Spark into Marketing

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Doing what you love so much that it doesn’t feel like work is the ultimate dream for any business owner or employee.  It is what provides the inspiration to keep on going.

This week’s Biz Buzz programme featured guests who are both making a transition into doing what they really love.

Diane Owen was a highly successful and well-paid banker in the City (in the days whe bankers were highly regarded>) She  particularly enjoyed working internationally, both for the travel and the contacts and also for the intellectual interest.    Gradually she realised she did not want to go back to the office when she had been outside at lunch time, and the whisper of discontent became a roar until she handed in her notice in order to be outside more in the open air.  She then trained as a fitness instructor and subsequently had her family.

Mary Fraser my other guest was (quite coincdentally) part of Diane’s dance class when she was gaining her qualifications.  She attested to the fact that Diane is a skilful dance leader, but Diane’s journey towards what will fulfill her more is still continuing.  She is now determined to become a mountain leader and is improving fitness in order to take the qualifications.  Not all parts of the plan are tied down due to family responsibilites but – as you would expect from a successful corporate performer – she has a very clear goal and action steps to get there! She is blogging about her physical and metaphoric journey to the mountains.

Mary Fraser has a successful HR business but although loving working with her clients her deeper satisfaction comes from helping children.  She has set up the Poppyfields project which gives children going through problems the space to talk, paint and  express what they may find difficult to say at home.  She quoted the example of a boy from a loving family who found it difficult to talk about his mother’s illness, and that the mother appreciated that he had a space away from the family to be heard.  Mary works in conjuction with schools,  so that all aspects of a child’s life are integrated.

We talked about the importance of saying Yes to the thing you really want, and letting go of what may be safe or comfortable.  In terms of building their existing business, both Diane and Mary are continuing to work with existing clients but their energy is with the new project and the new opportunities.

Biz Buzz is a programme dedicated to issues surrounding business on Marlow fm – the UK’s newest community radio station.

Hosted by me, Jean Wolfe, usually on a Friday we interview interesting local business people in Marlow Bucks and the surrounding area.

Carol Hill of the health food shop Healthy Stuff in Liston Court off Marlow High Street was my guest.  Her view on the health of the nation is that a lot of people are stressed and worried – partly due to the uncertain economic situation. This situation is bad whether you are an employee or run your own business.

Carol’s tips for supporting health and combating stress.

1.  Breathe.  When we get stressed we tend to breathe in a more shallow way which does no good.  Slow down, breathe more deeply from the abdomen which helps to get oxygen round the body, and to combat all the stress .  This is a simple way to fight the continous state of alertness which can be so damaging.

2.  Take exercise.  It doesn’t have to be in a dance class or gym, simply getting out and walking in the open air is good for all aspects of your life: mind body and spirit. Gentle exercise may be better than something very strenuous.

3.  Carol’s third tip could sound controversial.  It is to be outside in the sunshine until your skin feels warm.  Carol said that there has been a lot of research demonstrating that lack of sunshine (either from an indoor life or being permanently swathed in suncream) inhibits the production of Vitamin D which is leading to a large number of diseases.   The best source of Vitamin D is through sunlight.  Obviously it is important not to burn, – particularly for fair-skinned people – but a short time in the mid-day sun has tremendous benefits.

Ian Souch was my other guest.  As an acupuncturist and Tai Chi teacher he agreed with Carol’s top tips and also added that it is important to be happy.  As someone who is committed to a holistic view of health, he realises the health benefits of having outside interests.  He is a professional magician, has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe  and will be performing at the Camden Fringe later in August.  Ian has always been facinated by magic and is a member of the Magic Circle.  For the first time we had magic in the studio!  He used a blend of showmanship and keen perception to tell Carol what colour she had chosen from a coloured cube he happened to have in his pocket. Yes, we were amazed and could not work out how he did it.

There was a lot of laughter in the studio which is probably the best health benefit of all!

Biz Buzz is a radio show featuring business which goes out on the air every week day from 2:00 pm to 3:30.  It is usually presented by me Jean Wolfe on a Friday.  We have an excellent team of presenters who know and love business and who interview interesting guests.

In the Marlow Bucks (UK) area you can listen in on 97.5 FM or through the internet from elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, the Uk and anywhere in the world.

It is a community radio station spearheaded by Tim Ashburner using volunteers. So as a presenter you have to handle the technology.

My first programme was all about how to learn more easily.

Improving memory

Lysette Offley explained her business which helps independent financial advisors to cope with the pressures of having a full-time job and having exams to pass.  Passing these exams will shortly become a legal requirement in order to stay practising as an advisor, so stress can become an additional adverse factor.

Lysette’s background in NLP and hypnotherapy means that she can help individuals discover their own learning style.  In her 20 years of teaching she found that if something was not understood it was her responsibility to re-present the information in a variety of different ways.  Then learning itself becomes easier.

Her top tips for learning were

1. To do some study each day rather than take, say, a week off .

2. To look again the following day – after sleeping – at the information

3. To only record 10% of the information.

My other guest was Alison Sellers who is an independent financial advisor.  I asked Alison whether she had any problems with passing the exams and she “confessed” that she loves learning and has been taking all the exams in her stride.

We discovered that her natural learning style as someone who relishes new information very closely fitted the tips that Lysette gave.  Alison is an authority on many areas of financial advice including inheritance planning, wills, mortgages and she has personally invested a great deal of time and money acquiring the relevant information.  But it has all been a pleasure!