Katherine Ann Byam 0:03
Hello, everyone, and welcome to this episode and the session on the Eco Business Growth Club Incubator. So this incubator was conceptualised after I started working with Women in Sustainable Business in October 2020. And I started to learn what are the challenges that small businesses and micro businesses are facing, and then thinking really broadly about how I can help solve those challenges with the community that I have, the networks that I built, and the structures that are taking off today in terms of digital and technology and platforms actually.
A lot of the members of my community, women in sustainable business and indeed on my Instagram feed of Where Ideas Launch where I have one over 1000 people who are following and committed to the podcast and the message that we're bringing. One of the main things that they struggle with is really amplifying their own voices. So we do have a bit of a bubble, we work with each other, we collaborate with each other. And we all know that a sustainable consumer and a sustainable business owner are usually one and the same. But we also know that the way we change the world is to move outside of our own little bubbles because what we need to do is really resonate with people who are not yet identifying as being sustainably-minded.
So one of the ways that I decided to help businesses to overcome some of the challenges is to build an incubator. It's interesting because I went to put out a poll in my group to ask what people felt about incubators and they thought it was eggs in a basket. You know, it was basically eggs being warmed until they became grown animals of whatever kind. And yes, that's kind of what we are, we're small until we can actually get the right systems and product together in order to scale.
The business incubator has 12 modules. It is pretty intense and each module will be covered during the course of a month. So I'm trying not to overwhelm anyone. And the idea is to level up on each one of those things as you continue to build your business.
Module 1 is the most fundamental module and I call it micro and small business enterprise business models, ways to deliver value to yourself as a business owner, and to the wider community. As a responsible actor. This module looks first of all at business models and your product suite, and how you design it to best fulfil all the causes that are important to you. We will go through business planning, looking at your full business self-audit. Then we will build 2022 based on your strengths today. As a business owner and the opportunities we've identified together, you will walk away with a complete clear plan and a new direction. We also develop your cycle plan within this module. So we look at how you launch or how you bring new ideas and new products to market. And we help you shape the plan for when you promote and when you rest, most importantly, because we need to make sure that the time you spend in your business is productive and sustainable.
The third part of this module is the operations plan. So we look at what software will impact and what works best for you specifically. And as an add on to the course you can also have us do a full business audit for you. So if you want to upgrade once you have this programme, and have us do the full business audit for you, we can help you with more detailed operational planning to help you slick your systems up as well.
Module Two is about ethical and responsible brand stewardship. So something that maybe not all my listeners know but one of my last jobs was as an internal auditor to a FTSE Top 10 Tobacco Company. And what I learned from that job is how important brand stewardship is and how critical my role as internal auditor was to the reputation management of the company, especially in such a controversial industry. I've taken a lot away from my experience in working in this space. And I want to bring back this brand stewardship conversation. So the first thing we will go through is eco branding and what are the fundamentals of branding in the sustainable space and the benefits of nailing this to the growth that you will have in the future. It's so important to really know what the ethos is and how to articulate those ethe in the wider world. Then we look at personal branding because for micro and small entrepreneurs personal branding is essential to the overall picture of your brand as well. You need to show up for your business as much as possible. And therefore we need to look at how you marry your personal brand with what the business is doing. We can then look at marketing, and then we cover how this complements your brand. So we look at marketing from the perspective of branding, we also look at your brand assets. And we explore how these can support the persona of your brand. And we look at your brand footprint. So we assess options to lower your digital brand footprint, and how to optimise it where possible. So module two is pretty big as well. And it doesn't get smaller.
Module Three is all about copy and content for impact. So we understand the different types of copy and the purpose that they save. So we look at how we inspire, how we motivate, how we connect, how we engage, and how we convert and serve. All of these are critical elements to lifting the profile of sustainable businesses of green businesses with a deeper purpose. And your copy needs to represent all six aspects of what your business does.
Module four is all about ethical selling strategies. And when I talk about ethical selling, it means recognising that you're there to serve, first of all, and you're there to help people not make bad decisions, you have the event to help people make better decisions. So when we talk about ethical selling strategies, it is about educating. It is about making sure that you're showing up where you need to show up. And it is about challenging the status quo. So we will talk all about that.
Module five is about product development. And we cover user experience and what's trending now in the gaming verse, and how we can bring these features to your brand.
Module six is the supply chain. We work on all the things you need to know to know your supplier and all the certifications that will support you. And also how to challenge those certifications when the time comes. We need to be more rigorous with our certification bodies and with our suppliers. So we're going to talk a lot about that.
Module seven is organic public relations. And when I say organic public relations, I mean public relations that you don't necessarily pay for. It still means reaching out to those who can represent you. So it still means reaching out to journalists who want to cover your story, but ensure that your story is covered in a responsible way. Okay, we will show you how to do that, how to reach out and how to connect with the media and provide a body of research and sources that will be great for your brand.
Module eight is about data and how to manage your net zero or net positive impact, the tools to support you and how to support your customers with this as well.
Module nine is finance and legal, how to budget, prepare for scaling, and to attract clean finance. We're also talking about the legal in terms of intellectual property contracts and insurance for your business, I will be getting experts to talk to you about that. So don't worry. It won't be me even if I am an accountant.
Module 10 is about sustainable living talking about farming within your city house. So this is going to be a really interesting session. I'm super excited about it.
Module 11 is advocacy. So this is talking about how you advocate for something, how you represent and become an influencer for a path and a cause that is important to you. So we're going to talk all about advocacy.
Module 12 finally is about partnerships. And we will explore how collaborations and long term partnerships can be built and developed to ensure both parties get the most benefit from the relationship as opposed to being a one-sided thing. In addition, each month we will continue to have two guest speakers. One will always be on health and well-being because if it's one thing I learned as an entrepreneur, your health and wellbeing can go up in smoke in minutes. So I'm really getting a very, very special person to come in and support us on health and wellbeing every month. And I believe that this is probably the most game-changing thing about this incubator. You will have access to all the training that has gone before. So I have a bank and repository of about 80 pieces of training that have already gone by. You will also have new and relevant training coming up as well as relevant resources that are coming online as well. In addition, I have negotiated some deals with two of the newest and biggest platforms that are the major sustainable competitors, Amazon.
So Lola Fernandez and Austin both have great platforms that I will be getting you access to at a discounted rate as a part of the Eco business group club. So this is the power of connection. This is the power of networking, and I really want you to enjoy these benefits that I am pulling together for you. This is what the incubator is about. If you're interested in the incubator, it may or may not be open at the time that you listen to this episode. But if you're interested in the incubator, do send me a message on LinkedIn. Do reach out or join Women In Sustainable Business. And you'll find out more about the incubator there. The idea is that people join, and they join for life. So we're going to look at those modules, we're going to update them. And if there are changes, as time goes on, we're going to give you those updates so that your business continues to grow and scale. But most importantly, you have that rich community of people who have gone through the same journey as you in the same place pretty much forever and you can start supporting each other. And now I'm just giving you a one-off price for this service. So really looking forward to having you inside. Do let me know if you're interested or not. And I will talk to you again soon.