S5 E2: Exploring authenticity, business growth and resilience with Lea Turner founder of The Holt
Release Date: 01/23/2025
S5 E21: 5 learnings from 5 years in business - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
In 5 years I’ve gone from a one woman Virtual Assistant ‘agency’ to a team of 36. And I have learnt A Lot. Much of which I have learnt the hard way. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my 5 biggest learnings (there are so many still to talk about, I feel like I could do a whole season on it!) from the last 5 years. I’ve learnt from mistakes, I’ve learnt from the people around me, some of these lessons I am still learning, and might be a lifelong process. Resources: Nick Elston: Anna Marthur episode: Takeaways Not everything will or needs to be done...
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S5 E20: Poop, pre-seed and policies with Lisa Macfarlane, co-founder of The Gut Stuff
Bump to Business Owner
Be honest - how is your poo? My guest this week is Lisa Macfarlane, co-founder of The Gut Stuff, and she wants you to take better care of your gut. Lisa explains why gut health is so important, some easy wins to improve your own and why she went from Love Island DJ to gut evangelist. We also talk about the nuts and bolts of scaling a business - from building a brand and community as market research for the business, to pre-seed and VC funding, and creating an ecosystem with 3 different business arms. Lisa is passionate about the policies we as business owners need to create to support women...
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S5 E19: Burnout, neurodiversity and rediscovering yourself with Dr Claire Ashley, The Burnout Doctor
Bump to Business Owner
The 5 stages of burnout are very familiar to me. I’ve been there, and even when I thought I had learnt my lessons, narrowly swerved burning out again. As a mum, especially a mum with a business, I’m sure at least a few of the stages are familiar to you too. My guest on this week’s episode is Dr Claire Ashely, aka The Burnout Doctor. Claire was a highly successful doctor, used to pretty extreme levels of stress. And then with 2 small kids, a house renovation and a difficult work environment, she burnt out. Claire is now fully recovered and shares the signs, symptoms and means to recovery...
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S5 E18: Reframing cold sales and my worst experiences - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
Last year I decided to push myself and try something new for me and my business. As a founder and mum of 2, I don't have time to be out there relationship building rather than selling. So I tried cold sales - and it worked! Cold sales have, sometimes justifiably, a bad rap - I’m sharing my worst experiences from both sides of the sale. But it really worked for me. In this episode I share my conversion rates, my ‘how to’ and the mindset tips that helped me succeed. Resources: LinkedIn: Dripify: Takeaways Coldselling - maybe it’s time to try it The worst thing that...
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S5 E17: Matrescence, healing and purpose with Danielle Lauren, The Way Too Honest Mom
Bump to Business Owner
This week on Bump to Business Owner, I’m joined by Danielle Lauren, creative powerhouse, former media exec, and founder of Way Too Honest, a business born from the depths of postpartum struggle and radical maternal honesty. From working at the top of global media giants like CNN and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, to battling severe pre- and postnatal depression, Danielle opens up about her experience of motherhood, identity loss, and rebuilding a life and business with purpose. TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of pre/post natal depression and suicidal thoughts Takeaways: The identity...
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S5 E16: Keeping going when business gets tough - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
How do you stay motivated to keep going when times get tough in your business? Good question. And an increasingly important one as the economy continues to fluctuate with tariffs, UK legislation and uncertainty creep in. In January I was in a difficult situation with my business, but I got through it and learnt a lot. This week, I’m sharing my tips for keeping going when times are tough in your business. Takeaways The realities of being a working mum Keeping going when times get hard in your business Trumps tariffs are worrying for many founders March 2025 was my best month in...
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S5 E15: Mum guilt, cash crunches and K-drama with Ning Cheah founder of The Beauty Crop
Bump to Business Owner
This week on Bump To Business Owner, I’m joined by Ning Cheah, founder of The Beauty Crop, mum of two, and former banker turned beauty entrepreneur. What started as a side hustle to solve her own skin struggles has grown into a multi-million dollar brand, stocked by the likes of Boots and ASOS. In this honest and wide-ranging chat, Ning shares how burnout led her to rethink everything, the fertility struggles she faced while building a business, and the two very different maternity leaves that followed. She opens up about the realities of scaling, the pressure of cash flow, and why she chose...
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S5 E14: PR tips for small business owners - Solo episode with Caroline
Bump to Business Owner
What is your story? What is your super power? What do you want to be known for? In today's episode of the podcast I'm giving away all my PR tips. In the last 5 years me and my business have been featured in Grazia The Guardian The Independent The Daily Mail Waitrose Magazine To name just a few. And all of that has been under my own steam, no PR experience, no connections. If you're looking for some PR coverage for your business, this is for you Resources Editorelle: Pressflow (FREE): Lightbulb: Rosie Davies-Smith, founder of PR Dispatch episode: Jelena Skene co-founder of Press...
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S5 E13: Radical acts, building confidence and navigating PTSD with Lauren Currie founder of Upfront
Bump to Business Owner
My guest this week is Lauren Currie OBE, mother of one, founder of 6 businesses and PTSD survivor. Lauren is a serial entrepreneur, who after being featured as the only woman on an event bill decided she needed to build something to challenge the lie of meritocracy. Her business, Upfront, was born. As a systems and organisational designer, Lauren is ideally placed to see where the holes are in our society and where we need to work on them, together. The game is rigged, it might just be that our privilege means that motherhood is the first time we really see it. Building a business whilst...
