Stop Doing Everything Yourself: Systems for Creative Businesses | Showbiz Side Hustle Ep.82

 Stop Doing Everything Yourself: Systems for Creative Businesses | Showbiz Side Hustle Ep.82.

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Description

Are your business systems holding you back? In this episode, host Nicole Louise Geddes is joined by Hannah Hannon, founder of HVA, who provides flexible, strategic business and operational support exclusively to the entertainment and creative industries.

In this conversation, Hannah and Nicole explore why performers should treat themselves as a business from day one, what she's seeing across the industry when it comes to systems (and what's going wrong), and why "systems" doesn't have to mean expensive tech or corporate processes. Hannah also shares her own journey from side hustle to fully fledged business, the mindset shift from performer to entrepreneur, and why giving yourself grace through that transition is essential.

Hannah is part of Nicole's Performapreneur Pivot Support Crew associate network and a co-author in the upcoming second edition of Spotlight on Success.

🔗 Find Hannah and HVA: https://hva-ents.co.uk/ 

#PerformerToEntrepreneur #CreativeBusiness #BusinessSystems #ShowbizSideHustle #Performapreneur #EntertainmentIndustry #HVA #PerformerPivot

Chapters

00:00 Identifying industry gaps as a performer

05:59 Bridging creativity and business structures

07:24 Identifying industry gaps for success

11:13 Promoting the Performer Prana Collective

16:49 Building sustainable business systems

19:00 Pivoting as a performer

21:27 Business entry points and affordability

24:53 Encouraging collaboration and accountability

28:30 Growing from side hustle to business

32:38 Preparing for financial stability

37:28 Embracing unique business growth

40:27 Landing first client in Dubai

42:15 Hannah's business journey

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Connect with Nicole:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Performerpreneur

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performerpreneur

Website: https://performerpreneur.co.uk/

#ShowbizSideHustle #PerformerBusiness #CreativeEntrepreneur #performerpreneur

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So today we're diving into how you can create stronger systems in your business and stop trying to do everything yourself. You are listening to the Joviz Side Historical Podcast powered by Performapreneur. Today I'm joined by Hannah, founder of HBA, providing flexible strategic business and operational support exclusively to the entertainment and creative industries. Hannah fits beautifully into our Performapreneur Pivot Support Crew ecosystem of support because she helps performers and creative business owners build the structure behind the scenes that so many of us are missing. With nearly a decade of experience across performing, choreography, and international productions, she truly understands the demands of the entertainment industry and combines that insight with expertise in systems, operations, and organisation. Hannah, how is that for an introduction?

SPEAKER_01 0:53

I loved it. That was so good.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Hugely professional and hugely wise in this area. And as the intro said, so many of us are missing some of these really simple steps, structures, operations, organization, you know. And here you are today, as part of my associate network, the pivot support crew, to just gift some wisdom, give some insight, um, and hopefully some, you know, really actionable top tips that people can get on with and also know that they have an avenue now to find you and get the support they need and the answers to those questions that they might be, you know, not daring to ask out loud.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Yeah, it's all very exciting. Thank you for having me on. Um, hopefully, yeah, systems and structures. Hopefully, I can provide some insight for some of your lovely listeners.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

