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For the love of flat lays

So today it’s all about flat lays – why? Because last month’s Small & Supercharged VIP challenge was all about flat lays… and the winners have now been selected… but before I let you look at the videos announcing the winners (Ok, you can just scroll down!), I wanted to give you a bit of background about it.

Why flat lays?

Each month in Small & Supercharged VIP, all the members have access to a carefully created resource pack, made with an expert. Last month was flat lay. Why? I love flat lay and by embracing it I have saved money on buying stock images, created some social images that have got great engagement and more. And I did it all on my kitchen table. And it cost me nothing. OK – it took me a bit of time, but no longer than it would take me to trawl the stock image sites and find pics I like…and then forgotten my Paypal password six times, been furious and reset my password again… and then bought. You get the idea…

Are flat lays hard?

And you know what else I found? They weren’t half as challenging as I thought they would be. I mean, you have to think about a flat lay, but they’re actually really fun to create. And messing about with lovely things and arranging them differently is actually rather relaxing, and very rewarding.

However, I’m not an expert… so I recruited one for VIP… and that expert was Rachel Bragg.

The flat lay queen

Rachel is the lady behind Sweet Images Photography and is a friend, client and general all round superstar. I had a chat with her about flat lays because  I have long admired the ones that she has produced for her own social – just look at her Instagram feed.

And the challenge

Rachel put together a superb resource pack for the VIP members that talked about flat lays, worked through examples, gave a tutorial and tips too. And more than that, Rachel gave feedback on all the posts inside the closed Small & Supercharged VIP group. It was brilliant. To add a competitive elements (because I’m nothing if not competitive!), VIPers were invited to post their flat lay onto their Instagram feed, tagging myself, @rheafreemanpr, and Rachel @sweet_images_uk, and using the #smallandsuperchargedvip… you can have a look for this hashtag now and see the results. They’re nothing short of incredible. Anyway… the winners.

The winners are…

We decided to pick two winners for the flat lay competition… so we actually picked three. I know. But when you watch the videos. You’ll understand why. So, I’ll leave you in Rachel’s safe hands to explain who won what and why.

Fancy joining Small & Supercharged VIP or want to find out more? Have a look here…

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The Flat Lay Challenge – #smallandsuperchargedVIP

Join my free small business group on Facebook to chat and network with likeminded people.

If you’ve been hanging about on Instagram this month (and if you follow me too!), you might have seen me mention the #smallandsuperchargedVIP hashtag, and that’s because of this month’s Small & Supercharged VIP challenge, which is all about flat lays.

I asked the fabulous Rachel Bragg from Sweet-Images Photography to work with me on a resource pack for this month’s Small & Supercharged VIP, because I wanted to create a pack all about flat lays. I LOVE flat lays, both looking at them and trying to create my own, and I know the value that they have (as does Rachel!). Rachel creates flat lays regularly for her own social media and if you follow her on Instagram, you’ll have seen some of these beauties over the last few months. I was delighted that Rachel agreed to be our VIP expert this month, and she created two great instructional videos (and we have a competition running for August too!), and the results have been amazing. We have a lot of content posted in the private VIP group, but we’ve also encouraged members to share on Instagram, using the #smallandsuperchargedVIP, and Rachel will pick the winner at the end of the month.

So – why did we go for flat lays?

I can’t think of one business that a flat lay wouldn’t work for. Not one. Actually, I spoke with Rachel, at length, and we talked through a range of businesses from mechanics to dentists, riding instructors to rural businesses. We couldn’t find one that it wouldn’t work for. They’re also SO useful because we all know that posts with images have much better engagement on social media, but where do you get these images from? Do you buy them? Do you try and bodge your own? DO NOT STEAL THEM (please, don’t!!), but it can get pricey and more. Flat lays are a way to address this. And they’re really good fun too.

Isn’t a flat lay just fun? How does it apply to business?

