The Creative Flow Podcast (Joanne Griffin: Retail & Mindset Mentor)

Following on from the last episode about how to get consistent with your product development, today we are covering how to get consistent with your marketing.

Both of these episodes are for product-based retail businesses so you can simplify, plan ahead and uplevel your sales. In the podcast we'll go in-depth on the following areas:

• Why you find selling difficult
• What is working for YOU!
• Learn how to serve over sales - it's all about what your customer wants!

Have you been Christmas comp shopping yet? Christmas is the ideal time to go comp shopping and check out what’s going on to inform your product development for 2019.

And the shops are full of festive goodness! If you can’t get out as you’re too busy with orders then I’ve rounded up some of my favourite Christmas Comp Shopping 2018 trends for you to be inspired by on the Elevate Your Curiosity podcast.

Show notes

Joanne on Instagram @arnoldandbird

In this episode we will cover:

• A pep talk on how to trust yourself in business
• A guided meditation to trust your instincts 

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

The Collective Membership is open for enrolment! Find more details and discover if this is right for you > www.creativeflowcollective.com/membership 

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

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Today we’re going to cover how to use user testing in your product development process.

But first up why should you use user testing? It’s an important part of the product development process when you’re in retail as you want to make sure your product performs exactly the way it should. That is doesn’t break and it can be the best it can be. Completing this process will ensure your ideal customer will want to buy your product and love it enough to share it with others.

If you enjoyed today’s episode then please do share it with another business who would love it or on social media @arnoldandbird. It really makes me smile when you do this :)

Full show notes

I love a body scan guided meditation! So relax and unwind after a busy Christmas and a crazy year. Here is a body scan meditation to help let go of anxiety.

Take a seat or lie down in a space you can relax in for a few moments and listen to this body scan guided meditation.

Let me know your thoughts on this meditation over on Instagram @arnoldandbird. 

In todays episode I'll be discussing 5 mistakes brand make when starting out with Catherine Erdly & Elizabeth Stiles.

I'd love to know what's your biggest takeaway is and which tip resonated with you the most. Tag me on social media or message me and carry on the conversation on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Find the full show notes here.

Find Catherine on Instagram @futureretailuk

Find Elizabeth on Instagram @elizabethstilesuk

Consistently planning your content, is this something you currently do in your business?

Following on from The Consistent Sales Plan mini-series I ran live on Instagram in November I wanted to share some of those insights here on the podcast. This training is specifically for product-based retail businesses who want to simplify, plan ahead and uplevel your sales.

In the podcast we'll go in-depth on the following areas:

• Have a plan, rather than no plan at all
• Create a simple content calendar that works for you
• What to do when your energy is low and you don’t feel like showing up

Christmas is a busy time for anyone, especially if you’re running a business. Make time for just a few minutes to breathe and clear your mind. It will help to focus your mind, relax you and make you feel able to take on the tasks today and tomorrow. 

Take a seat or lie down in a space you can relax in for a few moments for this Christmas meditation.

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

The Pantone Colour of the Year 2021 has been announced and there are two of them! Ultimate Gray + Illuminating Yellow.

2016 was the only other time Pantone has two colours, in the two decades they have been doing the colour of the year.

I got together with my friend, Elizabeth Stiles who is a fashion brand consultant to talk about the Pantone Colour of the Year 2021.

ELIZABETH AND I DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING:

• The meaning behind the two colours of the year
• How this meaning and the colours relate to the consumer mindset right now
• What we think about the colours!
• How to use the two colours in your product development
  • From using them literally
  • To using the meaning behind them
• How to use the colours in fashion, accessories, beauty, home, stationery and gifting
• How to use the message behind the Pantone colour of the year in your marketing and content
• Other accent colours that work well with these two colours

Our key takeaway is don’t just focus on the colours and take them literally. But use the meaning behind them in your product development and marketing.

People can get so outraged about the colour choices! For me, I am always fascinated by the thought process behind colour and what the collective mood is at the moment.

Listen to the full episode for some new year inspiration. And do share your thoughts with us over on Instagram @arnoldandbird and @elizabethstilsuk

You can also find our Pinterest boards for the Pantone Colour of The Year below
Joanne
Elizabeth

Listen in for a sales pep talk, the winner of the free 1:1 mentoring call & a special announcement.

Listen in to hear the pep talk to keep the motivation high in your business. And to see the success you have had so far proves you can keep succeeding.

The winner of the free 30-minute 1:1 call is….

@nicolesjungle

Congrats - I am so excited to have our call and chat about your amazing tiny paper plants!

You can also hear about the 3 spots I have available to work with me 1:1.

I love taking my clients from feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, feeling out of their depth and knowing something needs to change.

To having their best sales period, planning ahead, streamlining their processes, boosting their retail knowledge and having increased confidence in all areas of their business (and life too!)

Working with me has been described as working with your best friend who happens to know everything about running a small business.

So if you need this, then send me a DM and let’s discuss your business strategy, what you need help with and how I can support you through retail mentoring.

