Chronic Iconic Business

Hosted by Jess Bruno

Business Marketing

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Jan 2024

Language

About the show

hey small biz babe ✨ YOU ARE ICONIC ✨ this podcast is here to celebrate you. Each week, we bring you new eps, hosted by Jess Bruno, on how to grow, market and show up for your business! You can't spell Chronic, without iconic. We shine a light on female founders, who are running a business whilst living with a chronic illness, coz that's ✨ SICKENING ✨ babes (in drag terms, that means incredible). 💌 Get in touch: jess@jessicabruno.co.uk 👋 DM us on Instagram @jessica.sophia.bruno

Listen to episodes

21 recent

January 8, 202452 min

Managing Chronic Migraines, with Yasmin of Yil Printworks

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! Today we’re continuing our series speaking with small business owners living with chronic illnesses. Yasmin owns Yil Printworks, a home decor brand founded in 2020, focusing on unique, bold, and psychedelic decor. Yasmin has lived with chronic migraines for 2.5 years, which has massively impacted how she runs her small business. Tune in to learn more about: Chronic migraines and Yasmin’s long journey of diagnosis and treatment. Differences between Western treatments and Chinese medicine when treating pain. The mental, physical, and financial toll of managing constant pain. How frustrating it can be when people don’t understand chronic pain and take normal life for granted. Yasmin’s plans to go abroad in 2025 as her treatments improve her migraines, after years of not being able to take any trips. Yasmin’s advice to aspiring small business owners and the importance of trial & error. Yasmin is a real G, and we hope you enjoy this open and candid chat! Follow Yasmin on Instagram @yil.printworks and TikTok @ yilprintworks, and check out her website if you’re in the market for some funky home decor: https://www.yilprintworks.co.uk/ Don’t forget to follow @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! You can also get on the waitlist for The Content Club, a membership that gives you multi-platform marketing support for just £1 a day: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

December 13, 202349 min

Balancing business, parenting, and chronic illness, with Lucy Howell

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! We’re continuing our series interviewing small business owners living with chronic illnesses. In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Lucy Howell, who lives with Graves' disease, fibromyalgia and other autoimmune conditions. Lucy is a virtual assistant who helps parents and podcasters with their business tasks, podcast promotion, and Pinterest marketing. As a working mum herself, she understands that parents face different challenges than other business owners, and so wants to make their lives a little bit easier. Recognising that everyone is unique with specific needs, she prioritises a personal approach, because, come on… when has one size fit anyone?! Tune into this episode where we cover: Lucy’s long journey of piecing together her health issues and finally getting her diagnoses. Jess and Lucy discuss how scary it is to suffer heart palpitations alongside other unknown health conditions in your early twenties. The frustration when people and workplaces don’t understand or take autoimmune diseases as seriously as other medical conditions. How Lucy transitioned from being a dental nurse to running her own business after her newborn son was diagnosed with the same condition. How easy it is to develop an opioid addiction to help cope with chronic pain, and the symptoms that arise when you try to come off them. The challenges Lucy faces when creating content for her business, including time constraints and impostor syndrome. How AI tools have been helpful for Lucy in coming up with content ideas. This was such a gorgeous conversation with Lucy, and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!Follow Lucy on Instagram @howellvirtual and check out her website for Admin and Podcasting services at https://www.howellvirtual.co.uk/ Don’t forget to follow @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, are now open! Get multi-platform marketing support for just £1 a day: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