I have no doubt. Before we go there, let's just remind the listeners um that you are a performer. Um, I believe you're calling yourself a performer on sabbatical, can't get that word out right now. But just give us a quick whistle stop tour of you know your professional performing career.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, so uh yeah, performer on sabbatical is uh a term I am using. Um I haven't officially decided if the sabbatical is ending for good or not. Um, but yes, professional performer, nearly a decade. Um, I have you know been so fortunate to work across such a varied part of the industry. I've done summer contracts abroad, I've done cruise ships, I've travelled America with an international show, I've done loads of freelance gigs. Um, and that background was, I mean, it was what I love and what I always wanted to do and so grateful for every moment of it. Um, but it was because of the skills that you pick up, whether you realize it or not, you know, and the skills that you need as a performer in order to continue managing that that admin of being self-employed and being that person in charge of your own career. Um thanks to those skills and thanks, I think, to and I don't mean this in a disparaging way or a in a rude way or anything, but it was kind of seeing businesses within the industry that I'm like you're missing something here, there's a system not in place, like somewhere your your admin's not working. But it was because of this like insight from working as a performer and from you know building relationships with some some companies that I was like there's something missing here, and there wasn't anything that was niche to our industry. So it was thanks to the performer journey that I'm even you know sat here now and have the business that I have really.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Well, let's touch on exactly that because you know, I have a production company, Manic Stage Productions, I manage performers, I produce entertainment, but primarily I am and was just a performer, and I know we label ourselves just a performer. So some of those systems that I built 21 years ago do not reflect the magnitude of business that I've created, and that is okay, and I'll hold my hands up and go, you know, I've learned as I've gone along, and some of those things weren't in place because I actually didn't know them coming from a performer background into production, into entrepreneurship. Um, so I think you're very, you know, you're right. There'll be um there'll be a variety of performers doing a variety of things for a variety of different companies, and they'll be facing these kind of moments where they think, hold on a minute, this system doesn't feel like it's valuable to me, like it doesn't feel like it's working on both ends of the spectrum as a performer and as the um entrepreneur that's providing the service. So I know firsthand that what you are saying is true, and some of these entertainment businesses might not kind of want to admit that they're built on very creative foundations, but not necessarily very business-oriented structures and processes, and that is where you have built your business now to bridge that gap for this amazing idea that we have as performers to build businesses, um, but not necessarily the business knowledge at the start of our journeys.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

No, and and I think, you know, I I obviously this is what my business is for, and this is what I provide, and it's not a bad thing. It's at the end of the day, we are creatives and we set up a company nine times out of ten within the industry based on that creative thing that we want to offer. Um, so of course, of course, we don't have a single clue about the running of a business and the systems that are needed. It's it, I don't know. Has anyone like done business management course on the side or anything? No, we go for the love of that creative thing, whether that you want to provide the performers as an agency, whether you want to do costumes, whether you want to do sh produce the tracks, like whatever it is, there's you come at it from that creative angle. And do you know everyone starts off like you you start off on on a bit of a wave, and you know, you start building, and eventually there comes a point where that is not manageable anymore, and therefore for your scalability, for your sustainability, something a little bit more structured needs to come into place, and that's where I kind of bridge that gap essentially to to help because there is there is an abundance of information online. You could you could take all the courses under the sun on how to build a profitable business and how to put systems and structures in place, and there's nothing wrong with them, but the entertainment industry and the creative industries are not those industries, they are going to have their own structures and it's gonna be a little bit more linear. We all know the beauty of being in entertainment, or you know, maybe not always the beauty of it, but it ebbs and flows, it doesn't have like set structure. Whilst all the other industries are taking two weeks off at Christmas and enjoying a mince pie and putting their feet up, that is our busiest time of year. We are non-stop, and then we flip into January and we might might then you know put our feet up. Like our industry is not the same as anyone else's. And I think that by not having someone with it with that understanding that can bridge the gap, there were businesses within the industry, within our industry, are then still not quite really setting themselves up for success because they're following a tick list that doesn't belong to them. Um, and that was really where I saw that gap. And I was like, I've got an idea, I'm gonna provide this service. And I mean it didn't start off in this way at all. HVA didn't start off being this like systems thing. I was a VA for entertainment agencies again because there was a gap, there was no one was there offering specialist entertainment understanding like support in that way to help with the day-to-day running of the business. But actually, the longer that I was doing that, the more that I saw where my where my time would be better spent with businesses for the longevity of it. Um for for you guys, like yeah, I'm talking about your businesses running forevermore because actually what's got been put in place is that bedrock, it's that backbone of anything that you do. So that's yeah, we just don't know it, and that's okay. It's okay to hold your hand up and be like, I actually do not have a Scoopy-doo, like I know how to put together a show.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

