Small Business, Big Network

Hosted by Liz Drury

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297

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Small Business, Big Network is the podcast for small business owners who want better results from their networking. I'm Liz Drury, a freelance voiceover artist who knows that if you're not working as much as you'd like, then networking could help! The show is a mix of bite sized episodes on networking basics, and interviews with business owners who are successfully using networking to grow. There are lots of inspirational stories that will encourage you to get started or to keep going on your own networking journey.

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60 recent

August 31, 202624 min

Consistency is the key to networking

With over 20 years in business development, sales, marketing, and events, Heather Offord has worked across everything from hospitality to consultancy — but what lights her up most is seeing people go from stuck and overwhelmed to confident and visible, with a clear plan that actually works for them. At Clarity Consultants, Heather created The Growth Roadmap — a framework that helps business owners step back, understand their business, and build a strategy that feels achievable and scaleable. Whether it’s marketing, sales, analysis, personal branding or simply making sense of their diary, Heather works with them to create clarity and structure so they can move forward. Website: Home | Clarity Consultants | Business Growth | Glasgow, UK LinkedIn: Heather Offord | LinkedIn Instagram: Instagram The Growth Compass: The Growth Compass: How to build a growth plan that fits you and your business : Offord, Heather: Amazon.co.uk: Books

August 24, 202624 min

Networking with the Baltimore Ravens!

Chad Bauer is President & Owner of SR&B Advertising, a performance-driven growth marketing agency based in Baltimore, USA - over 60 years in business. Chad acquired the agency from his father and has transformed it from a traditional advertising shop into a modern, data-driven operation. Every client SR&B has today came through a referral - no paid ads, no outside sales team, no self-promotion. That 100% referral-based growth model, paired with a 94% annual client retention rate, is the direct result of how Chad and his team approach relationships: build trust first, deliver results consistently, and let the work speak for itself. In a world where technology has made it easy to hide behind screens, Chad believes the businesses that still pick up the phone, sit across the table, and invest in genuine human connection have a real competitive advantage. He's also active in his local business community, currently in his third year serving as Assistant Vice President of Sponsorship for AMA Baltimore and is part of the Baltimore Ravens Small Business Partnership - a relationship he pursued specifically for the networking opportunity it created with two dozen fellow local businesses. Links: SR&B website - https://www.srbadv.com/ Chad’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadgbauer/

August 17, 202625 min

Have you been 'pitch slapped?!'

Tash Rebuck, the Founder of The Good Sales Company is on a mission to help people fall in love with Sales. Sales has become a bit of a dirty word, but it is integral to every business. Tash provides Coaching, Training and Retainer support to help businesses find the sales style that fits their values. With over a decade of B2B sales experience, Tash has worked with hundreds of companies looking to improve their sales in a positive way that fits their values. Tash is the host of the Sales podcast The S Word, and a speaker at the British Library, Somerset House, London School of Economics, Imperial College London and UCL, delivering training and advice on how to increase revenue in the right way. www.thegoodsalescompany.com

August 10, 202622 min

The Salon Owners Club

Sasha Core went from £25k in debt to building a multi 6 to 7 figure salon business, which she now hasn't worked in for over four years. With 21 years in the beauty industry and 14 years as a salon owner, Sasha knows exactly what it feels like to be the hostage of your own business - doing everything, being everything, and often wondering why you started in the first place. But she figured it out. She went from operator to CEO, built a team that runs without her, and paid herself well doing it. Then she built The Salon Owners Club and her Disrupt & Dominate™ framework so other salon owners could do the same - without having to learn it the hard way like she did. Today, Sasha is a Specialist Salon Business Consultant who works with ambitious salon owners ready to stop trading time for money and start building something that actually gives back. She helps them generate more revenue, more profit, and more time - whilst working less in the process. She is direct. She is results driven. And she only says yes to the clients she knows she can activate into extraordinary outcomes. Instagram: Https://instagram.com/thesalonownersclub

August 3, 202624 min

Building a network in tech, with Tobi from Tide!

Tobi Aromire is a Sales Executive and Partnerships Manager with Tide in the UK. Tide is much more than a business bank - in fact you can pretty much run your business from Tide without needing any separate accounting software or payroll platform, and it even has a savings account built in! If you want to try Tide for your own business, use my referral code LIZDRURYF2F and when you deposit £100 you'll get an extra £50 added to your balance! Use this link to open a business account: https://www.tide.co/partners-50cashback/?ref=LIZDRURYF2F And this link if you are registering a company: https://www.tide.co/partners-50cashback-cofo/?ref=LIZDRURYF2F Tobi is also the founder of the International Young People in Tech community - a network of 11,000+ people worldwide. https://www.youngpeopleintech.com