November 17, 202353 min

How to run a thriving small business, with May James

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! We’re continuing our series interviewing small business owners living with chronic illnesses. In today’s episode, we’re speaking to May James, who lives with ME/CFS. May James is an award winning global business consultant, trusted advisor and speaker that helps entrepreneurs to scale their businesses sustainably. May also runs a preloved fashion recycling business, is the host of the Honest Business Podcast, and champions living fully in the everyday. She works daily with rapidly growing businesses to expand their revenue, team and impact via proven strategy and leading expertise. Her outstanding and consistent results are down to her distinctive, no-BS approach of driving success and transformation. May has built a community of thriving women around the world who are armed with the tools to excel in business and live a fulfilling life. Her refreshing and honest approach to empowering ambitious women to feel more confident on their entrepreneurial journey is unrivalled. Tune into this juicy episode to learn more about: May’s first business, her background in sales, and how her chronic illness impacted the early stages of her work life, leaving her 70-80% bedbound. How May structures her day, puts up boundaries, and made strategic hires to help her manage both her life and her business. Value -based pricing vs. hourly rates, and why it’s important to not undervalue yourself as a small business owner with a chronic illness. The importance of strategy and understanding the purpose and desired outcome before creating content. How strategic planning and setting realistic expectations can help entrepreneurs overcome challenges and stay resilient in the face of uncertainty. Small ways you can sell every day in your business, and May suggests making a commitment to selling every day for a year to change your business and life. Figuring out how to prioritise friendships, family relationships and work/career, and how it's okay that those priorities change over time. May is an absolute boss and an inspiration, we hope you love this episode as much as we did!Follow May on Instagram @may.james_ and check out her podcast Honest Business: https://podfollow.com/honestbusiness Don’t forget to follow @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon – get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

November 6, 202334 min

Everyday bravery during hard times, with Sarah Oakley

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! We’re continuing our series interviewing small business owners whose lives are impacted by chronic illnesses, and in this episode we chat with Sarah Oakley, founder of BraveBirdClub! Sarah is on a mission to inspire everyday she-roes to be brave through the harder times in life. She is the creator of Brave Bird Pants - actual lovingly made knickers to pull up on those days you need that extra bit of confidence, and every pair sold supports a woman through abuse, violence and addiction.Sarah has also been a carer for her husband, who has ME/CFS, for over 10 years. For three of those years he was bedridden with the illness, meaning that Sarah had to shift her entire routine and how she ran her business. Tune in to learn about: How Sarah sold her first business and moved from Watford to Mallorca, so that she could better look after her husband and young family. How Sarah started Brave Bird Club and views her business as a form of self-care. The differences in how you show up as a service vs product based business. Why Sarah describes herself as ‘proudly selfish’ when it comes to taking care of herself. How loneliness impacts many people with chronic illnesses due to having to live a different life than others. Sarah’s posting schedule and how she approaches user generated content (UGC). I think something we can all take away from this episode: Keep watering YOU. And Sarah is a great example of that.Follow Sarah on Instagram @BraveBirdClub and check out the Brave Bird Pants on her website: https://bravebird.club/collections/brave-pants Don’t forget to follow @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon – get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

October 23, 202328 min

Protecting your mental health and when running an online business ✨

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! We’re back with another episode in my series where I chat with other small business owners with chronic illnesses. This episode’s a special one, because we’re sitting down with The Content Club’s own resident copywriter, Ella! She has been a part of The Content Club team since the beginning, providing copy templates, content prompts, and fab support for the members inside. Outside of The Content Club, Ella helps misfit creatives, solopreneurs & small biz owners feel seen & heard in their content through copywriting and marketing strategy. Ella helps them tell stories in ways that connect with their people, while aiming to be a partner using their expertise as a Creative Director. Since her early teens, Ella has been struggling with depression and anxiety, so today we sit down and discuss her mental health journey and how she juggles managing her mood and her business. Tune in to learn more about: - How Zoella’s old vlogs helped Ella realise she was suffering with anxiety and panic attacks, and how that led her to advocate to herself with her GP. - How Ella went from furlough to freelance during the early stages of the pandemic. - Putting the brakes on in your business to take care of your mental (and physical) health and how Ella managed it when she had a mental health crash during Christmas 2020. - The importance of listening to your gut and finding right-fit clients and support teams. - Why it’s so important to get your messaging clear in your content, whether you’re an intuitive poster or a batcher. We love Ella! Don’t forget to follow them @whimsicella and @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon - get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

