For The Love of Small Business with Ellie Moran
Description:
In today's episode, the first in my For the Love of Small Business series, I've got the gorgeous Ellie Moran from JCM Business Solutions here with me and we have a wonderful conversation about the rollercoaster ride that is building, running and future-proofing a small business.
Ellie is Marketing Director for JCM Business Solutions, a family-run business consultancy. Together with her dad, Chris and sister, Sara, Ellie and the team at JCM help business owners take back control of their businesses by streamlining their processes, improving efficiency and creating cohesion between teams by creating a system through Zoho software that captures, stores and manages customer information in one place. Since partnering with Zoho in 2011, JCM have grown to become one of the largest and most trusted Premium Zoho Partners in the UK.
We share our thoughts about:
- how to build a business that works for you and feels good.
- the importance of being able to say no
- how important it is to build a business based on your ethos and values
- the benefits of mentoring and coaching for personal development
and how important it is to find the joy in what you do.
Here are the highlights from this episode:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:45) What is JCM Business Solutions?
(05:26) When did your sister join the business?
(14:16) Why Business First Software Later.
(17:36) What have been the biggest learnings for you in the business?
(24:40) “Get out and get high”.
(30:49) What advice would you give to other small business owners?
(35:19) How to get in touch with JCM Business Solutions.
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I'm Lucy Rennie, and welcome to my Future Proof your Business Podcast.
The podcast that provides you with everything you need to know to build solid foundations and ultimately Future Proof your business.
I'm on a mission to share my love for small business with you and help you to enjoy the extraordinary ripple effect that comes through harnessing the power of people and relationships.
And I want to make sure that you can reap the benefits of being a business and a brand that people know, like and trust.
I'm a huge champion for small business and a massive believer in the fact that people do business with people.
This podcast is here to inspire you, encourage you and support you on this roller coaster ride that is building, growing and Future Proofing your business.
Lucy Rennie
Hi, and welcome to this week's episode of the future proof business podcast. And today, I am really excited because I've got the gorgeous Ellie Moran from JCM business solutions here with me today. And I'm going to let Ellie introduce herself. But I've worked with Ellie now for gosh, I think it's five or six years behind the scenes in JCM. And it's an absolute joy to see, just to work with Ellie and to see just the journey that she has been on, the adventures and yeah, what she's what she's doing today. And where JCM is today. So I'm gonna let Ellie introduce yourself in a second. But first of all, I just want to say thank you so much, Elli, for coming on today. And yes, it's a real pleasure to have you here. Would you like to introduce yourself and tell everyone a little bit about JCM? And what you do?
Ellie Moran 01:45
Of course, well, Hello, and thank you for having me. This is very exciting. Um, so I'm Ellie, and I'm the Marketing Director for JCM business solutions. And we're a family run business consultancy. My dad is the MD and the founder of JCM. And my sister is the operations director. So it's a true family business. And we basically help businesses of all sizes, move their processes online, get into the cloud, and we are one of the UK's biggest partners of Zoho. So that's the cloud software that we provide. And we help businesses just become more efficient, operate, and streamline their processes. And yeah, just genuinely get a better work life balance by eliminating all the nickels moving them online, helping them work better.
02:32
That's us.
Lucy Rennie
And yeah, and I know that you work with so many different small businesses, don't you? Up and down the country? Yeah. And I think, obviously, I know that you work with your dad and with your sister and I’ll dig a little deeper with that and get you to share a bit more about what that means and how that impacts what you do. But do you want to give a little bit of an outline of your story and how you started and kind of where you've come? Because I know you started, didn't you in the back room when your dad started the business? Working on a door? Was that right? As a table? Do you want to explain a bit more about about how, yes, the journey of where you've come from and how you've got to, you know, being the seven figure business that you are today?
