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When did you last invest in yourself?

So, I did something scary. I took the plunge, faced my biggest fears, and I made an investment in MYSELF.

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the_victoriabrown

Host of @creativeslurppodcast
Local leader for @e_nation
📍 Solihull, UK
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It’s been a really tough year for us all, but wo

It’s been a really tough year for us all, but would it have helped if you’d had a bunch of awesome people cheering you on throughout the year to help keep you on track?

After being a solo business owner for a few years, there’s one thing that’s helped me progress and stay on track more than ANYTHING else…and that’s having people in my corner, a community that helps to keep me accountable.

So this year, I’ve decided to create the Accountability Club - a place where amazing small business owners like you can come together once a month to review their goals and look ahead to the next month.

Accountability is a game changer for your businesses, and I’m excited about what it could do for YOU. So if you’re dreaming of making enough money to spend next Christmas in the Bahamas, or simply taking your business to a place where things feel easier, this could help.

You get together with us once a month on a live Zoom call (during working hours, but there’ll be a recording if you can’t make it one time) and we go look back at our goals for last month and look ahead to the next month. I’ll also answer any questions you have about goal setting.

It’s £15 a month, but until Friday 9 December only - I’ve got a special offer - of just £97 for the WHOLE YEAR plus a BONUS copy of The Creative’s Productivity Toolbox (worth £37).

That’s a total saving of £120 if you sign up by Friday!

If you want to join us, make some awesome new business buddies and smash 2023, then drop me a DM to find out more.

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#productivityhabits #productivitycoach #productivityplanner #productivitytools #productivitytip #productivityhack #100daysofproductivity #productivityquotes #productivitycoaching #productivityatitsfinest #productivityinbusiness #productivityapp #productivitychallenge #increaseproductivity #jobsiteproductivity #productivityimprovement #productivityboost #workculture #isetups #startwithwhy #todolists #productivemorning #studyharder #flexiblework #worklifestyle #membership #club #accountabilityclub #smallbusinesscoach

“I want to get organised (not overwhelmed) by my

“I want to get organised (not overwhelmed) by my to do list and make the habit stick beyond a few days.”

Sound familiar?

You know how it goes. You’re so excited to be at the beginning of a sparkling new year - with a clean slate, a fresh set of goals and a renewed sense of commitment to my business, your goals and your success. You’ve GOT this!

Then, you get a little overwhelmed by everything you need to do in your shiny new planner at the end of the month, and you put off reviewing your goals. Then because you don’t see the progress you don’t even bother setting any more goals or taking action. You end up in a vicious circle of despair.

Before you know it - urgh - that sinking feeling as you turn over the calendar feeling like a failure, wondering how it’s the 1st of December already?

It sucks.

Imagine instead having a planner that is simple and easy to follow, is flexible to your needs and is designed around your wonderfully creative brain.

It’s so easy to use, you actually end up using it! It helps you to form a planning habit you can actually stick to, and you feel in complete control.

Introducing the Creative’s Productivity Toolbox - the planner you’ll actually use.

Dream big goals for the year and learn how to actually make them into a reality using digital yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goal setting and planning tools and see your whole life at a glance in the Work/life balance wall planner. If you’re a visual person, there’s even doodle space, a printable wall calendar and printable inspirational wall prints to keep you going.

And it also includes a FREE live goal-setting workshop which will hold your hand and take you through how to set the right goals for the coming year.

2023 could be YOUR year…grab your Creative’s Productivity Toolbox now for your most productive year ever.

Available now at thevictoriabrown.com

What's your fave way to stay productive? It's har

What's your fave way to stay productive?

It's hard for small business owners, like you, who metaphorically wear *all* the hats - tea maker, accountant, Head of production, CEO and Marketing Director etc etc etc.

And whilst you shouldn't expect to do everything perfectly productively (as it doesn't exist) there ARE tools you can use to help you be more productive, and most of them have the added bonus that they help you to feel more in control and less stressed!

In this episode of Creative Slurp Podcast, I spill the beans on 12 proven productivity tools that I've tried, and found to be useful at various times in my business.

Check out this week's episode of Creative Slurp wherever you get your podcast-y goodness, or click on the link in the bio:
thevictoriabrown.com/podcast

🎉🎉 Woo hoo! 🎈Announcement alert: here’s

🎉🎉 Woo hoo! 🎈Announcement alert: here’s my Top 12 who have made it onto my wall calendar (in the Creative’s Productivity Toolbox - available v soon!)