October 7, 202330 min

Balancing ADHD and Entrepreneurship, with Katie McManus

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! Today we had a chat with fellow ADHDer Katie McManus. Katie is an ADHD Business Coach & Strategist whose motto is "stop being a weenie and start your business!" She coaches ADHD, heart-centered entrepreneurs who need to step out of fear and scale their businesses. Katie had a “great” career in the world of Sales and Marketing - before she walked away and created the life she really wanted. Trained in Co-Active Coaching and Leadership, she blends her expertise in business, coaching, sales, and marketing, to create custom strategies for her clients. She runs multiple communities, is the host of "The Weeniecast", and a devoted dog-mom. Listen to learn more about: How ADHD acted as a springboard for Katie as she was able to hyper-focus on her business. Katie’s journey with using social media and how she accidentally went viral on LinkedIn. Dopamine hits that social media engagement bring and how people with ADHD can avoid getting addicted. What is executive dysfunction and how Katie works with her ADHD, rather than against it. If you have ADHD, you’re gonna love this ep and get a lot of amazing takeaways from it, so I hope you love it! Follow Katie on Instagram @katie.the.coach, TikTok @katie.kdhd, and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiemcmanusleadership/ Don’t forget to follow @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon - get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

October 2, 202338 min

Optimising your Business whilst Living with a Chronic Illness with Alana

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! We’re continuing our series interviewing small business owners with chronic illnesses by chatting with Alana from This Is The Remix! Alana has been living with endometriosis and painful cramps all of her life, and when she was 36 she was also diagnosed with autism. She’s always been interested in mental health, and after her diagnosis and going through her own healing journey, she realised that there are many people out there who are just like her who deserve help and support, too. She started her mental health clothing brand This Is The Remix in 2020, which combines her special interests in psychiatry, psychology and fashion to help women live the life they want with a more positive mindset. Their ethos is that the more openly we speak about our mental health, the more connections we make and the less alone and isolated we feel on our own mental health journeys. Tune in to learn more about: Alana’s health journey and how she got diagnosed with endometriosis and autism in the same year How Alana manages her life by balancing chronic pain in her pelvis and sensitivities from her autism Dealing with imposter syndrome and not getting caught up in the comparison trap How she optimises and automates her biz to make life easier, especially on high pain days How Alana stays gentle with herself to avoid burnout and overwhelm How her chronic illness led Alana to start her own business so she could work on her own terms Follow Alana on Instagram @thisistheremix.uk and check out her website, where here new collection “I’m fine but the rest of you need therapy” is now live: https://thisistheremix.co.uk Don’t forget to follow @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon - get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

September 23, 202334 min

Business & Chronic Illness with Angel | @leadgengencyy

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! We’re back with another episode in my series where I chat with other small business owners with chronic illnesses. I sat down with Angel, who at just 19 years old is the founder of an organic lead generation agency. Her company provides organic lead generation to online e-commerce businesses, where their focus is on building real relationships and expanding your audience to create a warm and magnetic community. Their process is the perfect balance of business strategy and intuitive, aligned action. A couple of years ago after being diagnosed with lupus, Angel decided to drop out of beauty school and start her own business. I’ve invited her onto the podcast to have a natter with me about her journey in managing both her business and this autoimmune disease. Listen to learn more about: [00:45] Living with lupus and how Angel manages the different symptoms that emerge everyday. [5:10] How being immunocompromised influenced Angel’s decision to drop out of college and start her own business. [8:11] How Angel realised that social media was a tool for connecting with other people and finding community in a safe way. [13:39] The importance of taking time off and how business is a safe space for those with a chronic illness. [18:12] How Angel went from hating posting content to posting almost every day, and how she views it as a form of inspiration and rest. [20:45] How Angel approaches her content when she’s having a bad week or a flare up. I relate a lot of Angel’s story of managing a chronic illness and using social media as a tool for connection, so I hope you love this episode as much as I do! Follow Angel’s amazing Instagram @leadgenagencyy and @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon - get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/ Thank you for tuning in to The Content Club Pod. If you found this episode valuable, please consider leaving a review on your fav podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue providing content that empowers small business owners.