And listeners, you can hear hopefully why Hannah is one of the associates because I don't proclaim Hannah to know it all, and this particular part of business is a nemesis of mine. Tech sub you know, tech systems. I do it, I've done it, but it's better to outsource that for me personally. But the other reason that I hope the listeners are kind of piecing these conversations together is that I do offer the business development pivot platform planning support. So I have said, you know, learn from me, take my tick list, let's do that bit together. Because, like you say, it's not out there for our specific understanding, whatever you want to pivot into. So I've brought that for many years, and I've supported performers to pivot to create businesses, and then it gets to these other bits of the puzzle, and I'm like, well, I'm not the best person for that. I can only tell you the bits that I know or the people that I've met, and and that is where the network is starting to really build, and it's going to hopefully become that piece of my own business puzzle that I say, right, this is the team, these are the people. What are your questions? Um, so ladies and gents, listening, you know, go back and listen to all of the conversations. There's somebody for every part of your problem, and that very beginning piece, it's like I've got an idea, I want to start a business. What do I do? Who can hold my hand? Who understands? Um, then you know, come through to the membership and perform a preneur. And Hannah is and was a member, that's where you started, my love.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Yes, it is. I love the membership, it's so supportive. And and obviously, you know, it's developing, and now we, you know, I'm an associate, which is amazing as well, and everyone helps each other, which is lovely. Um, I'm very much for collaboration over competition, always have been, um, always will be. And the this is what this membership is. This is collaboration, and you can't you can't find that everywhere, you know. So yeah, I love the membership.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Ah, thank you for the the love for the membership. Um, I'm just gonna flick to a little ad. So that's totally uh totally inappropriate mid-conversation, but just flick to a little ad and then we'll come back. Whether you're performing, pivoting, or even just planning for what's next, it can feel confusing and surprisingly lonely. You might be shining bright in your current spotlight, but no one's talking about what happens beyond the stage door, or the mindset shifts, the strategy and the support it takes to confidently step through it. Inside my membership, the Performer Prenur Collective, you don't have to figure any of this out alone. You get structure, business strategy, accountability, coaching, and a community of creatives building their next chapter alongside people who truly get it, who truly get you. If you're ready to explore and expand your next spotlight on the stage or beyond it, come and join us. Everybody is welcome. Hit the link in the show notes or drop me a DM. My inbox is always open. So we're back with Hannah from HVA who um has very you know eloquently told us the reason the business built and how she can support you. So, what are you seeing, Hannah, when you're looking across the industry both at performers, because they need these systems and processes too, not just business owners in the creative industries. What are you seeing first and foremost that could be a really easy fix?

