Nicole Smith
Welcome to Take Control with Nicole. As business owners we experience firsthand the fine line between our personal and business lives. During our conversations, we will look at simple hints and tips to create time, reduce overwhelm, and help you to navigate through your journey to where you want to be. If you’re looking for smarter ways to work, and create space and time freedom in your day, then you’re in the right place. All right, let’s go.

Nicole Smith
Hello, hello and welcome back to Take Control with Nicole. Today I am speaking with the fabulous Suz Chadwick all about personal brand and presentation. Suz is a bold business branding and speaker coach supporting women to go from business confusion to clarity, confidence, and ceoing at boss level. If you want to be the go to person in your industry, or you want clients clambering for your brand of awesome sauce, then you’re in luck. With over 15 years as a brand consultant working with global brands solopreneurs leadership teams and running businesses Suz knows what works when it comes to creating a business and brand that stands out. Author of Play Big, Brand Bold, host of popular Brand Builders Lab podcast and the creator of Brand Builders Academy and the amplify accelerator. Suz now works with savvy women in business to create confident, bold brands and profitable businesses without the burnout. Well, hi Suz. Welcome. So excited to have you here.

Suz Chadwick
Thanks for having me. That’s quite an intro, isn’t it? I’m like maybe I need to like cut that down a bit. But I love it. I love it.

Nicole Smith
I love it too. And it was beautiful. just rolled` off the tongue. It’s like, you know how to use words.

Suz Chadwick
Surprise, surprise, it took a while but got there in the end.

Nicole Smith
That’s it, isn’t it without adding anything. You just start with the one thing and you just evolve it and evolve and then all of a sudden it feels beautiful and easy.

Suz Chadwick
It just flows

Nicole Smith
For those who don’t know you, you’ll know Suz by the end of this and you need to go and connect with her on the socials. Because she’s always on insta but share a little bit about you, tell us all the fabulous things.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, for sure. So I guess a little bit of background on me is that I like many of us came from the corporate world. I started in HR and recruitment. I was a lot in sales, obviously, that’s those things like recruitment is very sales driven. And then I ended up in branding, so doing employer branding. And I was living and working in London. So I was there for around about eight and a half years, from being 22, 23 I think it was and eventually I came back to Australia, I married a Welshman over there. And as I tell them, I’m like I’m taking your money and your man and I’m leaving. And so I yeah, so I ended up back in Australia and just knew that there was something else like that I wanted something else that there was something else that was available to me. And so I actually went through lots of iterations, I was going to start like a fashion thing where it was like buying designer wear, putting them on a runway having a cocktail party, and then women would buy it, like off the runway kind of thing. And then that didn’t didn’t go anywhere. And I had a few different ideas. But I was just like working in recruitment, thinking, I just wanted to do something else. There were a couple of things that I tried, that didn’t really work. And then eventually, I just decided to go to some networking events. And I thought, let me just try and like build my network and see what’s out there. And I had been running a brand agency at the time. And I went to these events. And I was like, meh, like they’re not like I don’t love ’em. You know, you’d be kind of left standing in a corner on your own. I didn’t really know anybody. And then it would be awkward conversations. And I’m like, this is not cool. Like this is not what I’m used to. So anyway, I decided that I would start running events. And I had girlfriends who had been in corporate now maternity leave saying Suz like how did you start this brand agency? What did you do? How do you price? How did you market yourself? And so I just started playing kind of with them and telling them everything that I knew and how to sell and how to build a brand and how to message and they were just like after a while I had a couple of girlfriends that I did it with and then they told other friends and they were like you need to like do this. And so I feel like those two things came together at the same time where I all of a sudden discovered kind of this coaching element, which I never thought about never considered. I’d mentored women in corporate for many years, but never really thought about it as a career. And then having the women in business events where I started running breakfasts, and all that sort of stuff, they just kind of came together really nicely and all of a sudden, I kind of had a business.

