Mind Your Business With Sara & Helen

Katherine, Jak & Kate are our entrepreneurial interrogators this week, seeking Sara & Helen's expert advice on 'me-time', creating a positive culture within the workplace and securing sales for a new business with zero marketing budget. As ever, the gals' advice is impeccable, but also more than likely applicable to you and your business. If you have a question, get in touch via the channels below, or email hello@mybpod.com.

Helen is initially sceptcal about this notion, but is soon convinced by Sales Pitch Sara. Hardly surprising, given Sara learned how to sell combs to bald men from the very best - namely shopping channel, QVC! And herein lies the essence of becoming a business burglar. We're obviously not advocating copyright theft, but rather taking inspiration from other (often better resourced) companies and applying what they do really well to your own business. By way of example, Sara directly copied KLM's loyalty scheme, while Helen's groundbreaking website benefited hugely from strategies gleaned from mega-corps, Home Depot and ASOS. We also hear words of wisdom from Sanjay - who runs Spice Kitchen with his mum, Shashi. Thanks, as ever, to our partners Not On The High Street for putting us in touch.

Daniel, Lisa and Wendy have questions for Sara and Helen, which undoubtedly have broad appeal for a small business owner. That would be YOU! And just as the girls learn something by putting their shrewd and astute minds to your concerns, so might you all in hearing their answers! If you have a question, email hello@myb.com, or get in touch via the channels below.

It's grim out there, but Sara & Helen are glass-half-full gals - and have plenty of ideas as to how you can turn these tricky economic times to your advantage. Where others see only doom and gloom, they see doom and boom, and are here to share their eye for opportunity with you! And in Over a Brew, our partnership with Not On The High Street, Ella from Let's Make & Do has some tremendous words of advice for small business owners about getting into the head of the buyer.Thanks for listening. Please rate, review and subscribe!

As well as developing a revolutionary business self-help theory on the fly (needs to be heard to be believed), Sara and Helen answer questions from Catriona, Omid and Penny in our weekly consultancy session. Catriona has three great ideas but isn't sure which one to pursue; Omid is wondering about the merits of accepting money from venture capitalists; and Penny wants to know how to bring the two distinct strands of her business under one umbrella. As always, there's something to be learned for all small business owners. If you are in desperate need Sara and Helen's help, email hello@mybpod.com or get in touch via the channels below.

Inspired by Sara & Helen's entrepreneurial dad, Frank - who would invariably run with a great, if imperfect, idea - we explore the merits of taking the plunge when it comes to a business concept you believe in passionately, but aren't sure is as ready as you'd like it to be. As always, the gals draw from their well of personal experience, for better and worse. And we have pearls of wisdom from Rachel at Not On The High Street, who also shares a branding exercise you can apply to your own operation.

We have questions from Helen, Selina and Pippa about social media promotion, creating a buzz about a new business and how to avoid meltdowns when working with your partner. As ever, Sara and Helen's advice has universal relevance. If you have a question for the girls, email hello@mybpod.com, or get in touch via the channels below.

The harder it is for your customers to buy, the less they will. So, how do you make their journey as smooth as possible in order to secure sales? Sara and Helen have too many ideas to list here. Suffice to say, adopt at least a couple, and you will reap the rewards. And the best news? All of their learnings can be implemented relatively easily and at very little cost. As the girls say, this could be a huge game-changer for you and your business.

Have you ever accepted business you didn't really want, been ignored by a would-be mentor or worried about the pros and cons of making a big hire? If so, you are not alone; Sara and Helen have too! And, rest assured, they've plenty of advice on all of the above - based on personal experiences good and bad. If you'd like to tap their brains in our weekly Q&A, email hello@mybpod.com or get in touch via the channels below.