Friends with Business Benefits

Hosted by Charlie Swift

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149

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Friends with Business Benefits hosted by Charlie Swift and Franky Shanahan is a podcast for creatives who crave connection, understanding and support. Hello, we are Charlie and Franky, two self-employed business owners living in Bristol in the southwest of England. Franky runs a copywriting business called Love Audrey, helping brands and creative businesses find their voice and tell their story online. As a business mentor to creative mamas, Charlie supports women to build their businesses alongside raising a family. For the last 5 years, we’ve been meeting for regular co-mentoring sessions. Working for yourself can be lonely at times, but through our monthly meet-ups, we’ve found the support and accountability we were craving in our working lives. Through our podcast, we hope to continue these conversations, share what we’re learning and also learn from you, our listeners. Business Mentoring for Creative Mamas: https://charlieswift.com Copywriting for Creatives: https://www.love-audrey.com friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com

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60 recent

June 10, 202655 min

What's Working on Instagram Right Now?

If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Instagram shifting and changing. They’re constantly adding new tools and features, and there’s always different styles of content to consume. As a result, what worked this time last year, probably isn’t giving you the same results today. With this in mind, we’re chatting about current trends and popular types of content on the ‘gram. What’s performing well? What isn’t? And how are tastes changing? From text carousels and tiny mics to creating your own episodic ‘TV show’ via Reels - our conversation is packed with ideas and inspiration to help you market your business on Instagram. Links and Further ReadingGina Slow GoingCari WilliamsonWhat Happened to Online Etiquette? What’s working (or not working) for you on Instagram right now? Join us on Substack to share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

May 20, 202625 min

Protecting Your Business When Personal Crisis Hits

Most people go through some sort of personal crisis at least once in their lives. In the time Franky’s been running her business, she’s experienced a few. Most recently, she’s had to navigate the sudden, unexpected death of her step-father. In this episode, we’re chatting about what happened and what she learned. Why is preparing for a personal crisis something all business owners need to consider? And where do we start? We cover building a strong foundation before disaster hits, what to do during a personal crisis, and what to do next. It’s advice we hope you never need to use, but we think you’ll be grateful for it if you do. Links and Further ReadingWhat I’ve Learned From Running My Business During a Personal CrisisHow I Run My Copywriting Business with a Chronic IllnessSome Thoughts on Dropping BallsHave you ever had to navigate a personal crisis while running your small business? Do you feel prepared to face one in the future? Join us on Substack to share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

May 7, 202633 min

Q1 Reflections, Q2 Intentions

We’re back following an unplanned, emergency hiatus. Find out what happened and listen as we belatedly reflect on Quarter 1 and look ahead to what’s left of Quarter 2 in our respective businesses. We share what felt good, what didn’t, and what we’ve learned in the process.We also talk about our words of the year and how they’ve been showing up for us since we last spoke. Spoiler alert: Charlie didn’t choose one for 2026! Finally, we share a few sources of creative inspiration and dig into our plans for the next three months. Links and Further ReadingCarolyn YooSee YouXanthe AppleyardJoin us on Substack where you can share your thoughts on this episode in the comments. Come and tell us your own intentions for Q2… we’d love to cheer you on!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsLarking AboutContent Creatives with Charlie Swift Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

March 19, 202641 min

How We're Using Substack in 2026

It’s been two years since we last chatted about how we’re using Substack in our respective businesses. A lot has changed for both of us since then, so we decided it was time to share an update. Listen as we discuss moving the podcast to Substack, growing our mailing lists, turning on paid subscriptions, and in Charlie’s case, turning them off again. As well as sharing what has and hasn’t been working for us on the platform, we chat about our plans for 2026 and what we hope to achieve through our publications.Links and Further ReadingAre You Going to Start a Substack?How Are We Showing Up on Substack this Year?Glennon Doyle, Mean Girls, and the Evolution of Substack Should I Start a Substack for My Small Business?Are you using Substack in your small business? Join us over there to share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

February 26, 202629 min

What Happened to Online Etiquette?

