Time Well Spent

03/11/2026

What could you achieve together? ✨

Running a business can sometimes feel like you're carrying everything on your own shoulders.

You're responsible for the ideas, the planning, the marketing, the delivery and everything in between!

But collaboration gives you the opportunity to share ideas, combine strengths and make the most of the skills and experience around you.

Imagine creating a workshop with another business owner, sharing resources on a joint project or working together to reach an audience you wouldn't normally connect with.

You don't need a huge budget or a complicated strategy to get started.

Sometimes, all it takes is a conversation and a willingness to explore what's possible.

You don't have to do it all alone to make your business a success.

What could you achieve if you worked with someone else?

💻 Discover more in the full blog: https://time-well-spent.co.uk/business-collaboration-ideas-think-beyond-the-obvious/

28/10/2026

HER TIME TO SHINE COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: DR MELISSA PALMER ✨

One of the lovely things about the Her Time to Shine Walk & Talk community is the way women support one another, share opportunities and help each other feel more connected.

This month, we'd love to give a special shout-out to Dr Melissa Palmer!

Melissa is one of those people who really embraces the spirit of community. She's always happy to join in conversations, share her thoughts, contribute to discussions and offer help where she can.

She also goes out of her way to support our Walk & Talk events by sharing our posts, commenting and helping spread the word. These little acts of encouragement make such a difference, helping more women discover our community and the connections it offers.

And that's what networking is really about, isn't it? Not just promoting our own businesses, but supporting others, making introductions, sharing knowledge and celebrating what other people are doing.

Alongside being such a supportive member of our community, Melissa works as a Fractional Operations Manager, helping business owners move away from daily overwhelm towards calmer, more confident leadership. She supports businesses to improve their systems and workflows, reduce pressure and create more space to focus on what matters.

It's wonderful to have people in our community who are so willing to connect, encourage and contribute. Thank you, Melissa, for being part of Her Time to Shine and for helping to create the kind of supportive business community where women can learn, grow and thrive together!

Would you like to find out more about Melissa?

🌐 Website: https://doctormelissapalmer.com/

💼 Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctormelissapalmer/

Let's keep celebrating the people who make our business communities stronger. Because sometimes, one share, one introduction, one encouraging comment or one thoughtful conversation can make all the difference.

At Her Time to Shine, we believe we shine even brighter when we help others shine too.

27/10/2026

You don't have to be in the same industry to collaborate 🤝

One of the biggest misconceptions about business collaboration is that you need to work in the same industry.

Not necessarily!

Think about the businesses that serve a similar audience to yours but offer something completely different.

A virtual assistant and a business coach.
A photographer and a wedding planner.
A wellbeing practitioner and a local business network.

Each brings something different to the table, yet their audiences may benefit from knowing about one another.

The beauty of collaboration is that you can complement each other's services rather than compete.

So, instead of asking, "Who does the same thing as me?", try asking:

"Who serves the same people in a different way?"

You might discover your next brilliant business partnership.

💻 Explore more collaboration ideas here: https://time-well-spent.co.uk/business-collaboration-ideas-think-beyond-the-obvious/

26/10/2026

🌟 Motivational Quote of the Week 🌟

“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.” — Seth Godin

Building your email list is about so much more than collecting email addresses. 💌

It's about building relationships.

As women in business, we can sometimes get caught up in the numbers — how many subscribers we have, how quickly our list is growing, and how many people are opening our emails.

But behind every email address is a real person.

Someone with a problem they want to solve.
Someone looking for inspiration, support or a fresh perspective.
Someone who might become your next client because they connect with you and what you stand for.

Your email list gives you the opportunity to build that connection over time.

Share your knowledge. Tell your story. Offer value. Let people get to know the person behind the business.

You don't need thousands of subscribers to make an impact. You need the right people, who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Remember, people are more likely to buy from someone they know, like and trust.

So, rather than focusing solely on growing your list, ask yourself:

💜 How can I build stronger relationships with the people already on it?

Because sustainable business growth starts with connection, not just numbers.

22/10/2026

The power of collaboration

What if growing your business didn't mean doing everything alone?

Sometimes, the best opportunities come when we connect with other business owners, share our skills and explore what we could create together.

Collaboration can help us reach new audiences, find fresh ideas and offer our customers something we couldn't provide quite as well on our own.

It's not just about passing referrals. It's about building relationships, supporting one another and discovering possibilities we might never have thought of alone.

🎥 Watch this short video about small-business collaboration:
https://youtube.com/shorts/TUsnqofYxGk?feature=share

Here's a question to think about: Who could you work with whose skills are completely different from yours — and what might you create together?

Sometimes, one conversation is all it takes to open a new door.

📢 Small Business Owners: Want to Grow Your Business Without Increas...

21/10/2026

🌟 Community Spotlight – Micky Cox
This month, we’re delighted to shine our Community Spotlight on Micky Cox, owner of Corporate Gifts.

I’ve known Micky for a long time now, and one of the things I really admire about her is her genuine desire to help others. Micky is a great networker, but for her, networking is about much more than business. She loves making connections, understanding what people need and helping them find solutions to problems.

Through Boomerang, Micky helps businesses find promotional products and corporate gifts that are right for their brand and purpose. But it’s her personal approach that really makes her stand out. She is supportive, reliable and always willing to go the extra mile for her clients and the people she meets.

