Danielle, you are the founder of GoldSpun Support. Tell us more about your business journey.

Goldspun Support started 10 years ago as a way for me to escape the corporate. Due to extreme bullying, the pressures of having small children, and overwhelming expectations from every side, I had a huge (and very public) breakdown and walked out of my job. At the time I couldn’t see what I was going to do next; I just knew that I was no longer able to cope as I was with 60 hours a week working, constant bullying tactics, and stress, plus two children who never saw me. This moment was so genuinely not me that I went straight to the NHS walk-in centre and asked for help because I thought I had had a breakdown. After 3 weeks of hibernating and looking after myself, in one of the lowest places of my life, I decided to get out of bed, and two chance encounters on that day formed the basis of my business today. One was with a Dyson repair man who I called to come and sort my Dyson out. When he was working, he said that he thought my telephone manner was excellent, and did I want a part-time job booking calls and appointments for him? The second was later that day when I was telling my hairdresser this story, and she asked if I did social media as well because they were looking for some support. I went home that day and realised that I had started a business. As I built the business, I had one very clear value in mind—I didn’t ever want any other woman to feel the stress and unhappiness to the point of burnout that I did, I didn’t want them to feel the tension between home and work, and I didn’t want them to not see a way out. And supporting business owners still brings me that joy and fulfilment a decade later.

You started your career in the field of logistics; how has the landscape changed since the developments of QR codes and smart technology?

Logistics has changed massively since I worked in the field; when I worked in logistics, it was all spreadsheets and manual data, calls were made all day every day, and logistics planning was a labour-intensive task. The introduction of technologies that can take over these complex tasks has made a huge difference to the landscape and is one of the reasons I chose to move roles in the corporate career. As technology became more advanced, the opportunities in the industry for my expertise in hands-on project management and change management reduced significantly.

How can a small business owner best streamline their transportation and logistics operations?

I think the strongest lesson here would be for business owners to step back and look at the big picture; too often, solutions are put in place for each step without any real appreciation of the wider tapestry. Understanding the end-to-end journey is the fastest shortcut for putting in place real, streamlined, and effective systems.

You run a series of support services for small businesses… what are the benefits of outsourcing compared to in-house services?

Outsourcing has massive benefits for small businesses, allowing someone else to handle the tasks you either cannot do, do not want to do, or do not have time to do releases capacity for business owners to focus on their zone of genius—and that is where growth is found. As a business owner, especially a solopreneur, it can also be incredibly lonely, and having someone in your corner who can be a support service, understanding colleague, and cheerleader is invaluable. A lot of people view it incorrectly as just a cost, but it’s an investment. If you are spending x hours on a task that you struggle with, how much money (the value of your time) are you wasting? If someone else can do it quicker, the cost of them doing it is actually a win for you, as you get that time back to use it more valuably.

How can a small business owner get the best out of a virtual assistant?

Communication and instinct are my two top tips for building a strong, effective relationship with an outsourced support. Finding someone who you fit with, who you instinctually feel that you can work with, and who gets what you do is invaluable. However, none of that will help if you do not communicate effectively, and that line of communication should flow back and forth—ideas, feedback, and questions should all be freely spoken. It would be wonderful if every client knew what they needed straight away with a simple to-do list they could hand over; the reality is that most business owners are so overwhelmed at the point they seek help that they can’t see the wood for the trees—being open and honest about what’s happening and having a support service that really listens and can read between the lines (rants) to work out what you need is invaluable.

How have developments in information, communication, and technology influenced your business?

As the business has grown, the systems I had at first started to creak—manual invoicing became systematised, and meeting booking became automated. It’s incredibly helpful to be able to leverage technology and systems to support the business, but it can also be a bit ‘shiny object syndrome,’ where you think you should have all the systems when you don’t really need them. It’s important to use technology to help you, not to make your processes a slave to it.

You are an expert in strategic marketing; where were these skills developed?

I started with a love for business and all that it entailed. I have GCSE, A-Level, and degree qualifications in business studies, which include a large element of marketing in the academic sense.

I then spent 6 years in my corporate role as a brand manager for a major household name and working under a creative director who had more experience and vision than I’ve encountered since. I was lucky enough to be able to experience every element of marketing for a major international brand in this role—from in-store navigation and marketing to television advertising, physical furniture, and the stores themselves, online and offline across an international landscape and a changing world. This gave me a huge amount of knowledge, experience, and confidence.

Moving into running my own business, my focus naturally changed to small and microenterprises, which was a huge change but also an opportunity for me to use my knowledge to amplify their marketing and learn to adapt what I knew to fit their budgets and expectations.

Later on, I chose to invest in a social media management qualification through a company called Beyond the Dawn, which offers the only UK quality trademarked certification that is recognised globally and offers CPD for the highest standard professionals in social media. This really increased my confidence in the digital space and has been a foundation on which I grew my business in its most aggressive growth phase.

What are the essential elements of building a brand?

Understanding what/who your brand is is a key component of building it. You have to understand who you want to speak to and how in order to create the foundations on which a strong, sustainable brand is built. I liken brand building to building a house; you can make it as pretty as you want on top, but if you don’t have the basic foundations of ideal client, brand values, brand identity, and brand voice underpinning the structure, it will just collapse.

How can a small business create effective marketing campaigns on a budget?