A huge well done to @alisonhannahclayworks @handmade.bytinni @emma_giacalone_textiles @clairehowardjewellery @clarelloydjewellery @ipoppet_uk @keeleytraae_3d @lisastickley_studio @deborahbeckjewellery @lucydorothyart @lucyspinkjewellery and @westernsketch for being selected!

A massive thank you to everyone that entered, it was really tough to choose a winner as there were so many fab businesses ☺️

The calendar is part of the Creative’s Productivity Toolbox is going on sale with a special early bird offer to subscribers very soon…so get yourself on my email list if you’re interested in making 2023 a year to remember!

This 50 page digital toolbox (plus free bonus workshop) could be just what you need to spur you into action next year and will help to teach you how to stay as productive as possible (without the stress).

It’s been totally overhauled since last year and I’m so proud of what it could help small business owners achieve. So if you want to make 2024 bigger and better than ever (or simply more manageable) then you’ll want to get hold of this. ❤️

Coming VERY soon (as in this week!) and if you’r

Did you know the invention of the post-it note hap

Did you know the invention of the post-it note happened completely by accident?

There was a scientist called Spencer Silver, trying to invent a super sticky kind of glue for aircrafts. Instead he ended up discovering a low-tack kind of adhesive. He didn’t find a use for it. Yet.

A while passed and another scientist, Art Fry, was using scraps of paper to mark hymns for his choir pracice. He realised that using Spencer’s low stick glue on his notes that he could put them on the book without damaging the book. And voila, Post-its were born!

Quite often we’re striving for perfection in life, but so often the best things are happy accidents, and things we don’t plan.

Remember the time you took an impromptu trip somewhere, how good did it feel?

😄😄😄

But to get those happy accidents we have to colour outside the lines. It’s that willing to take messy action and just do something that helps us make the most progress and is the most enriching. Yet, for some reason, we beat ourselves up for colouring outside the lines, for experimenting.

🖍Give yourself permission to colour outside the lines, and see what happens...

Creative Slurp Live - 7 golden rules of Social Med

Creative Slurp Live - 7 golden rules of Social Media - part two!

So this week I’m going through the 3rd and 4th Golden Rules of Social Media - Consistency and Batching and Scheduling.

Find out why it’s important to stay consistent, how to do it and why you must be batching your social media content if you want to maximise your time.

To download your FREE guide on the 7 Golden Rules of Social Media then check out the link in the bio.

What a story! She honestly thought her business wo

What a story! She honestly thought her business wouldn't survive the pandemic - orders were being cancelled and her staff were all furloughed. But what Poppy did next (with the help of her customers) not only saved her business, but actually transformed it!

@poppytreffry is an award-winning Cornish textile designer (specialising in freehand machine embroidery) that started her business in an attic with a 1930’s sewing machine and car boot sale fabric in 2003. When she started freehand machine embroidery wasn't even really a thing! She now has a well-established business employing an army of sewers across rural Cornwall. She's been stocked in some huge names, like Liberty and John Lewis and after nearly 20 years in business, still loves what she does.

Listen to this week's Creative Slurp Podcast episode (link in bio) to hear her tell her story.

Or go to the link here on a desktop: thevictoriabrown.com/podcast - or listen on Apple, Google, Spotify etc.

I really enjoyed our chat and Poppy’s obvious passion, not just for craft, but also business. I can’t wait to share her story with you, as well as tell you how her customers came to the rescue during the pandemic. This is a lesson in following your gut and going for it - enjoy the podcast episode! 🎧

@JUSTACARD / #indieweek I'm just so proud to be

@JUSTACARD / #indieweek

I'm just so proud to be helping with this mission in any way I can, as it's what I'm all about.

With a background in Journalism, Corporate comms, a lifelong love of crafting and a sidehustle Jewellery biz, I decided to start a blog in 2019 (with a baby and toddler in tow, as you do) to help promote artisan jewellers.

To me, it made no sense that no-one knew about these amazing craftspeople out there, and consumers were being shortchanged by thinking that the only jewellery available to them was what they could find on the High St. It was that thought that galvanised me into action and made me Google "How to start a blog" the evening I first had the idea (despite that voice in my ear telling me it was a bad idea with a baby and a toddler - but I've always been a bit of a rebel 😂

Three years (and a pandemic) on, I'm now full-time helping creative business owners with their marketing - it's my mission to help these talented craftspeople be seen by their potential customers. I do this through my podcast - Creative Slurp - that's been in the Apple Top 40 for entrepreneurs, through 1-1 coaching, writing services and group virtual workshops. I absolutely love seeing what people are capable of and seeing talented people making a living from something they love.

