Category: Guest Blogs

Kerry Hearsey - Dial Up Your Day

We all have £1440 given to us each and every morning – how are you choosing to spend them?

“The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” - Elbert Hubbard

Time is money, or so you hear people say. We each gain 1440 minutes a day, or £1440 depending on your perception. But how are you spending those minutes?

We often get caught up in the “not doing enough” mentality, or worse, “I am not enough” mentality – both paralyzing at times and often internal chaos presides. But how do we stop this way of thinking? How do we shift our focus to our own lives and business in order to be more efficient, more successful and with less energy spent looking over our shoulder?

Now we all know that competition, whether in business or sport, can be healthy – it often drives us outside of our comfort zones, encourages us to explore new ways, and ultimately ensures that we are connected with our passion and purpose in terms of our definition of success.

Thing is, we can often get side-tracked by our competition or even social media images of someone’s so-called life (remember, it is one view portrayed) which knocks us off our game. The “enough” gremlins come out in full force “not doing enough” and “I am not enough”.

Over the last 20 years, I have been exceptionally fortunate to work with some incredible individuals from across the world of sport, many of which have become Olympic or Paralympic champions. We often hear and see their physical capabilities on the big screen or in the newspapers as we cheer their success with pride. But for me, it has always been their brains that have fascinated me most.

How did these individuals push past pain barriers? How did they mentally get back up when they trained for 4-years straight to be disqualified for a false start at a major championship? How did they line up face to face with their competition, no technology or social media protection in place, just them against another?

“The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do. When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special”. – Eddie Reese

We often see these people as heroes. And they are – as we all are, I should add. But they are no different in terms of the emotion, hurt, and feelings that they experience in their “business” of sport. They too have moments of self-doubt, of wanting to quit, of questioning “enough”.

But what is magical and amazing about athletes and sports teams is something we can all transpose to business – it is their ability to structure, practice and reflect – each and every day – the foundations to success. To a point that I have seen many athletes moan “do I really need to practice that skill AGAIN for the 10’000 time!?”. Yep! You sure do!

Athletes and teams become SO FOCUSSED on their lane that it leaves limited time to concern themselves with their competition or the gremlins in their mind. They respect these areas of course, but knock them off their lane? Nope! They have TRUST in their daily process of structure, practice, and reflection.

We may all be leaders in our business field, but for the Dial-Up-Your-Day Series on the MIBA VIP, I really want to take you back to a “beginners’ mindset”. In the beginner’s mindset - we seek adventure with curiosity and apprehension. We set our intentions and priorities. We set our importance. We set our minds to be free and open. This is where the magic happens. It allows us to be truly honest with our self on HOW we are spending those 1440 minutes.

The Dial-Up-Your Day series on the MIBA VIP does just that – it starts to open your mind to reflect on what you are currently doing and to provide some strategies and changes so that you can be action focussed in order to get the very best out of your day. With structure, practice and reflection you can slowly start to move those gremlins and realise the importance is in your own running lane, simply put, the importance is YOU!

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe”. – Muhammad Ali

Liz Rowe - Ten Steps to Starting a Charity

Why do people feel compelled to change the world?

I suspect you know the answer because as a female entrepreneur and Mum in Business you are already doing that! But I mean from a social movement perspective, not for profit, for no reward other than the greater good!
I have worked with some of the largest and some of the smallest charities in the United Kingdom, and no matter what the income level, employee size or focus - they all have one thing in common - a compelling drive to make change for the better.

I set up in business last January, after developing commercial business approaches for my corporate role and being frustrated that other charities weren’t benefitting - I knew to meet a cause I would have to balance employment which suited me, so I set up on my own so I could work with more not for profit and small businesses.

One of the biggest issues I find are the most fantastic, driven, motivated people with the biggest hearts begin this charity journey and drive themselves into the ground because of the work needed to start these unique organisations.

• What model should I choose?
• How do I start?
• What level of income?
• What do I need to know about governance?

In this special MIBA VIP collection, you can find out how to develop a model for a charity or not for profit - helping you through ten stages and prompts to get you thinking and doing and some foundations in place. The content is super relevant for business too - so take a look! One thing charities and businesses DO have in common is they have to generate income to survive - so you need a compelling story!

As with all great companies - you need a plan. You need to have thought about your purpose, vision and strategy - not just from a service, campaigning and education perspective - but from a where do you want to be in ten years? What is the core issue you are trying to tackle? Why is it a problem and what is the solution, who do you need to help you? More than that, why will people just donate their money to help you to run it?

I’m on hand through the videos to give you some clues, ideas and insight to my thinking about pitfalls and challenges you might face - but the fact is that it’s always worth setting up your legacy that spans more than your business and I can’t WAIT to hear from you as you tackle your not for profit projects!

