Hope and Patience

I think in the beginning, the first pain was, I don't know what the hell I'm doing, and then it was a lot of accumulating knowledge and just learning and trying out different things until I found my way. Then the next pain was, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, but I'm not really getting enough clients. That then turned into testing out different offers, creating funnels learning about just how to attract clients instead of just growing my audience. Carla Biesinger has created a business which quite literally moves countries as, and when she does, which until the pandemic included Mexico, New York City, Barcelona, Berlin, and finally Lisbon. She's an early adopter of life as a digital nomad and in her words, a freedom-driven entrepreneur. From a love of food, our guests ended up becoming an Instagram expert and online course creator with her immensely popular course, Instagram Secrets to Success, and has choked up a following of over 45,000. An audience of over 100,000 subscribers and most recently added the role of business mentor to her brand. We chat about the how's and why's she went from the world of restaurants to the world of instagram, the growing pains and challenges of converting followers into clients, why she has potentially now found her home for a while, where the pandemic affected her business, where her strengths were, her thoughts on social media and in particular instagram, how she copes with stress, where she has had to have hope and patience and much more.My recommendation: Three Little Birds ~ Bob MarleyCarla's book recommendation: Super Attractor ~ Gabby BernsteinChocolate: Lindt Dark Chocolate OrangeQuote: Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all ~ Ernest ShackletonCarla Biesinger Insta: @carlabiesingerSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Our Series Special is the next episode and then we are taking a bit of a summer break. Hope and Patience will be back in the autumn. To be the first to catch Series 4 hop onto the follow/subscribe button or keep an eye out on our socials/newsletter announcement. I will be busy working on a new project, reading and chilling and also conjuring up more fab guest for Series 4. Have a wonderful summer, make sure you take time for you and if you haven't managed to keep up to speed with all the episodes in this Series there are a few months for you to dip in and catch up! Thank you for joining the chat at Hope & Patience. You are absolute treasures.Keep an eye out for our special episode out next week here I get to chat with the Founding Director of a charity which is very close to my heart and who I volunteer for.To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

'If you failed at something, it's because you tried something new. It doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with that if it doesn't go the way you want, but you do need to get up and try again until you make a success.'Chris Stylianou and his team takes his clients on adventures - and guess what you don’t need to move very far to get adventuring. He’s the founder of an award-winning escape game business, originally designed to be a physical experience when it launched in 2019 - but as you’ll discover the pandemic flipped that business model on its head and took it online.  Featured in Huffington Post, London Live, the Financial Times, described by Time Out as ‘one of the best online experiences’ and with a predicted turnover of £3/4 million this year he’s a guy travelling on the upward curve with his business.Chris and I chat about the trigger which propelled him taking The Adventure is Real from a side hustle to be his full time ambition, how life was just on track before the curveball of the pandemic as well as losing his dad, why Chris and his team recreated the offering to an online one within 2 weeks of the first lockdown and how it worked, fundraising, the influence of his dad (who sadly died during the pandemic), how he copes with stress and much more.My book recommendation: Hector and the Search for Happiness ~ Francois LelordChris's book recommendation: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell & The Blade Itself by Joe AbercrombieChocolate: Dairy MilkQuote: It's a mistake to think that happiness is the goal ~ Francois LelordAgent VentureSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight.To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

My phone lit up with everyone saying, "Are you okay, are you okay," at five o'clock to then eight o'clock at night, "My God, I've just seen you on The X Factor adverts." I had to turn it off. I couldn't cope with it for about 24 hours.Stewart Roberts has had quite a journey in his life. A journey which has led him to become a founder of a community-based charity where hairdressers donate their support to the homeless. They have 600 volunteers, near to 68 projects on the go and have delivered around 40k pockets of joy in the form of haircuts for homeless souls since they started back in 2014. Their sponsors include the National Lottery Community Fund, affiliates include the British Beauty Council and L’Oreal and this year the charity won the Marie Claire UK Hair Awards 2021 Special Jury Prize which is a special recognition for helping others. Their Global ambassador is none other than the Game of Thrones star Lena Headey.We chat about what triggered Stewart to create his charity, losing his hairdressing business and the grief with it, the challenges of the pandemic on the charity and also the homeless, the serendipity of life as his business went into insolvency and what happened the same day to open a huge door, how he has attracted his sponsors, affiliates and ambassadors, why he contemplated 10 ways of killing himself at a dark stage in his life, why the Gideon bible is by his bedside and much more. P.S. The odd whistle and phone ringing is Stewarts parrot! My book recommendation: The Practice: Shipping Creative Work ~ Seth GodinStewarts's book recommendations: Gideon BibleChocolate: Peppermint AeroQuote: ‘The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place we can go as we are and not be questioned.' ~  Maya AngelouHaircuts4Homeless Insta: @haircuts4homelessSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight. To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