SPEAKER_01 12:42

I think yeah, performers. My biggest biggest takeaway if you are still actively performing, please think of yourself as a business. That is it's a bit of a mindset shift. Um we're all guilty of it. Just a performer, you know. I'm I'm just a dancer, I'm just this. But actually, you're running a business, you are the only person going out for this work for yourself. Yeah, you might have an agent or someone that you know is also doing that, but it's you, it's you, it's your name that is doing the work, that is receiving the money, everything. You're a business, and a business invests in certain things. So that's your marketing, your casting materials, it is what your marketing is. How are you putting yourself out there? Um, and that is a massive um thing on the performer side that I've seen. Then again, I just don't think it's taught. It's it's not for any other reason, it's just not taught as part of training necessarily on how you approach these things, what you need. I mean, I can hand on heart say when I was training, it was all about getting on Spotlight and you're gonna get an agent, and like to all intents and purposes, you put your feet up. That's how it was made to sound. It's not like you've got to know how to approach a car seat, you've got to know how to approach an agency, what you should be including in in an email, how you talk to someone even. Um plus then your general admin skills, we've got to have them. If you want to get paid, you need to do invoices, you have to do a tax return. So, therefore, you're gonna have to keep track of your expenses. That kind of admin as well. We all have to do it. So, therefore, start treating it as the business admin rather than a chore. I mean, it I'm not saying it's not gonna be a chore, but you know, um, so for me, the biggest thing for the performers was how performers are approaching castings. Um, and it kind of really shocked me. I was doing some work for a client um who had done a big agency call out for any app, you know, to get in contact. And the responses that came in, I was I was just shocked. Like not attaching important information, like a show reel, not attaching CVs, not attaching pictures, not giving like giving what that person on the other end of the inbox needs in order to be able to cast. And I know Nicolas nodded because I'm sure you've had your fair share of these emails over the years, you know, people applying for things that aren't relevant or they're not they're not available for those dates or something. And it's it's like this etiquette, I think maybe that's the best way to put it. But that was my biggest thing for performers, and so that is really one side of my business outside of like supporting business owners to performers. Like I'm just I just want you all to approach it with that mindset, but also then it puts it puts you in good stead for whatever you do in the future. So then if you do pivot and you build something of your own, you have this bedrock of business, business structure that transfers over onto a different scale. So that's that was the really big thing there. And then for business owners, I think we kind of touched on it. Obviously, you just you come at it at the creative angle, and so therefore, you're not thinking about what systems are necessarily going to be in place. And I do want to caveat this when I say systems, I do not necessarily mean a big all-singing, all dancing CRM that you know all the business gurus talk about. I'm not talking about that unless it's applicable for your business. If at the moment you are an Excel spreadsheet and you know, a mailing list or something and it works for you, that's fine. But it's about the process and how you're building on that process and that system. So I do because I think the word system gets everyone a bit like um, oh my, oh my, what should I have in place? I'm not talking about going out and spending, you know, loads of all the money on something that isn't gonna work for you. It's about having some structure in place that's repeatable that generates the results um that drives your business forwards, but most importantly, it is sustainable and is scalable because eventually you're gonna hit a threshold. So, for example, the the Excel spreadsheet, you're gonna hit a point where managing your business off an Excel spreadsheet cannot work anymore. And you have to be comfortable enough to know and to make that transition into the next bit. But then when you're building the next bit, you want to have that kind of already as the base, then for something else and maybe move on to a platform that has that scalability, something that is a little bit more robust. So I think that's the thing for creative business owners. It's not it's not about coming in and setting up your business and being all corporate or you know, downloading all the latest high-tech AI and all of that. It that's not the point. The point is being efficient, taking that time to sit down and go, right, okay, what's gonna get me from A to B? What's gonna get my customer from A to B? What's gonna get my client from A to B, whatever angle you need to come at it from, and then building it out that way. You know, I I'm working with clients that are still on the spreadsheets, and I'm working with clients on building their refreshing and rebuilding their CRM systems. Like I it's two sides of the scale, but it it it's a scale and it's gonna keep on growing. So I'd say they're like the two things. But if you know, for the performers that are coming in, hopefully if they're coming in and they're hearing me being like, you're a business, you're a business, by the time they hit their their business itself, they'll they'll just be onto a winner, really.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

I love that because poor performers do have to pivot. Um, and that is a point that I push because you know, injury, falling in love, not wanting to travel anymore, whatever that might be, um, there is a pivot in you. And I think you're right. If you've built your performer career with a business mindset, you're gonna be positioned to pivot so successfully. Um, so that is an excellent tip as well. Um, and you should all be hearing that and thinking, oh yeah, like, do you really want to work in Costa? There's no there's nothing bad about that, but when you pivot, would you rather just use your creativity differently? Um, the other thing I want to just point out, if you're watching on YouTube, listeners, you might have seen me glaze over there because I'm like, oh my god, all these words of systems and processes and CRMs, they do not hit comfortably with me, and I'm gonna put that out there because I'm sure other people feel the same. And that is where somebody like Hannah, and Hannah, who I endorse, is perfect for you, me, and our businesses because you come in and take away that kind of overwhelm that I felt there when I heard all those words, and you just say it simply, I'm gonna audit your business. There's there's there's no kind of um shade, I'm just gonna tell you what I can see and the tiny little tweaks that would make that run more efficiently. And that's all it is, it's about running efficiently.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

