Podcast

April 24th, 2025

The Apple Cart: S2, E6: Being More Creative and Confident as a Service-Based Business

In this episode of the Apple Cart, I’m joined by Louise Sverud to talk about how to small businesses can be more creative and confident.

Louise is a multilingual business specialist. Originally from Sweden, Louise now lives in Lanzarote, where she supports her international clients, many of whom are in the education field.

She holds an MSc in Psychology and is an expert in interpersonal communication and cultural intelligence. She describes herself as “Your Business Mum” – helping busy entrepreneurs grow their business.

Listen to the Interview

How Louise Helps her Clients

Louise says that there’s no typical day for her as a business specialist. “My wrok is super varied, because it all depends on the client. The way I describe it is like having an operations manager – like a secretary but more involved.

“Whatever my clients want me to do, I do it. And if I can’t, I’ll say so. But I focus mostly on like what we call general admin, which sounds a bit vague. But just as you’d be given certain tasks in an office, it’s the same virtually.

“I do quite a lot of social media, although I don’t advertise that. Being multilingual (Louise speaks Swedish, English and Spanish) really helps. Out here in The Canaries, people often need support in at least two different languages. And I use what I learned while studying, too. I offer a well-rounded service.”

Be Creative and Confident with Instagram

As someone who really struggles with visual content, I absolutely love Louise’s Instagram feed. It’s especially good for service-based business. So I wanted to know how she’s inspired to do such cool things with it.

“When I started out, I followed the experts. But I also thought ‘What’s doable?’ So I decided to post three times a week. And I’ve stuck to that, even though sometimes I get to Friday and realise I don’t have anything to share!

“At the beginning, I did what everyone else was. But then I thought, ‘This isn’t me. What can I do instead? So I started to be more creative and confident to show my personality. I shared silly photos, added a pinch of humour and used bolder colours to stand out.

“And today, I’m really happy with how my Instagram feed looks. Because it really reflects me and my brand. Sometimes I feel more inspired than others, but I make a point of jotting down ideas whenever inspiration strikes. Plus you can now write text straight onto an image. That means I can add extra thoughts as I go along.”

creative and confident

Why You Shouldn’t Always Listen to the Experts

When you’re new to business and still experimenting, it’s natural that you follow ‘experts’ in marketing and social media. But you have to stand out and show your personality, which sometimes means going against the conventional wisdom.

So you have to say ‘this approach doesn’t work for me’ and be more creative and confident. But as Louise says, it takes a bit of time to do that. “In the beginning, you’re not sure who you are as a business owner.

“And you hear about the latest trend and decide to try it for yourself, even if it doesn’t suit your business or how you like to work. For instance, I tried to create a passive income product, but my heart wasn’t in it. So no matter how popular it is, I have an offer all ready to go that I’ll never sell.”

How to be Brave, Creative and Confident in Business

If you find yourself stuck in a rut and unable to find that creative confidence, Louise says that the biggest obstacle is probably yourself. “Whatever the decision to be made is, you’re the only person holding yourself back.

“When I was suffering from burnout, I couldn’t believe it was down to me to fix the problem. But who else would it be? So if you want to try Instagram, try it. What’s the worst that can happen? Nothing.

“And if you try it and don’t like the direction you’re going in, do it differently. Another tip is to think about your future self. How would Louise five years from now benefit from me doing this now? If it’ll help your business to grow, then do it.”

Timestamps

  • 01:15 – 04:05: How Louise ended up running her business in The Canaries
  • 04:16 – 06:50: The support Louise provides to her clients
  • 12:49 – 16:49: Using Instagram when you’re a service-based business
  • 19:05 –20:48: Why you shouldn’t always listen to the experts
  • 24:22 –26:14: A simple trick Louise uses to stand out
  • 27:18 – 30:20: How to be brave and try new things

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