The only course I went on was the YouTube course, the YouTube school of life.Tskenya Frazer's business is one which is helping breakdown the barriers for LGBTQ+ fashion. It’s a gender free multi award-winning vegan footwear brand specialising in larger sized feet and has been featured in Vogue, The Economist, BBC Women's Hour, The Guardian and Drapers to name but a few. You’ll discover our guest to be a remarkable woman aged only 27 and with her purpose oozing out of every pore. She is also midst writing a book about the landscape of Black British business.In this episode we chat about how and why TSKENYA shoes was created, market research in Starbucks, the personal challenges Tskenya has faced, juggling a side hustle with many other roles including writing her book, working for MTC, a VC for Ada Capital and carer for her mum. I ask what it will take for her to make the leap to go full time with her much talked about and respected brand, where the shortfalls are for the younger generations to run their own businesses, how the Prince's Trust literally saved her life and loads more. By the end of the episode I could see Tskenya becoming a potent leader on the level with Michelle Obama and Arianna Huffington. She is one incredible woman as you will discover.My book recommendation: Fortune Cookie Principle ~ Bernadette JiwaTskenya's book recommendations: Your Silence Will Not Protect You ~ Audre Lorde & Hunger ~ Roxanne GayChocolate: Crunchie barQuote: 'We can choose to create of our lives an accident or adventure.' ~ AnonymousTSKENYA Shoes Insta: @officialtskenya Tskenya's personal insta: @tskenyaSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight. To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

Well, it's been quite an interesting year. When it first happened, we were like every other business in this country, we had no idea. It felt, I described it a lot as going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, that's the Americans analogy. It felt at that point as it were that we had been shot off the lip of the waterfall, and we were in mid-air and had no idea how hard we were going to hit the water, and whether we're going to break into a million pieces. ~ Dan Szor, Founder The Cotswolds Distillery So in this episode we’re going on a whisky and gin adventure with the founder of the multi award-winning distillery, The Cotswolds Distillery. To add into the mix, he’s a New Yorker making Scottish whisky in the Cotswolds. An intriguing combo don’t you think? He and his team clearly know what they’re up to as their whisky and gin have notched up Golds, Double Golds (I had no idea Double Golds existed until now), 3* star Taste Awards and stocked in near to 40 countries (UK stores include: Fortnum & Mason, Waitrose, Majestic and a host of fab independents). His distillery and visitor centre, opened by Prue Leith, have received the ‘Hidden Gem’ award from Visit England, and hold the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence.We talk about how and why Dan made the shift from running a hedge fund to risking it all and going into whisky including his 'barley epiphany' and why buying a barrel of Bruichladdich whisky on a holiday visit helped cement his new chapter. You will discover how Dan and his team balance the concept of laying down stock (whisky takes 3 years before it can be called whisky which means a massive investment in stock), how gin became their 'love child' which was immediately picked up by Fortnum & Mason, Majestic and Harvey Nicols, the life their stills Lorelei & Dolly, the influence of his parents - his dad who survived life in a concentration camp -, the difference of working in the financial industry to running his own business, how they have survived the pandemic to date, how they support sustainability and climate change, what he does to keep fit and loads more.My recommendation:  My Octopus Teacher ~ NetflixDan's book recommendation: Notes from a Small Island ~ Bill BrysonDan's book about his journey: Spirit Guide - In search of an authentic life (Available on their website and amazon). It's a brilliant read - trust me.Chocolate: Fortnum & Mason whisky trufflesQuote: 'My heart is at ease knowing that what was meant for me will never miss me and that what misses me was never meant for me.' ~ Imam al-Shafi'iThe Cotswold Distillery Insta: @cotswoldsdistilleryPhoto credit: Lorenz GullachsenSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.If you have enjoyed this episode do have a listen to S2 E12 and hear from one of the UK's leading winemakers, Dermot Sugrue, Founder of the award winning Sugrue South Downs. Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight. To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