That's it for you, for you as the business owner. You don't want to be sat up every night banging your head on your computer because you've you've got all these invoices to log or something, where there is something out there that could be set up, and yes, I think a lot of people shy away from it because they feel like it's techie. It's not necessarily, and it is very much like once you've learned it, you're you're on there and you're fine. But you've got to you've got to kind of I suppose think of that long-term, it's that long-term goal, and it's about knowing kind of where you want your business to go as well. So right now you're at this point, but in 10 years' time, you want to be tripling the amount of people that come through your business. You need something in place that's gonna help you manage triple the amount of people, like you can't do that on what you're on now. So it's about yeah, your longevity and the efficiency that comes with it, really.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

So, listeners listening are probably, you know, like you said, you've said you've got a scale, you've got big rebuilds, and you've got small audits and tweaks. So, what just what I want to just what I'd like to point out to the listeners is um I mentor Hannah to build her business and I know she's got different entry points. So I don't want anybody to be sat there listening thinking, gosh, I can't afford this, or I can't do it, or I'm not there yet. Um, because all businesses, if they're built um with this in mind, with different Different entry levels will have something for everybody. There'll be a free thing, there'll be a low-cost thing, there'll be a huge system rebuild expensive thing. So please never listen to myself, any of the associates that I bring in and think this is out of reach because we are building our businesses that we have entry points for all different stages of business. And Hannah, I know you have um some freebies. So did you want to quickly chat about them? We'll put them in the show notes. But I just want to give people an example of how they can start this process and when they found you, as and when their businesses build, you know, you have those those all singing, all dancing services too.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

Yeah, absolutely. And so for performers, I have my EPK Essentials checklist. This is a list of the things that you should be including in your casting materials. And I'm not, I like I don't care what your show reel looks like, I don't care what your headshot looks like, I don't care who the photographer was. It's not about the aesthetic or anything, it's about how you are setting that up in an admin sense, like how are you formatting that file and how you then present that. So that is my freebie for performers. I then, you know, offer some specific support if anyone wanted to dive in a little bit more there. But that that ETK essentials checklist is for my performers. And then for my creative business owners, I've got a business workflow audit because as business owners, and I'm guilty of this 100%, it's very easy to feel like you are running the entire show and you don't know how you would ever outsource or bring anyone else in because it all lives in your head. And so the business workflow audit is a great little, it's like 20 minutes out of your day while you're having a cup of coffee, some questions. Basically, you just go through your entire list that you have that you manage and that you do, and you scale them. Um, and from that you would be able to see the sort of tasks that are would be available to you to outsource, to bring in some help, but also more importantly, to see where you want to be spending your time. Um, because you as the business only need to be in your zone of genius and doing your thing that builds the business, that brings in the clients, that makes the money. Um, you don't want to be sat in the inbox doing customer service if that's not where the money's coming from. Do you know like so? It's it's helping you really break down what's happening in your business. Um, so that's yeah, they're my two freebies that you're more than welcome to go and check out. But I also give loads of advice across Instagram and I have a LinkedIn newsletter as well. So there's advice everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

There is, and you know, take it, learn from it, use it, ask questions over on the Performpreneur website that will go directly to Hannah in our next podcast. There's things like that as well. I think the message there is, and you said it at the beginning of the podcast, is we need to, as an industry, whatever stage that is, whether you're still performing, pivoting, or you're an established entrepreneur, um, performerpreneur, you need to start asking for help, asking questions, being present and collaborating. You did say at the beginning, we can get a lot of these answers off of the internet. Um, AI especially is quite prolific right now, but it's not personalized, it's not accountable. And I think that's the other thing that you do beautifully for um for your clients is you hold them accountable to move the dial on these things that will build better businesses, build better systems, build better processes. Um, and I can, you know, I can be a testimony for that because you have certainly supported and done that for me as well, because there's so many things we could just not do because it's not our area of genius, and that's exactly what you're saying. Um, I love, love, love that. Can I ask you um a question about mindset and the shift um that got you from performer to entrepreneur?