More details online > www.creativeflowcollective.com/retail-mentoring

Book your free call > https://creativeflowcollective.as.me/discovery-call

This stop stress killing your creativity guided meditation to bring balance back using our breath and releases stress so you can focus on your creativity.

It uses Nadi Shodhana, pranayama breath technique to balances the left and right side of your brain, home of the analytical & creative parts of us. We then move onto focusing on the sacral chakra to connect to our creativity.

Take a seat in a space you can relax in for a few moments and listen to this guided meditation. 

Let me know your thoughts on this episode over on Instagram @arnoldandbird. 

Welcome to this be kind to yourself meditation to give yourself a bit of kindness, grace and compassion if you’re feeling a bit hard on yourself.

After you've listened to the be kind to yourself meditation do take a moment before you get back to your day. And if you liked this you can find other meditations on the podcast. 

Take this compassion with you throughout the day. You are more than deserving of all of the compassion you can give to yourself.

Find Joanne on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Welcome to episode 44 and we’re going to be covering mindset advice today and how to show yourself kindness and compassion even when you’re busy working away. Be this at Christmas, in the lead up to a launch or during the school holidays.

This is especially important as we can get so busy. Taking time out to check in with ourselves falls by the wayside first. And this is the time it is needed the most!

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

This I am affirmation guided meditation focuses on a series of I am affirmations to encourage you to:

• Feel abundant
• Inspired
• Happy

It uses affirmations you can repeat and breathing techniques to relax into the guided meditation. 

Take a seat in a space you can relax in for a few moments and listen to these I am affirmations.

Instagram @arnoldandbird 

What to know how to interpret trends? In today’s Elevate Your Curiosity podcast I’m sharing why trends are relevant even if you’re not a fashion business.

The episode is an interview I originally did with Catherine from Future Retail about how to interpret trends. And was hosted in her Facebook group Female Founders in Retail. If you're not already a member of her group then do go and join as it's a fantastic place!

In this episode we talk about:

• Why are trends relevant if you are not a fashion business
• How you know what the trends are
• How you decide which ones are relevant to you
• How you pull together your inspiration to help with product ideas

Hey curiosity chasers - welcome to episode 9 and today we’re chatting about the luxe nature trend!

There is a Pinterest board you can reference while you listen to this podcast. Or go back to after you’ve listened to get some more inspiration. Head to > www.pinterest.com/arnoldandbird/luxe-nature. What I love about this board is that is lots of gorgeous colour and texture in it so do check it out.

The Creative Flow Collective Membership is now live! This is for creators seeking clarity and taking inspired action in business and life

Every month gain access to exercises and masterclasses that will guide you to overcome the stresses you feel in your business and personal life, empowering you to grow your business in a way that’s right for you.

www.creativeflowcollective.com/membership/ 

Use code: WELCOME for the founding member discount.

Mindset and strategy go hand in hand. You can have all the strategies in the world, but you also need your mindset to be on point.   What we'll cover in today's episode:

1. Reflect and find out what blocks are holding you back
2. What has gone well and how can you expand this? 
3. Journal exercise to overcome blocks and move forward

Grab a notebook and pen as we will be going through these exercises live.

The scripting prompts:

Scripting script  

• I see that…. (what holds me back)
• It makes me feel...
• I am so grateful & happy that I know this because… (so I can forward forward)
• I did this by… (in the presence tense)
• I know this works for me… (list the evidence)
• It felt so easy for me because…
• Thank you for.... (moving past this block and focusing on what to focus on)

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

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Let’s talk about three three packaging trends for product-based businesses.

Most retail products will need some form of packaging. Retail packaging tells the customer about the product, the company that made it and most importantly - protects the product!

Packaging can cover everything from boxes to fit the product in, swing tags, hangers, tissue paper, stickers, leaflets and postal packaging.

All of these elements are a way to tell your customers more about your business and brand story.

Your packaging can make your products stand out on a shelf or add that extra element of delight when a customer opens their parcel when they have bought online. So it’s always worth considering what your packaging is whether you sell in a brick and mortar shop, wholesale or online.

So today I’m going to discuss three packaging trends to inspire you, consider in your product development process and also factor into your marketing strategy.

As always I have curated a visually inspiring Pinterest board featuring these three packaging trends for you to browse.

Let me know which trend appeals to you the most over on Instagram @arnoldandbird. 

This Elevate Your Curiosity episode is all about your product profit margin.

When I work with my 1:1 retail mentoring clients, one of the first things that come up is we look at their profit margins and how much money they are actually making.

You need to have a good profit margin on your products because this is the only place where your retail business is going to make money. The difference between what you sell your product for and what it costs you to make it. This profit is where you are going to make your money. And ensure that your business is a business and not a hobby.

You're looking for at least a 60% profit margin on each of your products. And if you want to wholesale, this needs to be 70 to 80%.

It's vital that you don’t just pluck a number out of thin air. But really think about how much you sell your products for and then what are all the costs that go into this product too.

Let me know your thoughts on this episode over on Instagram @arnoldandbird. 

Welcome to episode 45 and today I’d love to discuss with you why you need to get to know your ideal customer.