Nicole Smith
I love that I love and look, I’ve been to your events, and you definitely are not standing in the corner you know, twiddling your thumbs, no one talking to you. It is the complete opposite of what the corporate networking is. And I don’t even call it networking. And I noticed that you didn’t the other night, it was connection. Which is so true I think what I’ve discovered from starting business, and to now it’s finding humans and discovering that commonality, and that you’re just good eggs, good eggs out there.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah. And it’s really interesting, because I almost feel like if I don’t know anybody, and I go to an event, I might feel like it’s networking. But when I’ve got a community around me where I know a lot of people, then that’s really connection to me. And so obviously, the dinner that you’re talking about that we had the other night, like, I would say 80% 90% of people know each other. And so it’s a really comfortable, warm, exciting environment to be in because you’re like, oh, I get to see that person again. And so for me, that was something that I really wanted to build. And it’s something that I’m always really conscious of. So even if new people are coming, I’m like, let me introduce you to like three or four people come and stand with this group here. Because I know that they’re awesome, all my clients are awesome. They’re awesome. They’ll chat. And so I think that just off the bat, I’m just really set on, no one will ever stand by themselves in a corner. Let me introduce you to all the people.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, definitely. I knew when I started business for exactly the purpose of what you’ve created BBA, for brand builders Academy, for those who are not aware, is that initial stage of setup. You know you’ve got to do all the things, but you’re not quite sure what all those things mean at that point. And I love that it’s organically grown from your nature to want to help your friends and community into a business.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, well, I think for me, you know how sometimes you stumble across something where you’re like, I’m really good at this. Yeah. And I really love it. And I think that when you’re good at something, you love it, and there’s a market for it. That’s your zone of genius. Like, that’s it, you’ve found it. And so for me, it just felt really natural to grow that. And as far as BBA goes, which is one of my programmes, I kind of sat down and worked out like what are the things so I did a couple of business courses. And they taught me about marketing. They taught me about like building my email list. But they didn’t teach me how to run a business. And I was just like, yeah but how do I make money? And then when the money comes in, what do I do with it? And then how do I like manage it and grow my business and all those things. So I feel like for me, I just kind of learned a lot along the way, and then put that together in a process and a system where I’m like, this is what I would have wanted to know when I started my business. Yeah, all the things. So yeah, it’s been great. And I feel like it does the job.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, my ears tweaked at process and system. Which is my little unique world, play of the world. And I totally agree with that is whenever you have an easy way to learn and apply, implemented, just make it the normal then it’s easy. And you can transition from the, I don’t know, to the oh yeah cool, I do this now this is how I operate. And that’s what yeah, when you do and you offer your clients is that really easy way to absorb that information, and connect with all the fabulous humans in you’re sphere.

Suz Chadwick
You’ve gotta have it or you’re gotta have it all. But I also think that for me, like, you know, when I created that system, and I call it the client revenue generation roadmap now, it’s had many iterations as my thinking has evolved. And as I’ve become clearer on how I want to talk about it as well, I just think that for me, it’s a system I use. It’s a process that I use for myself every year to go through things. And so I also love processes and systems that you can consistently and constantly use, no matter kind of whether you’re in year one of your business or you’re in year eight. It’s kind of like let me come back to this. Let me see, like what I need to do when I apply it to where I am now, so that I can continue to kind of grow and be really intentional with how I build and grow my business.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, totally agree because every day we will learn new things, every week, every year, and being able to come back into that anchor of just to review and look at where you’re at, where you’ve been, where you want to go is a really key element that, you know, business isn’t just about, well, sometimes you throw spaghetti at the wall and just see what happens. But we do want to have some sort of direction.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, for sure. And I also think that when you’ve got those little checkpoints, then you can make those really intentional decisions. So I’ve had quite a few clients now who are sort of maybe, you know, six, seven, or just more advanced, more like they’ve been in business for a while. They’ve kind of, you know, multi six figure type businesses, and now they’re wanting to completely change their business structure. And so it’s also going back to that and go, okay, so if I want to change my business structure, then how do I go through this process now in under this new idea, under this new structure, and format, like, is my brand still the same? What’s now my business services and my pricing and packaging, if I’m not doing say, done for you, but now I’m like coaching or creating a programme or, and so I think that it evolves as well, which I think is really good. I think it just asks a lot of the key questions,

Nicole Smith
Which is so so important to have that in our business? So bold, being bold? What does that mean? And how does one become bold in their business?