SPEAKER_01 26:19

I think I've always been very academic. I've always been that that more admin-minded. So, you know, even as a performer, I was really on top of my own admin. Like I would sit down on a Monday after a week of gigs and I would be doing all my expenses, I would send out all my invoices. I had like quite a routine for applying for castings, I had a templated email, I had kind of I was quite set up in that way already from you know, from being a child, I've always been a bit more in that sense. So I think the kind of it kind of naturally got to a point where I knew I wanted a bit more from the business, and so therefore what other options are available to me? And you know, as all of us, we we want something that's gonna support both. I still wanted to perform at the time. Um, but then when I started the business, my god, there was so much like imposter syndrome and everything. And I was building something that was brand new for the industry. There was no VA specialist out there for entertainment. There was nothing, nothing there. You could Google entertainment VA, and agencies would come up where they might have someone that conveniently had a background in it, but no one was specifically targeting the industry in the way that I was. And so then when it came to reaching out to people, the the pushback at times was a bit daunting because we are not a collaborative industry by nature at all. Um, one of the first responses I got back was so you work with other agencies. I don't want anyone that works with another agency, like in my admin kind of thing, obviously, words to that effect. I thought, what am I what am I doing here? What's happening? Um, so it took a little while. You know, it's it's hard. It is hard changing from that. And I mean, I think I spoke to Unicor at one point. There was a point I was like, I'm approaching this as a dancer. I'm approaching this as a I'm just a dancer with a with a new pivot, with a new business. Hold on, no, I'm a business owner that's going to bring value. And it was hard and it it's not been easy. I think it's just as the business has grown and I've got a little bit more comfortable into what I'm offering. Not in a sense of like I wasn't, I didn't believe in what I was offering before, but I just think like as time goes on, you get a little bit more settled, don't you? And and things were starting to come together, that then this very natural shift happened. I couldn't, I couldn't say uh, you know, I can put a finger on it. Like at that point, uh it all switched. And I definitely wasn't um in a strong business mindset when I set up because it was a side hustle for me, and I was like, I wanted it to just be a side hustle. Obviously, now I'm at a you know, life has done its own thing, and I'm this is my business and this is my everything now, this is what I live for and I pour everything into. Um and I think it was also that dynamic changing as well, where I thought where it was like I can't be in that performer mindset before anymore. I have to, I have to approach this differently. And it's been a it's a learning curve. No one knows it, no one can do it off the back, like as soon as you set up. Like some people are much more strong-willed than others, and you know, might approach things differently, but at the end of the day, anyone who is going from one identity to another is a transition, and it doesn't matter what what that is, student to to colleague, you know, that any sort of thing, you have a transition, you know, performer to mother. It's a transition, and you have to give yourself grace. And I say this with hindsight because I definitely did not, you know, to give yourself grace to get there, um, to make the mistakes, to do the things that you never will do again, and eventually you will settle into it at some point in your journey, I think.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

I love that answer. Um, I got goose pimpled, and also I was like, gosh, I couldn't have even paid you to say that because you touched on so much that I spout quite a lot about. Start before you're ready, you know, get it going as a side hustle. This can be your big business in the future. You know, that mindset shift is an instant. Get the support, have the conversations. Um, this is perform apreneur. This is what I, you know, I tell people there's there's opportunity, and the mindset shifted into put into entrepreneur much later down the line. I think people think that they have to get to that stage door and it the switch flicks, and you're now a business owner, or this is now what you want out of life. But I think it's that future focus, knowing that you know, we're not silly in the industry, people aren't talking about it, but we have watched people ahead of us. We have feelings that start long before we start to to leave the industry on transition. Like, take note, keep watch. Who's ahead of you? What have they done? Everybody has to exit that stage door for whatever reason, you know, even if that is well into your later, later life. Some people have that longevity, but not many do. So, yeah, so support, accountability, um, trust, you know, grace, like you said, starting before you're ready, not expecting it to be perfect from the beginning, um, and then that mindset shift just kind of changes. It's not a button, it's not a flip switch. Um, but it's been beautiful, Hannah, to to watch you go from performer to side hustler to fully fledged business owner. And I don't say that how it sounds, like you were a business owner as a side hustler, um, but that's that's the journey that I see when I when I meet clients and and start mentoring. I know that there has potential to be that whole world in the future, and you become a mother, you've moved countries, you've taken this business with you. Anyway, I'm just super excited, and I think the the listeners could really take a lot from that. It's not an instant, and it's not even an instant fix. Like I say, as well, you know, do you need to make more money? Like, is the industry and the uncertainties, uncertainty of the industry kind of impacting your financial stability? This isn't a quick switch for making money either, but it's preparing yourself, going through those steps that you can get to where you want to be in the future. Um, yeah, love it, love, love, love, and I love just watching and seeing how you've grown, how you've managed it, and how you've tackled it as well. Um, let's do a quick fire round. So, what is, and I've asked the same questions to all of our um associate guests, what's the transferable skill you think um performers in our industry underestimate?

