I’ve been planning it for a while and I’ve procrastinated about it for almost the same amount of time, but feedback I got from some of you towards the end of last year finally convinced me to do it!

So now . . . I am very pleased to announce the launch of The Beauty Business Podcast; a companion resource to run alongside SalonBusinessSecrets.com.

Now, I am very aware that while podcasts and podcasting is becoming much more mainstream these days, there are still a lot of people who are not avid podcast listeners and some that may not be familiar with exactly what podcasts are at all?

So to help clear things up here are answers to some of the questions you may be asking yourself.

(1) What is a Podcast?

Podcasts are episodes of a program focused on a specific theme or topic that are available on the internet. Podcasts are usually original audio recordings, but can also be recorded broadcasts of a radio program, a roundup of a broadcast (i.e. the best bits), a lecture, a performance of other event. They can even contain video too.

You can to subscribe to a particular podcast so that as new episodes come out you are made aware of this automatically and they can also be downloaded automatically to whatever device you use to listen on, so they are ready for you when you want to tune in.

A podcast is published on a website and you can listen to the podcast on that website itself or using some sort of podcast application on your PC, Phone, Tablet or MP3 player.

The reason podcasts are now taking off more and more is because we pretty much all have a smartphone with reasonable internet connections even when we are out and about. Plus we are all busy and have less time to sit down and focus on reading lengthy articles and information so listening to content is the perfect solution.

(2) Why Have you Created a Podcast?

I’d begun to notice, particularly in the case of the smaller independently owned salons, that owners are so busy with day to day operations that they didn’t ever feel they had enough time to invest in the medium and longer term growth of their business. They wanted to, but they couldn’t justify the time when there were things that needed doing right now in their business. They probably didn’t even feel that they had time to read the articles I was writing on SalonBusinessSecrets.com which, ironically, would have helped them both with their available time and that medium to long term planning!

This was backed up by feedback from readers who were again and again saying they loved the articles I was putting out plus the information and downloadable I was creating. The problem was that they just didn’t always have the time to sit and read such detailed information . . . especially if they were just starting out and trying to get their business off the ground.

I had always planned on having a podcast element to accompany the website and with this realisation and feedback in mind it just seemed like the perfect fit.

(3) What’s on the Podcast?

In the case of The Beauty Business Podcast the podcast, just like SalonBusinessSecrets.com it will focus on the independent beauty and salon business owners. Whether that be an independent spa or salon owner, a mobile therapist, someone with a salon in their home, a nail technician or a physiotherapist, basically anyone in the health or beauty world running or managing a business. As with the website my aim will be to provide information, advice, tips and strategies to help you build the business you dream of, in the form of a fun and easy to listen to show.

Sometimes an episode will feature just me . . . but most often I will be joined by an expert on a particular aspect of business both from within the spa, salon or beauty business world and also outside of that world if they have valuable information to pass on.

My idea is that a subject, struggle or question will be discussed on the podcast and then I will add to this with a more detailed article where necessary on the website.

This way listeners can consume the podcast while they are doing other things, for example travelling to and from work, setting up in the morning or clearing down at night and it doesn’t need them to dedicate specific time to reading unless they want to.

However, if from the discussion on the podcast, a listener decides that they want to know more about the topic under discussion then, again where appropriate, there will be a follow up or companion article on the website. This will contain further information, more detail and any useful downloads or tools I can make available.

The podcast will provide a companion to the main website – SalonBusinessSecrets.com – and will be available every other week. I will increase this if there is sufficient demand . . . so it is important you let me know what you think.

(4) Sounds Great . . . So How Do We Get the Podcast?

There are a number of places to listen to the podcast, I can’t cover them all, but I have listed the most common ones here:-

On the Website – Each episode of the podcast will have its own page on the website, www.BeautyBusinessPodcast.com. You can listen to the podcast direct from the episode page using the built in player, just click on the play button at the top of the page.

There are also links on the page to listen to the podcast in iTunes and on Android devices.

On iTunes – If you are an iTunes user on your computer or any other device, you can search for the podcast in iTunes. Just open up iTunes and select the iTunes Store and then search for ‘Beauty Business Podcast’ or just ‘BBE’ and it will appear on your screen to select under the podcasts heading.

You will recognise the podcast because the logo looks like this:

An App on Your Phone – Most mobile phones these days will have a built in podcast application. If you have an iPhone this will be simply called ‘Podcasts’ if you are on Android or Windows Phone then it might be called something else.

Either way just open the App, find the search option and search for ‘Beauty Business Podcast’ and you should be able to find it.

On Stitcher and Soundcloud – If you use Stitcher or Soundcloud (these are podcast and music directory websites) rather than iTunes or you are an android or windows phone user then you can go to either one of these sites and search for ‘Beauty Business Podcast’ and again listen on the website or download the podcast to listen to later.

(5) How Often will a New Episode Come Out?

I am committed to releasing a new episode every two weeks to begin with. A huge amount of work goes in to creating each podcast episode and I am confident that I will be able to deliver a new episode while maintaining truly valuable content on this basis.

It however the podcast proves extremely popular and there is the demand for it, I may seek to increase the production of a new episode to every week.

As I say in the podcast itself, this is very much your show . . . I am simply the host. If there is a particular question or struggle that you are having now in your health and beauty related business then let me know. I will track down the best person inside or out of the industry I can find to help answer your question and cover it in a podcast and possibly also an article on the website!

Plus You Can Win Prizes Too!

To celebrate the launch of the podcast I have put together a prize bundle worth over £400 made up of events, courses and books to help beauty business owners have their best year ever in 2016.

Details of the giveaway and the prizes you can win are covered in Episode 4 of the podcast which you can find if you follow this link: http://www.beautybusinesspodcast.com/episode4

Alternatively if you would simply like to enter the giveaway now . . and why wouldn’t you . . . simply go to: www.beautybusinesspodcast.com/launch to enter the giveaway.

I’d really love it if you would check out the podcast and let me know what you think . . . I hope you enjoy it and find value in the information.

Remember that you can subscribe to the podcast to have all new episodes delivered straight to your device. If you are not sure how to do this I made this handy video to help you out!