Cheeky Chat - The Beginning

The Cheeky Blogs....................


This is the story about how The Cheeky Chats started. From an idea I first had, sat at home, alone, fresh with ideas and no one to turn to. No one to ask the many questions I had running through my head about how I should be taking my business forward in 2012. So I decided to put it out there.


I popped a post on my Facebook page "would any other businesses out there like to join me for a chat about all things business, crafting, Facebook, Twitter.......?"


As you may know already, the chats took off and we have now had a few very successful chats and lot's of fabulous ladies have jumped on board to guest blog for us and write about their area of expertise.


Please read on to hear the story of the beginning of the Cheeky Chats. Enjoy! Tanya and I  would love to see you at the next chat. Once a month, Tuesday nights, 8pm, now on tickle the imagination's fb page.


You can read all the blogs here or just go to Cheeky Chats and Blogs under the catagories menu to the right of my blog


the story of the beginning of The Cheeky Chat....................


Jan 2012.........


Well I have woken up rather exhausted this morning, or did I actually get any sleep? My mind was buzzing so much that I kept my poor husband up half the night discussing the in's and out's of FB!

Well if you have no idea what I am going on about, you must have unfortunately missed the very first "Cheeky Chat" that we had over on Cheeky Pickle's FB page last night.

After I wrote a recent blog on how I set up my business, the up's and down's of markets, shops and creating a FB book page, which you can read here I was inundated with FB business page owners both new and old. Both congratulating me on my blog, but also thanking me for helping them with some of their new business questions and just being plain honest about what it has been like for me and the problems I have come up against

this got me thinking.............................................

I'm a bit of an organiser type of person. I love to be social, get mums together, arrange park plays for the kids, coffee mornings e.t.c. You know the type. The annoying one who is always pestering you with e mails about a mums get together over dinner! And so this didn't stop when I started my business. I was screaming out for a catch up with like minded people with whom I could discuss all my ideas, dreams and also, more importantly, the HOW TO'S.

I am also a HUGE advocate of -if you have some knowledge of something, then pass it on, help someone out, don't let them struggle if you can assist them in any way. It may work to my disadvantage in the long run with regards to business, but it's just who I am.

So, for the past year I have held weekly craft meetings for a few of us small handmade business owners over at my house. There are only five of us and we are a real mixed bunch with different ideas and opinions. But that's great. That's exactly what you need with a business. What you DON'T want is to be stuck in your old ways, doing the same thing, that may not be working, but may be the only thing you know how to do! You need fresh ideas, sparks flying, brainstorming!

but I wanted to reach out further........................................................

So after my recent blog, I could see what had been staring us ALL in the face, but nobody had had the time or inclination to do it. So this got me thinking:

• How many small businesses are there out on FB? New and old, it doesn't matter. We are all going through the same problems!
• How many are mums who are juggling kids, cleaning the house, designing and trying to work the business side out too?
• How many of these small business owners are working alone, thinking up ideas alone, struggling with finding answers alone?
• How many of those mums have a skill outside their business? What was their job before? Marketing, sales, retail, postal, accountant...............
• How many of these mums/small biz owners are brilliant at everything. Designing, accounts, marketing, fb apps, web design. NONE OF US. It's impossible!

And there you have it. Staring us all in the face........

let's just bloomin' well help each other out


I hope you all can gain something, anything from either reading the blogs or joining in with the chats. 


Here's to you!!

Cheers - Ali xxx