SPEAKER_01 33:32

Admin skills. Admin skills as an overarching answer, yeah. Admin skills, I think I mean you need admin skills in life, you know, to organize life, but you need them even more so if you're freelance, um, which we all are to a degree. Um, if you want to be running an official career as a performer, you need sufficient and efficient admin skills. You need to be able to manage that career as a business would manage its business. Um, so yeah, highly, highly underrated. No one thinks about it, you know, like the amount of times my husband's like, it's such a they're not just they're not putting invoices in. I'm like, do they not want to get paid? Like that's admin, do you admin? Like then or then contracts haven't been signed, or you know, travel's not being booked, all of these things, like it's you have to take that ownership to run your career. You've got to run it as within that like business mindset. So yeah, admin skills all the way.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Okay, um, I've got so much I can say about that, but I'm gonna move on to the next question because I completely agree, and I you know what I'm like, I can talk for England. Um, best business advice you were ever given.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

I thought about this after listening to some of the uh other podcasts. I was like, oh, with this question. I don't think I was ever given anything directly, directly, but one thing that always stuck with me, and I I don't know where I necessarily heard it, but always embrace learning, embrace learning something new and enjoy that process. I the person that I am now and the skills that I am offering comfortably now is because I allowed myself to learn something or to say yes before I was ready, or you know, and and it's very easy to pull back because you think, oh no, I don't know that thing, but especially in today's world, there's an influx of information everywhere, and enjoy that process of learning, learning about something new in your business, learn about something new about yourself, even like just enjoy that.

SPEAKER_00 35:52

I love that, and we don't often have a lot of time for extra learning, so I think carving out time as well um to do that because that's where that's where the differences can be made. That's where the like you say, new skills, new, new lessons learned, they can be implemented in the future. So carve out some time for self-development and something that you think um performers, people, creative should stop doing in order to no, that's just I mean, you go in any tangent you want. Something they should stop doing, something you're seeing that you should stop doing.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

Stop doing stop panicking about what your business should look like and start running it in a way that works for you. Okay, and by that I mean if the thought of tech right now scares the living daylights out of you and and you're not comfortable with it, don't go out and buy the techie system, you know, keep it simple. But don't panic. There isn't a right or wrong. Yes, again, the the internet social media is flooded with people telling you how you should set up a business or how you should be running to get these results, and some of it is really useful and and you know, do your due diligence and pick and choose. I there's certain accounts that I really like what they they produce because you can see the results, but it doesn't mean it's right for everyone, it's not gonna be right. And as I've already mentioned, our industry is so unique in its own setup, it has its own like ecosystem, it has its own life form, it has everything is so different, and therefore accepting the fact that it's not necessarily gonna fit that PDF download that gave you 12 steps to a profitable business or you know, whatever it is, it's it's not it doesn't mean anything's wrong. It just means you you need to work, find out the system that works for you and find out something, find out the way that you want your business to grow organically for you. Um so yeah, don't panic. Don't panic. We're all we're literally all still, you know, at whatever point of the journey, however many years, you're all still at that point, just at a different point. Like you you're constantly growing, and there's always going to be that panic of like, oh well, my business doesn't do this, but that one does, but it doesn't mean anything, it doesn't handle it to anything other than yourself, so don't panic.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Yeah, it's sound advice, and it's something we should all listen to, you know, myself included, because it does become very noisy out there, and you and you do have that comparison. I love that. Just don't panic. I think we need to just say that as a mantra, don't panic. And I think probably many of us will catch ourselves saying that to ourselves, like, gosh, take it. I'll need to say it. Um, Hannah, this has been a delight. I've got one last question for you. Um, and I'd love you to share kind of a memory, um, a moment where that kind of pivot that you chance that you took, that leap that you took, that you know, that that moment where you feel it suddenly you were able to reflect and go, that paid off. Like I'm I'm glad I'm here now. Um, is there a moment, a memory where you just went, Whew, uh I'm here, I've arrived. And there'll be places in the future, but that moment where you thought, yeah, this that was the right decision for me.

