Single Mums Business Network [SMBN] [CIC]

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Let me begin at the beginning! How do you write a post when you know it is about a professional media writer that could write it better than you!! – but, alas, this isn’t a PR post it’s an authentic from the heart raw and unchecked post – so let me start by saying – any typos or poor English 100% reflect me and not my professional PR Angel!

I have been networking for several years – and it is my networking journey that inspired and continues to inspire the SMBN, from not being able to attend 7am meetings, from joining networks who focussed on me promoting them and not vice versa, to not affording professional PR guru’s like Fiona.

I connected with Fiona in the early days of KIH Products, but I just couldn’t afford her professional skills, and so that is why I try and help my ladies in this way. We all need PR for sales. As soon as I turned a corner with KIH Bed sales and decided to help other single mums I didn’t even have to think about where to go – I went straight to Fiona, who I had observed for years. She worked with me in the first year, she was always very clear about how she would get our name out there, what my realistic expectations should be, time scales, and she taught me a lot about what I needed to do. I valued her expertise and respected her fees, and she was right.

We now have a great relationship with the press, I am often contacted by radio and mainstream national press, just this week I was contacted directly and I have a post in our closed members group asking members to submit their stories. The SMBN is the go to for single parent stories and PR, and that is because Fiona worked hard to help me get on their radar in the beginning. In the last 12 months not only have we been in national press, we have also featured on BBC Radio in several counties, on ITV news, BBC news, Channel 5, and more.. and that is snowballing.

I have also seen many great publications where Fiona has worked with SMBN award winners and they have enjoyed stories – for example this one for Lisa Berry and this one for Laura Callaghan. What is my point? Please respect these media professionals and their fees and what they can do to help your business.

I was delighted when Fiona decided later to join as a friend of the SMBN. For somebody who I have admired for so long to then demonstrate that they have enough faith in what I am doing to join as a friend – well, actions speak louder than words don’t they! – you can join as a friend here by the way – essentially friends are not in the closed member group (single mum chat) but they do enjoy year round exposure in the mags, which is the cheapest in print exposure going – like this one.

You are very lucky now! Things have moved on from when I started out! You have mediums like me helping you with exposure and you have so many affordable offerings such as Fiona’s PR Power Hour and her PR Retreat in 2022 (I may just see you at this one!)

The thing with business PR is you have to be proactive. You have to work hard on SEO – my favourite experts in this area are Chris and his team at the DM Lab – who have also been invaluable in the SMBN journey, but I would not have known about them if I had sat at home waiting for it to happen for me, you have to get out there, attend free workshops if you are broke and repay that when you can, you have to invest your time and whatever money you have. You have to choose business expenditure over wine expenditure, and you have to respect those who work so hard to help you on your journey.

I literally love my members, and friends, because they are working hard, they are doing what they can. We all have really hard weeks but this is no pity party, this is proactive effort to make business and work work, and to make life comfortable and happy. Nobody can survive on air, know your fee, charge it, and pay it if you are asking for help. We have so much work to do at the SMBN, I have spent so many hours calling landlords, council tax authorities, estate agents, organising national events, and I recently broke because I realised for two years my daughter has missed precious time with me, but it must be done, and she is okay, I am back and I am fighting stronger than ever, and I never forget those who help me.

I am really looking forward to the SMBN Awards in October. If you haven’t already celebrated that you are a finalist, then your local press may just want to help celebrate this with you, and PR professionals like Fiona Scott are exactly where you need to be heading if you want professional support with that.

You can visit Fiona’s main website here: https://scottmedia.uk/ and trust me when I say she knows her profession

So with gratitude, love, and hopefully some sound advice! Jules x

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