We discuss how a business can find connections in market and some of the challenges they face when doing so.

Borderless Business with Santander: Where do I sign?

Podcast

A series by Santander discussing the key challenges facing internationally active and internationally ambitious businesses in the UK, and, crucially, what they can do and where they can go for support to overcome them. 

, we discuss how a business can find connections in market, some of the challenges they face when doing so, and the experience and insight of a business that has done this many times. We also have the next instalment of our monthly view from the UK market segment.

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A blonde female warehouse worker using a laptop to check shipments of boxes in the large warehouse

Borderless Business with Santander: A needle in a haystack

I&apos;m a <a href=&apos;https://danmartinuk.com/&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>freelance journalist and event host</a> who helps small businesses and the organisations that support them. I&apos;m also Enterprise Nation&apos;s news reporter and Bristol Local Leader.
I have 20 years of experience as a small business journalist having interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs from famous names like Sir Richard Branson and Deborah Meaden to the founders behind brand new start-ups.
I&apos;ve worked for a range of leading small business publications and support groups, most recently as head of content at Enterprise Nation where I was responsible for the prolific output of content on the company&apos;s blog and social media. I now freelance for Enterprise Nation as the website&apos;s <a href=&apos;https://www.enterprisenation.com/business-news&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>news reporter</a> and as the host of the <a href=&apos;https://www.enterprisenation.com/podcast&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>Small Business sessions podcast</a>.
I&apos;m based in Bristol where I run and host regular events with the local small business community in my role as Enterprise Nation&apos;s Local Leader for Bristol. I also have strong connections with other major business organisations in the south west region.
In total, I&apos;ve hosted over 100 events including conferences with an audience of hundreds for international brands like Xero and Facebook and live web chats from inside 10 Downing Street.
With my partner, I co-run <a href=&apos;https://www.lifestyledistrict.co.uk/&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>Lifestyle District</a>, a lifestyle blog focused on culture, art, theatre and photography.

Freelance content creator & event host

Prime minister announces support for apprenticeships at small firms and efforts to boost access to funding for female founders

The government will provide £60m in funding to fully fund the training of apprentices at small businesses.

I&apos;m the CMO at Enterprise Nation and I have over a decade of experience working in marketing and across the small business space.&nbsp;
I am based in Brighton, West Sussex and I thoroughly enjoy investing my time in developing my marketing and community-building skills to support UK entrepreneurs.&nbsp;
I have experience across social media, digital marketing, content production, PPC and partnership building.
My previous roles have included:
<ul>
<li>Head of Marketing at Escape The City</li>
<li>Head of Partnerships at Moneypenny</li>
<li>Head of Marketing and Communications at StartUp Britain</li>
<li>Establishing myself as a freelance marketing consultant</li>
<li>Working pro-bono for ambitious start-ups</li>
</ul>

Chief Marketing Officer

Marketing for small businesses

Whether you're starting or scaling, finding effective marketing strategies is critical. Join this group to connect with like-minded small business owners to share and discuss marketing tips.

I’ve worked in marketing for over 20 years, and I love it! No two days are the same and it’s this variety that makes marketing so special for me.
The last company I worked for, Constant Contact, gave me the opportunity to work with 100s of small businesses across the UK. It was the best nearly four years I’ve had in a job! The business owners I met were (and still are) incredible. You could say I was bitten by the small business bug.
In 2016, I was made redundant. I knew I still wanted to work with micro businesses, so when my husband said I should start my own business, I didn’t need a huge amount of convincing. After all, I loved sharing email marketing tips with small business owners, and this way, I could do it all the time. How could I not love that?
Something that has made running my business easier is tech. And not just for marketing. I’m a big advocate for using technology to streamline what I do. Given I’m the only person in my business, anything that makes my life easier is a win in my books. Here’s some of the tech that powers my business:
<ul>
<li>Accounting – I use an online tool that helps me keep track of what I’m spending, generate invoices (and automate sending them), as well as doing my expenses.</li>
<li>Payments – clients that pay me a set amount each month do so by direct debit. I use GoCardless to help me do this. I also use Stripe to help those who want to pay by credit card. It all gets automatically reconciled in my accounting app!</li>
<li>Design – I’m a BIG fan of Canva. I’ve been using it almost as long as I’ve been running my business. Anything is possible in Canva for those of us not blessed with design skills!</li>
<li>Industry knowledge – I have Google Alerts set up so I can keep up with trends in email marketing and the small business world. I also get alerts if I or my business are mentioned anywhere online.</li>
<li>Email marketing – where would I be without it? I use <a href=&apos;https://www.constantcontact.com/partner-offer?pn=marketingbyminal&intent=try&plantype=better&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>Constant Contact</a> for sending all my emails – my regular newsletter as well as my automations. It has a bunch of other digital tools too.</li>
<li>AI – OMG, how much time am I saving using AI? Around 4-5 hours a WEEK! That’s right, it’s a massive game-changer. I use ChatGPT.</li>
<li>My mobile – mustn’t forget this! I’m never without it. It helps me run my business when I’m not at my desk.</li>
</ul>
Now, if you struggle with getting your email marketing done, I’d love to hear from you. You didn’t start your business to become an email marketing expert. You do what you do because you love it. I want to help you figure out the email marketing stuff so that you can make money! It’s as simple as that. When you succeed, so do I. Plus, I get a warm glow knowing I helped you. Get in touch and tell me about your email marketing struggles!

The Muffin Email Marketing Package

Perfect for those in a time crunch, ‘The Muffin’ is your quick fix to email marketing. Just send me your content, and I’ll handle the rest – from crafting engaging subject lines to scheduling the send-off. 

It’s hassle-free, straightforward, and ideal for getting that one important email out with ease. What it includes:

1 email, featuring up to 3 topics.
You send me all the content, including images you want to use.
I’ll do 2 rounds of edits to make sure it’s perfect for you.
I’ll craft your s

Kathie O&apos;Donoghue is a recognized business leader, Master Business Mentor and Coaching Supervisor specializing in the personal and professional growth of the Business Mentor/Coach. She also facilitates and trains other Mentors through the Help to Grow scheme.
With bases in Gloucester and West Sussex, Kathie is also the owner and Director of Mode Business Training &amp; Prosperon Networks, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership, a Full Member of The Association of Business Mentors, a Member of the Association of Coaching Supervisors and a Master practitioner of the EMCC. Kathie is also a qualified CBT &amp; DBT therapist.
With a focus on accountability, constructive challenging skills and taking ownership of self-development. Kathie’s aim is to help individuals and businesses grow both organically and strategically using a range of techniques to uncover untapped potential.
Outside of the business arena, Kathie has an ongoing love of learning new, and sometimes bizarre skills. She has trained as an Opera singer, swum with Stingrays, has a full motorbike license, and considers herself a bit of a Sci-Fi geek.

Executive Business Mentor Supervisor and Trainer

Kathie ODonoghue

Kathie O&apos;Donoghue is a recognized business leader, Master Business Mentor and Coaching Supervisor specializing in the personal and professional growth of the Business Mentor/Coach. She also facilitates and trains other Mentors through the Help to Grow scheme.
With bases in Gloucester and West Sussex, Kathie is also the owner and Director of Mode Business Training &amp; Prosperon Networks, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership, a Full Member of The Association of Business Mentors

Borderless Business with Santander: A needle in a haystack

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