If you’re running a business, it’s vital to know who your customer is and keep them front of mind at all times. This way you’ll understand their likes, needs and wants in life and understand your customer's decision-making process. And what is influencing this outside of interacting with your business.

Your customer is a 360-degree person who is buying from other companies and listening to them too. It’s important to remember this when you’re competing for their attention.

The benefits of knowing your customer means you will develop products or services that fit their needs and goals in life. You can work out how to solve their problems and improve their lifestyle. And you can talk directly to them in your product descriptions, website copy, marketing messages and branding.

Which is why you need to get specific with this. You don’t want to be too broad when creating your customer profile and don’t say that ‘everyone’ will buy your product as they won’t. Talking to everyone means that nobody ends up listening or falling in love with your brand. If you get personal and talk to one individual it means more people will listen. Which results in creating true fans for your business.

We'll be covering key questions to ask yourself to help you find your ideal customer!

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

In depth Get to know your customer workbook

3 Ways to Grow Your Business

Here are the three key areas I work with my clients on to grow their businesses.

In this episode we will cover:

• Pricing
• Marketing & plans
• Mindset shifts

Listen in for more details on how focusing on these key areas will create clarity and grow your sales.

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

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It's day two of the free course! 

Planning Your Sales Content

Plan ahead and nail your Q2 content plan so you know where to focus your launches and tailor your content to your customer’s needs to make it more effective.

• Plan out Q2 with the key events & gift occasions to focus on
• Use your customer’s words to create content to engage your audience
• Content that builds know, like and trust & asks for the sale

Everyone who check-ins and complete their action step will be entered into a draw to win a free 30-minute 1:1 mentoring call with me! 

Your action step is:

• DM me with your list of the key events & launches you’ll focus on in Q2 @creativeflowcollective

Sign up  below to receive the bonus workbook to complete your Q2 sales success strategy plan in full:

https://mailchi.mp/f7bf7a0b150a/q2-sales-strategy-workbook 

Tomorrow we will cover: Showing Up & Selling Your Products

The 3-day free course - Plan Your Q2 Sales Success Strategy is happening this week! Listen in Live on Monday 20th - Wednesday 22nd March at 12.30 pm GMT on Insta @creativeflowcollective.

In this 2021 trend update podcast, we delve into the meaning behind macro trends, three macro trends and they are influencing customer behaviour and design. Plus an overview of design trends for 2021 in a range of product categories. 

In this episode we will cover:

• Using trends
• Three 2021 macro trends
• How they relate to a range of product categories
• How to use them in your product development

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective 

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr https://soundcloud.com/tubebackr

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Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tubebackr-flow

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MU-ng80Sf88 

It's day one of the free course! 

Build Your Sales Foundations

Grow your brand based on strong business basics to ensure when you sell, you will have the profit, targets and platforms to succeed from. Your sales audit will include:

• Know your product costs & what your profit margin is
• Setting your Q2 target to grow your sales
• Sales channels you’ll focus on in Q2

Everyone who check-ins and complete their action step will be entered into a draw to win a free 30-minute 1:1 mentoring call with me! 

Your action step is:

• DM me with what your best sales platform is @creativeflowcollective
• Optional, add why you think this is.

Sign up  below to receive the bonus workbook to complete your Q2 sales success strategy plan in full:

https://mailchi.mp/f7bf7a0b150a/q2-sales-strategy-workbook 

Tomorrow we will cover: Planning Your Sales Content

The 3-day free course - Plan Your Q2 Sales Success Strategy is happening this week! Listen in Live on Monday 20th - Wednesday 22nd March at 12.30 pm GMT on Insta @creativeflowcollective.

Hey guys and welcome back to episode 7 where we discuss three ways to analyse your sales and develop new product ideas from your current range.

We'll be covering how to analyse your sales with the following methods:

• Range Review
• Daily rate of Sale
• Conversion

We'll also talk about thinking creatively and in a different way about your current range without using data.

Welcome to this I am abundant meditation. Designed to make you feel bountiful in all areas of your life!

Take a seat or lie down in a space you can relax in for a few moments and enjoy listening to this meditation.

Instagram @arnoldandbird

Show notes

In this episode we will discuss:

• How do you get into your creative flow?
• Where her business journey began.
• Proudest achievements in business to date.
• The biggest mindset hurdle to overcome.
• What mindset tools are your go to in business and life.
• What hasn’t worked for Thalia and how did this affect your business.
• What Thalia is excited for in 2022.

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective and @wildbooksco

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One of my clients consistently hits £300-400 a day in sales

So how does she do it?

In this episode I'll talk you through the key areas she focused on in her business and how I support her.

Want this support? I have 3 spots to work with me 1:1. Book your free call now to discuss your business strategy and how I can support you > https://creativeflowcollective.as.me/discovery-call

More details online > www.creativeflowcollective.com/retail-mentoring

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

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Today's Elevate Your Curiosity podcast features 5 ways to fit mindfulness into your routine quickly.

This is something I’ve really needed to do and practise more, while work and life have recently felt a bit overwhelming. I know when I give myself permission to do these things it makes me feel so much better. So consider this your permission - if you need it - to add 1, 2 3, or all 5 of these things into your routine today.