September 20, 202339 min

Business & Chronic Illness with Oyinka Yusuff | Moss & Glow

Welcome to The Content Club pod, with your host Jess Bruno! This week’s episode is the first in a series of interviews with other small biz owners who have chronic illnesses, and juggle life and business alongside it. Today I’m chatting with Oyinka Yusuff, an actor and founder of Moss & Glow, a beauty and personal care brand. We sat down for a juicy chat all about authenticity on social media. Oyinka started her small business journey when she discovered the power of sea moss and how it cleared up her psoriasis after a particularly bad flare up. She wanted more people to experience the power of sea moss, so Moss & Glow was born! I love Oyinka because she’s so real and says it how it is - and that’s also reflected in her content! Get your notes app up and dive into this episode to learn more about: [3:11] What psoriasis is and how it impacted Oyinka’s and day to day life since she was 18 years old. [5:09] How being introduced to sea moss not only helped in clearing up her psoriasis, but inspired her to start a business to help others. [11:38] How social media platforms like Snapchat helped document her psoriasis journey and how she uses that in her content. [19:33] What social proof is and how Oyinka does it so organically by screenshotting customer feedback. [30:20] How Oyinka uses WhatsApp as part of her sales strategy. The power behind sharing your story and transformation. Oyinka is a breath of fresh air and her journey is so inspiring, you would want to miss this one! Follow Oyinka Yusuff on Instagram @oyinkayusuff1 and make sure to check out her personal care brand, Moss & Glow @mossandglow Don’t forget to follow me @jessica.sophia.bruno and @thecontentclub.co on Instagram! Doors to my membership, The Content Club, open soon - get on the waitlist: https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/

August 29, 202317 min

The Secret to Authenticity on Social Media: Embrace Your Whole Self

Welcome back to The Content Club Pod, where authenticity meets entrepreneurship. I'm your host, Jess Bruno. In today's episode, we dive deep into embracing your true self as a small business owner, conquering self-doubt, and finding the courage to shine on camera. Join me on this transformative journey. What is authenticity on social media? It's that magical connection where your audience feels like you're speaking directly to them, like an old friend. But let's be real, there's a fine line between vulnerability and oversharing. It's about sharing what matters, your life's juicy details, and your business's exciting journey. Starting out, many of us, myself included, put up walls. We mimic what others are doing, thinking it's the path to success. I was there too, feeling like I had to follow trends, post what everyone else did. It's like that scene from Mean Girls where everyone copies Regina George's style. I was once that person. But authenticity doesn't come from mimicking others. It comes from showing your true self. Remember, your thoughts, your opinions—they matter. People appreciate your unique perspective. Don't get caught up in shiny object syndrome, constantly chasing trends. It rarely pays off. Your unique experiences are your greatest assets. Sharing personal tidbits, even seemingly insignificant ones, makes you memorable. I once got a client because we shared a love for ham and pineapple pizza. It's the little things that connect us. Overcoming self-doubt, especially in front of the camera, can be tough. Some days, you'll feel like chatting with a friend on FaceTime, while others, you'll don your business hat. The pursuit of perfection can hold you back. It's not about having the perfect setup; it's about being genuine. Your story holds immense power. It starts conversations and builds connections. If you're unsure where to start, just test the waters with a personal story. See how your audience responds. Authenticity is crucial, but it's unique to you. It's about finding your voice, building up your confidence, and showing up as yourself, whether that's a mom who's also an entrepreneur, a chronic illness warrior, or someone with a story to share. Small steps lead to big transformations. Begin with a single video, a piece of content that feels right for you and your audience. Test the waters, gauge the response, and watch your authenticity story muscle grow. Remember, your unique story is your superpower. Share it with confidence. If you have questions or want to discuss this further, feel free to reach out. You can find me at [Your Instagram Handle] or join our vibrant community at https://jessicabruno.co.uk/the-content-club/. Until next time, keep shining authentically!