Ellie Moran 03:18
Yeah, so yeah,
Ellie Moran
My dad started JCM. He left a very sort of high pressure corporate sales, direct multinational sales director position, it was just stressing him out too much. And so he left and started JCM at home, which nowadays doesn't sound too different. But back then it was a bit of a leap into the unknown, just sort of setting up at home. And I basically came to him because I saw he was up all hours of the evenin, and said, How can I help? How can I take something off your plate? So that was me during the days, I was working at a climbing wall at the time. So it was while I wasn't working at the climbing wall, I was working at JCM. Like you say we just had this big fire door set out on top of an existing desk that my dad put this fire door on top of to make it bigger. So then we were both at just either end doing as my dad would say any job we could get. So envelopes and mail merging and doing all this sort of stuff at the start. But yeah, that was my start for JCM. It was just to try and let my dad go to bed a bit earlier, basically. And then, whatever it is 10 years later, here I am.
Lucy Rennie 04:34
So how old were you when you started?
Ellie Moran 04:38
So I think I was 18 or 19. Yeah, right around there. I had been to Australia for two months, came back, got a job at a climbing wall. And all at the same time. Around that same time my dad had started JCM so I've been with JCM pretty much from the start. I'd say from within the first year of JCM, is when I started helping out. But yeah, it was, it was just odds and ends to begin with. And then came in one day to this whiteboard that my dad had written on saying with all the things that l could do traits, the L has like being creative, and all of this sort of stuff that I think you should do all the marketing profit, okay. So yeah, it escalated.
Lucy Rennie 05:26
Yeah. And then how so? When did your sister join? Because it’s a real family business, isn't it? You know, when did she join it?
Ellie Moran 05:32
I was manifesting Sarah come in, for a couple of years. She worked at momentum, she was a project manager for big sort of installation projects up and down the country. And as we were growing, I think, before Sarah came, we had, we'd hired Dom, we'd formed a partnership with Dom who is our sort of chief consultant. And so we were starting to do more and more projects. And that required more and more project management. And I was like, Oh, if only we had someone like Sarah, to come on board. So this was maybe two or three years in, Sarah had had a baby, and didn't want to go back to work at momentumafter having Lyla. And so I was like, well, we have a business and we need someone like you. So I managed to convince Dad, it didn't take much convincing. But yeah, about two or three years in, we got we forged this position for Sarah. And she quickly proved how badly we needed that role filling within the first week, probably.
Lucy Rennie 06:41
And I think you can hear it anyway, in the way you're talking. But I think, for you guys, the values and kind of being that close knit family and doing things in a certain way is really important for you, isn't it? Do you want to talk a little bit more about your kind of ethos, and sort of how you carry that through in everything that you do?
Ellie Moran 07:01
Yeah, so being a family business, and it stems all the way from my dad, the reasons why my dad started it, he started JCM, because his previous job was just putting them in hospital. It was taking them away from family more often than it was keeping him with the family. And it was stopping him doing what he wanted. He wants to be outside walking, and all of this sort of stuff. And his job was stopping him from doing that. And so he started in JCM, he started to be the opposite of what that previous role was. And so that's where all our really strong values came from. And then when it was like that, he hired his daughter, and so then he wanted that to be even more so. And then he hired his other daughter. And so the values just strengthened and strengthened. And we just keep them family like really, it's the number one everyone that has joined JCM over the years has become part of the JCM family. And, you know, we value the people that we have, and we want to make sure that they've got the time to do what they want to do when they've got the freedom to do what they want to do. Yeah, and it's that sort of ethos of the business that doesn't run the people, that people run the business, and we can decide how we want it to run. Yeah, you know, whether it's four day weeks, whether it's, you know, Sarah is the queen of the calendars. And she sticks to it, when all the consultants that we've got, whether they've got little kids or whatever, she makes sure that the time is booked out in the calendar, where it's like Simon is swimming with whoever that's that time blocked off. And we don't book any meetings for that time, because we just value that time so fondly that we want to protect it as much as possible. Yeah.
Lucy Rennie 08:46
And that shines through. What I'm interested in, though, is because you've obviously now, I don't know, 10, 12 years later, you're now a seven figure successful business. It's amazing, you know, just to see the results and the value that you're adding to everybody. But how does that happen? Because some people might say, well, how can you think of people and have that kind of ethos, where it's people first and you know,with the family comes before sort of business, that kind of thing? How, what kind of impact does that have on the business and your clients? And how does that yeah, how does that work?