I'm fully on board with the mission for #justacard and will be supporting Sarah and the team in every way I can - including sporting my natty pin.

Please help support the campaign by posting, sharing and commenting (and of course, by buying small where you can). 🧡🧡🧡

Wow! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to everyone that

Wow! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to everyone that voted for me in the @e_nation Advisor of the Year Awards! 🥰 I’m delighted to say I’ve just found out I’ve won the award (for the PR and Content category)!!! What a (nice) shock to wake up to on a Monday morning and so nice to be recognised for what I do.

Thank you again to all you lovely people who voted and Enterprise Nation, of course, for organising and shortlisting me 🥰

Which just leaves me one problem - how best to celebrate on my own on a Monday morning?! 🥂🍾🥳🎉👯‍♀️👯🎈🪩

Business can be a lonely place - that why I LOVE h

Business can be a lonely place - that why I LOVE hosting local meet-ups with @e_nation

It's the perfect place to chat the real stuff around your business - bounce some ideas around with local people - and I've even heard it described as 'therapy' for small business owners!

If this sounds like something you need right now, I'd love to see you - my meet-up is this week on Zoom on Tuesday 22 November at 11am and guess what, it's totally FREE to join. What have you got to lose?

It's so lovely when I see people in my meeting helping each other out and sharing ideas and I'd love to see you there.

Just click on this link in my bio to book your place or if you're on a desktop, you can follow this link to book your place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-small-business-meet-up-solihull-coventry-warwickshire-tickets-460749483107

#meetups #businesscommunity #support #businesssupport #smallbusinesssupport

🧡 You are not meant to be perfect. Just trying

🧡 You are not meant to be perfect. Just trying to be the best human you can be is enough.

If you're feeling pulled in all directions right now, you're not alone. I felt compelled to pull out my paints and get this down when it popped into my head the other day because I felt it was something we all need to hear. Me included.

Christmas is always a funny time of not feeling enough - whether it's feeling bad you can't afford the so-called 'perfect Christmas', whether you're feeling stretched in your time, you might feel bad that you can't spend enough time with your family, you might think that your sustainability efforts aren't good enough or you might feel like running your business is like staring up the top of Mount Everest, or you might just feel like a rubbish Mum when you can't manage to concoct an angel out of cocktail sticks for the school Christmas decoration competition.

Whatever it is, the pressure is on all of us at Christmas, you're really not alone. Just try to remind yourself that it's enough to do the best you can. It's your intentions that count, and nobody and nothing is perfect.

Something that's helped me is joining communities of like-minded people, whether that's online or real life. The chances are if you're feeling it, others will too. And we know we're all going through it at the moment. If you have any recommendations for great communities - please tag them in below.

We need to stick together and just live our glorious, messy lives together. 💕

(And yes, that is the #colourfriday artwork for @holly.co by the amazing @newtondavey in the background)

Social Media! Yuck 👎🏻or Yay?! 👍🏻 I ce

Social Media! Yuck 👎🏻or Yay?! 👍🏻

I certainly have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it, but it can be a powerful tool for our business - IF we use it the right way!

I’ve put together my 7 Golden Rules of Social Media to help you put the point back into socials and feel like it’s actually serving you in your business - not you serving it!

I’ll be coming on to these lives for the next few weeks to go through the seven rules in detail, and you can ask any q’s you like.

You can also get your hands on a FREE guide with all my 7 Golden Rules in - just head to the link in my bio or check out thevictoriabrown.com/social to gey your copy.

(The glorious necklace is by the amazing @lynnemaclachlanstudio by the way.)

😬 How does Social Media make you feel? I've go

😬 How does Social Media make you feel?

I've got to be honest, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it these days, even though I know it can be a valuable tool when you use it in the right way.

Social media can be so overwhelming - which channels to use? What to post? How do you actually get results? How do you stop it sucking up all your time (and your soul) ? Should you use paid ads? And what's actually the blinkin' point anyway?

So, in this podcast I've put together my top 7 golden rules of social media, to make sure you get the benefits of socials, without it sucking the life out of you. These rules will teach you to understand the role of social media in your overall marketing plan and get the most out of it, whatever you sell.

I've also created a handy-andy (and ever so slightly glitzy) FREE downloadable checklist and guide, to make it super easy to implement these golden rules - just go along to thevictoriabrown.com/social to grab your copy - or check out the link in the bio.