SPEAKER_01 39:36

I think it's been, it's been quite recent, really. And that's that is for a variety of things. I mean, as you mentioned, I've moved, I've got a two-year-old, you know, I I lost that identity as a dancer in you know, becoming a mother, a HVA kind of took off. So I haven't had that opportunity to have that reflection or anything. Um, but at the start of the new year, I was looking at my business and I wanted to restructure it and offer more, offer more of that strategic support rather than you know, rather than being a VA and just dealing with the day-to-day admin. I wanted, I wanted to offer more because I kind of was already doing it. Um and I was looking at the business and I came up with this restructure and this this new way of packaging my services. And really quickly I got my first client in that new restructure. And like a system redesign because they already had the the bones of it. Um, and it was a new client out here. Um, we were out in Dubai now, so they were based out here. So it was that that that whole like evolution and a new client base. And I remember I was so nervous. It was a bit, it was one of those like I've said yes, but can I actually do this? I was so nervous. So I don't went in to meet them and um to like talk through the system. And it was like words were just coming out of my mouth. I wasn't it was weird, it was almost like an out-of-body experience where I they were asking questions and I was just answering them, and then they were sat there like, oh, that's a really good idea. And I got in the cab on the way home, I was like, oh my god, look at where I am now. It was just it's really like weird where I was like, I know what I'm doing, and actually I'm doing a really good job with what I'm doing, and my clients love what I'm doing. It was just this kind of culmination of of the transition, I think. Um, and you know that that was a at the start of the year a few months down. I've got had another big client come on board, another system build, I've got another one on the way. It's it's just the snowball's kind of there, and it's but again, each and every time I'm a bit like, do I know what I'm doing? I do know what I'm doing. And you and that's an idea.

SPEAKER_00 42:15

Much earlier than that moment to get to this one. I think that is the bit, isn't it? You have built it, and now you're sat at the top of it in the amongst it doing it, and it's bigger than it was, and it's deserved deservedly, and it's been an absolute joy to watch this, you know, thing that you've created as a side hustle turn into this business that has gone with you to a different country, has you know worked around motherhood and those transitions there as well. Um, Hannah, honestly, please, please, please come and find Hannah in the Associate Network on the website. Um, I'm gonna draw the conversation to a close because, ladies and gents, you can read and learn even more about Hannah in the summer when she is one of our second edition co-authors in the spotlight on success. So there'll be more coming about Hannah. But if this has piqued your interest in systems processes, delegations, um, just conversations with Hannah on how you can do better in business and in your career, then please do, please, please, please reach out. Um, Hannah, thank you. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise today.

SPEAKER_01 43:23

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. And I hope I hope people found that helpful. Um, but yeah, don't panic.

SPEAKER_00 43:30

Don't panic. Don't panic. I think they absolutely will have done. I certainly did. And um just yeah, good luck to you. Keep going and see you on the other side. Big love. Okay, guys, that's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed the show. Thank you for joining me here on the showbiz side hustle podcast. So until next time, please do take a little bit of action at that very first step and make sure that you are doing something for you and your show with side hustle this week to move you forward. and get you heading quickly and swiftly and strategically towards success.