Ellie Moran 09:24
It's tricky, and it's where, I think this is the role that I play, obviously. We all do, my dad and Sarah are directors. So we have these high level meetings, and I feel like sort of that's my role is to be the protector of that vibe, and that we want to create because moving forward, it's mine and Sarah's business and we want to keep it as that. And I think the way that we do it and the way that we grow is that we're transparent with our clients, our clients know exactly who we are and exactly how we work and we're clear about it from the start, oh, you know, we set the expectations from the start our work hours are nine to four. And, you know, people get to know the people and the consultants that they're working with. And I think when you are clear, and when you are transparent about your values, and about how you work and about the sort of company and business that you want to create, when you're clear about that with clients, they'll appreciate it. And, you know, that becomes a value in itself. People want to work with us, because we're nice, and we value things like that. And it's kind of like we want the same for our clients. That's the whole, our whole goal, when it's a JCM project is to give our clients that time as well. And so it's about working more efficiently and, you know, streamlining things so that you do, you can have that time, and you can work around all the things that are important, and that you don't have to be sacrificing one thing for another. Yeah, I think that is just transparency and setting expectations from the start.
Lucy Rennie 11:06
I love this so much. Because I think, you know, what we can see is you've really kind of kept that family ethos, you've really and it's grown, hasn't it? And the values have got even stronger through the years as you've kind of worked and realise the importance of that. And actually, what that's done is it allows you doesn't it to attract the right kind of clients, and the people who are lovely as well and want to work with people like you and they get it. And yeah, I just think it's amazing. And it's so good to see. You mentioned before that just quickly that you and Sarah, so your Sister, you're kind of the future, it's your business as your dad looks to retire. What does that feel like? How does that kind of reinforce this ethos in this way of working and what's important to you?
Ellie Moran 11:54
Yeah, it's, as you well know, this has been years in the making. COVID Obviously, not to mention the COVID. But COVID, obviously, sort of slowed things down, slowed the whole dad retiring process down because he wasn't going to step back during the whole pandemic. But it gave us time to really dive in and think about it. So the goal is dad to retire, stereotypical MD, but for us to work very much as a team and for JCM to be ours and for us to carry it on. And I think over the past year, there's been a definite switch, we're definitely becoming bolder and braver, and you know, Dad's gone down to three days a week, rather than four days a week, and he has a week off every month. Now that was a huge thing. And to just talk, just to say that out loud, seems bonkers from where we were a couple of years ago. Yeah, it's a huge testament to the whole team that we're able to do that. And Dad's able to step back and relax. And the important thing is, that means we have built this team that we know, like we trust with our lives, basically. But we know that all of our consultants are just going to crack on to get the work done, we've got that, we've worked really hard and we're still working, it's still a process to get our right processes in place. So that everybody's, you know, updated in the right notes, or everybody's got clarity on what's going on. And then just and then externally, yourself included, that sort of this external support network that we've got, we just know that going forward into this sort of next chapter of JCM, we've got the best sort of footing to get going with it. And yeah, it's been, it's been a change. It's just trying to get everything out of my dad's head, all those 40 whateverr it is years of experience, trying to unpick that out of his head and really look at why is he making that decision? And how did he know to do that? And yeah, so that's where we're at at the minute is just learning. Basically, all that forecasting, learning all the numbers, that's what we're doing at the minute. But no, it's been a really fun process. And it's a daunting one, but it likes it
Lucy Rennie 14:17
now, and it's exciting to watch and see. See how it's evolving.
I've got so many questions I want to ask you, you talked about COVID then as well. And I think this kind of I'm going to bring this in because I think it's been a learning curve for a lot of us hasn't it the last few years and kind of the pandemic and lockdown and all those things and and I think that gets tied in as well to the value that companies have delivered or not in certain cases. I think it's really been a way for certain businesses just like yours to come out really strongly because you've been there for your clients. You've shown up, you've done what you said you were going to do. And I want to touch in on your kind of ethos, which is Business First Software Later. And can you just just for the benefit of everyone, really, but I think it's a really brilliant way of doing things. And yeah, I’d just like to invite you to share a little bit about what the value is of those two, two ways of looking at it. So Business First and Software Later. And why is JCM with Zoho so important today for businesses? Especially as you know, yes, we've come out of a pandemic, we're also probably going into, or we are going into another 12 months of uncertainty. So what's Yeah, why, what you do, why is it so important for small businesses today?
