Business Fest South West, Visibility & Building Something People Want to Talk About

Here’s another episode of Live & Linking and this week I’m joined by Gavin Harris, one of the founders of Business Fest South West.

Gavin’s story is a brilliant one because not that long ago hardly anyone in the South West business community knew who he was. Fast forward to now and Business Fest South West has become a real fixture in the calendar. We chat about how it all started, what inspired him to launch a brand new business festival, and why building visibility from day one mattered so much.

What I really enjoyed about this conversation was hearing how Gavin approached it with a genuine community-first mindset. From reaching out to local businesses and building relationships face-to-face, to creating those exhibitor-only pre-show networking events that have become such a big part of the BizFest experience.

We also talk about why business exhibitions don’t have to feel stuffy or corporate, and how they’ve worked hard to make the event feel energetic, welcoming, and memorable. There’s loads in here about networking, showing up consistently, marketing your business, and making sure people know who you are.

We also had a good chat about visibility on LinkedIn, social media, and why people can’t buy from you if they don’t know you exist. Gavin shares some brilliant practical insights around marketing, partnerships, events, and getting noticed in crowded spaces.

If you’re building a business, planning events, or looking for ways to become more visible in your industry, you’ll get loads from this one.

Connect with Ashley:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-leeds-15-minute-guy/

Website: https://just.15mins.day

Live & Linking Hub: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13981378/

Guest contact details

Gavin Harris

Business Fest South West

Email: gavin.harris@fourfrontevents.co.uk

Phone: 07445050260

Website: www.bizfestsw.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinharris6230/

What happens when you combine LinkedIn strategy with real sales expertise? You get a conversation like this. Ashley Leeds is joined by sales trainer and LinkedIn expert Niraj Kapur to unpack why so many business owners struggle with selling, undercharge for their services, and rely too heavily on social media without building genuine relationships. Niraj shares stories from his career in publishing, events, and international sales before explaining how he now helps founders and business owners become more confident in both sales and LinkedIn.

This episode is packed with practical advice for anyone trying to grow a business. Ashley and Niraj discuss why personalised outreach works better than spammy sales messages, how storytelling builds trust faster than hard selling, and why many people are pricing themselves completely wrong. There’s also a brilliant conversation about confidence, follow-up, startup challenges, and the dangers of generic business advice. If you’ve ever wondered whether you should raise your prices, pick up the phone more often, or stop hiding behind LinkedIn posts, this episode will definitely make you think.

One of the standout moments is Niraj’s reminder that people still buy from people. Whether it’s commenting thoughtfully on someone’s LinkedIn post, researching a prospect properly before a meeting, or even sending a handwritten letter, the human touch matters more than ever. Ashley also puts Niraj through a live “Roast My Post” session where they break down how LinkedIn content can either help or hurt your reach. Honest, practical, and full of value, this is a must-listen for business owners who want to improve visibility and sales without losing authenticity.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Meet Niraj Kapur

02:18 Niraj’s career journey

04:26 Why people hate selling

05:34 Building trust on LinkedIn

07:08 The power of handwritten outreach

09:31 Researching clients properly

11:04 Storytelling vs persuasion

13:06 Pricing and undercharging

15:49 Charging what you’re worth

18:12 Dangerous pricing advice

19:35 Sales advice for startups

20:36 Breaking into competitive markets

22:43 Pricing creative work

25:00 Roast My Post

28:02 Why LinkedIn dislikes links

29:59 The Closers Club

Guest contact details

Niraj Kapur

Email: niraj@everybodyworksinsales.com

Phone: 07733179854

Website: www.everybodyworksinsales.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nkapur

Here’s Episode 100 of Live & Linking and what a brilliant way to celebrate the milestone.

This week I’m joined by Melanie Goodman, LinkedIn trainer, marketing consultant, and one of the leading voices helping professionals understand how to use LinkedIn and Substack together. Melanie has spent years helping businesses turn connections into conversations and conversations into real opportunities. We talked about how LinkedIn has evolved far beyond being just a job hunting platform and why so many business owners are still missing the real opportunity sitting right in front of them.

A big part of the conversation focused on content creation and why long form content is becoming more important than ever. Melanie explained how she uses Substack alongside LinkedIn to build a stronger community, create recurring revenue opportunities, and grow an email list that she actually owns. We also explored repurposing content properly, avoiding SEO problems, and why writing one great long form article can create multiple LinkedIn posts. There’s loads in here for anyone who struggles with consistency or feels overwhelmed trying to keep up with every social media platform.

We also chatted about the reality behind personal content on LinkedIn, why impressions don’t always equal clients, and how genuine engagement still matters most. Melanie shared practical advice about standing out online simply by being human, replying properly to people, and building long term relationships rather than chasing vanity metrics. If you want a smarter, calmer approach to LinkedIn marketing and content creation, this episode is packed with ideas you can use immediately.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Episode 100

00:59 Meet Melanie Goodman

05:28 Why Melanie started using Substack

11:47 What Substack actually is

14:53 Building a long form content strategy

16:00 Repurposing content with AI

17:36 Personal content vs business content

19:29 Why birthdays matter on LinkedIn

21:03 Growing your own email list

24:18 Roast My Post

28:40 Final thoughts

Guest contact details

Melanie Goodman

Email: melaniegoodman@trevisanconsulting.com

Phone: 07555106642

Website: https://www.trevisanconsulting.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegoodman-training-marketing-employeeadvocacy/

Other: https://substack.com/@melaniegoodmanlinkedinconsultant