Since Bwlb started in the summer of 2019 I've worked with a huge variety of clients from a whole range of industries. Here are a few thoughts on some of the projects we have delivered. At the end of the page you can find a longer reflection on my first customer - Alex from FinCo - who has a special place in the Bwlb story.
Let's start with the current stable of 4 ongoing podcasts that Bwlb makes for clients...
'Arts and Culture' is a podcast for the Association for Cultural Enterprises and aims to share innovation, excellence and best practice within the rich UK cultural sector - museums, galleries, heritage sites and beyond. Host Tom Dykes had never presented before and this organisation had never made a podcast before. This is where Bwlb has experience and expertise - taking you through the whole process from initial idea to established presence and continued growth.
Let's start with the current stable of 4 ongoing podcasts that Bwlb makes for clients...
'Arts and Culture' is a podcast for the Association for Cultural Enterprises and aims to share innovation, excellence and best practice within the rich UK cultural sector - museums, galleries, heritage sites and beyond. Host Tom Dykes had never presented before and this organisation had never made a podcast before. This is where Bwlb has experience and expertise - taking you through the whole process from initial idea to established presence and continued growth.
The Crack On Podcast had already run for 3 seasons when Cardiff business coach Jon Saunders approached me (we actually played sport on the same team and got chatting about podcasts that way). Jon wanted his podcast to support his evolution from staff training toward high level executive coaching. Together we adjusted the strategy, format and production levels of the podcast to provide the perfect platform for Jon to demonstrate his brilliant interpersonal skills (which make him such a good coach). This "show don't tell" new approach to the podcast's strategy and execution is really paying off. The conversations it stimulates, plus its word-of-mouth talk-ability and shareable social media content play a key part in finding Jon the new coaching clients he wants.
The 17 is a podcast made for The Sustainability Community (and before that Yorkshire Sustainability Week) that again harnesses podcasting's superpower of delivering character and values as well as message. Host Kate Hutchinson had pivoted her business towards environmental responsibility - it was important she could actively demonstrate her passion for and commitment to sustainability. So, we decided to make a podcast dedicated to, and structured around the UN's 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The concept and name for this podcast are so simple and effective and Kate has been able to attract some very big names in the eco world to appear as guests. The 17 podcast continues to be a brilliantly effective brand positioning tool.
The above 3 podcasts owe a lot of their continued impact, growth and traction to experience and insights gained by Bwlb making a very special podcast that has achieved outstanding success... Planet Possible.
The 17 is a podcast made for The Sustainability Community (and before that Yorkshire Sustainability Week) that again harnesses podcasting's superpower of delivering character and values as well as message. Host Kate Hutchinson had pivoted her business towards environmental responsibility - it was important she could actively demonstrate her passion for and commitment to sustainability. So, we decided to make a podcast dedicated to, and structured around the UN's 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The concept and name for this podcast are so simple and effective and Kate has been able to attract some very big names in the eco world to appear as guests. The 17 podcast continues to be a brilliantly effective brand positioning tool.
The above 3 podcasts owe a lot of their continued impact, growth and traction to experience and insights gained by Bwlb making a very special podcast that has achieved outstanding success... Planet Possible.
Niki Roach was named President of CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water And Environmental Management) in 2019. As her presidential activity, she wanted to start a podcast, and approached Bwlb for help. I came up with the format, trained Niki on equipment, how to present and interview and guided her a little in the art of guest sourcing and production managing (though she is an absolute natural). Bwlb has exec produced, edited and mixed every episode of Planet Possible since the beginning. This is a full wraparound podcast package - from original idea to final delivery. It's a hit too - achieving the Number 1 position in the UK not-for-profit podcast charts. This podcast now has well over 20k downloads, influences national policy and attracts sponsorship season after season. Planet Possible shows what massive benefits come from committing to a podcast and backing it.
