Gaia Beck is a business powerhouse, who started out selling used cars and discovered that business is all about giving people what they want. She then moved into Film PR gaining a sense of excitement from the events industry.

Gaia worked with all of London's most exclusive nightclubs before she started Cocktails & Conversation, a London dating events and networking company now so popular that even couples now want to attend. Known for its black-tie events and masquerade balls, Cocktails & Conversation holds exclusive events for hundreds of guests.

Under the name London Represents, Gaia now also runs fashion shows which promote diversity using a range of models and independent brands, with half of all proceeds going to the charity Bullock Inclusion.

Last year she also launched Chippingin, a platform she developed with her son and a co-founder to help children crowdfund for toys, presents, charities and more, by raising funds from friends and family.

Gaia previously ran a conference aimed at getting more black women into the tech industry, and is passionate about more female and diverse founders getting investment in their businesses.

• Cocktails & Conversation - CocktailsAndConversation.co.uk / @cocktails_and_conversation
• Chippingin - chippingin.co.uk / @wearechippingin
• London Represents - LondonRepresents.com / @london_represents

Charlotte Curran is the woman behind ARTEMIS, a Manchester-based jewellery and accessories brand.

In 2014, Charlotte started hand-making jewellery as a side-hustle alongside college, but over the pandemic ARTEMIS became a fully-fledged business. It is female-run with Charlotte now employing a team, recognised by WorkL as one of the happiest places to work in the UK.

Charlotte juggled running the business in Manchester while studying for her Masters’ degree and was a Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2021.

• ARTEMIS website: artemisaccessories.co.uk
• ARTEMIS Instagram: @artemis.accessories
• Book a free coaching call with Charlotte
• Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening - @hustleuppodcast

In my tenth episode I’m joined by Matthew Grossett, the owner of Walnuts and Honey, a black-owned micro-bakery based in South Norwood, London.

Matthew specialises in exotic flavour combinations and luxury vegan/gluten-free bakes including eye-catching swirled buttercream cupcakes (which I’m a huge fan of). He also takes orders for birthday and occasion cakes each week.

We touched on Matthew's love of sweet treats and how after a period travelling he realised he no longer wanted to work in an office. He started out by taking his bakes to markets, before finding a shop that fit the bill.

After four years, Walnuts and Honey is going from strength to strength. With Matthew as the sole employee in the shop (cake maker, front of house and coffee making), he considers other local business owners as his colleagues.

In the future he is hoping to grow the business, adding an additional premises for more baking.

Pop by his shop by Norwood Junction station now to check out his vegan cakes or place your order for any special cakes by emailing at the link below.

• Website: https://www.walnutsandhoney.co.uk/
• Email: walnutsandhoney@gmail.com
• Instagram: @walnutsandhoney
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WalnutsAndHoney/

Thanks for listening - @hustleuppodcast

I chatted with Albert Azis-Clauson, the CEO of UnderPinned, a platform that helps support freelancers to build their businesses.

We talked about his journey from the world of dance at the Royal Ballet School to mainstream education and then to University, raising £1m for his business within a year of graduating.

Albert, who has tried his hand at every sport played in a world-record charity rugby game which lasted more than 30 hours for the School of Hard Knocks charity.

He is an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and featured in a popular campaign on LinkedIn wearing typically "feminine clothing". He also works with the Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Small Business Commissioner to shape the future of freelancing.

Are you freelancing or thinking of starting out, you can get 25% off the UnderPinned Ultimate Guide to Freelancing course with the code HUSTLEUP25.

Underpinned.com

Underpinned - Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / YouTube

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@HustleUpPodcast

Thanks to Lucy Werner from The Wern for connecting me with Albert. Her new book 'Brand Yourself', with her co-founder, creative director and husband Hadrien Chatelet, is out now. 

I sat down with Eliza Rebeiro the founder and CEO of the charity Lives Not Knives (LNK - @LNKCharity) on the day of the elections for the Mayor of London earlier this year. It was a deep conversation and really thought-provoking. 

She knows all too well the impact of knife crime after a friend was stabbed to death as a teenager, and she now has a team that works with schools across Croydon to try and address the root causes of knife crime and serious youth violence by providing activities and support from a local hub on the first floor of Centrale Shopping Centre in Croydon.

We touched on what it was like for her getting kicked out of school at the age of 14 before going on to start the anti-knife crime charity with her Mum to support young people.

Eliza is a refreshing, confident woman who has not only won awards for her brilliant work, but has also been invited to speak with MPs and councillors. She described herself as a "kid who was fed promises with no results" and although she says she wouldn't try her hand at politics, she gave some refreshing suggestions for how she would do things differently if she was running the country.

The pandemic has taken its toll on the services LNK provides, her staff and also young people they work with. Some young people saw much more than they normally would over lockdown including domestic violence, drink and drugs or arguments at home. Instances of children as young as 10 years old feeling suicidal or others not being fed three times a day were not uncommon.

We also discussed school exclusions and the link to prison and reoffending rates with some really positive advice for any children facing exclusion from school or who have already been kicked out. 

Eliza Rebeiro: "How can you get a work ethic if you never start working?"

You can support Lives Not Knives at @LNKCharity or find them online at livesnotknives.org

Sophie Lark, the CEO of Larks and Crafts Designs joins the next episode. Her design company specialises in funny and personalised designs (including people and pets) printed on greetings cards, gift wrap, prints and more.

The self-confessed “Queen of Puns” studied a Journalism degree, which she admits may not have been exactly the perfect route for her, before moving into the creative world of Advertising. 

We discussed her highlights such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, turning the famous Piccadilly Circus digital screens yellow for a charity and launching a business just before the Coronavirus pandemic hit the UK. Her card range thanking keyworkers was a hit in 2020, with a focus on Wedding products and becoming more eco-friendly in 2021.

Larks and Crafts Designs has also featured in the Mail on Sunday’s YOU Magazine and has also been shared by numerous pet accounts on social media.

You can browse all the designs including the brand new Valentine’s Day range now at www.LarksAndCraftsDesigns.com and follow on Instagram @LarksAndCraftsDesigns.

(This episode was recorded remotely in December 2020 before Christmas Government guidance, and another lockdown, in England were announced).