This podcast is for women in business.
Host Annie Ridout (author, journalist and founder of online platform The Robora) shares stories, tips and tricks surrounding starting and growing an online business.
She covers marketing, mindset, selling. And it's all explained simply, with plenty of swear words and jokes.
Rich - Annie's husband and co-founder of The Robora - pops in to share marketing advice too.
Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s how to manage it
To work through feelings of overwhelm, firstly we need to recognise what it is causing us to feel overwhelmed. Being overworked? Under-supported? Ummm… a pandemic? Whatever it is, once the root of the overwhelm is clear, we can look at gently navigating the trigger, and then creating a plan for moving forward. This involves breaking everything down into manageable tasks. And weaving lovely little things into our days. I can help you with that…
How to be more productive in 2021
Whether you’d like to schedule in more rest time next year, write a novel or earn £100,000 – you need to plan this. In this episode, I share the three-step productivity process I’ve designed that will help you to work out what you want, what’s stopping you from making it happen and how to plan for success. Success, of course, means different things for all of us – for me, there’s an element of work-life balance in there, as well as realising my dreams. And I share news of a recent REJECTION too, as it’s relevant to this episode.
Show(biz) Notes:
How to be more productive (my new online course)
PR: How do you get featured in a magazine?
On a PR push for your business? If you’re asking yourself: how do I get my business featured in a magazine? I’m here to help. As a journalist for national press and women’s magazines, as well as an editor (of my own digital platform), I know about pitching for press from both sides – I’ve pitched, and I’ve been pitched to. So I explain why press releases are no longer the done thing, and what you should be doing instead. With a guest appearance from my three-year-old son, and a little treat if you listen to the end.
Show(biz) notes:
Here’s the ‘DIY PR’ course I mention: DIY PR: Secure press coverage and grow your profile.
How and when to launch your online course
When it comes to making online course sales, timing is so important. And right now, we’re in the middle of a rapid launch, as we’ve opened doors to our Online Business Programme for two days only. So while we’re ‘in it’, I wanted to share exactly how we do it. Because in realtime, I can better explain both the marketing and the mindset. In this episode I’ll cover a three-week launch – which is our usual approach – but also the two-day launch. Because both can work well for different reasons. Let’s go.
Show(biz) Notes
The Online Business Programme (for those ready to take their skills online, with our support)
How to make money from online content
If you’ve been blogging for ages and are yet to make a penny. Or you’ve launched a digital platform and still can’t work out how to monetise it. Or you’d love to start a podcast, but you’re not sure it’s worth it – this episode will talk you through what content is, and how to make MONEY from it. Because I’ve churned out thousands of blog posts without making a penny. But then I discovered ways to get brands to pay me for sponsored posts. And now I have a six-figure online business that is based on online content.
Show(biz) notes:
The Early Hour – my original ‘online content’ platform.
The Robora – our online course platform.
The Online Business Programme – our banging (latest) creation.
And the stats:
According to Buzzsprout – ‘there are at least 600 million blogs, 23 million YouTube channels, but only 800,000 podcasts in Apple Podcasts.’
And population figures: London – 8.9m, UK – 67.8m, – The world – 7.8b.
How to deal with mental load as a woman in business
Women do more of the caring. More of the planning. More of the (boring) domestic duties. And sometimes, it gets too much. That’s what happened to me, so I decided share my three-step plan for getting back-on-track. The first step is acknowledgement and taking responsibility: what are you finding hard? Why? Do you owe anyone an apology? The second is around self-care: right now, what you can do to feel better. And the third is PRACTICAL. I’m talking: downloading an app to help you manage the load.
Showbiz Notes:
Brene Brown’s podcast interview with Harriet Lerner. ‘I’m Sorry: How To Apologize & Why It Matters’
Money: How to price up your digital products and TIME
Some people tell me I charge too much. Other people tell me I don’t charge enough. So I’ve stopped listening, and worked out my own method for pricing up my products (online courses) and services (one-to-one time). For anyone else wondering how to set their prices and fees, this episode will give you both practical advice and confidence-boosting tips. Because as women, we massively undervalue ourselves in the workplace and it’s time that changed.
