’s input has been immensely helpful in shaping my user feedback project."

Leadership mentor - Lisa

Lisa is the queen of leadership, so it’s a pleasure to be able to recognise her and her work this year! 

Lisa volunteers with us through our partners at NatWest and since she joined us in 2021, she’s been a total powerhouse.  She’s a regular Masterclass host, offers 1:1 mentoring to our community and even most recently joined us for our first in-person event as one of our expert speakers. 

Lisa is a finance lawyer, mentor, coach, entrepreneur and yoga teacher to name just a few of her amazing skills.  She strongly advocates for mindful leadership and brings her unique approach to holistic living into all areas of her mentoring.  We’re extremely lucky to have worked with her on so many projects and we look forward to many more in the future!

Here’s what Lisa’s mentees had to say: 

"I am so very grateful for the session. Lisa is a very engaged, encouraging, and constructive mentor. Her clear, composed, organised thinking is reassuring and helps to define a path.  I would love to keep her updated!"

"Lisa clearly genuinely wants to help and that came across. She was very patient with me and explained things well and gave me excellent advice. I'm very appreciative."

Business strategy mentor - Veronique

Meet Veronique, one of the new volunteers in our community this year! Since she joined us, she’s been a huge advocate for Digital Boost which we’re enormously grateful for.  With experience as a VP and board member, Veronique is well-placed to guide our small businesses through every stage of their journey. 

She’s been a massive support to our community and has thrown herself into mentoring, going on to host her first Masterclass all about networking in November! And even joining us for our first in-person event to offer speed mentoring to our audience.  Our community absolutely love Veronique and the support she gives 😀

Here’s what Veronique’s mentees had to say:

"Veronique was knowledgeable, giving and great at explaining ideas and processes. Thank you so much"

"A really informative and educational session but in a warm and friendly environment. Thank you."

Most enthusiastic mentor - Ceren

We’re excited to announce a new category for our awards this year, Most Enthusiastic Mentor of the year! We wanted to create this new category as we have so many incredible volunteers who are so passionate and excited about what they do with us which is so special to see 🥰

We couldn’t think of anyone better to receive this award than Ceren! She’s got the most infectious energy and brings such passion and enthusiasm to all her sessions.  She’s really pushed herself this year, signing up to host her first Masterclass with us which was a total success!  And she also joined us for our in-person event in November to offer speed mentoring to our community.

Ceren brings a wealth of knowledge to her mentoring sessions, having over 5 years under her belt in email marketing.  She’s one of our most specialised mentors and we’re grateful to have her supporting our mentees with their email marketing campaigns!

Here’s what Ceren’s mentees had to say: 

"Ceren was lovely, very pleasant to talk to and she provided really thoughtful, customised and helpful feedback on our email marketing. She was supportive, shared feedback in a very positive manner and took the time to answer all the questions we had. We look forward to implementing everything she shared and booking a follow-up meeting with her in a month's time. Thank you Ceren and Digital Boost!"

"Ceren was really helpful, she gave me great advice and ideas that were tailored to the type of business I run. Would highly recommend her, thank you!"

SEO mentor- Alan

We’re delighted to be recognising the voluntary work of Alan from Hedgehog Digital this year! SEO is a topic we’ve seen rising in popularity this year, and with this being such a key area that SMEs need to upskill in, it’s fantastic to have experts like Alan volunteering their time to our community. 

Alan is the founder of Hedgehog Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Cornwall with hubs in Bedford and São Paulo. He specialises in supporting organisations to drive relevant traffic to their websites through search engines! 

Alan’s support has enabled many members of our community to understand SEO and how it can help their businesses to grow! His mentoring has been invaluable and we’re so grateful for his support this year. 

Here’s what Alan’s mentees had to say: 

"It's immeasurably valuable to be able to speak to experts. I started with a very specific question, however soon realised that I had asked the wrong question... and what I needed to do was build strong foundations. Alan really understands the core principles of SEO and gave me a great push in the right direction. Thanks for help."

"Alan provided such valuable and informative information. He was patient and professional. I learnt so much and got so many amazing ideas, my mind is buzzing now, in such a short time, it was incredible. Thank you so much for your time!"

Money mentor - Kevin 

Understanding finance is a key area that many small businesses need to focus on, so we’re delighted to be able to recognise the support that Kevin has given to our SMEs this year! 

Kevin volunteers with us through our partners at NatWest and, given his extensive background as a chartered accountant, he’s fantastically placed to support our SMEs with all things finance. 

Kevin has a wonderful energy about him and he’s easy to talk to which puts so many of our mentees at easy 😀  Finance can often feel overwhelming for many business owners, but with experts like Kevin volunteering their time, it can feel that little bit less daunting. 

Here’s what Kevin’s mentees had to say: 

"The session with Kevin was truly exceptional. As a highly effective and commercially astute Chartered Accountant, his expertise was evident throughout the discussion. His ability to analyze complex financial matters with clarity was impressive. Kevin provided valuable insights that deepened my understanding of the project at hand. His guidance and practical advice instilled a sense of confidence in me, equipping me with the necessary tools to navigate challenges successfully."

Sales mentor - Colin 

Nailing sales can be a real sticking point for SMEs, but with a business mentor like Colin, sales can start to feel a lot more manageable!

Colin joined us way back in 2021 through our partners at BT, and in that time he’s been able to support many small businesses and charities to thrive.  With an extensive commercial background and experience in multiple industries and sectors, Colin is well-placed to support our community with their sales.  His passion for supporting small businesses is infectious and we’ve loved seeing all the amazing feedback Colin has received from our community over the years!

Here’s what Colin’s mentees had to say: 

"Colin is really helpful and gives new ideas and strategies in a professional, motivational way. I came away from the call with lots of exciting ideas!"

"Colin was well-prepared, curious, supportive and knowledgable. I felt immediate rapport and his suggestions were excellent"

AI mentor - John

Although AI has been around for a while, 2023 was definitely the year of AI 🤖  We saw a huge spike in demand for mentoring in AI and machine learning.  We’re big believers in digitisation and being ahead of the curve, so we were delighted to be able to offer AI as a new mentoring category this year, as well as to host a number of Masterclasses about ChatGPT and other popular AI tools. 