I think that it's a roller coaster. It is a monster roller coaster. You have days when you think, "Oh my god, this is the best thing I ever did." Then you do have days you think, "Really? This is really hard and I've got to go and create some more business."Ally Gordon, Founder of Ally Gordon Coaching has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality/restaurant world working for over 55 leading hospitality businesses with some maverick entrepreneurs who include Crispin Twedell of Pitcher & Piano who then went onto found the well-known investment company Piper Private Equity, Jamie Oliver (pre-administration days) and the Danish baking duo Ole Kristoffersen and Steen Skallebaek of Ole & Steen. Ally has since gone onto found his own business. Now he’s a coach, mentor, confidant … whichever description resonates with you.  His mission is to reignite you, your business, your relationships. His outlook, thoughts, insights are refreshing – one of which is - instead of looking at things as I have to … flip it to I get to which I have found leaves the mind uplifted.  Ally joins us in this episode not only to hear his founder story but also to explore more of what makes up a founders mindset.We chat about what triggered Ally to make the shift from working for entrepreneurs to working with entrepreneurs, how to cope with the roller coaster journey of running your own business, what to do on the days we feel unmotivated, why some start ups work and some fail, Ally's DNA and loads more.My recommendation:  Fresh ginger in your breakfast bowl. I discovered this by a mistake whilst I was brewing up my fresh lemon & ginger – its divine with raspberries, blueberries, unripe banana and kefir.Ally's book recommendation: 'Man's Search for Meaning' ~ Victor FranklChocolate: Marks & Spencer 85%Quote: ‘A ship is safe in a harbour, but that is not what ships are built for.' ~ Author John SheddAlly Gordon Coaching Linked In: @allygordon Insta: @ally.gordon.coachingSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight.To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

'We curated a range of golden yellow pigments as opposed to the traditional pigments that all brands are using, actually. We disrupted at the pigment level and we got pickup from celebrities, I think, because they could see that the offering was just distinctive, that when they'd put it on, it didn't look like anything else they'd used before.'Farah Naz is a trained makeup artist, a biochemist, and founder and CEO of the multi-award-winning makeup brand, which was the first to develop a foundation for olive skin tones. Named on NBC's today's show as one of the top five most disruptive beauty brands in the world, her fans include Adele, Michelle Obama, Margot Robbie, Rami Malek, and Holly Willoughby, the host of ITV's This Morning show says, 'Celebrities can't live without it.' Swept up by the world's largest beauty and health retailer AS Watson, they're now rolling out to 250 locations in the UK, as well as launching in Dubai.In this episode Farah and I chat about her decision to park her business to have children despite a phenomenal pick up when it launched, whether it's luck or hard work which has helped her business grow, how her training as a biochemist has helped her have an edge on her competitors, the effects of the pandemic, stress and how she handles it, her way to keep fit, what she perceives to be her higher purpose and loads more.My recommendation: My morning fix - a slice of fresh lemon, freshly grated ginger and hot water by the gallon!Farah's music recommendation: Bossa Nova (it is likely to get you wanting to have a shimmy!)Chocolate: Baci Chocolate TrufflesQuote: ‘When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps.’ – John LennonEX1 Cosmetics Insta: @ex1cosmeticsSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight.To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.

'I think failure is more interesting than success, because going back to the grit, failure does make you reflect on what you've done well or haven't achieved well and how to do it better. Success is just a by-product. If it does happen, that's wonderful. I think failure is far more, far more interesting.'Lizzie Deshayes, Co-Founder Fromental - a business which is the epitome of craftmanship and design with their silk and rice-paper wallcoverings. She and her husband created their exquisite bespoke hand-embroidered, hand-painted wallpaper company in 2005. And it’s hand made in the truest sense as it takes up to 600 hours for one artist to complete one panel. Collaborations have included Savoir beds, a 3d creation with Lalique and their ‘hirondelle’/swallow and a sprinkling of clients include award-winning interior designer Sophie Paterson and the LA/Paris based Timothy Corrigan and hotels and eateries include Sir David Tang’s China Tang at The Dorchester Hotel, The Goring Hotel, London, George Cinq, Paris and The Fairmont, San FranLizzie and I chat about where it all began, we discover more about her DNA, how she and her team have found the pandemic with their artists and clients spread across the globe, her greatest fear after finishing an incredible piece of work, how it works with her hubbie as her co-founder and being a mum, who and what influences her, what skillset she has used to build such an iconic and highly sought after brand and well loads more. My recommendation: Toasted pecan nuts - found out why in the episode.Lizzie's music recommendation: Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary ~ PurcellChocolate: Leonidas Milk Raspberry TrufflesQuote: 'Creativity takes courage.'~ MatisseFromental Design Insta: @fromentaldesignSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OUR H&P CHOCOLATE BAR.Don’t forgot to hit follow to catch the latest episode and if you are feeling super generous I would treasure a rate and review (Apple). Do share away with any mates, neighbours, colleagues, family if you think they may gain a nugget or two of inspiration or insight.To keep up to speed with me and life with Hope & Patience join us on Insta/twitter @amelia_rope, Facebook @hopeandpatience Clubhouse: @ameliapodWorry less. Smile more. Until the next time … keep your sparkle.