Ellie Moran 15:37
Yeah, we came up with Business First Software Later, because, you know, we're in the software world, and the software world can be quite a sort of cold sort of salesy world. And that's just not who we are at all. And we did this whole exercise of what makes us different, and I sort of said, we're Business First and as I've said before, with our team, we're very people focused. And our goal with any project is to make the client's lives easier, make the people who run these businesses, and the people who work within the businesses make their lives easier by making the processes smoother, more streamlined, more efficient, save them time, all of that sort of good stuff. And so before, with JCM projects, before you look at any software, you will have a huge conversation about what your business goals are, how you want your business to run. In an ideal world, I know you talk about the magic wand, if you've got a magic wand, how do you want your business to run? What's the ideal? What are the things that you're struggling with at the minute, we have this huge factfinding conversation where we just learn as much about the business and the people within it as we can. Because then the software sort of implementation, the solution that you have just become so much more powerful, because it's the business telling the software what to do, not the other way around. And I think that's where a lot of people trip up is that they let the software dictate how they should run their business. Whereas if you flip it, and put all your business processes and start from, this is how I want my business to run, and then implement the software to make that happen. You just get so much more power from the software. And it will work a lot more efficiently. And so that's where the business first came from. It's how can we make your lives easier? Now we'll look at the software to make that happen.
Lucy Rennie 17:36
I love it so much. And I think in particular for small business owners, you're spinning all these different plates and juggling aren't we all these different things? Software can really help but it's got to come from the business first and what you're trying to achieve and what you want it to do. So yeah, I think I think it's so important. Just talking to them about retention, kind of the ups and downs. And you know what, I'm always talking about the fact that it's a roller coaster ride talking about running, you know, running a business. And you were saying about how at the moment you and Sarah are in this kind of learning time, I suppose it's a transition, isn't it as you're moving, taking more responsibility and taking sort of over the reigns from your dad. And just looking back. What do you think so far have been the biggest learnings or takeaways for you? In the business? What have sort of been the biggest things?
Ellie Moran 18:31
That saying no, is okay. I think it is one of the biggest ones. Because I think you know, and I think that's been the biggest change over this past year, especially that I've seen in Sarah as well. Sarah is obviously much more operational. And just sort of truly knowing who you are as a business. So back to those values, knowing how you operate, knowing that it's good, and that you do good work and that it's fine. And it's right that you do what you do. And to not be flustered, when there's opposition to that, and sort of saying no is okay, and knowing who your ideal client is and going after them and saying no to the ones that aren't your ideal client will save so much headache down the line rather than just accepting every single thing that comes through the door. Like If you know exactly who you are as a business and who you want those customers are out there and they will come and you'll attract them. Yeah, so say no, my dad has always said from the very beginning from when it was just me and him. He wants to teach me how to run a business properly. And so there's always been an element of learning throughout the whole thing and yeah, so it's looking after your team, making sure your team’s happy. Protecting your own energy by knowing how to say no. And yeah, just adding making sure everything you do has value and is not wasted. That's one of the things, one of our values is that if you don't need software, we won't sell you software. You know, it's how can we add value to you, we're not going to give you something you don't need. So that's it's always our intention when we go out into the world is to make sure we're adding value.
Lucy Rennie 20:16
Yeah, I love this so much. And you know, you know me, but it's music. So it's just amazing what you're saying. Because I think, first of all the added value, but it's funny, because when you say it, you can say, Yeah, of course, you know, that's obvious. But there's so many examples out there at the moment where people are just selling stuff for the sake of selling it and not really thinking about whether people need it or not, and things. So I think it's yeah, that's huge. And the same? No, it's so hard, isn't it to do that,
Ellie Moran 20:48
but actually, where it's really hard? Yes.
