How mentoring helped Rachel make her brand visible online

Rachel from Creative Active Lives worked with Digital Boost to help her understand how to reach new customers online who could benefit from her activity kits for adults and children with physical and learning difficulties, to grow her business in new directions.

Rachel is a single mum whose first business started ‘by accident’ when she discovered a talent for hula-hooping and circus tricks and started teaching adults with physical and learning difficulties.

She built her social-enterprise by working with occupational therapists and other experts in dance, art, and crafts, to adapt the skills. She has since taught thousands of people, specialising in care homes and those with dementia.

But the arrival of Covid-19 was devastating for her business.

With home-schooling her priority, Rachel was forced to put things on hold. But she needed to pay the bills and wanted to help. She created activity kits for STEM activities, beading, pottery-making and a sensory fidget box for children with autism and ADHD. She applied for grant-funding to set up a website and was successful.  

She wanted to build a new site that others could share, like a marketplace. But how to create something that was a brilliant user experience? That’s when she spotted Digital Boost on her LEP website and got in touch to set up a mentoring session.  

Rachel connected with a mentor at Google, a specialist in website development. He helped her navigate her way through the digital tools available, like Audience Finder and Reach Planner. She discovered she could explore potential customers and how to reach them by understanding, for example, their search behaviour for kids’ activities.

Rachel said: “I feel I’m winging it, but I’ve had amazing help. The mentor at Digital Boost helped me short-cut to finding my audience and making my brand visible online. I’m so grateful to Digital Boost and am lining up some more experts to help me explore more ways to grow the business.”

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