What if the way you're running your business isn't actually working for you? In this episode, Juliet speaks to Amanda Perry about building a business with ADHD, recognising the signs of burnout and finding ways of working that suit your brain rather than following conventional business advice.

Amanda is the founder of Brain First and author of Brain First Business. After 18 years in business, including growing her marketing agency SOUP from five to 40 employees during the pandemic, her ADHD diagnosis prompted her to rethink how she worked and what success really meant to her.

In this episode:
(02:00) How an ADHD diagnosis changed Amanda's approach to business
(06:30) Recognising the early warning signs of burnout
(09:00) Why conventional business advice might not work for ADHD founders
(12:15) Understanding your ADHD strengths, motivation and hyperfocus
(16:20) Why ADHD can make planning ahead and protecting your future self difficult
(21:30) How to decide what to delegate and when to bring in support
(29:40) Rethinking what business success really looks like

Find out more:
Amanda's website: amandaperry.co.uk
Instagram: @amandaperry
Book: Brain First Business by Amanda Perry
Brain First: brainfirst.co
Workplace Accreditation: brainfirst.co/accreditation

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
https://www.fallowfieldmason.com

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.

Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.

MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

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How do you know if customers will actually buy your product before you launch? Juliet talks to Froot Pops founder Ana Martins about testing an idea with real customers, spotting genuine demand and knowing when you have enough proof to scale.

Ana first tested Froot Pops through Pantree, her existing self-service retail business. Today, Froot Pops manufactures from its own facility in London, is stocked by major retailers including Ocado, Morrisons and Tesco, and has raised £1.1 million in external investment.

In this episode:
(02:00) How to spot the first signs that your idea has commercial potential
(06:00) How to test a product with real customers before you launch
(07:00) What does genuine customer demand actually look like?
(10:00) Testing your pricing and product before you scale
(12:00) What you only learn once your product is in customers' hands
(20:00) How to stay focused on your business when facing competition
(21:00) When is it time to raise investment to grow your business?

Find out more:
Instagram: @wearefrootpops

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
https://www.fallowfieldmason.com

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.

Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.

MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

How do you turn an audience into a loyal, paying community? If you're building a newsletter, working out when to monetise a community, or wondering whether a paywall is the right call, this episode is for you.

Juliet talks to yoga teacher and Substack creator Jo Hutton about rebuilding her business after burnout, growing 47,000 Substack subscribers from zero with no mailing list transfer, and why she ditched a fixed paywall for a pay-what-you-feel model.

They cover Substack's open rates versus other platforms, the 'say what you do, do what you say' rule for growth and retention, and why Jo treats Substack as one spoke in her business rather than the whole wheel.

After 16 years as a yoga teacher, Jo hit burnout in 2022 and rebuilt around Yoga For Tired People - now 47,000 Substack subscribers, a 42% open rate, 177,000 Instagram followers, her podcast Before The Work Begins, and a debut book with Bloomsbury.

In this episode:

(04:40) When burnout forces you to rethink your business model
(09:20) Starting again and building an audience from scratch
(17:00) How to grow a Substack without relying on an existing audience
(22:00) When does an audience become a paying business?
(23:30) What turns an audience into a community that stays?
(27:15) How to price a paid community and know what to give away for free
(40:20) Why growing a business means growing as a founder

Find out more:
Jo Hutton Instagram: @johuttonyoga
Yoga For Tired People Substack: https://happyyoga.substack.com/

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
https://www.fallowfieldmason.com

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.

Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.

MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show