We’ve been noticing a rise of some poor manners online of late. Copy-cat content, big brands using photos without permission or giving proper credit, people presenting other creators ideas as their own. SO, in this episode we’re wondering ‘what happened to the Online Etiquette of the early internet’? Listen to hear us share some examples of the types of poor etiquette we’ve noticed recently, chat through the difference between being inspired and copying, consider the role the rise of AI is playing and rant about Pinterest being sited as an image source. Links and Further ReadingSiece CampbellShana BlakleyOur Thoughts on the Analogue TrendJoin the conversation on Substack to share your thoughts on online etiquette. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

February 12, 202630 min

Building a Portfolio and Sharing Your Work

How do you currently showcase and share your work with prospective clients? Do you have a portfolio or gallery on your website? Maybe you treat Instagram like a portfolio or have some kind of PDF you send out?In today’s episode, we’re exploring all these options and more. We cover the purpose of a portfolio, where it should live, and share a range of creative ideas to help you present your work to the world. Alongside digital options, we discuss some unique analogue concepts. As well as chatting about our own portfolios, Franky shares insights from working with clients, offering copywriting tips and pointing out a few pitfalls to avoid. Links and Further ReadingGrace YencerDesign By EmiliaBecky Lord DesignCyber AreejCarolyn YooChaotic Creatives - Curating Your Creative Work Like a ProOur Thoughts on the Analogue TrendJoin the conversation on Substack to share your thoughts on building a portfolio. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

January 29, 202630 min

Our Thoughts on the Analogue Trend

2026 has officially been deemed ‘the year of analogue living’. The internet is going crazy for pen and paper, crafty hobbies, and physical media. In this week’s episode, we discuss the rapid rise of this trend, explore how it’s being interpreted online, and what this might mean for us as small business owners. We also chat about our own analogue habits and hobbies, and ponder why GenZ seem to love poor quality, ‘vintage’ digital cameras so much!Links and Further ReadingAre You ‘Team Analogue’ or ‘Team Digital’? Wildflower Illustration Co.The Sunday Letter ProjectJoin the conversation on Substack to share your thoughts on going analogue {or not} in 2026. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

January 15, 202646 min

2025 Reflections, 2026 Intentions

We’re kicking off the new year with our annual cosy conversation filled with reflections and intentions. Find out what went well for us last year and what we learned from the things that didn’t. We also chat about our words of the year, share a few goals for 2026, and make some solid(ish) plans for Q1.Links and Further ReadingGet Wildly FreeJoin the conversation on Substack to tell us all about your plans for the year ahead. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

January 5, 202636 min

Our 2025 Favourites

In our final episode of the year, join us as we run through some of our non-business related faves. As well as our favourite films, TV shows, music and books, we chat about the habits and experiences we’ve enjoyed the most. It’s an episode filled with recommendations, just for you!Thank you for listening throughout 2025 and happy new year!Fancy filling us in on your own favourites? Join the conversation on Substack. We’d love to hear from you!Links and Further ReadingIsabel PaigeShelby’s CottageHorticulturalish Java Ceridwen Bere Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe

December 18, 202526 min

Bloom Scrolling

You’ve heard of doom scrolling, but what about bloom scrolling? Instead of mindlessly consuming content, bloom scrolling encourages you to interact with the digital world more thoughtfully. In this week’s episode, we’re exploring the concept from a few different angles and offering practical tips to make your time online more nourishing. We cover everything from managing screentime and curating your feed to creating bloom-scroll-appropriate content of your own. Links and Further ReadingBloom Scrolling explainedRealfunwowUlyandernestoMonalogueAbbeysyHow do you feel about bloom scrolling? Join the conversation on Substack to share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!Connect With UsFriends With Business Benefits on Substackcharlieswift.comlove-audrey.comFind Us On Instagram@loveaudrey83@_charlieswiftSubscribe to Our Mailing ListsFranky’s Mailing ListCharlie’s Mailing List Get full access to Friends with Business Benefits at friendswithbusinessbenefits.substack.com/subscribe