John from JMAC Marketing has been a huge support to us this year in this field.  He’s shared his knowledge of machine learning and AI through 1:1 sessions and Masterclasses to help our community upskill.  John is a fantastic mentor and what we loved about his Masterclasses is the way he made AI accessible for everyone, no matter where they were in their journey.  

For many small business owners, AI is way outside their comfort zone and is something brand new to learn.  So it’s fantastic to have mentors like John helping our community to upskill and future-proof their businesses! 

Here’s what John’s mentees had to say:

"John did a fantastic job. He was friendly, punctual, well-informed, and easy to get along with. It was a pleasure to talk to him about my business and future plans."

"John seemed to understand the situation I am in, but he was not judgemental, but he was very supportive and interested in me, my business and helping me find a solution."

Sustainability - Anthony

If AI was the topic that defined 2023, Sustainability was the quiet grower that closely followed in its footsteps.  With so many of us focusing on how we can individually do our part to create a greater future, it was fantastic to see the small business world following suit 💚 

Sustainability was another mentoring topic that we introduced this year with subtopics in carbon reduction, green products and responsible business practices. 

It was great to see so many of our mentors adding these skills to their profiles, and it’s why we wanted to highlight Anthony from the Aviva team this year!

Since joining us, he’s been able to support our community across several topics, including sustainability and development.  With his extensive knowledge in the corporate tech world, he’s well placed to help small businesses navigate the move to greener processes and it’s been a delight to have his support with this. 

Here’s what Anthony’s mentees had to say: 

"I wanted to thank you for the mentoring session we had today. Your thoughts towards sustainability and guidance throughout the session were extremely helpful and greatly appreciated."

Longest serving mentor - Emilie

This is another new category that we’ve added because we want to recognise the amazing mentors who’ve been with us right from the very start. 

Emilie joined us way back when we started in 2020 - in fact, she was the 8th volunteer to join our community!  During her time with us, she’s been able to support some amazing businesses and we’re so grateful that she’s gone on this journey with us 😀 

What Emilie’s mentees had to say: 

"My session with Emilie was fantastic. I found it really helpful in finding clarity with what I am about, where I am at, and the direction I want to head in. I found Emilie compassionate, wise and an amazing listener, instantly getting to the core of things and providing really clear support and guidance. Thank you!"

All-rounder - Emma 

It’s difficult to pick just one person who’s shone this year, BUT Emma from Fresh Approach Digital has totally blown us away this year.  So we’re super excited to announce her as our all-around mentor of the year!  She’s been with us since we first started in 2020 and in that time, she’s supported multiple founders to nail their business and marketing strategies. 

Emma is the founder of Fresh Approach Digital, a digital marketing agency that helps businesses to get noticed on social media.  With more and more businesses needing to adapt to the ever-evolving digital landscape, experts like Emma are more important than ever to support our community through these changes 🙌

This year Emma was also able to join us at our first-ever in-person event as a guest speaker! It was a really lovely full-circle moment given that Emma has been with us since the very beginning 🤗  Her enthusiasm for seeing small businesses thrive is infectious and we feel very lucky to have her in our community.

What Emma's mentees had to say:

"Hi Emma was very helpful. She boosted my confidence with enthusiasm and provided me with a technique to find my new business name. Emma also gave some feedback on the sponsorship strategy I applied for my main business. She didn't have an answer for some specific questions but got in touch with other professionals to find a solution - very appreciated."

Rising star - Henry 

So many incredible volunteers have joined our community this year and we’re very excited to announce Henry as our Rising Star of 2023! 

Henry began mentoring with us through the BT volunteering programme.  Henry is BT’s social media manager and brings a wealth of digital marketing experience to the community. 

Through BT’s volunteer programme, Henry was put forward to host a Digital Marketing Masterclass all about LinkedIn for our community. Leveraging social platforms like LinkedIn is really important for SMEs to grow, so we were delighted that Henry hosted this with us! 

With such a fantastic introduction to the community, it’s been amazing seeing Henry throw himself into the Digital Boost world. He joined us to offer speed mentoring at our in-person event in November and his mentees absolutely loved meeting him! Henry is already set to host more social media Masterclasses with us in 2024 and we’re very excited to see his star rise next year! ⭐

B2B sales - Max

Last, but definitely not least! Our B2B Sales mentor of the year is Max! Max joined our community earlier this year and since then has gone on to help numerous mentees to smash their B2B sales 💪

We’ve seen B2B sales mentoring requests rising in our community in the last 12 months so it’s been fantastic having the expertise of mentors like Max to guide our community on their journeys 🚀

Here’s what Max’s mentees had to say: 

"Max really helped me in my question, seems that he is an experienced professional in e-commerce and know everything about sales and career in this path. Our call was really helpful and we have managed to create a list of actions for me to achieve my goal. Thanks Max!"

Conclusion

We’re extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful community of volunteers, giving their time to founders and making a difference in the world. 

If you’ve ever volunteered with us, we just want to say a huge thank you - we appreciate you! 

If you’ve been inspired by our Mentors of the Year and fancy joining our community of volunteers - we’d love to have you onboard 🥳

Welcome to our 2023 Wrap Up!

This year feels like it has flown by! The Digital Boost team met in person to celebrate the festive season and we started to reflect on what we had achieved in the year. We quickly realised just how busy 2023 was for us, in the absolute best way possible! 🤩 If you haven't done a reflection for your small business yet, we would highly recommend it. Looking back at everything you've done for your business is a useful and rewarding activity as we don't often take the time to celebrate our wins as much as we should!

Our growing community 🥰 

Our growing community of people helping each other now includes nearly 4,000 volunteer mentors and 8,000+ entrepreneurs, 59% of whom identify as female. We've offered over 14,000 live hours of support for small businesses in 2023 alone and have now made 10,000 mentoring connections! 🥳

Highlights from 2023 🚀

This year, we've added lots of new ways for businesses to connect, including in-person events, peer learning, and hands-on clinics - all with a focus on driving real action and impact.

We've put together a timeline of our big highlights from each month & some of our personal favourites below ⬇️

A year of firsts 🙌

 🤩 We held our first in-person event in London - a day of learning, networking, and action planning, where we had 5 Masterclasses as well as 100 live mentoring sessions in one day!