Today's episode is a quickie on how to move through feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

I’m sharing five tips on how to settle feelings of anxiety in the hopes it will help you as well as me! Whether through your to-do list too full, you’ve got too many orders to process, stuck in procrastination rut or in a bit of a funk.

A lot of these tips can be done in a few minutes so don’t feel guilty about ‘wasting your time’ and I say that in air marks! And If you’re feeling anxious it’s best to ease this so you do work better too :)

If you enjoyed this episode then do share it on Instagram and tag me @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Today I want to talk to you about the importance of building your community to boost your business and wellbeing.

If expanding your community is something you’d like to do but would like some tips then listen in. This episode is especially good if you hate the word networking and the thought of this makes you cringe (hint me too!)

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Building your community show notes

Today I’m discussing four Valentine’s Day 2019 trends that are perfect for gift and retail businesses to implement into their range.

Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest gift occasions of the year and one not to be overlooked. Especially since products in these areas can be interpreted for weddings, anniversaries and birthday gifts too. There really is so much potential in Valentine’s Day 2019 trends to be used widely in your range.

As with all the trends I talk about on the podcast I’ve created a Pinterest board. If you’re listening as you scroll the Pinterest board then start at the bottom of the board and work your way up:

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird/valentines-day-2019

Business mindset and strategy need to go hand in hand in your product business. You can have all the strategies in the world, but you also need your mindset to be on point to grow your retail business.

In this episode we'll cover:

• Why you’re not being your biggest cheerleader 
• Comparing yourself to someone else's journey
• Building a community of peers & customers to support your business

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

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Christmas 2018 is not that far away! Whether you are in your festive product development you can use these four overarching Christmas trends for 2018 in your product development.

As creatives we need that visual input so I've created four different pinterest boards for each theme. Head to pinterest.com/arnoldandbird for the visually inspiring and creative images.

The four themes are:

• Indulge Me!
• Ice Cream Christmas
• Deep and Bright
• Naturally Textured

These are the four Christmas themes I've see popping up and think will resonate with customers. Take these themes and mix them with your own style, viewpoint and findings - as you know your customers best!

If you loved this content then subscribe and the next episode will feature Christmas 2018 product trends.

Hello and welcome to episode 8 which is all about 5 ways to record inspiration when you’re busy and save product development ideas quickly for future use.

So when you’re busy with customer orders, finance, family life or general admin it can be hard to find the time for hunting down inspiration or even noting things down if inspiration does strike. 

Listen in as I run through five ways you can do this today!

Today I'll be discussing Easter 2019 trends. As always there is a Pinterest board that accompanies all the trend podcasts. If you can follow the board as you listen to the podcast.

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird/easter-trends-2019

I'll be discussing four trends & themes in more detail that include:

• Easter animals  
• Food & drink
• Easter gifts
• Easter patterns & colours

I hope you enjoy listening to the Easter 2019 trends podcast, and if you did then please do share it with someone else who would also enjoy it or tag me as you listen on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Find the full show notes at arnoldandbird.com/2019/03/easter-2019-trends

It’s Christmas time! So this is a super quick podcast with five simple tips to relax and recharge over Christmas.

Whether you’re a busy retailer who’s only just stopped sending out orders. Or if family, organising, planning and prepping has got on top of you. These recharge tips are perfect for you. Plus you can use them at other times of the year as well if everything gets a bit too much.

The tips include everything from a social media break, pulse point oils and an affirmation I’ve written just for you.

Show notes

Carry on the conversation over on Instagram @arnoldandbird

It’s time to start thinking about 2020 Valentine’s Day trends!

If you’re a retail business then getting ahead is really beneficial and means you can get some of your product development out of the way before Christmas.

I’m sharing three 2020 Valentine’s Day trends with you today that tap into the bigger macro trends that are influencing your customer's behaviour.

And remember you can use these themes for weddings, anniversaries and couple gifts too so there are lots of potential ideas to tap into.

As with all the trends I share on the podcast, there’s an accompanying Pinterest board. Look through the board as you’re listening to get an extra dose of visual inspiration or go back and see what you love later.

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird/2020-valentines-day-trends

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Want to know how to create sales targets to grow sales in your retail business? This podcast will help with this.

This isn’t about exactly how much money you will make, but having a plan for targets to aim for and what areas are going to drive these sales in your business.

This means you can plan ahead, set targets to work towards your goal and manage your stock and cash flow. 

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

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In today's Elevate Your Curiosity episode I wanted to get personal and take you behind the scenes of the relaunch of Arnold & Bird.

As it wasn’t just a website update that’s happened over the past few weeks. I’ve created my ‘why’ in business, a new visual identity and found my feet as a business.

I’ll take you through the following:

• What I had been doing in 2018 up to this point
• The feeling of needing help and trusting my instinct and going after it
• Working with a marketing coach
• The marketing exercises we worked through and how they helped
• The relaunch of Arnold & Bird
• Where I’m at now
  • Hint - I’ve realised that bespoke design and working 121 with people that is my strength and what I love doing

Today we're gonna talk about 2019 Mother’s Day trends. I’ll be discussing three overarching themes and you can listen in and follow along with the Pinterest board that I created for this episode too.