Lucy Rennie 20:51
It's yeah, it's almost kind of what I was thinking of it? Well, if you say no, if you're saying yes to something, and all the things, then actually, you actually say no to other things, aren't you? So by saying no, whether that's to certain clients, because you know, actually, that it's going to be a nightmare working with them, or just saying no to commitments or new projects, it allows you to then focus on the right thing. That's really interesting. And then you’re talking about looking after yourself? And boundaries and things like that? Yeah. What would be for you? How do you support yourself? Because there are highs and lows aren't there? And you know, yes, there's the external kind of lockdown recession, all the other stuff that is going on in the world, but then there's also just kind of day to day motivation, and, you know, making sure that you're motivated and, and well, and in a good place. What are the sort of things you do? And you touched upon the fact that you also, you're a climber, and if you want to maybe bring in that if there's a link there? But what are your kind of strategies to, I always going on about Mother, the golden goose? How do you look after the golden goose yourself? What do you do to put your oxygen mask on?
Ellie Moran 22:11
It's there. This is really, it's an interesting one, because it's, as you well know, something that I've struggled with. I think, obviously, being a family business, we're kind of already off on a good foot. Because there's not that weird barrier of, oh, they're my work friends, or that this, like, it's just my sister. And I'll go and have a little rant to her, do if I need you, and vice versa. And you know, we have so I work from home most of the time. But I go into the office one day a week. And that one day, a week is just me and mine and Sara's day. So we sit and we plan and we catch up. And you know, we'll have a theme for the day. The world talk about but then it might just be those days descending to just talking all day. And I think when you work from home, and you know, she works in the office all the time, where a lot of the time, it's just her. And so we're kind of both on our own. And so those Thursdays become a really vital part of our week to be able to just go in, vent and talk and you know, socialise as silly as that sounds, to just see somebody else. Yeah. And I think not, I'm going to blow your horn, but the network that you've made, certainly through lockdown, that's what I'm sure what kept everybody going was the Communicate with Purpose group. Those weekly meetings, they were definitely the anchor in everybody's week. I've just been able to come on and chat and know that you're not alone, you're going through the same, you're going through the same stuff as everybody else. And everybody else is feeling it too. Yeah, and I think daily motivation, it's hard. It comes and goes in ebbs and flows. And like you say, it's a roller coaster. But I've always found, just like from you, I think we've worked together so long and blue in what's come most of the things that will come from you. But there's three lists, like this the top three things to get done today. Just write them down and focus on that. And don't get overwhelmed by the bigger picture of things. That's kind of my daily thing. And then I'm also if you talk to anybody in JCM I am the biggest sort of champion for just getting out if you need to just go for a walk and get some fresh air. Just get out and go run up a hill or something like no matter what time of day it is, if you haven't got any commitments booked in and you just need to shake it all off, then just go for a walk somewhere. Yeah, just get out of
Lucy Rennie 24:40
it. What is your expression? It's get out and get high, isn't it? Is that right?
Ellie Moran 24:45
No. Like as in, go to a higher elevation perspective on things
Lucy Rennie 25:00
And she loves to climb hills. Yeah. But it's so true getting outside, isn't it? Just shaking it off? I love that. Yeah,
Ellie Moran 25:09
yeah. And we just were incredible. You talk about it. I think every time we see each other, we go, Oh, my we’re so lucky to live where we live? Aren't we lucky where we live? And we're incredibly lucky where we live. But, you know, we've each got two wonderful hills.
Lucy Rennie 25:25
Yeah, I know. It's yeah, I love everything that you just said there. Because I think as well, that's going to be well, it's the reality for so many people now that we are working from home, or we're not necessarily in the office every day, or there's a mix isn't there of kind of working alone and then working together and doing and that's a whole new world of, of how to manage, isn't it how to run a business when everybody's not necessarily in the same room, which is something I'm really passionate about and intrigued about and kind of looking and trying to find best practices and what other people are doing. And I think we're all going to be learning that for the next few years. But I think you're absolutely right, it comes down to people doesn't it and getting in touch and communicating and talking and, and being able to say when things aren't right, or chatting through or have been able to tap into each other when you need to?