Books and a blog post mentioned in the episode:
– Otegha’s Uwagba’s We Need to Talk About Money
– Real Life Money by Clare Seal
– Money: A User’s Guide by Laura Whately.
– Keri Jarvis’ blog on the price of coaching.
When people criticise your marketing approach
Running a business isn’t just about your product or service. It’s also about getting those things out to the right people. AKA: marketing. And sometimes you’ll do a brilliant job, and other times you won’t. But whether or not the sales are flowing, there will always be people who find your tone or delivery grating. And who want to tell you. So here’s how I’d recommend dealing with those comments – including my reaction to two recent ‘real life’ complaints I’ve received. Thank you, complainers, for supplying me with the content for this episode.
Tamu Thomas on wellbeing in the workplace
In this episode, Annie interviews Tamu Thomas, founder of Live Three Sixty wellness brand and JOY expert, on wellbeing in the workplace. They discuss taking time for yourself while running a business – even if you only have a few minutes a day to spare – listening to your body, and respecting your essential needs. Also: working at 80% rather than 100% to avoid burnout, scheduling a staged return to work after time out – and how Beyonce, basically, has all the answers.
Tamu supports women approaching their 40s via her award-winning podcast Three Sixty Conversations, and she runs an excellent membership group. Follow Tamu on Instagram: @livethreesixty, visit her website: livethreesixty.com.
When someone copies your idea in business
You may have had someone steal your business or creative ideas. You may have stolen – or been accused of stealing – other people’s. In this episode, Annie Ridout talks through the concept of sharing ideas, and copying what others are doing. She shares her own experience of being accused of copying, and of people ‘borrowing’ ideas from her – both with and without permission.
How to run a business as a sleep-deprived mum
Annie Ridout launched her first business – The Early Hour – while looking after her one-year-old daughter full-time. As in: no weekday help with childcare. She has since had two more children and now runs The Robora around her three kids (aged six, three and 11-months). Fortunately, her husband Rich shares both the business workload and the childcare/domestic duties. But the baby still keeps Annie up at night so in this episode, she shares some truths about being a sleep-deprived mother and running a business. Along with tips for coping. And a few anecdotes about being a former thief.
Why isn’t my online course selling?
You might have a fantastic online course but unless you also have a marketing and sales strategy, it just won’t sell. In this episode, Annie Ridout and Richard Ridout discuss why some courses sell and others don’t, and offer a whole load of ideas for getting people to buy your online course. Including: testing the market, NOT being original, Facebook ads, brief ‘funnels’ chat, pricing and more. Plus, there’s a rather endearing childhood anecdote from Richard, relayed in a West Country accent. Here’s the online course we reference: Sell more spaces on your online course.
SQ and bringing the ‘woo’ into the workplace
We all know about IQ as a measure of intelligence. Some will have heard of EQ (emotional quotient). But the new intelligence metric is SQ: spiritual intelligence. This is a measure of how spiritually connected you are. And it’s what some of the world’s most successful business leaders use to up their game: Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington, Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg. In this episode, Annie Ridout explains what it means to be spiritually intelligent and offers tools for incorporating spiritual practices into your work-life. By raising her own SQ, Annie has managed to secure two book deals, commissions from the Guardian, Grazia, Telegraph, Stylist and more. She’s spoken on Woman’s Hour and sat alongside celebrities on live panels. She’s also grown a six-figure online business from scratch, in a year, while raising three young children. She leads a fulfilling, exciting life – and this is down to the spiritual practices she incorporates into her every working day. Now, she’s ready to share them with you…
How to write emails people actually want to read
Growing a mailing list may be important. But not as important as the emails you send out. In this episode, Annie Ridout talks subject lines that will make people open the email, then content that will be exciting, not annoying, for people to receive.Once you’ve nailed your email content, this is such a good way to convert customers. So it’s worth getting it right.Recommended email lists to sign up to: Sophia Matveeva, Otegha Uwagba and Harriet Minter. Plus any others you come across that cover your areas of interest.
How I launched a six-figure business in a year
In the first ever episode of The Robora podcast, host Annie Ridout discusses going from being a 10-year-old window cleaner to freelance mum (not, initially, her choice) and on to running a six-figure online business with her husband, Rich.