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird/2019-mothers-day-trends

I'd love to know what your favourite Mother's Day 2019 trend is? Tag me on social media or message me and carry on the conversation on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Find the full show notes here.

The podcast is back!

Listen in for an update on how I am honing in on my business clarity and what to expect in the free 3-day course - Plan Your Q2 Sales Success Strategy happening Monday 20th - Wednesday 22nd March at 12.30 pm GMT live on Insta @creativeflowcollective.

Sign up  below to receive the bonus workbook to complete your Q2 sales success strategy plan in full:

https://mailchi.mp/f7bf7a0b150a/q2-sales-strategy-workbook 

Win a free 1:1 mentoring call!

A bonus giveaway to everyone who checks in on Instagram and completes their action step from the 3 days will be entered into a draw to win a free 30-minute 1:1 mentoring call with me!

What we will cover in the course:

Day one: Monday 20th March: Build Your Sales Foundations

Day two: Tuesday 21st March: Planning Your Sales Content

Day three: Wednesday 22nd March: Showing Up & Selling Your Products

Are you joining in?

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Contours in nature have fascinated me since London Design Festival about five years ago, so this podcast & mood board is dedicated to the innovative designs that celebrate this natural topographic trend.

Natural contours create form through curves and lines in mountains and lakes, as well as undulations in the ground. Although not from nature, I also love the structure of how cities, towns and estates create shapes too.

I love how linear designs can be made to look like 3D structures, even when they are two dimensional, and this is a beautiful feature of contour lines that add extra depth to a designers work.

Adding structural elements means light relief is created through weaving or the layering of materials. I particularly love this when used in paper or fabric due to the tactile nature that is formed. Key design styles to be inspired by:

> Creating light relief by layering materials or drawings that create depth or the illusion of this
> City grid shapes create a new take on the geometric trend to update this popular theme
> Mixing natural and man-made materials to represent city and nature (such as wood and resin) in furniture and home accessories
> Repeated linear patterns. Using lines in an irregular way to create uneven repeats. 

Show notes > https://www.arnoldandbird.com/2018/06/natures-contours-trend-elevate-your-curiosity-podcast

Today I am sharing more about my Review, Grow & Scale your Business course!

Increase your sales based on retail expertise & what is working for your home & gift business. By analysing your sales, understanding why your customer buys, what your USPs are and how to scale your business.

During this 8 week course, you’ll be coached along the process with personalised feedback so you can plan ahead, build your brand awareness and grow your sales.

You’ll feel focused, confident and excited to take the guesswork out of running a business so you can implement the advice straight away.

The course is designed for product-based retail businesses that sell everything from homeware, stationery, jewellery, kits to lifestyle gifts.

Learn more:

www.creativeflowcollective.com/home-gift-course

Enrolment closes on Monday 9 May at 6pm GMT and we start on Tuesday 10th!

If you have any questions or want more information then send me a message @creativeflowcollective

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In this episode we will cover:

• A pep talk chatting all things confidence
• An exercise to identify it as a limiting belief about something you don't feel confident in.
• Creating evidence on when you did feel confident to show yourself you can create a new empowering belief.

Keep going, don’t give up as you’re doing amazing things!

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Sign up now to grab your free bonuses:

http://creativeflowcollective.com/self-doubt-free-course-march-2022/ 

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Today's episode of the Elevate Your Curiosity podcast is going to be a mini Christmas meditation. I know so many creative retail businesses who are busy sending out so many orders for that last minute Christmas rush. So I wanted to create a Christmas meditation that is easy to fit into busy days but will also give you a few moments to stop, breathe and relax during the rush.

We surge ahead so much in our businesses, that taking a few moments out to reset can really help make you more productive, happier and less stressed. So do join me in this mini guided meditation today.

Show notes

Instagram @arnoldandbird

I'd love to know what you thought of this Christmas meditation. Did you like it and would you like to see more guided meditations on the podcast? This is a new venture for me but something I'm super passionate about so would love your feedback!

Analyse sales by best sellers is a great way to identify new product growth areas and develop your product range. So today on the podcast I’m going to share how to analyse your sales and review your highest and lowest sales by total product sales and units.

If you do this already then great! I would recommend still listening in on how to deep dive into this form of sales analysis and what questions to ask to help your product development even further.

Even if maths isn’t your thing then you can still easily learn how to analyse your data. Plus you can make it creative by getting curious and working out what’s impacting your sales.

Want to buy the full digital download which includes four different ways to analyse your sales and work out how to use this data to inform your product development process? Then head to the shop:

www.arnoldandbird.com/shop

Let me know your thoughts on this episode over on Instagram @arnoldandbird. 

Today on the Elevate Your Curiosity podcast we're discussing the Pantone Colour Of the Year 2019 - Living Coral. And I say we as I am joined by Elizabeth Stiles, a fashion retail consultant.

We met on Instagram this year and after bonding over books and podcasts we've teamed up on workshops and are each other accountability partners!