Bwlb was approached by Blinkist to produce their Shortcast series 'Beyond The To-Do List'. Shortcasts are to podcasts what Blinkist's book summaries ('Blinks') are to books. Making the Shortcast of this acclaimed productivity podcast was brilliant fun. Presenter Erik Fisher did a great job of voicing up the new script and I learnt a huge amount listening to the original episodes and finding the best bits. Blinkist are a brilliant company to work for, and, as a start-up themselves, have been really encouraging and supportive on Bwlb's growth and focus on tech innovation.
Bwlb went through a competitive process to be commissioned to produce the 'In The Driving Seat' podcast for Entale and Halfords. This series was produced remotely at the peak of lockdown restrictions and was a complex project to manage with many layers of very involved stakeholders. There was a fair bit of talent management involved with the celebrity guests too, who were all lovely, but had their own restrictions, boundaries and pressures due to the pandemic. My experience in combining BBC-esque focus on production quality plus editorial nous, coupled with Global/Capital-esque skills of efficiency and commercial savvy... resulted in an end product that was both popular with the audience and delivered results for all stakeholders.
One of the most enjoyable and impactful creative consultancy projects that Bwlb has ever done. Author Dr Mandeep Rai approached Bwlb with a problem. She had a book ready to publish - about the lessons she had learned about different approaches to life and business from 101 countries around the world she had personally visited. She had her publishing deal, the manuscript was finished, the printing presses were ready to roll... but she didn't have a name for the book. Bwlb designed and delivered a creative process that originated over 100 possible names, and amongst them all was the winner - The Values Compass. The book has gone on to be an International Best Seller (topping The Wall St Journal and Sunday Times charts) plus recently won the coveted Business Book Of The Year Award in the Diversity, Inclusion and Equality category.
And where it all started...
FinCo Coffee
|
Alex, Founder of FinCo Coffee was Bwlb's first ever client, so has a special place in my heart. This guy is just so passionate about coffee and it comes through from the first second you meet him. I was doing a business course in Cardiff city centre, buying a coffee from him each day (it was great coffee) and when the challenge was issued to find a client, and, crucially, make it someone you'd love to work with, Alex popped in to my head. To his great credit, he took a chance on me, we did a creative session together and he paid me in coffee, which I was more than happy with.
FinCo is a small business, a one-man coffee shop located in a bit-hard-to-find-but-a-hidden-gem kind of place called the Castle Emporium right in the heart of Cardiff City Centre. He was making great coffee (because he knew his stuff, was passionate about it and didn't cut corners) but he was having a hard time getting the numbers of sales he wanted and deserved. I did a basic creative session with him where we came up with small, easy, quick, obvious ideas he could implement straight away to improve footfall and sales. Things like working more with the nearby Cardiff Blues Rugby team, coming up with little share-able time specific deals such as on A-Level results day, and 'one free coffee' cards his regular customers could hand out to their mates. With some practical 'easy-win' ideas in the bag we started to think deeper. I knew Alex was a big Liverpool FC fan, so I designed a creative exercise around a hero of his, Jurgen Klopp - "What Would Klopp Do?" We spent some time listing Mr Klopp's qualities, things like resilience, positivity, playing to strengths, respecting club history and culture and totally backing his team. Then we tried to work out some ideas that would be FinCo's versions of these values. I challenged Alex to come up with an idea in each area. What's an idea that plays to FinCo's strengths? What's something that Alex could do which would be totally backing his and the brand's strengths? What would reflect Finco's culture and history? The bit about culture and history struck a chord with Alex and led us to discussing the classic Citroen van which he first started serving coffee out of. It had issues and was out of action. He had been resigned to losing it, but perhaps would reconsider after the discussion we had. I always pop in on Alex when I'm in Cardiff city centre and I was so happy to see him still going, still passionate, and with plans for the future of the van (and a cool little model van now part of his premises design). I believe creativity is so important to every business, person, project or organisation at every part of their journey. Thinking creatively can deliver instant practical wins but it can also make you think in a different way about the bigger picture and, in my experience, always has a positive influence even if that is in an unpredictable way. I can't claim to have increased FinCo's sales massively from that one creative session, but I do know I've made a good mate in Alex, he feels he got a lot out of our session and he is still there, still making a go of what he loves doing, still making great coffee (and he's still got the van, and big plans for it). |