July 27, 202621 min

Growing a Business in Canada

Who knew the girl who used a whole roll of film taking pictures of headstones (age 7) and wrote a terrible poem about memories (age 9) would become a writer and photographer? Let that be your inspiration. If Sarah could do it, then really, ANYONE CAN. Sarah has always been creative, but it took a 20-year paramedic career to work out what she really hated doing and a move halfway across the world to finally do the thing she really wanted to do. She’s nothing if a little slow to figure things out ;-) She previously ran a successful wedding and portrait photography business for almost 8 years alongside her ambulance service life. And Sarah Wayte Creative has been her full-time obsession since 2019. English-born with proudly Maltese heritage (and now a Canadian passport to add to the collection), she’s an introvert with a fiery, passionate heart (and a tendency to wave her arms around while speaking). She’s a cat-Mum to two, childfree by choice, and wife to a guy who goes with all her madcap ideas. And she’s all about helping you to express your real, honest self through your words and photos. https://sarahwayte.com Personal writing (Deeper than Words substack account): https://sarahwayte.substack.com/ Podcast, The Loud Words for Quiet Rebels podcast: https://sarahwayte.substack.com/s/loud-words-for-quiet-rebels Free Home Page Copy Review: https://sarahwayte.com/home-page-copy-review-freebie/ This is a personalised 10 minute review of your home page copy where Sarah will highlight any glaring issues, point out what works well and where you might make some improvements to make your home page really work for your business. It’s best for service providers and creatives. :-)

July 20, 202625 min

Grow your network with Google Reviews

When times are good you NEED new clients. If the economy is bad you REALLY NEED new clients. The problem is how do you get found in all the noise that is today's internet. On top of that, who can you trust and how much should it cost? John de Jong of Alley Kat Signs and Marketing has over 800 Google Reviews for his family business and will share the playbook he uses at iGetYOUfound.com to help your business grow. Websites: AlleyKatSigns.com AlleyKat.Marketing iGetYOUFound.com

July 13, 202620 min

Don't perform - just be yourself

Margaret Sinclair is the founder of Mind Tamers®. A business that helps entrepreneurs and business owners rewire the subconscious programming keeping them stuck. Using what she calls The Mind's Secret Rule Book, s he helps people identify the rules their minds have that cause imposter syndrome, burnout, lack of self-confidence, and that stop them from charging what they are worth. The problem is that most people are unaware that they have these rules, they only know they have the problems. Margaret draws on nearly 20 years of clinical and practitioner experience. She blends hypnotherapy, NLP, coaching, EFT, and somatic work to help her clients identify and let go of the limiting rules. Replacing them with empowering ones - allowing them to confidently step into their unapologetic, authentic self. Based near Brighton, UK, she works with clients 1:1, runs workshops, Master Your Mind groups, and is known for her warm, direct style that cuts through the noise of conventional coaching. Links - Website - https://mindtamers.co.uk/home Email - hello@mindtamers.co.uk Linked in - www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-s-832a6a2b

July 6, 202623 min

Relax before you walk in!

With more than 30 years’ experience in communications, Lynda Russell-Whitaker specialises in supporting professional women to raise the quality of their public speaking. This can include defining the purpose and objective of a talk; refining the key message; developing a persuasive argument and delivering it with authority to their chosen audience(s). Her current primary focus is championing women who want to speak with courage and conviction in front of an audience. And to be authentic and vulnerable, if they wish. Women’s voices matter! https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-russell-whitaker/ www.brainbankpresents.co.uk This week's episode is kindly sponsored by Barry Cryan, CEO of Do More Better. How much would an extra 10 hours a week be worth to you? As a busy business owner, its likely you spend way to much time in the weeds, answering emails, firefighting, and juggling endless tasks instead of focusing on growth, strategy, and the work you actually enjoy. The problem isn't your time. The problem is your systems. At Do More Better, we help founders buy back at least 10–15 hours every week using smarter systems, AI, automation, without hiring the person you think you need. Imagine leaving work earlier, having more time for family, and growing your business with less stress and overwhelm. If you'd like to reclaim 10–15 hours every week, visit domorebetter.ie and access our free training today. Do More Better. Reclaim your time. Scale your impact. www.domorebetter.ie www.barrycryan.com https://www.instagram.com/cryanbarry/

June 29, 202624 min

Don't overthink attending networking meetings

Rachael Dines is the Founder of award-winning marketing agency Shake It Up Creative based in West Sussex and a Chartered Marketer with 25 years’ experience. She studied B2B International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago and advises small businesses through top UK business communities including Enterprise Nation and the Business & IP Centre. A dynamic speaker, mentor, and charity chair, Rachael also serves on the West Sussex Economic Growth Board and has appeared across national media. Her superpower? Helping businesses cut through the noise with marketing, SEO and content that moves the needle. Links: www.shakeitupcreative.com www.linkedin.com/in/rachaeldines www.instagram.com/shakeitupcreative www.facebook.com/shakeitupcreative This week's episode is kindly sponsored by Barry Cryan, CEO of Do More Better. How much would an extra 10 hours a week be worth to you? As a busy business owner, its likely you spend way to much time in the weeds, answering emails, firefighting, and juggling endless tasks instead of focusing on growth, strategy, and the work you actually enjoy. The problem isn't your time. The problem is your systems. At Do More Better, we help founders buy back at least 10–15 hours every week using smarter systems, AI, automation, without hiring the person you think you need. Imagine leaving work earlier, having more time for family, and growing your business with less stress and overwhelm. If you'd like to reclaim 10–15 hours every week, visit domorebetter.ie and access our free training today. Do More Better. Reclaim your time. Scale your impact. www.domorebetter.ie www.barrycryan.com https://www.instagram.com/cryanbarry/