Suz Chadwick
I think like earlier on in my business, this was something that I just thought, you know, something, you’ve got to have the mindset of deciding to break the mould in order to stand out. So I talk a lot about standing out, you know, my book is Play Big, Brand Bold, and bold when you look at it in the dictionary, which I am as I’m a language geek, when it does come to like the messaging in your business. It’s all about breaking the mould going against the grain doing things differently, challenging the status quo, and all of those things. I’m just like, yes, yes, yes and yes, like, I want to do all of that. And I think that the people that really stand out in the market, all the ones who are doing things differently, and so bold, I think a lot of people like are but I’m not bright and colourful, and I’m not an extrovert and I’m not loud. And I’m not this, and I’m not that. But I’m just like, you can be beige and bold, like you can absolutely stand out if you decide, you know, something, think I’m just going to try it my way. I’m going to try it this other way. And I think one of the things that you can do is really take a look at all the stuff that you’ve learnt, maybe say in the business space, and then think about your experience, and then think about your personal interaction with your clients. And when you take a look at all of that, like, what do you come up with, and I don’t think it’s going to be exactly the same as somebody else. So I think it’s also us really valuing our own intuition, and our own knowledge and experience and kind of going, I think that this system is really good, but you know, what I think would make it better are these things, and then you really bringing your own flavour to that as well. And I think that’s, you know, I think people are attracted to that. Like, it’s not them hearing the same thing over and over again, it’s like, oh, that just sounds like the 10 other people that I just listened to, you don’t want to be that. So that’s why I think bold is really important.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, I, because I come from the corporate world. And funnily enough, from the London experience, too, and importing the husband over from the UK, it’s a good thing to do he’s a keeper, he’s a keeper. But coming from the Investment Banking Finance world as well. And that, you know, I know, very corporatized when I start a business, I thought I had to be the mould you know, of what a business was supposed to be. And dressing funnily enough, I’ve got a white shirt on today, which is new, but normally, she’s not so white, you know, and I didn’t have headbands. And I was like the pearls and the very polished Nicole, which I still am. But I’ve actually allowed me to come out the personality and the excitement, like my clients, they see it all it’s like, I get very excited about what we’re doing together. And that’s all part of the experience of working with me, it’s being on that journey. And as soon as I realised that that was okay, you know, and that was through working with you and other conversations as well. That was okay to be you and create a business that was what I wanted to have as the experience. It was so lightening I just felt so much lighter, freeing.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, exactly. And I mean, you’re not the only one. Like I’ve had so many clients where sometimes like when I see them online, or when I saw them online, and then I would be with them. I’m just like, you’re like really sassy and crazy and fun and irreverent. But when I look at you online, that’s not what I see. And it’s just really interesting. I’ve had a lot of clients now where it’s just really embracing, like all of them. And I think that when they are trying to be something that is not naturally them, then they struggle sometimes with creating content or showing up or being visible, because it probably feels really unnatural to them. Whereas when they step into just being themselves and being more casual, and swearing, if that’s their brand, and just saying what they want, and you know, sharing things that they think are funny that it might be a little bit crazy, sassy, or irreverent, like, whatever that is, and then you watch them kind of fly. You watch that transformation of just that freeing that you were just talking about. Because when you try and be something that you don’t really want to be, but you think that’s how you’re supposed to be, you will never actually be able to fully embrace all the opportunities that could potentially come your way. Whereas when you just make the decision just to be you however that is and really embrace that. I think that’s what is, like magnetic. Yeah, that’s what people love, because it’s just like, I see you and I see that you’re totally being yourself. Like, I think that sometimes you can see, when people are holding back as well, which is really, becauase then you’re kind of like, like, what else is there like this, like I feel, I feel maybe a little incomplete like this isn’t the full story. I’m not getting the full view. Whereas when people don’t hold back, I think that that’s when you’re like you either love them or hate them or, which is totally fine. That’s what you want. You want to kind of be a little bit polarising to people, because then the people who love you, they are hardcore in love with you. And that’s what that’s what we want.

Nicole Smith
Yeah. Yeah, that’s so true. And yeah, just encouraging the no people to not like you. Or not, you know,

Suz Chadwick
As long as they’re not mean

Nicole Smith
We’re all being lovely and polite people just unfollow and unscubscribe, that’s totally fine. I love that you say, you know, the online and in person, because obviously the last few years, I started my business at the start of 2020. So it was like, straight online, which was always the intention. But I always love in person events. And a couple of times I’ve gone to these events, and people have said, you were exactly like you are online. And I’m like, is there any other way I can be?

Suz Chadwick
It’s not always, it’s not always common. You know, sometimes, you can meet somebody and I and I’ve had this before, where you kind of see them online. And they’re this one person, and then you meet them. And it’s like awkward as like, I’m just like, because you’ve been jarred by the fact that what you’ve seen online is not what you’re experiencing in person. Yeah, which I think is really interesting. And I have seen that for myself a couple of times where I’ve just been like, that’s so interesting.