If you are starting from the beginning, effective marketing is about leveraging the know, like, and trust factors to build an audience, build awareness, and build love for your product or service. On a small budget, paid advertising is not possible, so building a strong, consistent organic presence is the quickest way to build a strong brand. My No. 1 tip for effective marketing is consistency—build a strategy that is sustainable for you and that your audience will respond to. Test ways of showing up for your brand; find out what works. When you find a formula that works for you, repeat that. There is no one-size-fits-all, and there is no success without consistency.

What are the essential elements of a responsive social media campaign?

Time and focus. If you want to run a campaign that engages your audience, then you need to be available to engage back. Marketing in 2025 is about relationships, and the online world expects you to talk back.

Your business originally focused on stress management techniques for small business owners. Can you provide some top tips to avoid burnout?

Stress is caused by elements that you feel are outside your control. When you feel stressed, it’s important to break down the causes into what actually is and isn’t in your control. Anything outside of your control should be acknowledged and then put aside, as you cannot tackle it. Anything inside should be addressed—this could be in different ways, from writing a list, time-blocking your day, to outsourcing the overwhelm. Focus on what you can solve, not agonise over the things you can’t.

Another key tip is to fill your own cup first; if you’re expending energy on clients or work and feeling constantly exhausted, it’s likely that your own battery is run down—doing activities that bring you joy, finding micro-pleasures in your day, or spending time with people who allow you to relax are all ways to recharge that energetic battery so that you are more able to handle stressful situations.

Finally, I’d say that, from a personal point of view, understanding that a lot of my stress comes from the expectations that I put on myself. Understanding your own internal dialogue and recognising the difference between actually urgent tasks and the ones you are creating deadlines for in your head can make a real difference to your perception of how stressed you are.

How can a business owner establish a good work-life balance?

Excellent question, and if anyone finds the magic formula, I’d love to know! Over the last decade I’ve had good weeks and bad weeks in terms of balance, and I am constantly learning and adapting to try and find that ‘perfect’ balance. If I’m honest, it took me eight years to go on holiday without taking my laptop with me. I don’t think there is any simple answer for this. I think we’re all just doing our best, and we’ll have good days and bad days. As long as we are always aware of the ebb and flow of balance, then I think that’s the most we can do.

Do you consider stress management as an essential skill for small businesses?

I consider self-awareness and inner work an essential skill—recognising your own patterns, whether that’s a propensity for feeling stressed, being dramatic, hiding from problems, or anything else—is key to dealing with them. Strategies and tools are only effective if you know when to use them. Knowing how to write a list is only useful if you’re not in major avoidance mode; knowing how to time block is only useful when you aren’t in back-to-back meetings. Getting to know who you are, how you react, and what your triggers are (triggers for stress, frustration, rejection, and so on) is the only way to develop effective coping strategies.

How unimportant is wellness and nutrition for a small business owner?

I think this is a question that is unique to everyone. For example, I don’t eat breakfast; I consciously fast until midday to make my gym session more effective and to limit my consumption window. I know that I am most productive in the mornings and in the evenings; mid-afternoon I generally need to take a break, or my work suffers. Wellness is different for everyone; finding what’s right for you is imperative.

How can breathing techniques improve a business owner’s approach to tasks?

I do like to use breathing techniques in certain situations; one is to acknowledge and de-escalate my feelings (rather than reacting emotionally to a situation), and another is to spend 5 minutes at the start of each day just emptying my mind and getting clarity. I think that breathing techniques are a forced way to slow down and re-invigorate your brain, flooding your system with oxygen. That same feeling can be achieved through other micro pleasures too—for some that could be a cup of coffee, for others music, and for me it’s a hot shower or some time outside in the sunshine. Building these moments into your day can really improve mindset and performance.

Which entrepreneurs do you most admire?

I’m not really one for fangirling over entrepreneurs. I am very focused on myself and the work I am doing. I love origin stories of entrepreneurs who overcame and were incredibly resilient—like Colonel Sanders, who had his recipe rejected 1009 times before being accepted and creating KFC, or James Dyson, who failed to create the product he wanted 5126 times before succeeding. I also love the idea of people who took bad experiences and trauma and turned them into something amazing, like Whitney Wolfe Herd, who created Bumble off of the back of her own awful experiences with men, or Sara Blakely, who created Spanx when the only products on the market failed her.

Where do you see your business developing over the next 5 years?

I see myself continuing to grow. My ultimate aim would be to incorporate a mentoring arm for young women still in education to support them in making the right choices for their future—not the immediate path that society and history dictate. I want women to see the possibilities and their own amazingness and help them to leverage that.

If you could provide three top tips to any new startup, what would they be?

Have confidence—your people will be drawn to your light and your you-ness, and those who aren’t aren’t meant to be in your circle.

Be Consistent—however you choose to show up, do it consistently.

Be brave—you have no idea how strong and capable you are, but amazing things happen on the other side of fear.

How can a small business owner get the most out of working with a business advisor?

Know what you don’t know. Use the opportunity to counteract your weaknesses and fill the gaps in your knowledge. Expecting business advisors to act as a mirror, reflecting back your skills and experience, is a waste. You want someone who will push you out of your comfort zone, question your choices, and move things forward with you.

Lastly, if you could change the approach to supporting small businesses at the policy level, what would it be?

Recognising the impact and importance they have. Small businesses make up such a major part of the economy—as tax revenue, employment, and turnover—but we’re often treated like second-class citizens because we’re not doing the ‘normal thing’ and getting a job. I’d like to see that recognised, welcomed, and celebrated.