🎓 We created mentor training resources for new and existing mentors

🚀 Six-week peer learning accelerators, where small businesses learn together and build a plan of action called Small Business Jumpstart with BT (we held 3 cohorts!)

🧑‍💻 We started running our monthly Planning Power Hour sessions too, which our community are loving!

🙋‍♀️ We launched dedicated communities on our platform, such as Royal Bank of Scotland's programme for Women in Business, through our white-label mentoring platform

Updates and new features ✨

If you've been part of our community for a while, you'll have noticed some changes to our appearance this year, including a more user-friendly navigation and this brand new website! We've also made some upgrades to our platform:

💌 We launched our messaging centre, making it easier for you to chat with your mentees and mentors - you can now send attachments too!

🙌 We also updated the mentoring topics we offer, including AI, Pricing, TikTok and more

🤝 We created a Community Requests area on our platform which allows mentors to pick up additional requests and help even more founders!

👋 We also created a rebooking link for mentors to share with mentees so they can book directly with them

Our plans for 2024 👀

We don't want to give too much away but we have BIG plans for 2024! We've been listening to your feedback and adding all of your requests to our to-do list and we're very excited for you to see what we've been working on. Stay tuned for more services all with the same goal - personalised support to help you grow your small business for free 🚀

As the world becomes even more digital, your website has to act as your online storefront. These 12 tips will improve your website and ensure you’re never losing a customer because of your site (or if you don't yet have a website, this'll come in handy when you're ready to start!).

Getting started

This blog is aimed at small business owners and charities who already have a website that they’re looking to improve.  But if you don’t have a website yet, this will also be a really useful checklist to ensure when you create your website, it’s practically perfect. 

Tip #1 - Text alignment

As humans, we like to read left to right, so when creating your website, ensure the text is left-aligned where possible.  This is particularly important on your homepage and above the fold.  We want to ensure that when your potential client visits your site, they can read the text as quickly as possible!

Tip #2 - Use clear CTAs

It sounds so simple, but you’d be surprised how many websites you land on that don’t tell the customer what they want them to do! 

CTA stands for ‘Call To Action’ and essentially it’s the action that you want your customer to take.

So for example, if you owned a stationery brand you might want the CTA on your homepage to be ‘Shop our collection’.

Keep your CTA simple and clear and above the fold if you can 😀

Tip #3 - Use accessible colours

It’s important to ensure any colour combinations you use on your website and in your branding our accessible to everyone. 

Although rose gold and white look lovely together (and were very popular recently!), it’s unfortunately not accessible for everyone. 

Not sure if your brand colours are accessible? Use this tool to check 🎨

If you need help with branding, our mentors are here to help! Request a mentoring call with one of our branding mentors here. 

Image taken from www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

Tip #4 - Use white space

One easy way to improve your website is to use more white space.  Simple right?!

When adding text or images to your site, factor in some white space around your content.  It helps to break up your content and make things easier to digest for your customers. 

Tip #5 - Nail your GDPR

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation.

On your website, you should have some form of GDPR consent.  This can look like a pop-up, a toast or a banner.  It needs to stop your customer from using the website until they’ve confirmed their consent.

GDPR can be tricky if it’s not something you’ve experienced before, so don’t struggle alone! We have mentors who can support you and ensure you’re GDPR compliant.  Request a free mentoring session here.

Tip #6 - Optimise for mobile

With over 50% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s more important than ever to optimise your website for mobile.  Not sure if your website is optimised? Simply grab your phone and Google your website! You’ll quickly see how layouts can differ when viewed on a mobile. 

If you need help optimising your website for mobile.  Our mentors can help! Click here to have a mentor review your website. 

Image taken from www.typeform.com

Tip #7 - Use social proof

Even if you’re relatively new to your business, we’re sure you’ve got a testimonial or two that you can use on your website.  Social proof is really important as it shows potential customers that you’re a trustworthy business with a proven track record of delivering your goods or services. 

So what does social proof look like? Social proof can be a page of testimonials or success stories on your blog.  It might be quotes from feedback you’ve received on your sales or home page to reassure customers that you’re safe to do business with.  

Top tip: Trustpilot and Google My Business are free to use and allow you to build up verified reviews.  Having verified reviews makes you even more trustworthy! They also both have widgets that can be embedded into your websites and shared on social media to celebrate all the amazing reviews you’re getting! 

Image taken from www.drowsysleepco.com

Tip #8 - Leverage your unique story

One easy way to improve your website is to leverage your unique story.  People buy from people, so make sure that when your customer lands on your site, they get a feel for your personality! 

Be confident sharing your story and why you do what you do. Even if you can’t share this on your homepage, make sure it’s shared on your ‘About’ page.  Top tip: include at least one photo of yourself on your About page so your customers know who they’re buying from! It helps your credibility and makes them feel they’re dealing with a real-life human

Tip #9 - break up big sections of text

Try breaking up big blocks of text so that they’re easier to read for your customer! Use subheadings, banners and images to break things up and add variety.  Subheadings in particular help clients access the information they need easily AND they count towards your SEO - so it’s a win-win! 

Tip #10 - Create a blog

Blogging can be a really easy way to improve your website’s performance.  A study found that the average company that blogs results in 55% more traffic.  Blogging also allows you to showcase how great your products and services are! 

Top tip: turn your FAQs into blog posts for easy content! If there are questions you routinely get asked about, try turning them into a blog post.  E.G. ‘Why we use polar fleece for our dog jackets’, ‘How to measure your dog for their coat’ etc. 

Bonus points: How-to guides can make great blog content and can create huge value for your audience. Try things like ‘How to use AI to maximise your time’, ‘How to create menus in Canva’ etc.

These blog posts all count towards your SEO and can be repurposed as evergreen content across your social media and newsletters too! So it’s worth investing the time in blogging. 

Image taken from www.lydiaelisemillen.com

Tip #11 - Use relevant images

Improving your website can be as simple as ensuring you have relevant images across your site.  It’s tempting to grab any placeholder image from a stock photo site.  But spend some time collecting images that are truly relevant to your business.  The more relevant the image, the stronger your branding and the better your trust from the customer! 

Top tip: when choosing images, ensure they’re good quality but that they’re not too big.  If your images are too big, you risk slowing down the speed of your site.  Likewise, don’t embed big videos onto your site.  Use streaming sites like YouTube or Vimeo to embed your videos and protect your site’s speed.