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S5 E12: Why you don’t need more strategy with Nicola Ward, founder of CakeDrop
Bump to Business Owner
What happens when your co-founder (and sister!) steps away and you’re managing a business solo, as well as being mum to 2 kids? In this week’s delicious episode I’m in conversation with Nicola Ward, founder of CakeDrop, who talks me through her experience of exactly that. Nicola has run her business incredibly intuitively and flexibly, focusing on building relationships and leaning into creativity when Covid meant a pivot. She has some incredible advice to other founders thinking about motherhood and the trade offs we as working mums make. My main takeaway? You don’t need more...
info_outlineIn this inspiring episode, I’m joined by Lea Turner, LinkedIn expert, community builder, and founder of Holt, a thriving membership platform for small businesses.
Content warning: there is a mention of suicidal ideation as Lea reflects on her teenage years and missed ADHD diagnosis.
Lea’s journey into entrepreneurship wasn’t planned. Like so many of my guests on the pod, she didn’t initially see herself as a business owner. Her entrepreneurial path began with a transcription side hustle, which played to her strengths and funded her travels. As her income grew to match her day job, she took the leap into full-time self-employment.
We discuss how Lea managed her business while preparing for maternity leave, how her son has influenced her career decisions, and her remarkable pivot during the Covid-19 pandemic when her income streams dried up overnight.
I think we can all relate to Lea’s struggles with showing up authentically on social media, but she has really nailed it. By embracing her uniqueness, she transformed her LinkedIn presence, skyrocketing her followers and opening the door to incredible new opportunities.
We explore the positives and negatives of social media: It wasn’t easy for Lea to own her expertise, it took other industry leaders deferring to her as an expert in social media discussions before she could see herself in that light. She shares her experiences dealing with online trolls and how she’s developed a positive, resilient mindset in response to negativity.
This episode is packed with insights about business growth, balance, authenticity, and resilience. I hope you’re as inspired by the conversation as I was!
This episode is sponsored by Ancient + Brave. If you’d like to try any of their products (I am a big fan of True Collagen!) you can use our discount code BTB20 for 20% off your first order.
Takeaways:
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How Lea navigated the pandemic as a single mum and business owner
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Lea’s late diagnosis ADHD and the challenges it presented particularly in her teenage years. Content warning: suicidal ideation
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Entrepreneurship was not initially on Lea's radar; it started as a side hustle to fund her travels and quickly matched her day job in earnings
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Partly due to her ADHD, Lea is comfortable with risk and knows that we always survive failure, so why not try?
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4 years into her business, Lea fell pregnant, and knowing that mat leave wasn’t an option worked overtime to save as much as possible
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As her son went to school, Lea reassessed her work structure knowing it was incompatible with spending quality time with her son outside of school hours
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Her pivot into LinkedIn training came as a result of Covid and all her client work drying up overnight
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Lea initially struggled with authenticity on LinkedIn, but decided to embrace her uniqueness and got an incredible response
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She faced a lot of self doubt over calling herself a LinkedIn expert, but eventually recognised her skills as other business owners referred and deferred to her as expert
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Lea has suffered from some scary and unpleasant trolling online based on her appearance, but stood up for herself and has learnt to deal with it
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Building her membership platform, Holt, was a response to the needs of her already existing community of business owners
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As a scalable and more personally fulfilling business Holt is her focus for now, practising what she preaches, Lea has hired her team exclusively from the membership
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Lea is looking forward to creating more of a work/life balance in the future
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Lea Turner's Journey
06:15 Navigating Life During COVID-19
12:46 Overcoming Personal Challenges and Discovering ADHD
18:45 The Transition to Entrepreneurship
26:30 Building a Business and Embracing Change
28:10 Rediscovering LinkedIn: A Personal Journey
31:03 From Typing to Training: A Career Shift
33:01 Embracing Expertise: Overcoming Self-Doubt
36:49 Navigating Online Harassment: Standing Up for Yourself
39:49 Building a Supportive Community: The Holt
50:50 Work-Life Balance: Achieving Freedom as a Business Owner
Links:
Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/
About Lea Turner
Lea Turner is an entrepreneur who transformed her life as a single mum through becoming a successful business owner. In 2019, she was working long hours typing medical reports while caring for her young son, barely making ends meet.
Seeking a change, she began posting on LinkedIn, leveraging her humour and authenticity to connect with others. This approach quickly gained traction, leading to a substantial following, which currently stands at almost 200,000 followers and a fast growth LinkedIn training business. Over five years, Lea has built a six-figure income through her LinkedIn training, digital courses, and in-person workshops. In December 2024, she decided to close the doors on her LinkedIn training services to focus on new ventures.
Lea is now running The Holt, an online membership community launched in June 2022. The Holt offers expert masterclasses in community and networking for solopreneurs, freelancers and small business owners, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.
Lea Turner’s Links:
Website: https://www.leaturner.co.uk/
Website: https://www.the-holt.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leaturnerholt/
Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/