"I found my education was more of a hindrance than my gender in business because I left school at fourteen"

In this podcast, Susan is joined by Helena Gilhooly, founder, and curator of all things BusyBeaders. Helena has gone from strength to strength throughout her career as a businesswoman, taking on a second business as the mind behind Busy Tweeters, where she has been the catalyst for growing the online presence of many businesses both within the Jewellers community and beyond.

As a woman in business who started lower on the ladder of education than others, Helena has proven that the only thing standing in the way of your success is your imagination. In listening to what the market is saying, you can learn how to capitalize on your talents and therefore realize what makes you unique.

Whether you are just setting up your business, building your online reputation or changing direction in your career.

Helena points out that "you have to start small". This strategy to grow your business and community online is what Helena does best and this is exactly what Helena shows us how to do in this Savvy Women podcast.

 

"Know where your customers are and where to you do the most selling"

Helena explains how in using the tools already at your disposal through embedded audience insights and analytics, the market will show you exactly who your customers are and what they are looking at. Not everyone will be using all social media platforms, by tuning into where your customers are you can harness that platform and others to increase foot traffic to your website and online marketplace. While "having a toe in each of the platforms" is essential to enhance your online presence, understanding where your customers engage with you is essential for getting the most out of your time online.

 

"All boats rise together"

Not only has Helena built a business around the mantra of "community over competition" with Busy Beaders, but she has also reaped the rewards that come with building a supportive online community where competing businesses actively uplift each other. Whether it be from the outset of your career when knowledge sharing is the key to success in building your business or giving back to your community by supporting local businesses when they need that reciprocal support.

We can easily find ourselves blinded by the negative side effects of social media, however, as Helena illustrates if we look beyond that many networks can offer the unique support of a globally connected online community. Busy Tweeters embodies this supportive digital network like no other, with eye-catching hashtags and an unwavering willingness to connect with small businesses.

 

"Have empathy in what you're doing"

When it comes to resilience in business, Helena shares how her ability to empathize gets her through the one per cent of the difficult times. Understanding her customers, who they are and knowing that what she can do for them is impactful enough to keep her moving forward with her business. If adopting the optimistic outlook that Helena has done is value enough for her to continue climbing the ladder of success with her career, what is stopping you from doing the same? As Helena says, "If you have a dream or a passion, go for it!". So whether it be engaging with a thread on Twitter, joining a digital community of small business owners and entrepreneurs or embracing a new social networking platform, make a small incremental change today for greater benefits later on.

 

The Savvy Women Podcast is now on iTunes! Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode.

 

BusyTweeters: Social media engager for those who do not have the time to build their online presence!: See how Helena harnesses her knowledge to build an online presence for businesses over on her Twitter account where all the action takes place!

Busy Beaders Hand Made Jewellery- Ireland: Check out Helena's beautiful handmade jewellery to support the business she has built around her passion for hand-stitching jewellery.

Are you ready for the digital transformation? Aisling Curtis: Want to learn more about the rapidly changing landscape of the digital landscape and how not to get left behind in the process? Aisling Curtis explains it all on this Savvy Women Podcast.

Find your authentic personal brand to turbo-charge your career: Not sure you know how to look for that quality or characteristic that can make you and your business stand out from the crowd? Then let's take it back to the very first Savvy Women Podcast where Susan discusses how to uncover and highlight your own Unique Selling Point just as Helena has done!

Helena Gilhooly Podcast (34.63 MB)

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