Enjoy getting Social Media to work for you - instead of it running your life! 😀

Last chance to vote for me in the Enterprise Natio

Last chance to vote for me in the Enterprise Nation Advisor of the Year Awards!

😬 Sorry if I’ve been banging on about it - but did you hear - I’ve been shortlisted for the @e_nation Advisor of the Year Awards 2022 - in the PR and Content Category.

I was so excited to be shortlisted as I’ve never been up for an award before, and it’s such an honour to be nominated amongst such amazing people 😌

Every vote really does count and it would be amazing to win, so if you could possibly find a minute to vote for me, I’d be ever so grateful!

All you have to do is click on the link in my bio and vote (the PR and Content category is near the end, but you can just click through if you don’t want to vote in the other categories.

Thank you SO Much for your support 🧡

❤️ It’s tough out there - I know all busines

❤️ It’s tough out there - I know all businesses have been feeling it, and it’s even tougher right now, with costs going through the roof and people tightening their purse strings.

That’s why it’s more important than ever that we make the effort to buy small this Christmas and give independent businesses a much needed boost!

Buy from small businesses where you can, support initiatives like @justacard and #colourfriday by @holly.co and @hollytucker and let’s just STICK TOGETHER.

You could make all the difference to a business surviving this Christmas.

To make it super easy for you - I’ve even collated some of my fave indy gift ideas right here on my Instagram Story highlights- scroll through at your leisure, or check them out in this handy twinkly reel ✨✨✨

Creative Slurp this week: my toppest tip for the e

Creative Slurp this week: my toppest tip for the easiest way to boost sales RIGHT NOW! Hint: it involves the ‘e-word!’

Plus find out more about how you can support the @justacard campaign and @holly.co and @hollytucker Colour Friday campaign.

You can also watch this video on YouTube - go to my channel over there and subscribe ☺️

Have you got your @justacard Christmas pin yet (de

Have you got your @justacard Christmas pin yet (designed by the amazeballs @angela.chick.illustration)?

I’m pleased as punch mine arrived in the post next week - all shiny and ready to accompany me to all my craft fairs, zooms and Indie week of course.

To show the world you support handmade and all the brilliant makers out there, you can get your very own pin from the @justacard website (they also do web buttons to put on your website and show your support to the campaign) : justacard.org

Let’s show the world that handmade stuff rocks! ❤️

Ever thought you're never going to succeed in busi

Ever thought you're never going to succeed in business, because you're creative and you're not good with money?! You're not alone - but this week's episode of Creative Slurp Podcast may just change your mind!

Meet @krystle_mcgilvery - Chartered Accountant and Fine Artist - she’s passionate about helping people overcome the mindset blocks they have about managing their money and giving business owners the financial tools they need to survive and thrive.

In this conversation we talk about practical and simple ways business owners can make managing their finances easier and Krystle’s experience of being diagnosed with both ADHD and Dyslexia late in life. This is such a great listen if you’ve ever struggled with money in life or business, and Krystle is living proof that you can be good at both finance and art! Enjoy.

You can listen to the episode right here: thevictoriabrown.com/podcast

Find out more about Krystle on her website: https://www.krystlemcgilvery.com/

Do you ever look at someone else on social media,

Do you ever look at someone else on social media, and think, “How did they do that? Do they have some kind of magical unicorn? How have they made such a success of their business, while I feel like I’m floundering in the deep end of the swimming pool with no armbands?”

Full disclosure: I know I have.

When we only see the top of the iceberg of others’ journeys, it’s easy to believe it comes easy for other people, that we’re not good enough or we just don’t have enough lucky breaks.

But if you’ve ever been close to anyone that succeeded in business, you’ll know the amount of hard work, dead ends, and constant uncertain action it took before they got there (wherever ‘there’ is).

When I start getting myself down about my business, I stop and ask myself, “Why not me? Why shouldn’t it be me and what can I do to take back control and get momentum again.”

You have everything you need in you to succeed, but sometimes you just need to knock on a few more doors, take a few more wrong turns and ANY kind of action to move forward. Life and business are messy, keep taking messy action, go with your gut, never lose faith and you’ll get to where you need to be.

And if you want any proof that everyone has these doubts and messy journeys, check out my Creative Slurp podcast - where you can hear from other business owners about their own journeys and hear their advice and lessons they’ve learned.: thevictoriabrown.com/podcast

You’re not alone. But only you can make it happen for yourself, you just have to believe.

#creativebusiness #smallbusiness #selfbelief #ownership #youcandoit

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Make 2023 YOUR year with the Productivity Toolbox 2023 - coming soon! Dismiss