Nicole Smith
Yeah. And it’s, it is hard, because I have in the past, like, I look back to the videos when I first started and I’m sure everyone listening has probably done this as well. And I’m sitting there and I’ve got a very like Dadda Dadda, Dadda, Dadda Dadda. And now I’m just like it’s so much better. And it’s I remember back to that stage being that person of I have to be professional, I have to look like this and rerecord and you know that being bold is just, you know, exactly that, stepping into who you are, and sharing that with the world.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, and I think that there’s a couple of practical things that you can do that I’d love to share. So the first one is like, there’s five things that I sort of, maybe look at that you can have a think about is the first thing is really around your industry. So you know, what moulds do you want to break in your industry? So let’s kind of start at the top. It’s like, what do I love about the business coaching world? And what do I hate about it? What have I seen work? And what do I think just doesn’t work? If I was going to build my business, like how would I want to do that within this industry, but in a way that stands out? And so I’m kind of looking at the bigger picture and I’m like, okay, there’s all these models, there’s all these options, I’m going to choose maybe a bit of this, a bit of that a bit of these, bring it together and put my own flavour on it. So I think really taking a look at your industry and maybe sharing like, what do you love and not love about it and being okay about having an opinion as well. That’s the first kind of high level. The second thing is like my own business, so what do I want to create and how am I going to make that really unique for me and my clients, you know, and if I had no limits, this is a question I always love to ask myself. Like if I was just dreaming big and I had no limits, money was no objec, time was no object, other businesses were no object, like, what could, what would my business look like? And for me, it is still about the community. It’s about having a super tight, engaged, like incredible community where we have lots of opportunity for them to see one another, lots of opportunity to consistently learn and grow. So for me, I’m just like, okay, so what could that look like now? So it may not be there yet. But if I want to build that, then what do I need to start doing right now? And how do I need to start thinking right now to kind of be in the process of growing that every single year? So you’ve got your industry and your business, the next thing I’d say is around your message. So what do you want to say without a filter? You know, what’s that big message that you want to put out into the world. And I always sort of say, this is like what you want to be known for? So I talk about bold a lot. It’s, you know, what, like, we just talked about breaking the mould being different. For me, I talk a lot about being magnetic. So instead of being a megaphone, how are you more magnetic, so drawing people to you, and I kind of think that what we’ve already talked about around being yourself. Yeah, like, unfiltered and restricted, like that is magnetic. And I also think that around your message, when you’re really honest and open about what you talk about, and also, sometimes it’s not polished and perfect. Sometimes it’s sharing a message, when you’re in that messy middle, as well, that kind of makes people realise that you’re relatable, and that you get them and that you understand what it is that they’re going through. But you’re kind of in a place where you’re evolving and sharing that evolution with them, as well. And then I think that the other two are really around your clients. So I’m always looking at what experiences am I creating for my clients that I think are different to what else I’ve experienced? And also, you know, once again, what does that brand experience look like? So for me, when I think about my business, and clients, I’m just like, I want to and I shared this on a podcast recently, I, you know, want to have like a three day mastermind. And I want to, like create these incredible, like, I’d love to do like a week long retreat with like, 100 people and like, have all of these different experiences. And, you know, what is that client experience that you’re kind of creating? And then the last one is really around yourself, as well. So, you know, what are you doing for yourself? And how are you showing up, which is kind of what we just talked about, but fully as yourself. And I think it’s really interesting, because I’ve been doing a lot of study recently on like, behavioural change and stuff like that. And we take on these identities of, I’m shy, or I’m not somebody who like talks a lot, or I’m a mium, or I’m a this or I’m at that and we label ourselves a lot. And a lot of times, the label that we give ourselves puts restrictions on ourselves that we don’t even realise.

Nicole Smith
Just interrupting this episode for one little message, if you have been listening and love what you hear and want to come in connect, we have a Take Control with Nicole Facebook community, right over there on Facebook, that I would love to invite you to come and join us. We are a supportive community, we are looking to really take action in our businesses, and change the way or evolve the way we’re working right now. So I invite you to come on over and join our community and connect with us all. Community is the essence of everything in business, being able to really build those relationships that you can nurture, and grow and support and celebrate each other. Oh how fabulous, I hope to see you over there, pop on over to Facebook, Take Control with Nicole. See you soon.

Suz Chadwick
And so it’s kind of like saying well just because you’re a mum, or just because you’re a wife, or just because you’re single or just because you’re shy. What does that mean? What does that mean for you? Does it mean you can’t do something? Or does it mean that you can or and I think it’s just really interesting to explore that, like the identity that I give myself how is that either holding me back or helping me be bold and creating the impact the business, the life, the experience that I want as well? And so for me, those are kind of things that I am consistently looking at, like how am I standing out in my industry, building a business that challenges the status quo? How am I constantly evolving my message building incredible brand experiences for my clients? And how am I constantly looking at myself and saying, Where are you holding back?