Listen in as we discuss our thoughts on the Living Coral colour, the consumer themes behind it and how you can translate all of this into your product range. It was such a fun episode to record and we discuss so many ways to use this in your business. From taking the texture of the ocean and coral and using this in prints and pattern. To ways you can be more environmental in your business.

Show notes

Follow on the conversation over on Instagram @arnoldandbird and @Elizabethstilesuk

The next Mother’s Day is on Sunday 22 March, meaning it’s time to start thinking about Mother’s Day 2020 trends!

I’ll be discussing three overarching themes, key materials & patterns as well as product types you can create.  

As with all the trend podcasts there is a Pinterest board to accompany the episode.

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird/2020-mothers-day-trends

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Enhancing your creative mindset when you run your own business or are self employed is one of these best things you can do. And these five alternative mindset books for business are what I recommend on what can feel like a lonely road sometimes.

None of them are your traditional mindset books for business. They won’t tell you about SEO or hacks to grow your following. But I think they are vital in building a mindset that moves past self doubt, being kind to yourself and unblocking the barriers we can build for ourselves.

• It’s a mix of business and self help advice, but not as you know it! 

Consistent product development, is this something you currently have in your business?

Following on from The Consistent Sales Plan mini-series I ran live on Instagram in November I wanted to share some of those insights here on the podcast. This training is specifically for product-based retail businesses who want to simplify, plan ahead and uplevel your sales.

In the podcast we'll go in-depth on the following areas:

• Knowing why your products are unique
• Why you need to know who your customer and recipients are
• Work out what’s working already by reviewing your sales
• Making sure you plan ahead for key events

Hello and today's podcast all about how to approach your inner critic with love and kindness. We'll discuss what is an inner critic and I'll share tips on how to minimise it in a kind and loving way.

Find the full show notes here for links to the books & resources referenced in the show:
https://www.arnoldandbird.com/2018/07/approach-your-inner-critic-with-love

Until next time be kind to you and I’ll speak to you soon!

Today’s episode will focus on why having alternative creative hobbies outside of your business is vital to move your brand forward.

I really wanted to talk about this because a lot of businesses start with the hobby you love doing. But when your hobby is your business what do you do to switch off?

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Today I wanted to share an exercise on the podcast that will enable you to work out and get clear on the USP of your business and your brand's purpose.

So why should you do this? Knowing why you’re unique is vital to show your own take on your business and stand out from your competition. Plus it gives your brand it’s a purpose and why you do what you do.

I’ll be going over a checklist of questions and tips for you to think about while you’re discovering and working out the USP of your business. It’s the perfect exercise to journal over and dive into what makes your business special.

This exercise is one part of a three-part process in my free Brand, Design & Product USP Checklist you get for free when you sign up to my newsletter. I’ll be sharing the brand part today but if you want to grab the full exercise part then download it here.

Let me know how you got on with this exercise over on Instagram @arnoldandbird

How to Work Out the USP’s of Your Business & Brand show notes

This positive money affirmation meditation is here to help you feel more positive around money and confidently grow sales in your business.  

Perfect for coming into the busy Christmas period or any point in the retail calendar.

There is a big shift when you work on improving your money mindset to fit alongside your strategy and sales goals.

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this meditation please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0

Today I wanted to share more about creating a brand mood board and why doing so helps your business. 

Whether you’re working with a designer to create your brand, doing it yourself or want some visual clarity on what your business is all about. A brand mood board is what you need!

Mood boards help you get clarity and visualise your style, purpose and direction. It’s not about just putting pretty images together but creating a visual story that focuses your ideas in a cohesive way. 

Meaning a brand mood board will help the design process. Often meaning less design revisions as you and your designer (even if that is you!) are on the same page visually at the start of the process.

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Hello I’m so glad you’ve joined me for episode 11. This is all about productivity tips for getting organised and staying focused but crucially in a healthy way!

Personally I’ve had a real awakening with my view of what being productive is over the last few months. Basically my version was not working out for me at all. I was either overwhelming myself with the amount on my to-do list for each day and hence not getting that much done. Or thinking I was being so productive and getting stuff done, when in reality I was being so manic with how I was I doing it. I mean I was waking up at 3.30am and thinking I can’t go back to sleep (disclaimer, of course you can) so I might as well get up and do some work and then continue all evening too. Urgh - it was no fun at all and either way I wasn’t happy or focused and I was giving myself false validation in my approach.

So I’ve worked through this with some help and I want to share these tips in the hope it can help you where you need it, however you deal with getting things done.

Listen in to the episode to for each tip and find the show notes here: https://www.arnoldandbird.com/2018/08/productivity-tips/

This weeks Elevate Your Curiosity episode is all about how to beat procrastination and get in the creative flow.

Ok so first up, I'll admit I've suffered terribly from procrastination in the past. And still do now occasionally. How about you?

But recently I learnt that procrastination can be a form of control and this is a very different way of looking at it. So now I would like you to ask yourself why you think or feel you are procrastinating? Could it be fear of failure, success, what others will think, your abilities or if you can even do it? 

All of these thoughts above are very negative, and when feelings like this are not making you feel good, these are definitely your inner critic. (That little voice in your head that is never very nice and often takes over your real authentic thoughts.)