Ellie Moran 26:16
Yeah, and it said, I never thought I would say that because I am such a homebody and I'm quite happy being on my own. And it's, it's completely fine. But you do just need that little bit of energy, whether it's, you know, popping around to yours on a Friday or going into the office, wherever it is. Okay? No, I'm fortunate in that I've got a team and I can go to the office and see my dad's, and that's fine. But it's even like meeting up with people. Like, for example, from your network that live around here going to a cafe and working with them. It's just how you can find a different energy to be around even if you just go and work from somewhere else on your own. It's just changing that environment. a huge proponent of going and working from my brother's house sometimes, he works for a completely different company. He's not part of the business. But just having that little change. And it's just it's amazing what it does to my head anyway. It kicks my head into gear being in a different environment.
Lucy Rennie 27:12
No, I completely get that. And I think that's one of the things isn't it, it's actually being able to get under your own skin. And notice how you're feeling or what you need, and then actually doing the things in relation to how you feel. And so if you do need to get out, go out, if you need to be on your own, be on it is that isn't it? And I think that's something that we're all learning to be more aware of ourselves and what we do so yeah, I completely get that. Funnily enough, tou mentioned Tom, this is your brother. He's the one member of the family that's not working for you. Yeah, here’s a little shout out, to Tom.
Ellie Moran 27:47
Oh, I'm manifesting it, don't you worry. I've been manifesting, to afford him, he’s too expensive. Plus there's quite the age gap between me and Sarah. There's eight years between me and Sarah, nine years between me and Tom. But Sarah and Tom in the office and deciding whose boss that would be? It would be quite the ordeal, that we'd have to have some kind of hunger game to decide who's boss.
Lucy Rennie 28:17
There you go, the challenge is set maybe? So yeah, Tom. And coming back, though. I just wanted to ask you, where are you on here? Because obviously we've been working together for, I don't know, five or six years, isn't it? Nearly seven, maybe? Yeah. And I suppose it's in a more of a kind of a mentoring relationship that we've got. And I just wondered if you wanted to share a little bit not necessarily about how we work, but just mentoring in general, and what you think and how that fits in with JCM and personal development and how that approach. Because I'm a massive believer, you know that I'm a massive believer in mentoring. I've got my own coaches and mentors. I think everybody should I think, really, we should have several if we can for different aspects of what we do in our lives. But I just wondered if you wanted to touch on your experience and how that has helped you or supported you over the last few years.
Ellie Moran 29:08
So I've said many a time, I would not be here if it wasn't for you. I would not be doing what I'm doing if it wasn't for you. It's just that having a mentor is having somebody, it's having a guiding light. It's what we call you, you're the light, the light in our lives. It's such a scary thing to have to go and find your own way in sort of how to do things and especially I'm not from this business world. Like I said, I started my first job at a climbing wall and I was teaching kids how to climb. So the business world was very, very alien to me. And so yeah, having you there as a guide, as a sounding board, as a sort of, yeah, as that mentor figure is just it's been the key that has led to everything that we've done,that I've done at JCM certainly. And it's just I think, as we've grown over the past 5, 6, 7 years, wherever it's been, I've just noticed that I'm learning to ask the right questions and learning when to push and when to not. And when to like just how to, you know, family business. It's tricky. There's no filters, because it's just the dad and the system. So, so when does our to sort of handle those sorts of conversations, and I think when we started, it was purely marketing, and how to put together a marketing plan, you know, me, I love plans, how to put together a marketing plan, what did it it was all very sort of, you know, the nuts and bolts of it. Whereas over the past couple years, now, it's becoming more of a teaching me how to be a director. So vibe. And so yeah, we've gone, we've gone through a lot of stages of it. But truly, I wouldn't be here without checking in with you every week, and you keeping me on the right track and holding me accountable. And that is everything that a mentor brings, is that accountability and telling you like, No, you can do it. You're okay, keep going. Or, you know, yeah, you're just you're there whenever we need you. And, yeah, so valuable for everything that we do. And I think I've got a weird perspective of it, because I own my own, I have my own coaching company as well, but in the climbing world, not in the business world. And so I've got that side of things that I've been doing for the past, I don't know, 10 years, where I've been coaching kids. And there's so many times where I go, Oh, wait, I need to listen to myself, because I'm telling these kids to do stuff that I need to do in JCM as well. And so yeah, it's just an absolutely vital part of my world to have you as a mentor.