Tip #12 - Newsletter sign up

The final way to improve your website is to ensure you have a newsletter sign-up box.  Email lists aren’t dead and they can be an amazing way to connect with a warm audience. 

Ensure you have a newsletter sign-up box somewhere on your website.  Whether it’s a pop-up when you first land on the page, included in the footer, or a side pop-out, ensure it’s easy to find for your customer. 

Make sure your customer knows why they should sign up for your email list.  Maybe you’re offering a discount on your products, a free download, a discovery call, or just offering valuable advice and updates, make sure your customer is confident when they sign up. 

Top tip: Add your social media links alongside the email bar so that you can drive customers to your socials as well. 

Conclusion

With a few simple tweaks, it’s easy to improve your website and create an amazing customer experience that your audience will love! 

If you’re not sure where to start, we have mentors who can review your website in one of our free mentoring sessions and show you what needs changing. 

Last week, we held our very first in-person mentoring event at the NatWest Conference Centre in London. Over 100 small business owners and founders joined us to experience the power of mentoring in person.

It was an amazing day, and we wanted to take you behind the scenes and show you the impact that a mentoring event like this can have on small business owners! 

The vision

Our community absolutely love the mentoring and Masterclasses that we offer virtually through our platform and we kept that in mind when we started thinking about what we wanted our first-ever in-person event to include.

Mentoring is what we do best, so we wanted our audience to experience the power of in-person mentoring at this event! But we also know how integral our Masterclasses are in helping our founders to deepen their knowledge and digital skills. 

And most of all, we knew we wanted this event to help our community take action. So many small businesses struggle to put their learning into action, so we wanted everyone to leave our event knowing their next steps to grow their business 💪

And so we thought what better way to bring our platform to life than by facilitating an event where guests experienced in-person mentoring and live Masterclasses! 

The Event

Over 100 founders and mentors came down to London for a day of Masterclasses, mentoring and networking. As with everything we do here at Digital Boost, the day was totally free! Thanks to the kindness of our partners at NatWest we were able to provide an amazing breakfast and lunch reception which went down a treat with our guests! 

It was extremely important to us that there were no barriers to accessing this event. Absolutely everyone was welcome; whether you were someone with a dream, someone building a side hustle alongside their full-time job, or someone working full-time in their business looking to scale: everyone was welcome. This is what makes us different, there are no barriers to our support and we’re proud that we were able to stay true to that with our mentoring event.

The Masterclasses 

For this mentoring event, everything we designed was to help our small businesses to take action. So we set out to cover five main topics we thought would have the most bang for their buck. 

Mindset 

We kicked off our mentoring event with a Masterclass all about mindset. Having the right mindset as an entrepreneur can be the difference between success and failure.  

Lisa got everyone thinking about what a growth mindset looks like and how you could achieve it. Our guests worked through a series of prompts to reflect on their own mindset and how they could reprogramme some of the beliefs they had!

Business strategy

Getting out of the weeds of the day-to-day can be really hard for business owners, so we knew that we wanted to create a really simple yet actionable business strategy session for our guess. 

Karen, Managing Director of Digital Boost (and mentor / Masterclass host extraordinaire!), hosted this session and showed our guests how they could use a simple prioritisation matrix and SWOT analysis framework to grow their business. Our guests loved this session because they immediately highlighted areas of their business that they could prioritize and see huge growth in quickly!

Branding

Ian, one of our awesome volunteers from BT, led a session all about branding.  Branding can often be overlooked as the colours you choose for your business - but it’s so much more! 

Ian led our guests through a series of exercises to help them really think about what their brand is *actually* saying to their audience. All our guests left with a clearer idea of how they wanted their brand to be perceived.  And they left with a framework for creating a brand positioning statement to help guide their next steps as they grow their business!

Marketing

We were delighted to have Emma, one of our incredible volunteer mentors and founder of Fresh PR join us to host our Marketing Masterclass on the day. Emma joined us when we started way back in 2020, so it was a real full-circle moment to be able to invite her to our first in-person event! 

Emma gave an amazing Masterclass on the importance of Marketing for small businesses. Digital Marketing is a huge topic and one that can often leave founders overwhelmed and stuck in analysis paralysis. But Emma did an amazing job of stripping things back and sharing simple tips and ideas to leave our guests feeling empowered and ready to supercharge their marketing. For example, Emma spoke about the importance of having a plan for your marketing. Even if that plan is simply to post once a week on Instagram, just having that plan creates accountability and momentum. 

Pitching

To round of the day, we wanted to bring all of the things we learned together. So Lucy Guthrie from NatWest ran an incredible interactive session on how founders can create a captivating 30-second pitch.  

Our guests went away and used Lucy’s framework to work on their pitch and then some of them came on stage to put their pitch to the test. It was amazing to see so many of the guests step out of their comfort zone and pitch to a room of hundreds of business owners! The energy everyone brought to this session was incredible and everyone left saying how energised they felt afterwards. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalboost.org.uk/video/7304637425412787489

The Mentoring

As mentioned at the start of this blog, we really wanted mentoring to be the focus of this event.  As a business focused on 1:1 mentoring, we know just how powerful it is for small businesses, but we also know it can be daunting trying something for the first time. 

So we decided to try something new with this event, and put on a series of mini-mentoring sessions! These sessions ran for 20 minutes, just enough time to dig into a mentoring topic with a mentor and get quick tips to apply to their business, but quick enough that it didn’t feel too overwhelming for someone trying this for the first time! 

This was totally new concept for us, and we were so grateful to our amazing volunteer mentors who joined us on the day. They threw themselves into these sessions with passion and energy and they helped to deliver over 100 mentoring sessions in one day which was incredible. 

Our guests absolutely loved the mentoring sessions and we received amazing feedback.  Many of our guests went on to book follow-up mentoring sessions with their mentors, to continue learning and also stay on track with the plans that they set!

Meeting the founders

A highlight of this mentoring event was having the opportunity to invite founders that we’ve already mentored to join us on the day and share their experiences of building a business.  

Being a small business owner can be lonely, and often you’ve not got peers you can look to for inspiration or guidance. So it was really special to have some of our mentees join us for this event! 