So how do you combat and beat procrastination? Action is needed and you can start really small.

Draw one thing, then come back and access it later - don’t assume it’s bad in the same moment. Or write the first sentence, do the first bit on the finances etc etc. Once you've start you’ll get in a flow state. You’ll keep going and that inner critic will become smaller and less vocal as you've begun.

And do remember to treat yourself afterwards once you've started. Be it a walk, a break to look out the window, some chocolate - it can be small, but as long as it makes you feel good.

What do you do to overcome procrastination? Is it taking action or something else? Let me and everyone else know as I know it can help others!

Sending inspiration and good vibes your way. Let’s get into this flow state!

Meditation and pranayama are some of my favourite things to share! I love the energy created even if we’re not in the same room. 

During this 10 minute pranayama, you’ll use a form of Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) called Chandra Bhedana. This moves energy into your left nostril, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system to help calm you down.

How did you find this 10-minute meditation practice? Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram. And if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0

It's the final day, day 3 of the free course! 

Showing Up & Selling Your Products

You’ve got your sales foundations and the plan, now it’s time to ask for the sale in different ways. From raising your brand awareness, engaging with your audience and reliably showing up.

• Increase your brand awareness through outreach so you’re featured in new places.
• How to socially engage with your audience & create easy engagement
• How to reliably show up on your chosen platforms

Everyone who check-ins and complete their action step will be entered into a draw to win a free 30-minute 1:1 mentoring call with me! 

Your action step is:

• DM me with your intention for how you will show up and feel when selling in Q2 @creativeflowcollective

Sign up  below to receive the bonus workbook to complete your Q2 sales success strategy plan in full:

https://mailchi.mp/f7bf7a0b150a/q2-sales-strategy-workbook 

Tomorrow I will share a bonus episode with a sales pep talk, the winner and a special announcement!

The 3-day free course - Plan Your Q2 Sales Success Strategy is happening this week! Listen in Live on Monday 20th - Wednesday 22nd March at 12.30 pm GMT on Insta @creativeflowcollective.

Today we’re talking about how to have a working holiday that means you work and relax at the same time

It’s coming up to the summer holidays which means it's a time when a lot of people take a break. Whether the kids are off school or you’re making the most of the warmer months.

If you work for yourself then sometimes taking a full holiday isn't possible. I'm not saying that every holiday means you have to work. Because you definitely need breaks where you completely switch off! But sometimes there are times where you want to have a bit of balance or work and relaxing.

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Welcome back to the third Elevate Your Curiosity podcast and today is all about Christmas 2018 product Trends! This follows on from episode two where we talked about the four overarching Christmas trends and the colours, materials, themes and motifs that would well for each.

Just like the last episode there is a Pinterest board you can reference while you listen to this podcast, or refer back to after you’ve listened to get some more inspiration. If you are listening as you scroll the Pinterest board then you’ll have to start at the bottom of the board and work your way up.

The Christmas specific product areas we'll be covering include:

• Experiences
• Christmas Eve
• Food & drink
• Alternative wreaths
• Advent calendars
• Unique baubles
• New takes on the sacks and stockings

I’d love to know if this was helpful and what your biggest take away was? Also if it sparked an idea than fantastic - I’d love to see it either when it’s live or as you're still developing it as the creative process is such an amazing thing. So thanks for letting me be here with you along that journey.

If you’d like some 121 guidance and personalised advice on your product development for Christmas, any other gifting occasion or product type then it would be fantastic to hear from you. Nothing makes me happier than being on your journey and hearing what makes you tick and sparking off inspiration in your range. So do get in touch if you'd like some an inspiration boost or a second opinion.

Today’s is a quickie all about how to easily remind yourself everyday of how amazing you are. Perfect for when you need a pick me up. Whether that be from being in a bit of a funk, suffering from anxiety or you just want to feel really amped up for a new project you’re embarking on!

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

Want some tips & tricks on how to go comp shopping? In todays Elevate Your Curiosity podcast you've got them!

Comp shopping or competive/competitor shopping is where you analyse what your competitors are doing in terms of products, offerings and their marketing message.

It’s important as anyone selling products, or even services, means you need to know what your competitors are doing. It’s not enough to just know what you’re selling.

Full show notes

Welcome to the 2019 Christmas trends Elevate Your Curiosity podcast! The 2018 Christmas trends podcast was my most downloaded so far so I’m so excited to share the Christmas trends for this year with you all.

I love delving into all the places you can spot trends and pulling together Christmas themes to inspire your product development. Wherever you are in your Christmas product creation journey I wanted to share some of my thoughts to kickstart or add to your range as the retail Christmas countdown is on!

And as with all the trend podcasts I’ve created a Pinterest board for each Christmas theme to pull all the visual inspiration together. Please do refer to each Pinterest board as you listen or go back and have a nosy later.

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full Christmas 2019 trend show notes

Welcome back to the podcast and the first episode is about connecting to your intuition plus it includes a guided meditation!

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Increasing sales and driving traffic to your website is probably the question I get asked the most by retail and product businesses.