Bio
Liz Rowe is an experienced Commercial and Business Director, having set up Chesil Infinity, a Business Consultancy and Coaching Company in January 2019 to support more small businesses and charities. Liz has worked with some of the largest children’s charities in the UK and offers unique approaches to strategy through to team development - taking businesses on whole journeys of performance improvement.
Living in Dorset, UK with her three children, husband, and two dogs - she is a self confessed theory geek and collector of qualifications, loving all things strategy to digital and in-between. ‘When I am interested in something, I want to understand every tiny detail and learn everything I can about it!’

Liz is also the Co-Ordinator for MIBA Dorset, a Trustee for Dorset MIND Charity, runs a free online Leadership development group and is currently developing a social enterprise of her own working with women and young people starting in business.

Find Liz here:
Website - www.chesil-infinity.co.uk
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/libbyrowe
Business Page - https://www.facebook.com/chesilinfinity
Instagram - @liz_chesil_infinity
Linked In -https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-rowe/
Twitter - @Chesil_Infinity

Amanda Clarke Celebrity MUA

After meeting the incredible celebrity make up artist Amanda Clarke during her photoshoot for the Daily Mail, MIBA co-founder Estelle Keeber couldn’t wait to find out more about her amazing journey and of course… share it all with you guys.

Amanda really understands the juggles of being a mum in business… read how she goes from doing the food shop to jetting off to work with HUGE celebs all around the world in today’s blog.

Where did your passion for make up start?

I always adored pretty old fashioned sweet shops with jars of candy, bold colours and clashing pattern stripes, and shapes of sweets. The arrays of colours throughout the year like a spring had arrived in November! The brightly coloured candy was like walking into a artist studio full of creativity.

I loved all the technicolour films as a child especially in far to reach places off the beaten track with real adventures, my love of exploring had begun. It must have been just a given that my favourite school subject would have been art, to really show my creativity and individuality.

All my school reports from primary school always said, “Amanda was very talkative and loves art!” - (always an A)

My thoughts by the time I was choosing my career path at secondary school was “How will I get paid to happily talk all day, paint and travel the world?”,  I wasn’t quite sure how, but I knew I was going to do it.

So what happened next?

My thoughts were cruise ships, so I studied to become a beauty therapist and worked in a hair salon learning my trade. My advice to anyone who wants to start within the industry is to train finding the right courses and find teachers who can help you get started.

Each course I enrolled upon lead to another gaining more experience in hair, wigs, special effects make up in TV, Film & Fashion. Over a period of 4 years I felt ready to give up my part time day job as an office temp in Regents Street, London. I had also learnt about business during those years.

Training and gaining new skills is so important. The knowledge of skincare and beauty products which have evolved and become so much better over time, however, the basic No.1 beauty tip is don’t bake yourself in the sun especially without protection on your skin. Always cleanse & remove makeup with a gentle touch not to drag the skin.

Talking of skincare what one product can you not live without?

If I had to choose one product I cannot live without would be my absolute favourite Rosalique Skin Primer, it’s so perfect like a little miracle as it beautifully evens out skin tone whilst it corrects colour balance to match your own shade giving your skin a radiant glow and hiding imperfections. Plus it has SPF 50.  It’s my everyday go to product and I love using it on photoshoots too.

Edit from Estelle – Amanda gave me this product after our shoot and its bloody amazing!

Any top tips for busy mums who want to look great for the school run?

I’m a working mum of three and I know that time in the morning is tight when wanting to look at least refreshed at the school gates, allowing yourself 3-5 mins for a speedy beauty look, use your fingers for application start with;

• Moisturiser (this can be tinted BB cream, etc)
• Dab concealer in corners of eyes (C shape)
• Light dust of powder in T Zone if needed
• Pop of blusher or sweep of bronzer
• Hint of mascara
• Tinted lip balm

What trends should we be checking out in 2020?

New trends in 2020 are more effortless chic, with beautiful cream eyeshadow that doesn’t crease and glow sticks like Chanel have created, although a dewy healthy look using fingers and sponges for blending many of these products are also semi matt so no need to worry about looking too shiny, although I personally love loose powder and will also use a little as I want longevity throughout my day. Eyebrows have become softer too and harsh eyeliners blended creating a subtle blur effect.

With all of the incredible stars you have worked with which one stands out for you?

One of my favourite all time shoots was on a James Bond set with the glamorous Shirley Bassey, in a fabulous ball gown with security close, keeping watch over all the diamonds she was wearing! I was standing in front of her doing final makeup checks when she burst into song singing Diamonds Are Forever. Wow!

Best client for me would have to involve travel, therefore reflecting back on my music days touring with world with M People and Janet Jackson it was incredibly exciting, exhausting and exhilarating all of what I had dreamed about rolled into one.

