Building your Brand

We're in December and I am naturally getting reflective. In today's solo episode I am chatting through my business model and doing a little bit of an audit. I talk about why I've made certain decisions in my business in the way that I run it.

I hope you find this episode helpful and insightful.

Today on the podcast I am chatting to Josephine Hatch, who is an Innovation Director with over 20 years of experience in foresight, cultural strategy, and brand innovation. Now, you might not totally know what any of that means, but basically, we are talking about trend forecasting!

One of the things that really struck me during our chat is that, as creatives and small business owners, many of us do this instinctively without having the formal language for it.

This conversation gave me such a good framework for being more strategic about looking at culture and making plans for my business and honestly, Jo's perspective gave me such a boost regarding the value of human creativity.

• Foresight vs. Fads: While "trends" are often associated with fast fashion or fleeting fads, foresight is about spotting signals and understanding the macro forces that impact human behaviour.
• Human Truths Remain: Technology and context change, but fundamental human truths—like the need for connection or joy—stay the same. Successful brands understand how to tap into these enduring feelings.
• The AI Counter-Movement: As generative AI adoption grows, there is a strong counter-trend towards the "human." People are increasingly valuing imperfections, analog hobbies, and genuine human curation.
• Look Outside Your Bubble: Real innovation rarely comes from looking at your direct competitors. Instead, look to other industries, art, and culture for inspiration to disrupt your own category.

Episode Highlights

• 02:51 – Joe explains her background and how an Alexander McQueen runway show sparked her interest in how fashion mirrors society.
• 06:49 – We discuss why "trend" has become a dirty word and the difference between short-term fads and long-term foresight.
• 12:56 – Joe shares incredible free resources and tools that small businesses can use to spot cultural shifts.
• 20:23 – A fascinating look at AI, including why the "human touch" is becoming a premium and the rise of analog hobbies.
• 33:17 – Simple habits you can adopt to become more culturally curious, including how to document the things that inspire you.

About the Guest

Josephine Hatch is an Innovation Director at The Otherly, an innovation and brand agency that works with global brands and small businesses to help them defend their space and grow with intent. She has spent 20 years working at the intersect of trend forecasting, cultural strategy, and innovation.

In this solo episode of the Building Your Brand podcast, I take you behind the scenes of one of my favorite recent client projects. I share insights into my branding process, the importance of collaboration and communication, and what I think makes for a dream client relationship. I give a candid account of how I work and what I value most in my client partnerships.

Something that really inspires me in the small business world is how many turn their hands to teaching online, myself included. I remember teaching my very first workshop online to over 350 people around the world during lockdown and absolutely LOVING it. Since then I've taught lots more and created group courses that I'm so proud of which is why I was thrilled to chat to Patricia van den Akker, director of the Design Trust, business advisor, trainer and coach.

Patricia's worked with thousands of creatives over the last 20 years and she's recently written a book called Teaching Creative Workshops in Person and Online.

So if you already teach as part of your business or it's something that you are interesting in adding, then I think you're gonna find today's episode so, so valuable where we talk all about how to host workshops and teach really, really well.

Episode Highlights

• 05:06 Patricia shares a tip for online teaching and workshops: "launch before you're ready" to stop procrastinating, noting that getting paid increases commitment
• 11:59 Discussion on why teaching is beneficial for creative small business owners, including the reality that services are often currently easier to sell than product
• 16:59 Patricia discusses the psychology of pricing, noting that "when people don't pay, they don't value it" and that charging can actually increase student commitment .
• 30:00 Patricia outlines her framework for teaching by asking three key questions: "Why do you want to teach?", "What do you teach?", and "How do you teach?" .
• 39:56 A discussion on facilitation and the realization that often "we teach what we need to learn," and that students frequently learn more from each other than from the teacher .

Patricia van den Akker is the Director of The Design Trust, a creative business advisor, trainer, and coach. She has over 25 years of experience working with craftspeople, designer-makers, and applied arts professionals.

In today's solo episode I am chatting about the levels of discomfort we can step into in our businesses to activily pursue growth.

'Get out of your comfort zone' isn't always a helpful phrase when there's no nuance added to the context. I chat through what has now become the normal signs and signals for me that I am in that sweet (horrible) spot of discomfort that is just right for me - uncomfortable but not totally out of reach.