BrumPod
Business & Economics Podcasts
BrumPod, the podcast for small businesses, by small businesses; discussing the topics that matter to you; including marketing, networking, generating business awareness, as well as covering various business tools & technology. Find us on Twitter, @brumpod. Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking (Twitter: @brummiesnet). https://brummies-networking.co.uk Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Produced by Audio Shed - https://audioshedpodcaststudio.co.uk Twitter: @audioshedstudio
Location:
United Kingdom
Description:
BrumPod, the podcast for small businesses, by small businesses; discussing the topics that matter to you; including marketing, networking, generating business awareness, as well as covering various business tools & technology. Find us on Twitter, @brumpod. Brought to you by Brummies Networking, the home of free, stripped-back business networking (Twitter: @brummiesnet). https://brummies-networking.co.uk Music by Birocratic - birocratic.com Produced by Audio Shed - https://audioshedpodcaststudio.co.uk Twitter: @audioshedstudio
Twitter:
@brumpod
Language:
English
Email:
rich@happycontentco.com
Episodes
The Xmas Episode - The Importance Of Multiple Streams Of Income
12/20/2022
In our final episode of 2022, and before we take our break for Christmas and New Year, we leave you with some thoughts to ponder, about the importance of multiple streams of income.
With so much in the news that’s not altogether positive, we think it’s worth reminding everyone, ourselves included, that the future is very much uncertain, and it’s well worth being in the position where you can earn income via a variety of streams, so you don’t ever have to rely on one sole source.
Easier...
Duration:00:32:19
Three Handy Tools You Might Find Useful
10/19/2022
This week’s episode is just a short burst of news and updates you might not have known about.
First up, Canva.
Canva announces the Canva Visual Worksuite, including Canva Docs at their annual conference. They’re not holding back when it comes to developing their platform even further. They are constantly upping their game!
Canva info: https://thedigitalgeneralist.substack.com/p/canva-ups-their-game-again
Next up; how to find out what your clients are searching for on Google - the non...
Duration:00:08:02
Creating A Happy State - We Ask The Author, Samantha Fitzgibbons
8/31/2022
In this episode, we have a very special guest - and I say special, because our guest, Samantha Fitzgibbons, happens to be Rich’s bestie of some 17 years, and counting!
Sam has recently had her debut novel, Happy State, published, so we decided to have a chat with her about the book, and the path which led her to where she is now.
Having trained as an actress, then subsequently completing a degree in psychology, to being a professional copywriter for businesses, as well as now, a published...
Duration:00:37:40
What The Business World Can Learn From The Commonwealth Games
8/3/2022
At least for as long as The Apprentice has been on air, our lives have been filled with such phrases as ‘smash it!’, ‘knocking it out of the ballpark’, ‘doing it for the team’, ‘absolute home run!’, ‘MVP’ etc.
However there are some legitimate ways running a business is very much like sports psychology; so given the Commonwealth Games are well underway in Birmingham, we thought we’d take a little look into the concept.
Just like in sport, running a business is a marathon, not a sprint....
Duration:00:21:34
Running A Business During Disruption
7/7/2022
With rail strikes looming and petrol prices at record highs - just how much does this kind of disruption affect modern business operations?
With more people continuing to work from home post-pandemic, and the business landscape looking like it’s probably changed for good, are there as many people likely to be as affected with these disruptions as there once were?
If even more people have flexi-working arrangements and work from home continues to be even more commonplace, will these...
Duration:00:29:32
Elon Musk Buys Twitter? How Does This Relate To Our Own Networks?
4/29/2022
Elon Musk is purportedly in the closing stages of buying Twitter for a cool $44Bn - there have been extremely mixed reports online as to whether people are all for it, or think it’s the worst plan ever.
Twitter has been likened to a cesspool for many years - does this mean he’s now going to come in and clean it up and make it a more positive environment? Or will it just make things worse?
Then again, as we’ve said many a time, your experience on any platform is predominantly decided upon...
Duration:00:34:49
When Do Enticing Headlines Become Clickbait?
2/23/2022
We found an article from Foundation Inc that was all about how to write better headlines from the pros at LinkedIn.
Needless to say, our interest was piqued, as getting better at anything has to be a good thing, and if it helped our combined LinkedIn activity, then that’s always good, no?
But after finding a couple of useful bits, like keeping things succinct etc, the ‘tips’ went on to be more and more….well….ludicrous - to the point that these ‘tips’ were no longer useful, and were...
Duration:00:26:51
Starting A Business In 2022
2/2/2022
In this episode we talk about what it means to start a business in 2022, to take the leap from ‘safe’ employment into the world of the self-employed.
A topic close to our team (and hearts!), as Jason has recently done just that - stepped back from many years service as an employee in a big business, to starting his own journey into the world of self-employment.
We look at the reasons WHY people want to start their own businesses, whether you should go down the Ltd company route, or...
Duration:00:32:55
Adobe Launches Free Canva Competitor
1/14/2022
With the meteoric rise that Canva has seen over the last few years, it was inevitable that competitors would rise to get a slice of the action.
Given how Canva has completely changed the game in the world of graphic design, democratising the way graphics (and now of course video) is created by not just graphic design professionals, but by everyone - through the use of templates and pre-made elements that people can incorporate within their designs; a major player had to take notice.
The...