They shared advice on how they’d built their businesses, lessons they’d learned along the way and how our mentoring had helped them to grow their businesses. The inspiration and energy that our mentees brought to the event was something else, and our guests absolutely loved hearing their inspiring stories! 

The Impact

We’re delighted to report that our first event was a huge success! Our guests left the event feeling ‘energised’ and inspired to keep working away on their businesses. Our volunteer mentors were blown away by the founders that they met and the conversations they had in their mentoring sessions. And as for our team, we were just over the moon to have brought so many amazing people together and see so much magic happen! We see this magic happen every day on our online platform, but there was something extra special about seeing it happen on such a big scale before our very eyes. 

We’ve had such an overwhelmingly positive reaction to our first event that we’re planning to host more in the future! If you’re interested in joining us for future events, make sure you’re in our community to be the first to hear 🥳

Finding it hard to keep up with the ever-changing social media landscape 🤯 We've got you covered with the best social media hashtags designed to boost your small business!

What is a hashtag and why do I need them?

Good question! A hashtag is just adding a '#' sign in front of a word on any of your social media posts. Hashtags act as a way to categorise content on social media platforms, making it easier for users to find content they'll enjoy.

Choosing the right hashtags can significantly impact the reach and effectiveness of your social media posts. If you're struggling to get your audience or new customers to see your content, using more targeted hashtags may be your ticket to success 🎟️

Instagram Hashtags for Small Businesses

1. #ShopLocal
2. #SupportSmallBusiness
3. #SmallBizSaturday
4. #ShopSmall
5. #BusinessOwner
6. #EntrepreneurLife
7. #ShopSmallBiz
8. #SmallBusinessLove
9. #BuyLocal
10. #SupportLocal
11. #ShopSmallBusiness
12. #ShopLocalShopSmall
13. #SmallBusinessSaturday
14. #SupportLocalBusiness
15. #SupportSmallBiz
16. #SmallBusinessOwners
17. #SmallBizLife
18. #IndependentBusiness
19. #LocalBusinessLove
20. #SmallBusinessSuccess

These hashtags will help you to connect with the wider small business community and engage potential customers who champion small businesses! Make sure to include hashtags that are relevant to your specific industry to get even more targeted with your hashtags.

TikTok Hashtags for Small Businesses

1. #SmallBizMagic
2. #BehindTheBusiness
3. #SmallBusinessHustle
4. #TikTokBizTips
5. #DIYBusiness
6. #SmallBusinessJourney
7. #BizTokCreators
8. #SmallBusiness
9. #SmallBusinessesRock
10. #ShopLocal
11. #SmallBizOwner
12. #SupportSmallBusiness
13. #SmallBizTikTok
14. #SmallBusinessTikTok
15. #SmallBiz
16. #SmallBusinessLover
17. #SmallBizUnboxing
18. #SmallBizTok
19. #TikTokforBusiness
20. #StartUp

TikTok is a very creative platform, so have some fun with your hashtags! Check out other creators and make note of what hashtags they're using and see how they can inspire your own unique content.

LinkedIn Hashtags for Small Businesses

1. #SmallBusiness
2. #Entrepreneurship
3. #BusinessOwners
4. #StartupLife
5. #SmallBizTips
6. #BusinessDevelopment
7. #SMBs
8. #LinkedInForBusiness
9. #BusinessLeadership
10. #SmallBusinessAdvice
11. #EntrepreneurMindset
12. #LeadershipDevelopment
13. #BusinessGrowth
14. #SMEs
15. #BusinessStrategy
16. #TeamCulture
17. #SmallBusinessInsights
18. #LeadershipSkills
19. #BusinessInnovation
20. #SmallBusinessOwner

LinkedIn tends to be more geared towards a professional audience, so these hashtags will work well with thought leadership posts and behind-the-scenes of what it's like being an entrepreneur! Again, it's important to dig deep into your niche and include specific hashtags for your industry.

X Hashtags for Small Businesses

1. #SmallBiz
2. #Entrepreneurship
3. #BusinessOwners
4. #Startups
5. #SMBs
6. #BizTips
7. #TwitterBusiness
8. #BusinessSuccess
9. #SmallBusinessLove
10. #ShopLocal
11. #SupportSmallBusiness
12. #BusinessStrategy
13. #MarketingTips
14. #EntrepreneurLife
15. #DigitalMarketing
16. #BizChat
17. #SmallBizSaturday
18. #BusinessGrowth
19. #SmallBusinessHustle
20. #SmallBizTalk

X (formerly Twitter) is very versatile and offers a range of topics to get involved in! So whether you're sharing small business advice, enticing customers, or talking about thought leadership, these hashtags will help you to get seen 👀 Remember to mix up your hashtags and keep an eye out for trending topics so you can get ahead of the curve!

YouTube Hashtags for Small Businesses

1. #SmallBusiness
2. #Entrepreneurship
3. #BusinessTips
4. #SmallBizSuccess
5. #StartupLife
6. #BusinessVlog
7. #YouTubeBusiness
8. #SmallBusinessOwners
9. #BusinessAdvice
10. #ShopLocal
11. #BehindTheBusiness
12. #SmallBizJourney
13. #BusinessTutorials
14. #BusinessInnovation
15. #EntrepreneurialMindset
16. #SmallBusinessHustle
17. #YouTubeForBusiness
18. #SmallBusinessCommunity
19. #CreativeBusiness
20. #VlogYourBusiness

YouTube is a platform where you can really get creative and show a more personal side to your business! These hashtags will help you to reach a wider audience and drive more brand awareness.

Facebook Hashtags for Small Businesses

1. #SmallBusiness
2. #ShopLocal
3. #SupportSmallBusiness
4. #BusinessOwners
5. #EntrepreneurLife
6. #LocalBusinessLove
7. #SmallBizSuccess
8. #FacebookBusiness
9. #ShopSmallBiz
10. #BusinessCommunity
11. #SmallBusinessSupport
12. #FBEntrepreneurs
13. #SmallBizTips
14. #StartupSaturday
15. #BusinessGrowth
16. #SmallBusinessSpotlight
17. #SmallBusinessSaturday
18. #LocalBusinessOwners
19. #SMBMarketing
20. #FacebookForBusiness

Facebook is one of the longest-standing platforms, but it's definitely still relevant! Try using these hashtags to really tap into the small business and local business communities and engage new customers there.