Nicole Smith
Yeah, yep. And that’s, I think that self-awareness element, all business owners have it because we come across that moment of, oh, I can’t possibly do that, because X Y, Z and then you’re like, but why can’t I do that thing. I’ve always been a bit of an action taker from day one, I’m like, this is what we’re going to do. And this is how we’re going to do and it’s gonna be great. But there has also been those moments of, I can’t possibly speak to that person, because like, they’re so up there. It’s just ridiculous, like, silly. You know, we’re all humans, but being aware of that, and that self like self-care, self-awareness, that is a really big, important part of business as well, isn’t it becasse we’re humans.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, absolutely. And we all have blocks, we all have emotions, you know, I love that Brene Brown, if you’ve watched the atlas of the heart, on Binge at the moment, and she says, you know, we think that were, you know, thinking beings who have emotion sometimes, but we’re actually emotional beings who think sometimes. And I just think you’ve just got to expect that there’s going to be ups and downs, some days, you’re going to feel like you’re conquering the world. And other days, you’re just gonna want to like not get out of bed and be like, why am I even doing this. And I think that as a business owner, you’ve just got to know that those ebbs and flows are going to come. And I think that acknowledging that being prepared for that, being able to self coach as well, where you can kind of recognise it’s like, you almost have a bit of an out of body experience. And you recognise that I’m in a funk, like, I’m in a mental hole at the moment. And I’m aware of the fact that right now, emotionally, I might be a bit low. So I’m, let’s not chuck the baby out with the bathwater, and everything while I’m feeling in this state. Let’s just either try and shift the energy, just have a self care day where you just allow yourself to be in the emotion. Otherwise, you go into a self coaching, where you’re like, okay, what’s happening? Like, how do we, have like, what do you what do we want to do? It’s almost like me, myself, and I, okay, we’re feeling a bit crap today. What do we want to do? Like do you want to take a day off? Do you want to try and like work through this? What do we need to do? Let’s maybe work half a day, get stuff we need done. And then let’s watch a movie with the kids or whatever, like, what do we need to do and kind of being in that place where you’re like, let’s make an executive decision with me, myself and I about how we’re going to handle this today. And sometimes, you know, even I was sharing with somebody, you know, I’ve had some goals that I’ve not hit. And I was kind of the other day being like, so crap that I haven’t hit them. And, like, why, and it’s just so hard. And I’m just and I caught myself and like jeez stop whining. Like, what about when, like this amazing thing that happened in this amazing thing that happened in this moment? And I’m just like, yeah, that’s true. And so it’s like, you’ve kind of got to have these conversations with yourself when you catch yourself in that kind of low point or where things aren’t going exactly the way you want. And I think that’s such an important skill for any business owner.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, I totally agree with that. I know myself, I’m becoming quicker at being aware when those things are happening. And I’ll be talking to Kathy Rast who you know as well, and I’d be like, I’ve just noticed the thing. I’m doing the thing again, and she’s like, yeah, you are, you’re good. All good. I’m like, yep, cool. And it’s, it’s that you find those patterns with all of these things. Everything is just a pattern. And your as soon as, if you can hit it just before you go into the dip, then you can recover yourself to do exactly. Have a Netflix day or take, oh I got a puppy, take the puppy for a walk. We’re all in puppy zonet over here still. But yes, so self awareness, such a big important part of business.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah. And I also think having others around you, like you said with Kathy, and you know, I had a call yesterday morning with one of my coaches in the US. And I literally, she’s like, what are we talking about today? And I’m like, I have a block around this thing. And she was like, okay, and I said, this is why I’ve got the block. And this is what I’m not doing, and this is what I’m trying to trick my brain into doing. And she just laughed and we worked through it, we sorted it out. And so it’s almost like that self awareness is one thing. And the self coaching is great. But I think that when you’ve also got somebody to bounce things off of and who gets it like somebody who can help you through that as well. It just kind of helps you to not sit in it on your own. But for me, it’s like I am an extrovert. And so a lot of times I do process information and process my thoughts by speaking about it. And so I know for me personally, I’ve got a chat with a couple of girlfriends on Instagram, and it’s called the brains trust. That’s what the group chats called. And we’ll just drop in there and go, this is what I’m thinking. Does it sound ridiculous, is, what do you think this is what’s happening and like, everybody will come in. And I think just having those kind of touch points of people who you trust, and who are supportive, and when they can kind of call you out.

Nicole Smith
So important,

Suz Chadwick
It is so important. Like somebody going, no, that was a rubbish idea. And you’re like, yeah, I thought so. Just wanted to confirm,

Suz Chadwick
It’s being witnessed, I think, as well like, because business when you’re running it by yourself, which we, most of us, it can be a lonely little beast, unless you’ve got those people. And yeah, I know, my people lift me up, and I lift them up. And yet we have those hard conversations when we need to. And it’s like, Stop being silly now. Come on, your socks up, you’re right. Get a glass of water is the normal one that I get told to do? Go and have a glass of water. Okay.