Having said that I never did the cruise ships to travel with work until years later, I spent 2 weeks in the Mediterranean on a super yacht with the best client ever! That really was the cherry on the cake for me. As a young girl this was a dream and one of my career aspirations.

Lets talk Instagram… how do you use it for your business?

Instagram is an essential tool for business as it offers an insight into your personality and style of work. It’s become your very own visual business card, it’s an amazing way to stay connected. Although I don’t think you need to get caught up in numbers & followers.  Some of the most respected & talented artists who are exceptional may not have largest followers, so this shouldn’t be a guide line to how good someone is.

Talk to us about work life balance and why you think your career has been so successful.

Being a successful businesswoman is knowing and understanding your business and what your client wants from you. Each client has different needs and requests, literally going the extra mile and being 100% committed and consistent will gain you an excellent reputation and trust.

I decided to move from the London where I am most days and live by the sea. Creating a healthy lifestyle for my family, I have managed to balance home & work.

Being flexible is key, changing plans last minute, cancelling dates with friends & family. So having great organisation skills and keeping it stress free.

One moment you’re doing your grocery shopping and the next you’re packing a bag for a flight on the same day. Having a good network of people & family around you is vital, It’s not for everyone but I absolutely love it still after 30 years!

So there you have it…. the secret life of a celebrity make up artist revealed… well kind of.

Massive thank you to Amanda for 1) making me look incredible for our shoot and 2) for taking the time to chat with us about her journey!

Until next time… much love

Estelle AKA Insta Queen x

MIBA VIP Guest Contributor - Tania Taylor

Woman in business – Increasing your productivity

Introductions

Okay, so first off, who am I to be chatting to you about being a woman in business and increasing your productivity this year? Good question! My business on the grand scale of things is fairly new at only two years old. My fabulous accountant however, showed his admiration in my first year’s accounts by saying how incredible I had done to achieve so much profit in my first year. Businesses usually lose profit in year one, break even in year two and make profit in year three.

Mums / Women in Business Association (MIBA)

So, here’s the cringey bit where you shout out about how successful you are, whilst secretly hoping nobody thinks you’re heads so big it won’t fit through the door! I joined MIBA back in January 2018 when I first set up my business, but lurked in the background for a good few months before attending my first event in November 2018. Yes, I really did wait that long! Bit of advice from me, just pluck up the courage right away. It saves loads of time!

My achievements as a woman in business

From the offset I was determined to work my socks off to make my business work. With a family of my own and mortgage and other household bills to pay for, I couldn’t afford not to! And work my socks off I have. I’m fortunate to be able to call myself an expert in anxiety and sleep, as well as being an international, Multi-Award Winning hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, and number one bestselling author twice over. It sounds impressive when you put it so succinctly doesn’t it?

Awards as a Woman in Business

I have been hugely fortunate to have been nominated for all kinds of awards, and I’m very excited about the upcoming MIBA awards as I’ve been shortlisted for five categories:

• Facebook Rising Star
• Pay it Forward
• Blogger of the Year
• Paige Murney
• MIB of the Year

I’ve also been nominated for the Venus Women in Business Awards, the Inspire Woman in Business Awards, Lavolta Events Awards and even The Pride of Britain Awards. I feel extremely lucky to have also been awarded the Top 3 hypnotherapist in Rochdale for the last two years and the Rochdale 30 award.

How am I going to help you as a woman in business?

Well, in order to be super productive and therefore successful there’s lots of ingredients that need to go into the mix. I’m sure you can think of many ideas as a woman in business yourself. Maybe energy, focus, work ethic, motivation, hardworking, you get the gist.

VIP Collection for a woman in business

Despite all of the wonderful ideas you may have about being more productive, my VIP collection is slightly different. We’ll be talking how you can increase your productivity through the art of taking time out. Shock, horror! It sounds like the least productive thing we could be doing and how many of us feel guilty for not working solidly on our business or our families?

Living with the guilt of being a woman in business

Hands up if you feel guilty for taking a break. Have you ever found yourself sat in the bath working on your phone? Or maybe watching TV and ‘meerkatting’ (using your phone for business and trying to keep up with your programme at the same time). Then you plan a time to take a real break, maybe you leave your phone in the bedroom, and your plagued with this overwhelming sense of guilt the whole time, your mind racing with what you should or could be achieving if you only spent this time on working right now.

Leaving the guilt behind

My VIP Collection is all about how to leave that guilt behind. How to give yourself time out and why it is important for productivity. I’ll touch upon the latest research and the science with what important processes are going on in the brain. We will also be looking at techniques that mean you can have a break and still have superb work-related ideas. As a woman in business, you not only deserve a break, but you WILL be so much more productive with your time and your ideas. And we will be saying goodbye to that guilt once and for all.