Final thoughts

Social media platforms are constantly evolving, so make sure to mix up your hashtags and find ones that work for you and your business. Keep an eye out for trending topics and get involved early if you can to stay ahead of the curve! And you might also find it useful to create hashtags that are unique to your business. It's a useful way to build your brand and also a great way to involve your customers in your content. We love Astrid and Miyu's #MusesofAM hashtag as an example of a unique hashtag you can create to involve your audience and build your brand!

Once you've worked out what hashtags you're going to try, use our Social Media for Small Businesses learning journey to ensure you've got a water-tight plan set up!

Need some help with your social media hashtags?

It can be hard to stay afloat of new trends and figure out how to be consistent with your content. So if you're struggling, why not book a 1:1 mentoring session with one of our social media mentors? They'll be able to review your current content with you and give you simple tips and tricks to grow your social media following!

Self-care is a term that’s been thrown around a lot, but what does self-care as an entrepreneur actually look like?

Being a small business owner is a rollercoaster, filled with opportunities and challenges. As founders, we pour our hearts and souls into our businesses, but this can take a toll on our wellbeing after a while. 

When you neglect your physical and mental health, it can lead to stress, burnout and overwhelm and it can feel pretty lonely too. But with the right tools and support, you can prioritise your wellbeing as an entrepreneur and ensure you’re set up for success.

Read on to find out what practical self-care rituals you can put in place as an entrepreneur.

Set Boundaries

• Setting clear boundaries in your business is essential for maintaining your wellbeing as an entrepreneur. It's all too easy to become consumed by the demands of your business, leading to burnout and stress.
• To create a healthier business-life balance, start by establishing working hours and sticking to them. Remember this is your business, so the traditional 9-5 doesn’t have to apply! Decide on what hours work for you and ensure you stick to them as much as possible.
• A key to maintaining this boundary is communicating them to your customers and your team. For example, if you outsource some of your work to a virtual assistant, make sure that they know that you’ll only be available 10am-3pm as those are your working hours. Communicating your boundaries to your audience can also be really helpful as a solopreneur as it better sets expectations! For example, if you’re closed over the Holidays to spend some time resting and recharging with family, a simple post on social media letting your audience know that your customer service will be closed during this time can create a better experience and allow you to maintain your boundaries!
• Make the most of new technologies to automate and streamline processes so that you can switch off whilst your business runs in the background! Use email and social media scheduling tools and meeting booking programmes like Calendly to run your business outside of your hours. Need help with this? Request a technology mentoring session here.

By setting these boundaries, you’ll create the space needed for self-care, quality time with loved ones, and the mental clarity needed to make great decisions for your business.  Remember, having boundaries isn’t selfish! It’s an important part of protecting your wellbeing and ensuring you can show up as the amazing founder that you are!

Create a healthy workspace

As tempting as it can be to work from your sofa in a snuggly pair of pyjamas, one of the best things you can do to support your wellbeing is to create a healthy workspace. 

• If you work from home, try designating one space in the house that will be your workspace.  Creating a designated space means that when you finish you’re working day, you’re not then also spending your free time in your “office”.  Don't forget, the space doesn’t have to be big! Even if it’s creating a cosy corner of your living room, just having that dedicated space will help your brain switch off. 
• When creating your workspace, try to keep it as clutter-free as possible! As the saying goes, a tidy space is a tidy mind. 
• Fill your space with things that light you up.  Whether that’s a picture of your pooch, lovely candles, matching stationery or just making sure you’ve got your favourite mug to hand, all these things will create a healthy and happy working space for you. 

Creating a workspace that you love that’s also functional will mean that you’re more productive and happy when working - which will lead to a better business! 

Manage your stress

We know how stressful it is to be an entrepreneur, but there are some tried and tested techniques that you can use to manage your stress. 

• Make sure you’re realistic with your time.  We all think we’ll be able to get 100s of tasks done in a day, but in reality, we all know we might only get 3 of them done in a day - and that’s okay! By being realistic with your time, you’ll be able to set deadlines that are actually achievable.  You’ll also put yourself under less pressure as you won’t be beating yourself up for not getting everything done that you set out to do! 
• Despite our best intentions, sometimes stress is unavoidable.  When you do start to feel stressed, try to take a step back if you can.  Get outside for a walk, cuddle a loved one, try a quick meditation to reset your mindset, or if you can, take a full break and come back to the task or stress at hand with a fresh mindset the next day!  Stepping back from your business will give you a chance to reset your mindset and approach the stress with a positive and solution-focused mind!
• Don’t suffer alone - there’s nothing worse than feeling stressed and not having anyone to talk through your problems with.  Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or even a mentor and try and find a solution to your problem together.  If you’ve not got a mentor yet and you want to give it a try, request a wellbeing session with one of our mentors.  They’ll be able to chat through the stress and challenges you’re facing and offer support and guidance to help you through 

Find your small business circle

Similarly to not suffering alone, it’s important to surround yourself with people who can support you.  Having emotional support from people who just *get it* can make all the difference to your wellbeing

• Join business communities - there are hundreds of communities out there who support and champion small businesses.  In these groups you can network, offer services, and meet friends for life! Being part of a community of like-minded people helps make your business journey a little less lonely!
• Check out virtual networking opportunities - amazing services like FSB run regular virtual networking events for small businesses.  These sessions allow you to meet founders from around the UK who you may never have bumped into! Meeting founders in different areas and industries to you will expand your business knowledge and better connect you with the small business community. 
• Find local friends - many areas will offer net-walking groups (Google them if you’ve not heard of them before, they’re so fun!), local business meetups and opportunities to get to know your local community.  Having connections with your local community will help you to feel more connected and stay in the loop about any nearby opportunities that might benefit your business! 
• Join online Masterclasses and events and get chatting in the comment section! Here at Digital Boost, we run virtual Masterclasses, networking sessions, and Planning Power Hours to help you connect and collaborate as you grow your business 💪 Check out all our upcoming sessions here.

Celebrate your wins

And finally, no matter how big or small, remember to celebrate all the wins you're having!

• Try ending your day by reviewing your tick list and finding one win. At first, you might find it tough to see the wins! But once you get into the habit this can be a really fun and easy way to celebrate the little wins you're seeing every day 🥳
• Taking the time to reflect on the progress and wins you're seeing daily, weekly and even monthly can be hugely motivating. And by finding those moments of positivity and celebration in your business, you create a more motivating and exciting environment for yourself!