Suz Chadwick
Love it. Gotta have it, you got to have it. And I think that was the other thing around when I started with events, it was just the desire to be around other women who get it. Yeah. And who you can have great conversations with, and who can challenge you as well. I just think, if you don’t have that, it’s just it makes such a big difference.

Nicole Smith
You don’t want yes, people all the time. Like we need people that are gonna be like, have we thought about this?

Suz Chadwick
Yeah. And I mean, obviously, when things are great, they’re totally like you said, like, they’re your best hype people. Yeah. But I think that, you know, it’s the meaty conversations that are the thing. Like, that’s the gold.

Nicole Smith
Yeah. So yeah, love it. Personal brand versus business brand. So I’d love to have a little conversation about that. Because there’s obviously I have a business, The Artisans Business Solutions. But Nicole Smith is a brand, I guess in itself. How do you as a business owner, know which, where is it the same? Is that? Is that a good question to tackle?

Suz Chadwick
So good. So I’m like, how long have we got? Yeah, no, it’s fine. So what I’d say is that everybody has a personal brand. It’s basically what you’re known for. If you know, if your name comes up, people will have a perception of you. Yeah, so your personal brand is the perception of everything that you do, who you are, what you’re known for, etc. Now, you can either choose to elevate that personal brand. And so you’re like, I want to be known for this, I’m gonna build my thought leadership, I’m going to speak about it, I’m going to teach about it, I’m going to work with clients on it, I’m going to write about it. Like, I want to be known when you google this thing, I want to come up. Yeah. So there’s a more deliberate element to building a personal brand, if that’s what you want. And I think that there can be a lot of brand equity and value in building a personal brand as well. And then your business brand is really like what your business is known for. So for example, when I first started my business, it was called the Connection Exchange, I still trade as the connection exchange, because I was looking at events and what else we could do when, etc. And then I made the conscious decision to switch my business to a personal brand name. So it’s now Suzchadwick.com instead of the connectionexchange.com. And so that was a very deliberate thing where I was like, I wanted to become known. Like, I wanted people to know my name, because I’m a speaker as well, that was a very big thing. But I was also like, as a coach, I want my personal brand to be something that people know, and search on. And all of my equity is built around that as well. So I think that those are kind of the two things kind of like Amazon and Jeff Bezos, Microsoft and Bill Gates, Spanx, and name has just escaped me, Sara Blakely. Terrible I was like, so yeah, so it’s kind of like, you know, you could walk away from your business and people would still know who you are. Yeah. Yeah, that’s the simple version of it. Yeah,

Nicole Smith
Yeah, very true. And it’s funny because again, when I started mine, I’m like, I am going to grow a business. Becaus in my head I had corporate structure, you know, with do to do all the things. And I still love my business name because I have a connection with the story and all of that. But what’s happened over the last couple of years is exactly that is Nicole Smith, under The Artisans has been known for clickup and other bits and pieces. And yeah, I guess you come to that moment as you did with the connection exchange versus Suz? Which way will you go? So yeah, no, that’s very, very good advice there and thoughts on probably where I am. I always say when I’m having these conversations, it’s because that’s what’s going on up in the old brainarooney up there. So yeah, good.

Suz Chadwick
And I think that, you know, one of the things and I feel like I’ve had this conversation with a few people lately, I’m just like, I want you to think about what you’re like in the next two or three years, what do you want your business to do? So if you’re like, you know, something, I’d love to bring in some, some contractors, I’d love to, like step away from the business, but the business still runs, then a lot of times, you’ll have a business name, yeah, where it can kind of do a whole lot of different things, or it’s an umbrella. And then you kind of got your personal brand, that you then decide whether you want to build separately or not, if you then want to step into doing other things. And so I’ve kind of got a couple of clients like one where she owns a marketing agency, and she’s got employees and all the rest of it. But now she’s kind of stepping out, she’s still in the business. But she’s kind of stepping out to now grow her personal brand and like speaking and she wants to build a programme and all of those sorts of things. But it’s separate to the marketing company. And so I think, just got to think about what am I trying to build here? Yeah. And so that’s the kind of you just got to take a look at the business structure that you want for that, too. Yeah.

Nicole Smith
Which comes back to all of the the underlying system that you provide your clients with is having a look at all of those things in the business and where are you heading? Where do you want to be? What do you want to be known for?