VIP Collection

Get on over to my VIP Collection now and enjoy a healthy work life balance that leaves you feeling wonderful about you, your family and your business. I wish you every success as a fellow woman in business. Do let me know how you the training helps you and what you’re now doing that is resulting in your business growing and your productivity being on fire.

Contacting Tania

Tania is an International, Multi-Award Winning Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist supporting people with anxiety and related conditions across the world via Zoom, and in her private clinic in the heart of the Pennines, in Rochdale, UK.

She runs a monthly deep relaxation hypnotherapy group in Rochdale, and has affordable online memberships and workshops.

Tania is a Senior Lecturer for her business; ‘Tania Taylor Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy’, and also Lectures on behalf of the ‘Clinical Hypnotherapy School’, who provide post qualification training to qualified hypnotherapists using the Solution Focused approach.

Tania continues to volunteer delivering free Hypnotherapy for local Macmillan events, and in her Facebook group weekly, helping people across the globe. She’s always looking to help more people and welcomes you to join the Calm Your Mind group and to invite your family and friends too.

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 07442 169 033

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaniaTaylorHypnotherapy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/TaniaTaylorHypnotherapy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TT_Hypnotherapy?s=09

Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/CalmYourMindFree

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCos7z3Tc87AQoEIsAMwXxqg

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TaniaTaylorHypnotherapy

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/taniataylorhypnotherapypsychot/pins/

Website: www.Tania-Taylor.co.uk

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MIBA VIP Guest Contributor - Buckso

Hello Everyone!! 

I’m Buckso, a Midlands based British Indian Actor whose task in life, is to help others with those objectives in achieving THEIR lifes mission. Now you might find this a little strange coming from an Actor, and to be honest, a lot of Actors would be thinking “what the hell does she think shes doing?!” LOL! But you see, I’ve NEVER had any help in getting to where I am in the industry, 10 years later, so I know ALL about the hard graft its gonna take for YOU, if you don’t get some help along the way. 

Now, ive never been one to care what others think, after all, I chose to marry my Caucasian husband at the risk of losing my family (which I did!) so im not likely to give a shit what others think, am I? So in a nutshell, that’s what you can pretty much expect from my contribution to the MIBA VIP. A LOT of factual, evidence-based tips and techniques formed from MY experiences over the last 25 yrs.  

Who else is going to be best placed to tell you WHAT can work for you in life and business unless they’ve been through it? The foundation for my upcoming online course titled “The BukSu Method” has been created from daily Rockstar Rituals that I perform, in order to become solid in my resilience and mastering my mindset. Without that in your life, youre not going to last long and im telling you, the competition out there isn’t going away! So don’t get lazy!? 

Put the effort into your development because YOURE the one that’s steering the ship and believe me there will be LOTS of rocks to navigate along the way. I mean, even the BEST athletes in life need someone to be their lighthouse.  

WHOSE YOURS!? 

Check out Bucko’s VIP in the MIBA Online Training - Finding You Voice and Mindset by Buckso Dhillon-Woolley

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MIBA VIP Guest Contributor - Cherish Reardon - Popsy Clothing

If somebody had told me 3 years ago that I would be giving tips to business owners to help them with their social media I would have laughed! When I set up Popsy Clothing I had absolutely no idea about Facebook as a platform for a business. I used it to catch up with friends, upload a few pictures but selling on there? Not a friggin clue! That’s why looking back I’m not surprised that I really struggled and didn’t get any sales! I couldn’t work out why my post wasn’t being seen, I didn’t understand why my posts didn’t get any responses when I would post and I could barely spell algorithm let alone understand it. I knew if my business was going to work, I really needed to spend the time learning about Facebook and finding all the tips I could get. I have spent many hours, I’ve cried, I’ve learnt, and I’ve put into practice all the tips and as a result my business has grown. In fact, around 90% of our business is from Facebook! That’s why when I was asked by Estelle and Leona if I would like be part of the VIP it was a YES!!! I wanted to condense what I’ve learnt over the last 3 years into a really short, back to basics segment. I would be sat on my laptop with my earphones in at 3am listening to videos and let’s be honest - who has the time for that?

So what will you learn? All about community. My absolute favourite topic! My community of nearly 60,000 has not only grew my business but also has become a really special part of my life. I believe Facebook, building your community and using Facebook groups is one of the best ways to grow your business and I am really passionate about helping business women know how they can do it affectively! In my VIP collection I talk about community, how I built my community and more importantly how to keep one. I believe that when we have a strong community we stand out from our competitors and become leaders in whatever market we are in.

It has been an absolute honour to be part of the MIBA VIP collection and share my knowledge. I have learnt so much from MIBA and it has been really lovely to give back.

Cherish x

Check out Cherish’s VIP Collection Using Fb and Fb Communities to Grow Your Business

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