Small Can Beat Big. Meet Char from Loudmouth Content
Moments to Motivate is officially back!
Having seen the impact and how much you loved this series, (60% of our top 10 blogs last year were from MtM!!), I had to bring it back. Sharing the stories of fellow inspirational female founders never really stopped, but I’m so excited to see these collaborative blogs back. I realised how much I missed them, especially after doing this one!
So you know when you "meet" someone, a new Insta pal and as you get to know each other, you realise you were probably physically in the same spaces over the years and have soo much in common! That’s exactly what happened when I met Char from Loudmouth Content.
This is an interview packed full of love for small businesses, some real talk from an action-taking fellow mum on a mission to help female founders like me. Char is an epic content coach and I'm loving her weekly lives, her insights and am looking forward to collaborating with her more in the future. She believes in the same things as me, you have to take action and get visible. Loudmouth Content has totally been grown on Insta and Char’s here to tell us why you shouldn't be afraid to share your knowledge and get visible.
Enjoy and please share the post to inspire your fellow female founder friends!
Meet Char from loudmouth content…
In the Your AJency community there are female founders at all stages of running a business, some are just at the idea stage and some have been running their business for years.
Tell us a little about your journey, and what prompted you to take the plunge to start Loudmouth Content.
I started out in marketing 18 years ago in the Creative Marketing Team at New Look, and worked my way up to Head of Marketing at Dune. Not going to lie, it’s been pretty WILD, from photoshoots in South Africa and Morocco, to working with Mary Portas pitching to Rankin, and getting a phone thrown at my face by the owner of a well-known fashion brand!
Then Covid hit and my head was turned from big brands to small businesses. Sitting around not being my style, I started a dried flower brand and suddenly discovered the secret world of small business. I was introduced to the most uplifting and inspiring community of biz owners - along with the concept of content overwhelm.
The pressure on small business owners to create content at such a crazy rate to get their businesses seen and heard was palpable - and that was coming from someone who’d grown up in the industry. I knew I could offer so much support and guidance to help this gorgeous community out. And that’s how Loudmouth Content came about.
Slowly and steadily, I settled into this new world. I spent time getting to know others in the social media space. I put myself out there as a guest on podcasts and collaborated as often as I could. Gradually, my community grew from there. I tried and tested a million different ways of doing things (I still do!) and I let my gut guide me (because it’s rarely wrong).
Everything felt new, but I tried to push the fear aside and kept focused on my why.
We always talk about the importance of sharing your why in your marketing! What’s your ‘Why’?
I see small businesses close their doors pretty much every day, and it genuinely breaks my heart to see these passionate, purposeful brands get stamped out by the big dogs. The skill and craftsmanship and love poured into these businesses is next-level. I really want to get them the visibility and success they deserve. Right now, they’re at such an unfair disadvantage, and I’d love to help shift that balance.
We couldn’t agree more! It's hard to launch and run a business on your own, impossible in my opinion. Who and where have you sought the necessary support?
My small business friends have been an absolute godsend. Having that support from others going through the exact same thing has been everything. I also challenge myself to go to a different event every month to meet new people and expand my network, and it’s had such a positive effect on my business, as well as my mental health.
I also spent some time working with a business coach. There were certain elements at the back-end of my business that I didn’t have the time, headspace or inclination to work through. I just wanted someone to tell me what to do, step by step, and to get it off my to-do list, like, stat. So, I fast-tracked with a coach and it felt freeing AF to take such a huge leap forward in my business without the hustle.
You heard it here first … I’m actually launching a podcast in the spring and I recently joined a podcast course to learn all about the tech. I want to focus my precious time on creating the content and chatting with my gorgeous guests … not scrolling through reviews trying to find the right mic!
Ultimately, we don’t have the capacity to give every side of our business 100% of our focus. We have to decide where to spend our energy to get most impact. And ask for help with the rest.
That is such brilliant advice Char! Investing in yourself and your business can be such a game-changer!
How did you find your audience? What have been great platforms for you?