Suz Chadwick
Yeah. And also, I just want to say that, again, nothing’s ever set in concrete. No, you know, like I said, at the beginning, I’ve got clients to multi six figure, you know, super successful have baby, you know, how to agencies or done for you services. And now they’re like, I’m done with that, like, I’m ready for the next thing. And so they’re now changing their business structure and focusing more on their personal brand and things like that. And that’s totally fine as well, there’s still a lot of equity, and value in what they’ve done. They’ve built that audience. And now they’re kind of switching, like what they’re providing and how they’re showing up personally, and I’m just like, the great thing is, is that we’ve got that option to be able to evolve and change with how we want to be in our business.

Nicole Smith
And relatively quickly, as well. That’s the benefit of owning your own business and being your own. Yeah, your own owner of you. Compared to again, think about the change process in corporate, you’d be there for months, sign offs by multiple people where it’s like, I gotta do this today. This is what we’re doing.

Suz Chadwick
So good, isn’t it? I know when I think about the projects I used to manage and the yeah, how long the things would take. And even when I work with corporate clients now as in, like, women who have got consulting businesses who work with corporate yeah, and I’m just like, you got to start business developing now. Because this is like a six month process. Like, you’ve got to be six months ahead really. Because that’s how long it takes them. That’s right. So yeah, it’s just a different beasr. But yes, I’m very happy to be able to make whatever decision I want on the day that I wake up and just go with that decision. I’m like who needs to sign off on this. Me. Do we have budget? Sure.

Nicole Smith
Love it. Oh, well, thank you so much. Is there anything else you’d want to share, chat about? Before we dive into our three questions?

Suz Chadwick
I don’t think so. I think the main message that I just really want to put out there as well is really just thinking about, like, what’s your magic? Like what is it that you really bring that, you know, is everything you want to be, do and have as far as like just showing up to your clients and in your business and just dream without limits. Because it doesn’t mean you’ll do everything but I just think you’re giving yourself the opportunity to like come up with ideas that you may not have if you would put all those restrictions on yourself.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, I saw on your stories. You’ve got Paris on there. Yeah, my dream at the moment. I don’t know where it came from. But mine was south of France. So it’s out there. It’s witnessed by people so it will happen.

Suz Chadwick
And I just think why, like I had a first I was doing my vision board. That’s what I was talking about. Yes, I did my vision board. I just did a little boomerang on Instagram the other day and I just sat and it felt so luxurious. I was like, copying and pasting like first class lounge images and a cafe in Paris and a new car and, you know, like beach holidays and all these other like health goals and all of these things. And I was just like, I just feel like, so yummy to be able to do that. And why wouldn’t I? Like why wouldn’t I do that? Why isn’t that possible? Like I can 100% have that, like put it on your vision board, focus on it constantly be looking for the opportunities that can help you to create and manifest that and then like do it. Like I’m just like let’s just do it

Nicole Smith
That’s the important part, you if you’re gonna do all the little micro moments up until the thing book that plane ticket and get over to France, get over there.

Suz Chadwick
I’m finally getting to Bali next year for like two or three weeks. That’s been like three years in the making, because I booked it I think in 2019. So I’m not having a retreat over there. We’re going over for my one of my hubbies, one of my hobbies no, I’ve just got the one hubby

Nicole Smith
Just the one hubby.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah he’s got a big birthday coming up next year. So I’m like let’s just spend like two or three weeks there, so that’s nice. Maybe Paris after that.

Nicole Smith
Yeah. Beautiful. Beautiful. Oh, wonderful. Well, let’s chat the three questions if you’re ready to rock and roll. Okay, so what is your go to app that creates ease in your day?

Suz Chadwick
Just the one I was like,

Nicole Smith
you can you can share as many as you like.

Suz Chadwick
Okay, so the two that I love is one is Asana because my entire business lives in Asana. And I’ve used Asana, I want to say like from the beginning, and so with team members and everything, so I always go in there. And I like I’m always like writing notes and projects and all those types of things. So I love Asana and helps me be super organised. And then the other one is Kajabi. So Kajabi is obviously my course platform. And really my pretty much my whole business sits in Kajabi. So hopefully fingers crossed Kajabi never goes down. Because yeah, so all of my programmes, my coaching, I’ve got like a private client podcast, all of my checkouts. Like everything sits in there. And I love it. It’s so easy.

Nicole Smith
It’s a wonderful, you got me onto Kajabi before the members lounge, and it’s very easy and intuitive to use when you’re in there as well. So yeah, both good combination.

