Mind Your Business With Sara & Helen

Sara & Helen are brimming with ideas in our latest Q&A, as they answer questions about Christmas gifts for clients, handling 1-star reviews and setting up an email database of customers. Thanks to Pippa, Darren and Faye for getting in touch. If you have a question about your business, email hello@mybpod.com or reach out via the channels below.

This episode is a bona fide game changer for any small business owner. The seminal Pareto (or 80:20) Principle is a proven means of maximising your time - and, by extension, efficiency and profit. Here, Sara & Helen explore its myriad benefits - and in the process coin a brand new verb: 'To Pareto'. That's right, 'To Pareto'! Pareto sales, Pareto marketing, Pareto workflow - we highly recommend you Pareto everything! Meanwhile, Georgie from Wunderlust Life has insights on the merits of B-Corp, courtesy of our very good friends at Not On The High Street

In our bitesized bonus, we deal with overcoming self-consciousness when pushing your social content, feeling lonely working at home, and worrying about the legal side of launching a new business. If you have a question for Sara and Helen, email hello@mybpod.com, or get in touch via any of the channels below.

What keeps you awake at night as a small business owner? That's the question Sara & Helen are asking in our latest Big Chat, tackling three of the most common causes of sleeplessness: cashflow, parental guilt, and making your first hire. Sara also extols the virtues of walking in the context of a workday, and brings in the science to prove her point. And we have words of wisdom from Ned, The Glutenous Gardener, brought to you by our good friends at Not On The High Street.

Late payers, imposter syndrome and a phobia of accounts: Sara and Helen have strong views and constructive advice in our latest Q&A. Email questions about problems in your business to hello@mybpod.com, or get in touch via the channels below.

This is a subject close to Shopping Channel Sara's heart, who's been live selling on TV for 20 years. But with digital advances, it's possible for you to do the same with just a mobile phone (and we recommend you invest in a light). Here Sara and Helen share the tried-and-tested techniques you need to persuade potential customers to part with their hard-earned - either in store or via your socials. In Over A Brew with Not On The High Street, we get words of wisdom from Betsy Benn about Black Friday.

They don't pretend to be experts, but Sara and Helen are very well aware of the potential AI has to improve efficiency in various aspects of your business. Here, they share examples of how you might implement it based on their own experience - as well as what to be careful of - in the knowledge it's a subject we'll surely be returning to. Alice from Posh Totty Designs also has words of wisdom for us in our regular feature with Not On The High Street, Over A Brew.

Her pod, her rules! Helen goes off script and throws one of her own business dilemmas into the mix - and is probably regretting it given the dressing down she gets from Sara! We also have queries about balancing creativity with the 'boring' everyday stuff, and seeking investment for a new green business. If you want the gals' advice, get in touch via the channels below. We want to hear from you!