As entrepreneurs, it's easy to get bogged down by what's gone wrong, but reflecting on what's going right is going to be game-changing for your mindset 🧠

Conclusion

Self-care is anything but a luxury for entrepreneurs.  Wellbeing should be a priority for every entrepreneur, as better wellbeing leads to happier founders and better businesses! 

If you give any of these practical tips a try, let us know so that we can celebrate with you 🎉

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If you’re on your wellbeing journey and want support, why not meet with one of our mentors?  All our mentoring is free and unlimited! In a wellbeing session, you’ll be able to work through your challenges and stresses with the support of a mentor.  Our mentors are amazing listeners and always give the kindest support as they know how hard it is to be a founder! 

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!

https://youtu.be/uLx_QP-5C_w

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!

📸 Sparkle Lighting Blog

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 👇

So, that grand plan you had for your business hasn't quite... well, gone to plan 😅 As entrepreneurs, our business journey is often squiggly and can feel like you're on a rollercoaster. But it can really take a toll on your wellbeing when things feel like they're constantly not going to plan.

It's important to reflect on your plans so that you can find a path forward - but you might be wondering, how do I do that?! Sarah Stewart is a time management coach and knows a thing or two about planning! Read on to find out Sarah's tips and tricks to get your plan back on track for success 💪

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As a time management coach, I’m a massive advocate of planning ahead of time. However, I was recently asked the question “If the plan doesn't work out, or isn't working; what then?”

Here's the steps I follow when I feel like things haven't gone to plan 👇

1. Reflect on what the plan actually was

Your next steps will totally depend on what your plan *actually* was in the first place. Plans will look different for everyone. You may have planned to launch a new product and missed your deadline, or you might have planned for a productive day, and have a child off school ill.

Reflecting on what your plan was will help you to work out your next steps to get back on track.

2. Remain calm

If you have gone off track, I think it's important to (try to) remain calm - I've been complimented on my calming influence a few times now in professional settings (my background is project management in the pharmaceutical industry), and I do think it's important to stay grounded. For me, my mindfulness practice helps with this. Take some slow breaths, and come into your body. Remember everything is fixable and nothing is permanent.

3. Acknowledge how you are feeling

Know that whatever you're feeling is totally normal. Depending on the situation, it might be that you want to write about how you're feeling (grab a pen and paper and see what comes out!). Or you might want to speak to a business friend or mentor and chat about what's happened. A problem shared is a problem halved.

3. Reflect

When you've been able to reset your mindset, you'll then be in a place where you can reflect on the situation calmly. It's a great time to objectively reflect on what was going well with your plan and what things could have gone better. These are important things to note down as they'll help you to improve in the future! Remember, failure is inevitable, but it's what we learn from it that sets us up for success.

4. Accept what's happened

I think there's also something around acceptance. Know that not all plans will work out, and that's also ok. Not everything is in your control.

5. Reasses

The next step might be to re-assess, perhaps coming back to your intention of the plan. Give some thought again to what your desired outcome of the plan is, and are you still shooting for this same goal post or are there some adjustments needed? Perhaps you weren't clear at the outset about what the endpoint was, and this may have caused some of the issues that you've encountered.

6. Readjust

I'd then start thinking about adjusting the plan or starting over with a Plan B. What options are on the table? If there are a few options available, can you consider the pros and cons of each to help with any decision-making? It might be that you want to sit with these for a while and decide how you feel about each before you make any moves. 

Get back on track

Once you've completed those steps, you don't have to rush back to creating a plan! As long as it's not a time-sensitive goal, you can always slow things down and create some headspace to really reflect on what your key business priorities are now. Use this time to get clear on where you're headed, and how you will measure your progress. 

Once you're ready, take action… even if it's messy and not perfect- you’ve got this!

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Sarah is one of the amazing businesses in our community that we've been able to support through our free business mentoring. We're so happy she's been able to give back to our community by sharing her unique skills to help others succeed!

If you're currently reworking a plan that fell through, why not book a free mentoring session with one of our mentors? We'd suggest requesting an 'initial diagnosis' call as this will help you to identify the needs of your business at this moment 💪 In no time at all, our mentors will help you to get back on track for success! 🙌

Black History Month is a chance for us to celebrate Black people around the world. And as a small business community, it's also a unique chance for us to reflect on how we can better support Black business owners. Whilst we support Black business owners all year round, it's important to us to challenge ourselves to keep doing better. Rather than being part of the noise, we want to offer practical ways to engage all year round. So we've compiled a list of ways to support Black-owned businesses throughout the year.

What is Black History Month?

Black History Month (BHM) is celebrated in October in the UK and February in the United States each year. It's a chance to recognise and honour the contributions and achievements of Black individuals around the world. BHM promotes a deeper understanding of ongoing systemic racism and discrimination, educating people around the world and offering and chance to unite and work towards a brighter future.

Why it’s important to support Black entrepreneurs

The Saïd Business School found that Black business owners numbered more than 10,000 in the UK and had a clear desire to support their communities. From this, we know that Black businesses create valuable jobs & opportunities and give back to local communities. Despite these soaring numbers and social responsibility goals, Black-owned businesses are disproportionately affected by a lack of funding and wealth equality. Backlight's Black Owned Business 2023 report found that BME founders were twice as likely to have given up equity in return for investment compared to white business owners.

At Digital Boost, our mission is to empower the next generation of business owners with the skills and knowledge that they need to grow their businesses. The disparity that affects both Black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs is clear to us. So we want to be a part of the change that gets us on the road to true equality.

So what can you do to support Black business owners year-round? 

Vote with your money

It's a cliche, but voting with your wallet can be the best way to support Black-owned businesses. It also shows the industry that there is demand for these businesses! You can find amazing creators on websites like Etsy and Not On The Highstreet to purchase products and support their businesses.

Amarachi is one of the amazing founders in our small business community who sells her products through Not On The Highstreet. She's the founder of Lucocoa, London's first bean-to-bar chocolatier. Every single Lucocoa bar is hand-made by Amarachi and her team in London! Amarachi started Lucocoa after realising that the chocolate industry was broken. Child and slave labour are present in many cocoa farms, so with Lucocoa, Amarachi is taking a stand! By working with farmers that she knows and trusts, she can ensure that her chocolate is totally free of slavery and fair for all.