Suz Chadwick
Yeah, I couldn’t choose. I’m like, I love them both.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, exactly. Why should you have to choose? Well, I think you’ve answered the question. This one are you an online, paper or hybrid to do lists lover?

Suz Chadwick
I am actually a hybrid. So when, I wouldn’t say to do lists, but I would say to do list is mainly in Asana, um, but I love to write out my thoughts and ideas. And I like to draw out models and stuff in my notebook. So I still am a pen and paper girl when I’m processing my thoughts.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, yeah, I’m exactly the same, which everyone who’s heard a few times. But my new thing is I’ve got I’ve just bought some a three sheets of paper. And I have them whenever I’m on a client call, I just sit there. And I just do all the scribbles and the notes and the connections and all of that. And I find that it’s a lot easier to process things. So then I go back. And when I design the flows of what we’re doing, it’s just really nice and easy, because it’s already in there. Totally agree. What would you do if you created more space in your world?

Suz Chadwick
For myself?

Nicole Smith
For you? Yep. I was trying to think about this. I think I would just like if I say work three days a week or something I think I would just do like a lot of random creative things. Like I’d go take a pottery class. And I’d go be really bad in a hip hop class. And I’d like go and I don’t know, like go to maybe museums I hadn’t been to and stuff like that. Like, I think I would just explore more. Yeah, I think that’s what I would do with my time as well. And I’ve been raving to everybody about a book that I’m reading, which is called Unicorn Space. And it’s just that and it just talks about this. It’s just like, What are you doing that’s like, not work, not home not like chores, not things that, you know, not even exercise. But what are you doing just for your creative brain? Like just the things that you would that when you do with them, it brings you joy. So roller skating is one I want to go get myself a pair of like roller skates. Amazing. I grew up roller skating, and I still take the kids to like Rollerama here and stuff, but I don’t really skate that much. Yeah, it’s a bit of a minefield at Rollerama because you could take out like a four year old. So I just like I want to go somewhere where I can skate skate, but not like harm small children in the process. So

Nicole Smith
I’ve been in that realm as well because I used to artistic roller skate when I was younger and I’m still got my skates so they’re they’re still fit, but I’m obsessed with all the beautiful pastel that now And the one outside skating. That’s yeah, that’s

Suz Chadwick
what I want. Yeah, yeah. So little things like that. I’m just like, dancing. Like I said to the girls, I’m like, I don’t care where we go, I just want to go dancing. Like stuff like that. That’s what I would do more of. And it doesn’t even like, I’m happy to do it. At like two o’clock in the afternoon.

Nicole Smith
Absolutely. Yeah. There’s something about it. Like I obviously, I love dancing and singing and all of that. And when you’re in the moment of that thing, it is that pure joy of just, I could be anywhere, you know, give me a microphone, and I’m happy as Larry and do it and everything’s the extra air. That’s it. It’s the extra air in oxygen.

Suz Chadwick
I love it. Well, I’m trying to because we do have supper club, like every couple of months. And so I’m just like, I need to work out how we have like either a DJ, or music or something like that. At like eight o’clock. You could dance for two hours, you can have a bit of food, and then dance for like two hours and then come and sit back down for like the mains or whatever. But I’m just like, I need to incorporate dancing into supper club.

Nicole Smith
Yeah, absolutely. There’s a pretty few good DJs with some saxophones as well. Oh, good. Well, gosh, the topics have been all over the place in this one. It’s great. I love it. Tell us if you have not connected with Suz where can people find you?

Suz Chadwick
So you can find me mostly on Instagram. And my website is also Suzchadwick.com, which is S U Z C H A D W I C K and then also that everywhere actually. So Facebook, Twitter, not really on Twitter, Instagram, but Instagram is the most so Suz Chadwick, you can find me there.

Nicole Smith
Wonderful. So please go over and connect. All those details will be in the show notes as always. Thank you so much for joining me Suz.

Suz Chadwick
Thank you. That was fun.

Nicole Smith
Yay oh it’s so exciting. I love having people on here and chatting and hearing about all the things. So have a great rest of your day. And for everybody who’s listening at home, have an enjoyable rest of your day as well enjoy creating space and time freedom, bye now.

Nicole Smith
Well, there we go. Thank you so much for joining me today. It’s been such a pleasure having you on board. Have we connected on socials yet? If not, please come on over, say hi, I’m on all the platforms @theartisanssolution. So I’d really look forward to seeing you over there. And if you enjoy today’s episode, don’t forget to tag me and I’d love it if you could leave a review. And of course share this with others so others can come and join us next time. All right then everyone have a fabulous rest of the week. And until next time, see you then.