Yes, flat lays are fun, but they also apply to business. Being able to show your products easily and in a cost effective fashion, or even illustrate your service in a cost effective way, can be HUGELY valuable and generate interest, leads and reach. The images can be used for a range of other applications too, which can see you save on stock image costs at the same time as creating something more personal to you.

How can I learn more about flat lays?

You can obviously have a Google and get inspired, but you can also join the Small & Supercharged VIP community. The challenge aspect runs throughout August, but all members have access to previous resource packs through a password protected area on the website. Membership costs £10pcm (but this will be increasing soon!). Find out lots more here.

And a thank you

I would like to say a massive thank you to Rachel from Sweet-Images Photography. I have thanked Rachel in the group, but I wanted to give her a more public shout out. Rachel has been giving tips to VIP members all month as their flat lay images have appeared in the group, helping to encourage, support and improve the flat lays as the month has gone one. And the results have been amazing. Follow Rachel on her social platforms below, or see the website here.

Rachel’s Facebook

Rachel’s Instagram

Rachel’s Twitter

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The start of Small & Supercharged VIP

Small & Supercharged VIPSo, today’s blog is as close to a shameless plug as you’ll see on this blog. It’s all about the members group, Small & Supercharged VIP, which launched on 1st July, which was the Saturday just gone… and even though enrolment is now closed for July, you’re still welcome to register for the August intake here. But let me tell you a bit more about it…

What is Small & Supercharged VIP?

The short answer is it’s a membership group designed to support small businesses from all industries through providing resources, support and challenges to help business owners up skill, become a WHOLE lot more visible and grow their businesses. There’s a password protected area on my site for VIPers where all the content lives, but it’s also posted inside the VIP Facebook group each month too. So you get it wherever you try and hide!

How is it different to Small & Supercharged?

Small & Supercharged, the Facebook group that started this whole journey, is a community area. People ask questions, exchange ideas and chat. And it’s great. But what became apparent was the need for additional help and support… and I don’t mean this in a patronising way. I’m a social media, PR and marketing bore. I read wayyyy too many books, I admin far too many accounts (!) on a number of platforms, I advise a lot of businesses and I have been working in PR, social media and marketing, both running my own agency and in house, for over 10 years. I’m not doing this to tell you how brilliant I am. Far from it. See, the thing is, I’m immersed in this stuff each day. Ask me the best EPOS system and you might as well ask me about quantum physics. It’s not my bag. I know people who know (and you’ll find a few in Small & Supercharged!!), but I know how to promote businesses, how to leverage social media platforms, how to grow a tribe of raving fans and how to develop small businesses and products. So what if there was a way to combine the stuff I knew with the stuff that you knew about your business and your customers?

And that’s what kick started the small business coaching service I offer…

Yes, getting under the skin of people’s businesses excites me. I love it. I like finding out how they work, what makes them tick, how they could improve and develop and how they can do this. Seeing my clients do well gives me a bigger buzz than my own successes, always has done to be 100% honest with you. Combining my skill set, knowledge and my passion for learning and development with the business brains of my clients has worked incredibly well for coaching. The one to one environment allows me to give very specific advice, create very specific links and introductions and come up with very specific plans and strategy. Sometimes these sessions involve sending additional materials too, when I email over my recap. This can be through finding useful Youtube videos and articles to summarise what I’m talking about… but where I can I always try and create my own resources.

And then it struck me – other people could make use of these resources too, along with my one to one coaching clients… and Small & Supercharged VIP was born!

Small & Supercharged VIP provides resource packs, challenges and support for just £10pcm. I’ll be completely honest again and say it’s very different to one to one coaching but works very well in conjunction with this but also well on its own. Not everyone wants one to one coaching and that’s fine. But lots of people want to up-skill and work with experts (and I’m not just talking about me, there’s a raft of experts contributing to VIP…) as well as test new ideas in a closed environment. There’s a lovely range of people in VIP so far and I am SO excited to see how it grows and develops. I’m planning to close enrolment on 1st of each month because each month will have a challenge, and someone joining halfway through won’t get the full benefit. But people can register and get themselves set up for the next wave and join the fun for the next month. Here’s the link

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