You can check out Amarachi's amazing chocolate on her website here and follow her entrepreneurial journey here.

📸 image taken from www.lucocoachocolate.com/

Become a mentor

Helping business owners develop their skills is key to ensuring that Black business owners can thrive. If you have a skill that you're willing to share, you can become a Digital Boost mentor and start mentoring today! All our mentors are volunteers, so our mentoring allows you to give back to the small business community. Our mentoring is totally flexible to you and your schedule, so it's easier than ever to fit into your day!

Our platform allows you to indicate whether you'd specifically like to help certain underprivileged groups, so you can ensure you're giving your time to those who need it most.

Support on social media

We know it's a tough time financially for a lot of people, but support doesn't have to cost the earth! Engaging with the social media accounts of Black businesses can increase their reach and grow their audience 🚀 Next time you're on social media, remember to like and comment on any posts that you see - and if you can share or save the posts, even better!

Attend local events & pop-ups

Throughout the year lots of local events and pop-up shops are hosted to specifically support and promote Black-owned businesses. Check local Facebook groups and community newsletters to find out about upcoming events in your area and attend if you can!

One great example of this is Black Culture Market, which we've been able to support with our mentoring programmes. Black Culture Market offers Black business owners the opportunity to showcase and sell their products at iconic events across London. Black Culture Market exists to close the wealth gap and create more jobs and opportunities! You can find out more about Black Culture Market and the upcoming events here.

📸 image taken from www.blackculturemarket.co.uk/

Invest in Black business owners

The disparity in fundraising for Black business owners is well documented. Crunchbase has reported that Black entrepreneurs usually receive less than 2% of all VC dollars each year, and companies led by Black women receive less than 1% overall. This is why it's so important for investors to be aware of this disparity and take action to close this gap. If you're in a position to invest in a business, consider investing in a Black-owned business!

Collaborate

If you're a fellow business owner or creator, consider collaborating with Black-owned businesses throughout the year. Collaboration is a great way to show support for other business owners and also amplify the voices of others! Collaboration could be running a joint competition on your socials, inviting guest blogs on your website, or hosting a mini-event together 💜

Support legislative change

Use your voice to support legislative change in local and national arenas. There has been lots of momentum in these changes over the last few years, but it's important to keep pushing change forward! Sign petitions, talk to your local councillors and advocate for the change that you want to see.

Conclusion

There are many ways that you can support Black business owners throughout the year to ensure that equality is achieved for all. Whether you're investing, adding your voice to the movement, or buying from Black business owners, any small thing you do will go a long way to achieving this goal!

So you're a small business looking to fundraise - but how do you stand out from the crowd when you get to pitching?

Storytelling is a tried and tested technique that will take your pitch to the next level and unlock more funding for your business, here's how 👇

Why you should fundraise for your business

We're 99% sure if you're reading this blog that you know why you should be fundraising for your business, but just in case fate has landed you here, here's why you should fundraise 😊

When you're an entrepreneur, so much of those initial few years are based on you fronting all the costs of your business. This can take a toll, not only your bank account, but the growth of your business too. If you're ordering stock, trying to hire a team, or just generally growing your business, all of this hinges on the capital you have in your business.

It's a tough line to walk as an entrepreneur, but luckily there are lots of investors out there who have grants and pots of money to support you on your journey!

Finding investors

You know you're ready to grow your business, but how do you find investors?

There are lots of options out there, but a great place to start can be local growth hubs. These are government-run programmes that are often able to signpost you towards local grants and funds you may be eligible for.

You'll also find national grants on the government website which can be super helpful if you want to go for bigger grants and funds.

And finally, lots of corporate companies and charities offer private grants and funds to support their company-wide initiatives. It's worth checking out NatWest, The Prince's Trust, the Cartier Women's Initiative and other big corporations to see what funds or grants they may be backing 😊

What does a great fundraising pitch look like?

Okay, so you're ready to fundraise and you've got your pitch interview - but how do you create a pitch that stands out?

To keep it as simple as possible, you want to create a pitch deck that clearly shows your potential investors the problem you're tackling and the solution you're offering.

It's not groundbreaking, but by focusing clearly on the solution, you're quickly showing your investors that what you're aiming to do is focused and actionable!

But this alone won't make you stand out from the crowd, but this is where storytelling comes in. The only thing differentiating you from your competitors is your unique journey and mission so let's leverage that!

Keeping things simple

The first thing to remember when weaving your story into your business pitch is that it has to be as simple as possible.

The best way to do this is to imagine that everyone you're pitching to has never heard of you or your business before, they've not read your brief or your proposal so this is totally new information to them.

Some people prefer to do the '8-year old test' - if you were to pitch your idea to an 8-year old, would they understand what you do? If you answered yes, you've nailed the first part of your pitch! If you didn't pass the test, it's time to go back to the drawing board and simplify.

Crafting your unique story

As humans, stories help us to connect with one another. If you're not giving your investors the full story, they'll naturally fill in the blanks themselves which is what we want to avoid!

The more you tell your story and build that picture for your investors, the more they can connect with you and your dream, making them more likely to invest in you.

When crafting your story, ask yourself the following questions:

• What's my why? What inspired me to start this business? (Check out Simon Sinek's 'Start with why' for help with this)
• What unique lived experiences have influenced my business or the industry I'm working in?
• What shared thoughts and feelings can I draw upon to really engage my audience?

Bringing it all together

So now you've got your unique story written, it's time to bring it all together in your pitch deck. Remember the golden rule: the best salespeople are those who don't make you feel sold to. So try to weave your story into your pitch naturally - the best way to do this is to use your story as the starting point for your pitch and then build around it.

Once you have this nailed, you just need to make sure you're water-tight on those hard-hitting questions your investors may ask:

• Why do you want funding?
• What will this funding do for your business?
• What's your 5/10-year plan for the business?

And there you have it, that's how you can stand out from the crowd through storytelling when fundraising for your business 💪

If you'd like support to perfect your pitch deck, or fancy practising your actual pitch with an expert, our fundraising mentors are on hand to help!

Connecting with our small business mentors is totally free and unlimited, so why not give it a try 👇