Micky is also a valued and regular member of our Time to Shine community, joining us at our Walk & Talks and bringing her warmth, enthusiasm and encouragement with her.

She is one of those people who naturally looks for ways to help. Whether that’s making an introduction, sharing an idea, offering advice or simply being there to listen, Micky gives generously of her time and experience.

And that is what makes people such an important part of a community.

We can all achieve things on our own, but when we support one another, share our connections and look for ways to help others succeed, we create something much more powerful.

Micky is a wonderful example of this. She reminds us that sometimes the smallest act of support — a conversation, an introduction or simply saying “Let me see if I can help” — can make a real difference.

Thank you, Micky, for being such a supportive, generous and valued member of our Time to Shine community.

We’re so pleased to have you walking alongside us. 💜

Thank you for helping our community shine. ✨

Find out more about Micky and Boomerang:

🌐 Boomerang Corporate Gifts: https://www.boomerangcorporategifts.co.uk/

💼 Connect with Micky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickycoxboomerang/

21/10/2026

Sign up to my FREE regular email newsletter you could learn some new ways of increasing your productivity and streamlining your time management skills.

https://buff.ly/3fN37JE

20/10/2026

Collaboration starts with thinking differently 💡

When you think about collaborating with another business, what comes to mind?

Perhaps a joint event, a shared social media post or a referral partnership?

But what if you thought beyond the obvious?

✨ What skills could you share?
✨ What could you create together?
✨ Which audiences could you introduce to one another?
✨ What could you achieve together that would be harder to do alone?

Sometimes, the best opportunities come from looking at what you already have and finding new ways to bring it together with someone else.

You don't have to do everything yourself. Sometimes, the right conversation can open up a whole new world of possibilities.

Who could you collaborate with this week?

💻 Read more in the blog: https://time-well-spent.co.uk/business-collaboration-ideas-think-beyond-the-obvious/

11/10/2026

11/10/2026

What happens when women in business come together, support one another and start thinking outside the box? Amazing things can happen!

Our October Her Time to Shine Walk & Talk was all about Connection & Collaboration — and our mini mastermind certainly got the creative juices flowing!

It was definitely colder, and the weather couldn't quite make up its mind (although we did have some sunshine!), but we had another lovely morning together.

We caught up on what we'd been up to over the past month, shared how things were going in our businesses, celebrated our wins — big and small — and offered each other advice and encouragement.

It's so lovely to have a group of women who understand what it's like running your own business and are always ready to support and cheer each other on!

Our mini mastermind took us in a slightly different direction this month. We explored the difference between networking and collaboration.

Networking isn't just about finding customers or swapping business cards. It's about building genuine relationships, supporting others, sharing knowledge, offering encouragement and celebrating each other's successes.

And sometimes, those connections can lead to something even more exciting… collaboration!

We challenged ourselves to think beyond our own businesses and explore what could happen when we combine our different skills and strengths to create something new that benefits everyone involved — including the customer. We paired up with the person sitting next to us, and the ideas were brilliant!

✨ A PR consultant + an Interior Designer
They came up with a package to refresh offices, tea rooms, coffee shops and restaurants, with the designer transforming the space and the PR consultant promoting the results.

✨ Two Virtual Assistants
They explored creating a complete support package for tradespeople, combining customer service with invoicing and accounts.

Two fantastic examples of what can happen when we look beyond our own businesses and start connecting the dots!

💡 But what if we went a step further?

What if we looked for collaborations that are a little unexpected — pairings we wouldn't normally think of, bringing together businesses that seem completely unrelated at first glance?

Sometimes, those are the combinations with the most exciting potential!
Imagine creating a service or package that feels completely fresh, solves a problem in a new way and gives customers something they can't easily find elsewhere.
You could stand out from the crowd, reach new audiences and offer something genuinely different — all by combining skills and ideas with another business owner.

Don't just ask, "Who could send me referrals?" Ask, "What could we create together that neither of us could offer on our own?" 🩷

Just imagine the possibilities when we take the time to get to know other business owners, understand what they do and explore how we might work together.
Sometimes, your next big idea begins with a simple conversation. You might discover that the person who can help you create something wonderful is someone you've never considered working with before!

💭 So, here's a little challenge for you…
Who could you collaborate with, particularly someone outside your usual circle, and what could you create together that neither of you would have thought of alone?
Don't be afraid to look beyond the obvious. Your skills, experience and ideas could be even more powerful when combined with someone else's!

🤎 A big thank you to the team at Browns Exeter!

Thank you for hosting our Walk & Talk and providing such lovely refreshments. We really appreciate your warm welcome and hospitality, and it's wonderful to have a welcoming place for our group to come together after our walk!

🌸 Come and join us for our next Walk & Talk!
📅 Saturday 14th November
💷 Our theme will be Money & Financial Wellbeing.

Come along for a walk, a chat, fresh ideas and the support of a welcoming community of women who understand the ups and downs of being in business.

You don't need to have all the answers or arrive with a plan. Just bring yourself, an open mind and a willingness to connect.

Because at Her Time to Shine, we believe in helping women build businesses that fit their lives — not lives that fit their businesses.

And when we support one another, share our ideas and dare to think differently, who knows what we can achieve?

Let's build something wonderful, together. 🩷

Thank you so much for all your support

"When I drove home I felt tired but like I’d had a mini break!!!!! Worth getting up early on a Saturday for.
As ever thanks for continuing to organise this Chris"