Lucy Rennie 31:49
Aw, Thanks, Ellie. You know, I love you loads and seeing you on this journey. But I think you've just summed it up, really, because you're a coach yourself. And I think that's the thing, isn't it actually coaching and mentoring? It's about, it's not about giving the answers, it's about the answers or with your mentee, or you've got the answers inside, you were just there to kind of help you to find them and, and find your own way and build that confidence. And it's amazing to see now, just how bloody brilliant you are at what you do. And you know, where it's all going. It's just it's, it's amazing. So yeah, it's really exciting. So yeah, just to close that. And just the last question, I'm just going to ask you, what advice and this might be a tricky question. But we're in November, it's 2022, we're coming to the end of 2022. But looking into 2023, and the world is just upside down and topsy turvy again, isn't it? I'm just wondering, what advice would you give to other small business owners? Whatever things maybe that they need, whether that's great, or a specific tool or software? Or the way of doing? What is it that they need? As they head into 2023? What would you recommend that they really hone in on or focus on to kind of make sure that their future-proofing their business? And that they are going into 2023 In the strongest possible position?
Ellie Moran 33:15
Yeah, there's a lot that immediately comes to mind. And I've kind of been thinking about this, because this is my last week of my 20s. I'm 30 at the end of this week, and so I've kind of been in this weird headspace of going, Oh, my God, I'm about to be in my thirties. And so I think I was talking to my friend about this, who's just, she's just a year older than me. And it was just I think we've reached the age where I just want to tell people to you know, if they're encroaching on my energy, if they're, if I find myself doing something that I don't want to be doing, like, No, I'm gonna say no. And I've just found myself recently being in that sort of mindset. And so I think if the pandemic and all of that craziness has taught us anything, it's that we need to be doing something that you love doing. And you need to have passion for what you're doing. And you need to find a way to have that sort of energy and passion for what you're doing on a day to day. And if how you're working at the minute isn't supporting that and isn't supporting, you know, you feeling good every day, then how can you change it? What little changes can you make, to better that, to better your day to day work? And I think that's one of the biggest lessons that we've learned. And whether that is, you know, well, I'll blow the horn for getting cloud software. So you can work from anywhere and all of that sort of stuff. But it really is so important to be out, like if you can work from anywhere, then work from anywhere, if that's what you want to do. And, you know, I work in my camper van where we go climbing sometimes because it's a nice day and we want to go climbing, but I can balance both work and climbing. It's fine. So I think it's that sort of getting perspective on who you want to be? What do you want to be doing? How do you want to be as a person? And how does your business support that? Because at the end of the day, if we're all small business owners, we all have the power in our hands to shape our business to be wherever we want it to be. And so why not go for it and make the changes that you need to make?
Lucy Rennie 35:19
I've got the massive lump in my throat, you're actually gonna cry, you just couldn't observe it. Like, I love that. And it's yeah, you've said it all. There's nothing you know, you know me. So on that note, we're going to finish next, I think it's a perfect ending. Just before we do go, though, do you want to share how people can get in touch? Or if they want to know a little bit more about JCM, about the Zoho software? And how you can help them in their business? Where, how, what do they need to do to get in touch with us and find out more.
Ellie Moran 35:55
And the easiest way is to go to JCMBusinesssolutions.co.uk. That's our website that you can have a read through it. And that will sort of give you everything you need. But then if you want to just have a chat, give us a call. That is probably the best way. It'll just be Megan, who's my best mate, Or Sarah, that will answer the phone. And so you'll be chatting to lovely people. And we can just listen to you know, what you've got going on, how we can help. And yeah, use that as a starter for 10. Just give us a call.
Lucy Rennie 36:27
I love that, we forget don't we but actually picking up the phone is just so good sometimes. It really is. So thank you so much, Ellie for coming on today. It's been an absolute joy to talk to you and I've still got a lump in my throat. I love everything about what you're doing. And it's dead exciting to see where you go with it all. And yeah, you couldn't have summed up the episode any better. So thank you so much. And I'll see you soon. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. Bye. Bye.
Thanks for listening to the Future Proof Your Business podcast. I've been your host, Lucy Rennie, I hope you've enjoyed this episode. If you have, then I'd love you to head over to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcast and hit the subscribe button. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave a review and a rating and help me to reach even more small business owners like you who want to build a business they love.
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