I’ve built Loudmouth entirely through Instagram. A lot of my work comes through recommendations, which is amazing. And my content has been created entirely around supporting and cheerleading my community, which has connected me with small business owners who need my help.
The power of community is so important, it’s where the magic happens! Obviously you’ve come from a marketing background but how do you think your background has helped you with your business?
I’ve been lucky enough to direct photoshoots, manage creative teams and work on global marketing campaigns. That’s taught me a hell of a lot about how to create quality content at scale and the importance of tools like a playbook to keep content consistent and make sure it lands with impact. And, having worked in the fast-paced world of fashion, it takes a lot to phase me these days - which happens to come in handy in small business life!
Yes!! Keeping a cool head when you’re wearing so many hats is essential! How do you strike the balance and set boundaries between work and life?
Honestly, I’m in obsession mode with Loudmouth right now so finding more balance in my life is a work in progress. I get up early - usually between 5am and 6am - to get a couple of hours in before the kids get up, but I try to get the screens away when they’re home. I also try to focus on the tasks that have the most business impact. It’s so easy to get lost in the little things that keep us busy, but not moving forwards. I recently worked with Sophie Belle Coaching, a breathwork and mindset coach, who is just incredible. I’ve been blown away by breathwork over the last year. I went to a Wim Hof breathwork and ice bath session and I really thought the breathwork element was a time-filler. How wrong was I? The feeling was euphoric. We all need more of that in our lives!
That sounds incredible! Have you got a personal highlight for Loudmouth Content so far? What does success look like for you?
I just launched Content Reset, my first group coaching programme. I was blown away with how many small business owners joined - I completely smashed my goal. It was a really defining moment in knowing so deeply that what I’m building here has so much value. And to get to work so closely with the most incredible bunch of business owners - and seeing them thriving so much already as a result - is a pretty incredible place to be.
We love working with small business owners and seeing them gain the visibility they deserve so we totally get that! What has been the best advice anyone has given you in terms of being a business owner?
“Only do the things that only you can do.” Actually, I learned this in fashion but it still holds true in my business today. There’s no point wasting time on the stuff you’re not interested in. Spend your time on big impact moves in your area of expertise, and get outside help with the rest.
…and what’s been the single biggest thing you’ve done that resulted in growth?
Networking events.
Not the cringy white-table-cloth ones. Bougie is more my style. They’ve been a steady source of connection, support, friendship, clients, followers and opportunities for me, all of which are so important when you work alone.
Is there anything you’d have done differently?
People used to think I was mad for giving away so much free advice through my content. Coaches were running satirical “Honey, do I look like I offer free advice” reels, meanwhile I was over here building a community of super-fans because of it. I’ve always had an ask-me-anything policy on Instagram. And I hope I always will.
Love that!
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it—metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions—what would it say and why?
Can I have two? The first would be, “Small can beat big”, which supports my mission to give small businesses a leg up so they can fight a fair battle with big brands. And, “Always go with your gut … it’s rarely wrong.” That’s been my mantra since I can remember.
You can absolutely have both of those! Just like you, we love working and supporting ambitious female founders, the ambitions and ideas of others is really motivational. What’s next for you and your brand?
So, my podcast is up next and I can’t wait. That’s launching in the spring. I’m also working on some online workshops across a whole range of topics to help small biz owners with their content and marketing. These are a great, more affordable way for small business owners to access coaching, which can sometimes feel like a big investment. I really want my coaching to be as accessible as possible. I also have big plans to create a book this year (note: create, not write, although I’d like to do that too, further in the future).
Well we can’t wait to see what’s down the line for you and we’ll definitely be listening to the Loudmouth Content podcast when it launches! Thank you so much for such fab advice!
Char helps take the chaos out of content creation for small business owners and help bring more calm and clarity. She simplifies the whole process for you, so you can get time, headspace and energy back to work on the other parts of your business you’ve probably been neglecting while content has been moving in on your life. And you might even find yourself enjoying it again!
Find out more:
Love Char’s story and have your own business story to share? Get in touch as we look for more inspiring female founders to help share the spotlight in our Moments to Motivate series.
Read more inspiring stories in our Moments to Motivate series:
