Welcome to the Marketing Mindset and Motherhood podcast, where we dive into the dynamic world
of marketing strategies, personal growth and the unique challenges that come along with
being a mom in business.
I'm your host, Leona Burton, and I am thrilled to embark on this journey with you.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by LiquidLypo, your trusted partner for staying healthy and
happy even during the busiest of times.
Join us as we explore the art of marketing, nurture a resilient mindset and master the
delicate balancing act of motherhood, all whilst discovering the incredible stories
and wisdom of mothers who've conquered this trio of challenges.
So grab a cup of coffee, find a quiet corner and get ready for a dose of inspiration.
It's time to unlock your marketing potential and embrace the beautiful chaos of motherhood.
Welcome to the Marketing Mindset and Motherhood podcast.
And we are live.
I am super excited to have this flipping legend in the studio, metaphorically, not physically,
right now.
In the studio today, Kimmy Watson, give us a quick hello.
I'm in my studio, if that counts.
I mean, we could wrap that up.
Hey, hey, it's Kim.
Oh, I'm just Kimmy.
I'm doing the Madonna thing with just Kimmy by my name.
Yeah, what do you want to know?
What do you want to know?
I want to know all the things.
We're going to dig into the conversation around networking today.
And if only they'd heard our conversation 30 seconds before, I mean, it was all the
juice, right?
And sometimes you can't share all the juice on it.
But we're going to talk about networking, the importance of networking, why networking
works and what not to do when you're networking.
So you know, networking is really, really important as we know as moms in business for
our businesses, right?
The reality is, is there are ways in which to go about networking and also not.
And I'm super interested to get your opinion on this.
So before we get really into this, talk a little bit about how you became a leader.
So I actually got messaged by the lady that was the leader previous to me for the Ribble
Valley Group and it was called Clitherow back then.
And she actually slid on into my DMs and my business side and was like, hey, I've seen
you've got a local business, blah, blah, blah.
And I literally, are we allowed to swear on this?
I literally shat myself and I was like, absolutely not.
Am I doing this?
And I just, I just put my, I literally, I think I threw my phone down.
I was like, nope, not doing this.
And then I picked it back up and I read it again and I was like, oh, networking, my husband
does networking.
It really wasn't my cup of tea with like his early morning meetings and all that jazz.
That was just not, not up my street at all.
And I read it and I was like, oh, come on, Kimmy, pull yourself together.
You're a fully grown woman.
You've got two kids.
You've got a business.
You're doing everything else.
Why, why are you so scared of going to a meeting with other women that are in business that
want to know who you are?
And likewise, I want to know who they are.
So I accepted the meeting.
I was nervous as hell.
I even messaged her to say, will you come outside and meet me?
Like who on earth does that?
Like was I 36 years old?
Like it's, it's insane.
Like why?
So anyway, it was, it was nerve wracking.
And I think it was, I probably knew half the women that were in there anyway.
It was a local pub, so I was familiar with it.
So it was a bit silly on my behalf, but it's what, what we do to ourselves, isn't it?
We wind ourselves up.
And luckily or unlucky, COVID came along and it went online.
Anyway, that lady stood down, her business got so, so busy.
So she stood down and the vacancy came up and it wasn't on my radar at all.
It really wasn't.
It wasn't something I was interested in because it just scared the heck out of me.
I didn't understand what networking was.
It was very new in, in my line, although the husband did it.
And one of my friends kept messaging me who was a photographer.
And she's like, Kimmy, have you seen the keep advertising for this, this post?
And I was like, I'm not doing it.
I am not doing it.
I'm sitting in a room full of people and being like, hi, I'm Kimmy and I do X, Y, and Z.
I said, I'm just not doing it.
I said, I'll choke, I'll stutter, I'll go bright red.
It's not me.
Anyway, after a few messages from her for a few weeks, I was like, right, I'm going
to go for it.
Had an interview and here I am.
Three, four, are we, which year are we, third or fourth year in?
I don't know.
I've lost the plot.
Kimmy, I barely know where I am at this point.
I'm very, very good at singing for the amount of time I've been in anyway.
And your journey has been amazing.
I mean, you are a phenomenal leader.
You are an incredible leader.
You're such a supporter of all women in business and you genuinely want people to succeed.
I absolutely love that about you.
But you've not always been confident networking.
You've not always wanted to kind of stand up and shout about what you do and who you
are.
And, you know, even though this is a voice only or you know, you will, I'm just putting
on the make up, which I totally get by the way.
But, you know, that confidence, I think people see quote unquote confident people online
and they think that they were just born that way and that's just natural to them.
But reality is, is those things are built, their skills often, and we need to be working
on those consistently.
And for me, you know, the confidence has come as a result of you being around all women
who are really supportive.
And we were just talking while we're off of that about, you know, certain networking events
or companies that you walk into a room, you look super down, you know, you're just on
your handbag and you judged on how much turnover you earn or whatever it is.
I mean, you can lie about those things and you can buy a fake Gucci bag.
But the reality is, is that's what you're judged upon.
And I really hand on my heart feel like at MIB, we do our very, very, very best to make
sure that you're in a supported and inclusive environment where, you know, it doesn't matter
whether you earn nothing or whether you earn multi-millions, you are welcome in the room
and you're supported as much as the next person, which for me is rare.
And you don't tend to find that, especially in a networking environment, you're either
you're either a startup or you're this and you know, you're kind of very much pigeonholed.
And I believe that we can learn from each other.
I think there's so much experience that we bring to the table as business owners that
we can take away that knowledge and those skills away from each other.
So why do you believe that some people are successful at networking and some people are?
Those people that really put themselves out there, but actually do it and not just think
they're doing it.
Because I think a lot of us can say like, oh, yeah, I've posted here, I've done that,
I've turned up here, I've done this and I've done that.
When in reality, they've probably done one of those five things.
And I think it is just being consistent, but showing up at the right places.
So you want to be at actual events, like not just online.
Okay, online is brilliant.
And that enables us to do this with you being in another country and me here in sunny, well,
not so sunny England.
It's finding the right people to gel with and finding your tribe, if you will, I'll
call it that because everything you've just said is so true.
And maybe is that it's a safety net.
It's a real safety blanket.
It's an amazing place to hang out and it really does like, I actually went to a networking
event and outside of MIB, this wasn't MIB by the way, guys.
And I had a Mulberry handbag with me that I had won.
All my handbags are Mulberry, it is my thing.
But this one I had won and I took it with me.
It was a pink one actually, it was a Mulberry cross something.
And I'd won it at the Lancashire show and I took it in and someone commented on it because
it matched my dress.
It was very on brand with me.
That's why I must have won it because it was my brand.
I was giving off that vibe.
And someone there went, oh, is that real?
And I was in the whole room of women and I was just like, wow.
And it was such a put down.
And I personally don't think that would happen in MIB.
And if it did, I'd be very, very shocked because it is such a cheerleading place.
And like I talk about my dyslexia all the time, like I don't hide it.
I use it as a superpower.
It is always sat at the back of my mind thinking, oh, it might make me stumble or stutter.
And it's about, like when you say that question, it is about showing up, like going live and
just showing up for your business and showing up for you.
And at the start of my MIB journey, like if I watched my lives from then, I'd probably
be like, oh my gosh, Kimmy, what were you doing?
But it worked.
I grew my MIB group from 62, 63 people up to around 700 and something now.
I sell my events out.
We're doing a huge event in March and that's going.
And I've even had some of the speakers message me today to say, wow, Kimmy, you're absolutely
promoting this so well.
I can't believe how well you do, who's helping you.
And I'm like, I'm doing it myself.
And they're like, you're on your own doing this.
And I was like, yeah, I haven't got a team doing this for me.
And they're like, oh, I thought there was a few of you.
And I was like, no, no.
And it's just been real and showing up.
And it's that simple.
It's really simple.
And I think people over complicate these things.
Absolutely, and I just I don't even know what breath pools people have to ask if people's
are like the real like unless you're my friend, we're not having this conversation.
Like it matters to anybody else.
Like what weird, weird question, although I have been in environments where people are
like, so you have six children, and they all buy the same dad.
And you're like, first of all, I actually don't know who you are.
Secondly, if you think in that publishing, come out your mouth.
And third, yes, they are.
Thank you very much.
But people are weird.
I mean, they're definitely always that maybe it's a whole different vibe.
Like nobody cares whether your house is real or not, apart from the authorities.
But you know, the reality is, it's not anybody else's business.
We genuinely are a community that are looking to create that real connection with people
and find find touch points in there, you know, in in those conversations where you can really
connect over things, you don't have to have the same beliefs.
You don't need to have to be from the same religion.
You don't need to have the same background.
But you can find ways in which you can connect with a lot of people and you'll find similarities,
which is always amazing, amazing, amazing.
And it builds that connection.
And whether they become a client or not is irrelevant because you know what, it doesn't
matter if they don't become a client.
They will support you, cheerlead you, champion you, or you know, they will give you potential
clients or they'll recommend you to somebody, which for me is is the whole point of networking,
right?
It's not nobody goes to a networking event to buy.
They just don't.
Everybody goes to a networking event to sell their stuff.
They don't go with the intention to buy a new handbag or, you know, an accountancy service
or whatever it is.
They go with the intention to, you know, sell something to you.
And so that kind of whole connection piece is very, very important.
And I think when you do that in a safe environment where you don't feel like you need to have
perfected your elevator pitch or, you know, you've only got 30 seconds.
I mean, the reality is, is you've got to keep it, you know, short and succinct.
But, you know, nobody's there with an egg timer timing you throwing things at you to
get you off stage because, well, Kimmy might, I'll talk about that in a minute.
You know, it's much more relaxed.
And even if you do go over your time with laughing and joking and we're kind of, you
know, making the humor out of these things, rather than it being a very strict, you must
do X, Y, Z and bring in this many people and have this many referrals.
And in order to be able to stay part of the community, you know, we don't have any membership
fees like a lot of other organizations.
We don't insist that you attend a certain amount of events.
You come or you don't.
And that's completely up to you.
And we have lots of different people attend all the time.
And you've got a fresh new face of people, which for me, when it comes to networking,
it's also important because you do want to meet new people and you do want to be consistently
family and network.
And if you meet in the same five people on a Friday morning at six o'clock, well, what
you're doing with your life, right?
I don't understand that.
It doesn't make any sense to me.
So for me, you know, what we do, it works and we know it works.
We've been doing it.
I've been doing this for a very long time.
I feel like a dinosaur in this space at this point.
And we have lots and lots and lots of repeat customers.
So you just talked about the fact you have a big event, a big, sexy, fabulous event in
March, which I'm very excited about.
Although you told me you've not got time for me to speak.
So I'm just going to be sat in the audience living my best life, which I'm totally okay
with.
I've sorted your time to speak.
We've sorted.
We'll discuss that after.
But before we mentioned that, it's funny because when you say about the timing, so we've started
at mine and it actually works really, really well.
Because I've got ladies that go to lots of the networking companies and businesses.
And I do talk to them.
I do say like, what do you like that they're doing that I'm not doing?
Because it's about growth.
It's about developing our communities and our meetings and making sure they are inclusive,
obviously, for everyone for the and the more structured businesswoman to the more relaxed
businesswoman like, I am so relaxed.
It's unreal.
But what I started doing and they do love it, I think.
I think they love it.
They embrace it anyway.
So I actually get a glass and a knife and I time 30 seconds.
So we do do a kind of a 30 second pitch.
And the idea behind it is I actually ping it so I don't have to shout at them because
I'm just not mean enough to shout at them.
So I ping it at 30 seconds, wherever they are talking.
And what happens with that is that someone I could stop someone in the most crucial bit
of what they're talking about.
And then after the when we can mingle and everything, people go up to me, go, oh, Leona,
can we cut you off?
What was it you were saying?
And it automatically gives them a conversation to start with straight away rather than going,
oh, hi, I heard you talking and I can't remember what you do.
It's straight away.
They can write it down.
So we've started doing that.
And it's working really, really well.
It also like allows everyone to have a little bit of a chat.
And the last one, when was it two weeks ago when we had our January one, I was so impressed
because the ladies that come like regularly.
They've got their 30 second pitch down to a T and it's amazing.
You mean you are not digging on me.
Okay, so it's going to be all right.
You embrace that and it's fun and it's not, you know, precocious and pretentious and kind
of aggressive in the in the way that you're approaching that, which is really important.
I mean, the reality is, is, you know, when you've got a group full of women who want
to talk, some of them will talk.
And I remember going to an event years ago, this lady, she pulled out an A4 sheet of paper
and was literally reading it word for word.
And I was like, right, stop.
Who are you?
Take away your paper.
Who are you and what do you do?
And she was like really nervous.
And bless her, this this piece of paper was a concert blanket.
But once we took that away, she could speak from the heart and she could speak from a
place of she knows who she is.
And, you know, take it doesn't matter what you say.
It's like people remember how you make them feel.
And so you're right.
It's that it's that connection piece.
And I love that the fact you were encouraging them to kind of, you know, you know, you know,
you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know,
you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know
it's warm, we're friends.
But you I.
journey of this event was that I wanted a journey through business almost because a lot of events that we go to, they're kind of
homing in on one subject or just marketing or just socials or and they bring someone else into cover something so small. But so I
wanted it to be a journey. And so that was really important when choosing the speakers. Obviously, you had to be involved
with, you know, Mib being your business and company and everything. And obviously, a lot of people, in fact, everyone in Mib,
they all look up to you. And I think it's really important that you are there and in there on the day to be able to speak maybe
for a few seconds at the start and the end. We'll see. We'll see where I can pop her in.
I know I'll be digging, digging. I'm not, we're not doing any of that on the day. We're just going for it on the day. And the
speakers were really important because I wanted some like, obviously, like keynote speakers, people that have got it down to a
tee, they're confident and you know they will deliver on the day. And I also wanted to give, like, I'm going to say my Mibs,
obviously, I'm not that precious over them, but my Mibs, the opportunity to speak as well, because it's what Mibs done for me,
it's given me a platform to be able to grow, develop and learn. And I wanted to be able to give my ladies, if they wanted that
opportunity, the, that, that kind of platform to be able to do it. And there's no better place than in a room full of women that
actually all have your back, which is really, really important. One of the ladies that I did ask, she comes to all my meetings.
And she was the start of the journey really with, she does a lot of mindset, self love, care, but in a really quirky and fun,
eccentric way. So she's, it's, she's not quite calm with it, if that makes sense. She's quite, she'll have you like going and really
thinking. And I asked her and she said she actually cried when I asked her because of like, like how much she would love the fact
that I had asked her. And I just like, I've done my job, done, don't need any more speakers sorted. And but no, the other
speakers, it's really important that I had her on this journey with me for her to grow as well. And but also so people can see
her, and because she's not so much out there, like, like say you are, or Samantha is that's coming. And she is incredible and met
her networking. She, I just love like what she stands for. She's a mum of six again. So you know, like we're incorporating that
whole mum vibe going on. And her and Leona have met and you know who she is. I said I wanted fun, sparkly, interactive. And she
sent me a photo of her walking down a stage in this beautiful black sequin dress with like some like big mask on her
side. She's like, yeah, you know, I've got my Caribbean roots. So we'll be up and dancing. I was like, yes, girl, you are who I
want, please say yes. And she is like,
she is fire. So I was at an event and I saw this gorgeous woman across the room. You know how you drawn to people's energy.
She had this little baby, like a couple of months old. And I was like, who is this gorgeous woman? Where is this baby from? I
need to, I think we need to have a conversation. And when she said she was a mum of six, I was like, I salute you. So am I. And
we just connected and we missed like a whole session and a half because we were chit chatting. We missed the speakers, we got
totally told off because we've been too loud. But you know what, that's what it's about. It's about those connections, not just
about what the speakers are going to tell you, but the connections in between those speakers and the things that the speakers
will get you doing. Some of them really fun, some of them might be a little bit daunting. But it's, it's, it's that it's not
just, you know, sit and listen to a speaker all day and kind of zone out because we've all been to those events, right? Really, but
it's like interactive and getting to get involved with each other and kind of building that team spirit and you become really
good friends with people and you know, you're chatting in the toilet over a lip gloss colour, I don't know, whatever. But you
know, it's those types of things that really build on those relationships. And, you know, I've met people in those
environments, speaking somebody over a biscuit and the next thing they're on my podcast, or they're working with me or
become a client or become a client of theirs. It's that it's those things. It's not just the practical is what you do, this
is how you do it kind of lessons. It's the whole vibe. And for me, events are so important. But you know, I've also been
to some really shit events last year, I kind of put myself out there to go to other events, kind of see what was out
there. And I was like, do you know what the reality is, we do an amazing job of them. Like, I don't need to go to any of the
different events because we have our own incredible event. I'm not saying that because I own them. I'm saying that because
it's genuine, like genuinely, from from my hand on my heart, I was paid to go to our own events. And that's the way I
always look at things whenever I attend our events. I'm like, would I pay as a client? Would I be happy with what's
delivered? What would I want to improve upon? And genuinely, like, I love our events. And I think they're amazing. I
think you guys as leaders do an incredible job of kind of championing and cheerleading and, you know, facilitating that
support. You guys aren't all coaches, right? A lot of you aren't coaches. And I don't ever want, you know, our leaders to
have to be coaches more facilitating that conversation, just holding a safe space. And that's
fun. It's a fun element, isn't it, as well in it? I'm so annoyed that you guys have so much fun without me.
You just said about like the interaction. And that was one of my questions to all the speakers that are coming. So I
have a lady called Sue coming. We have Kiki, like, go check them out. They are absolutely incredible. And my brief to
them was I want interaction. I don't want you to speak to my audience. And they're like, What? You don't want me to
speak? And I was like, I don't want you to dictate. I need fun and interactive. I want you to be in there with them.
And you've said about all like the events you've been to. And it's from all those events that you've been to that I've
been to last year, and lots of other ladies that we've spoken to have been to many other events. And we've taken on
all the good things and all the bits that they didn't like. It doesn't mean that they were bad at the event. It's just
things that they didn't gel with. And this is the outcome of having an event that's real, raw, the glitz and the
glams coming from the venue itself. It's beautiful. We have a lineup of guest speakers that you won't ever probably get
as a speaking panel again, because we're just doing it as we do it. And there's businesses that are spotlighting
there, which is again, really important for our MIB community is that they're getting themselves seen and out there.
And having fun. And there's food, there's food involved. Like, again, you know, there's no canapes, there's no little
nail sized chocolates or anything like that.
We're gonna fill you up.
Serving quail eggs and caviar. I'm gonna be so annoyed, give me. So annoyed.
Sorry, no caviar. Full food.
I am partial to the odd caviar. But I tell you what, the reality is that doesn't fill you up to date. You want to go,
you want to have decent food, you want to have a decent conversation. You don't want to be starving by the time you
leave. You don't want to be judged based upon your handbag. And you want to have decent quality conversations and
connections. Well, we provide all of that. So it's a no flipping brainer, baby, right? Sign me up. I'm totally, totally
there. I'm super excited about this event. What you're putting together is incredible. Tell us a little bit about the
dates. Tell us the dates. Tell us the times, all the stuff.
It's on the 19th of March, which is a Tuesday. And this year, obviously 2024. And it's half past 10 till half past two.
And we've done the timings. Really, I should have done like 8am till 8pm, because that's the amount of time I think we
need. But I've done the timing to be child friendly. So you can do the school run, you can drop your kids off and you
can pick them up without the stress. And also no stress of the work traffic thing that goes on in the morning, all that
road rage. Like that's gone. So yeah, it's gonna be an amazing day. We've sold half tickets now we've gone through. And
it's just gonna be fabulous. It really is.
I love it. I'm so excited. Kimmy, it's been a pleasure. Before you go, one non negotiable when it comes to networking.
Be yourself. And turn up, turn up to what is going on in your local area. Like go and find out the events that are
happening and go to them.
And be yourself 100% go all in, lean in, let's go. And we want to see you. Right, Kimmy, it's been a pleasure. Thank you
so much. We will see you all at the March event.
And that is a wrap for another inspiring episode of Marketing Mindset and Motherhood podcast. Hope you found our
discussions on marketing strategies, nurturing a resilient mindset and mastering the balancing act of motherhood, both
insightful and empowering. We'd like to extend our gratitude to LiquidLyco, our podcast sponsor, for supporting this
journey towards healthier and happier motherhood. If you've enjoyed our show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a
review. Your feedback helps us continue bringing you valuable content. Until next time.