In this episode of The Business Growth Show, Adam and Jon sit down with Joanna Aikens, founder of Aikens Media, to hear how she went from freelancing in PR to running a successful global content marketing business, all from her home office in Rutland.

Joanna shares her inspiring story of entrepreneurship, building a career in marketing before remote work was the norm, and raising two sons while growing her business. We dive into the realities of working solo, her early experience in the PR world (and modelling!), the evolution of tech in marketing, and how she’s embracing AI tools today.

This one’s full of useful insight for anyone in marketing, PR, content creation, or starting a business from home.

Topics we cover:

• Building a content agency from scratch
• Working remotely long before it was cool
• Freelancing, resilience & risk-taking
• Navigating the future of AI in marketing
• Why human connection still wins in business

Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and drop a comment - what part of Joanna’s story did you connect with most?

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If you had to start a business today with next to no money, where would you begin? In this episode, Adam and Jon break down exactly what they’d do (and what they’d avoid) if they were launching from scratch in 2025. From getting your first customer quickly and avoiding branding rabbit holes, to leveraging local communities, testing your idea on the high street, and learning how to fail forward - this is a real-world, practical guide for anyone looking to bootstrap a business the smart way. They also dig into pricing strategies, referrals, processes, and why asking for help might be your best growth move. Whether you’re thinking of starting something new or trying to get traction with what you’ve already begun, this episode is packed with honest advice and low-cost strategies that actually work.

In this episode of The Business Growth Show, Adam and Jon tackle a hot local topic: Rutland’s potential loss of county status. With central government pushing for council mergers, what does that mean for one of England’s smallest, and proudest, counties? They break down what’s actually happening behind the scenes, what it could mean for residents and business owners, and why local identity matters more than ever. The conversation also explores the risks for small business funding, infrastructure changes, and whether the tight-knit Rutland community could be diluted as part of a wider region. It’s a grounded, honest look at how local decisions can ripple through the business world - and why it’s worth speaking up.