So this week’s podcast we chat all about increasing your brand awareness through your own direct efforts and outreach. From social media, newsletters, keywords and outreach.

You'll learn how to increase sales in seven different ways:

• Optimising your website
• SEO
• Blog
• Pinterest
• Influencers & outreach
• Newsletter
• Social media

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0

Today we're gonna talk about Father’s Day trends 2019. I’ll be discussing four themes and you can listen in and follow along with the Pinterest board that I created for this episode too.

www.pinterest.co.uk/arnoldandbird/fathers-day-trends-2019

I'd love to know what your favourite Father's Day 2019 trend is? Tag me on social media or message me and carry on the conversation on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Find the full show notes here.

• Live journaling questions to move past self-doutb, gain clarity and increase positivity and happiness if your life.

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0

Hi and welcome to the first episode of the Elevate your Curiosity podcast!

Todays episode will introduce me, Joanne Griffin as your host, a rundown of what this podcast will be about and my two words for 2018.

Elevate Your Curiosity is a podcast to connect to creative souls and business owners who are looking for an inspiration boost to enhance their designs and also their mindset. With the focus on creating the best designs you can, but also taking care of the way your thinking, about yourself and your work.

Episodes will be every two weeks and will feature quick and relatable tips covering everything from spotting new trends, innovative new ideas and developing your product range.

All underpinned with advice on how to take the anxiety out of decisions and empower you to trust your authentic voice.

You'll also hear about my two words of the year and how the words you choose can really impact others, but also, importantly, on yourself. This is because words are powerful and they can uplift and bring down.

Listen into in to hear why I've picked Kindness and Starburst as my two words for 2018!

If you found the show helpful then please do subscribe! 

Welcome back to the third season of the Elevate Your Curiosity podcast talking about 2020 trends!

These 3 key 2020 trends tap into the bigger cultural shifts that influence the way you develop your product range. And how consumer behaviour is changing. So tap into them so you can appeal to your customer's way of thinking.

As trends affect all retail businesses from food, technology, home accessories, stationery and of course fashion.

Head to pinterest.com to find the 2020 Design trends board

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full 2020 trends show notes

Happy New Year! On the podcast today I’m talking about my word/words for 2019 and a little bit about my plans and resolutions. The first ever podcast episode I did last year was my word for 2018. So it seemed fitting that to kickstart 2019 I would do the same. 

My word for 2019 is: Empower

For me empower is all about feeling confident in myself and my abilities. And empowering other design-led souls to do the same.

Listen in to hear how I will bring empowerment into life, plus my plans, goals and resolutions.

I'd love to know your word and plans for 2019! So do message me and carry on the conversation on Instagram @arnoldandbird

And you can find the show notes here

Today on the podcast it’s a body scan meditation to help let go of anxiety. So you can ease out any niggles or areas of tension

Take a seat or lie down in a space you can relax in for a few moments and listen to this body scan meditation.

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Full show notes

On today's Elevate Your Curiosity podcast we're going to be doing a visualisation. It's to visualise your ideal day meditation.

Before you start grab a notebook and pen to write down your thoughts after this ideal day meditation.

Then get comfy and sit down in any position you fancy!

Let me know your thoughts on Instagram @arnoldandbird

www.arnoldandbird.com

Welcome back to the Elevate Your Curiosity podcast and epsiode four is all about how to spot trends and build a bigger picture of emerging themes.

So this week we're covering how to spot trends, plus where to find them and how to piece them all together! I wanted to preface this with the face you can’t ignore trends or themes if this is a better word, as we all use creative visuals and what's going on around us to inspire your work. But you don’t have to use all trends - in fact please don’t! Use what works for you and take bits - even if it’s colour, texture or pattern to adapt a theme and create new ideas from a trend.

Today I’ll take you through all the places you can look for inspiration and tips on how best to navigate it all.

You'll also find a free printable of places to get inspired on a previous blog post so head over to the post on staying creatively inspired for your free download.

Sending inspiration your way, and don’t forget to elevate your curiosity today!

How To Plan Ahead For Black Friday in Your Retail Business. Most small businesses hate Black Friday. It’s better to have a plan than no plan at all.

In this episode we will cover:

Feelings around Black Friday

Why should you plan ahead

Alternative options to Black Friday

When is Black Friday?

Planning out your Christmas promotions

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0

Welcome to this I am meditation. This meditation is designed for creatives, designer-makers, retail businesses and lifestyle bloggers to inspire your creativity and give you a little motivation boost if you need it.

So take a seat or lie down in a space you can relax in for a few moments and enjoy listening to this I am meditation. 

Did you have a favourite I am mantra to repeat? I'd love to hear so let over on Instagram @arnoldandbird

Find the show notes here.

Journaling is so powerful by creating change that will give you insight into what’s holding you back. Learn different types of journaling and how it can help you in life and business. 

We will also cover how it can impact happiness and wellbeing by focusing on the good we have in life and business.

Let me know your thoughts over on Instagram and if you liked this episode please tag where you are listening as I love to see! @creativeflowcollective

Intro music: FLOW by tubebackr. Free Download / Stream

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0