Duration:00:34:00
Farewell 2021, Hello Better Times - Merry Christmas To All
12/16/2021
In our final episode of 2021, we just wanted to give you a few updates of things you need to know.
As you know, we had to cancel our December networking event due to the current Omicron spread and the restrictions that are currently in place - we decided to wait until the new year instead of putting on a substandard event, so fingers crossed this is just a very temporary suspension of our events, and we look forward to welcoming you back hopefully early in 2022.
In the meantime, we...
Duration:00:05:07
Tis The Season - Networking At Christmas
11/25/2021
Well, it’s official, Christmas is fast approaching now from all angles, whether you’re ready or not! The wine is starting to flow, the nibbles are out, and people are gathering at all manner of festive themed networking events at this time of year.
Hopefully your workplace is putting on some kind of Christmas party this year after the tumultuous time we had last year, and now the hospitality industry is so well versed in keeping venues and guests as safe as possible, we hope you enjoy...
Duration:00:18:36
LinkedIn Rolls Out Freelance Services Marketplace
11/3/2021
In this episode, we discuss LinkedIn’s latest offering - an in-built freelance services marketplace - an additional function within your LinkedIn profile for adding ‘open to work’ banners to your profile picture, as well as the option to add various keywords about your service offering, so people can find you more readily when they need your skills.
It supersedes the ‘ProFinder’ offering they’d trialled a while back and, after a beta trial in the USA earlier this year, this service is now...
Duration:00:29:58
Living An Analogue Life In A Digital World
10/20/2021
Running our businesses, (and indeed lives), old school - does it still have a place in an ever-more digital society?
With so much focus these days on people, and indeed businesses taking advantage of the latest platforms and technologies, i.e. the TikTok generation (something that completely eludes us, I might add) - there doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as much focus on tried and tested marketing methods that would now be considered ‘old school’.
But does old school mean old and...
Duration:00:28:33
Disrupting The Face Of The Recruitment Industry With Dan Hoff-Rodrigues
10/6/2021
In this episode we talk to Dan Hoff-Rodrigues from CX Squared Talent Solutions based in the Midlands.
Dan’s company focusses on recruitment for the tech industry - but he doesn’t work in the traditional model of recruitment, but favours a ‘Talent As A Service’ model, helping to drive the industry into the 21st century.
You’ll learn about his career path to date bringing him to where he is now, and why he wanted to disrupt the face of recruitment by doing things in a different...
Duration:00:45:02
When Does Planning Become Procrastination?
9/22/2021
A raw and unplanned episode filled with some topical updates, including the state of the electric vehicle infrastructure, as well as updates on the Birmingham Clean Air Zone and how that’s going.
Electric Vehicles & Infrastructure:
Midlands Connect calls for urgent action needed to speed up the expansion of EV charging points in the midlands. EV use will increase by more than 3000% by the end of the decade, and currently we’re lagging behind.
Around 500 charging points are being installed...
Duration:00:31:06
LinkedIn Announces Native Video Conferencing
9/8/2021
LinkedIn now has nearly 740million members, & over 55million registered companies.
Microsoft bought Skype in 2011. They then bought LinkedIn in 2016. They’ve had the ability to bring in video technologies to LinkedIn for years now.
So why the delay?
At the beginning of 2020 saw the massive rise of Zoom, from a little heard-of video conference app, to global powerhouse, exponentially increasing their user base in a very short space of time thanks to the pandemic.
With LinkedIn...
Duration:00:27:23
How To Take Time Off When You’re Self Employed
8/25/2021
When you’re self-employed, a freelancer or solopreneur, it can be difficult to make the time to take time away from your business and go on holiday.
There’s often guilt about not being available to your clients, worries about loss of earnings, pressures of getting someone in to cover for you while you’re away; meaning there are so many people that don’t take annual holidays at all.
This can be extremely damaging to your physical and mental health. We aren’t robots, we’re humans - we...
Duration:00:26:37
Networking Safely After 17 Months & How To Keep Your Network Effective
8/11/2021
In this episode, we reflect on the fact we have just hosted our first in-person networking event in over 17 months!
It was a strange feeling being back in our spiritual home of networking - but quickly the strangeness subsided into a feeling of (relative) normality, and absolute familiarity.
We had a (capped) roomful of people eager to get back to business networking, with great, deeper conversations happening throughout. It really was great to see.
We also reflect in this episode about...
Duration:00:25:42
Productivity Tools You Can't Live Without
7/28/2021
In this episode, Richard and Iwan give a run down of some of their top productivity tools that they simply can’t live without.
(What they did before then, who knows…)
We cover various business tools, apps, software and platforms that simply make life easier in 2021 and beyond - tools that will often save you lots of time and effort, in turn making you a more productive business owner.
There are also mentions in this episode of great free or low cost alternatives to the more well known...
Duration:00:35:25
Will Digital Business Cards Prevail In a Post-Pandemic World?
7/14/2021
A new (to us) technology has been stumbled upon - the digital business card. An NFC-enabled plastic credit card sized business card that can be scanned on the recipient’s phone, loading up a browser page with all your relevant contact details and web links - with a big shiny button front and centre to allow that person to immediately save your details to their phone’s address book.
The technology isn’t necessarily that new - but it’s the first time we’ve seen it in such a slick easy to use...
Duration:00:29:35