Rickie Josen has run her own business for 10 years. She talks about the kind of business support she provides, the changes she's seen over the last decade, and shares some of her top tips for using Twitter.

Rickie has a background in media and recruitment, and worked in a number of business development and training roles before finally deciding to start her own business in 2004.

She set up her business to offer all round business development services, but says the landscape is unrecognisable from 10 years ago,

"I started by supporting larger businesses, then moved towards SMEs, but now mainly work with micro businesses. I think that's because there so many more start ups now"

Rickie helps them start and grow and supports with their all around business development. One of her clients, Kathryn Partington, a jewellery designer based in Birmingham, was aiming to find more outlets more galleries and shops to stock her designs. Rickie says:

"I helped Kathryn refine her proposition and find new ways to promote her collection to gallery owners. We discussed the best way to reach them and what would get their attention. We even ran through structuring a call to get the best outcome ".

Rickie has also helped Kathryn consider the business's strategy,

"Essentially we looked at all aspects of the business from the marketing to the materials to explore it's wider potential, which led to the development of a new range that's affordable for a new market".

Rickie helps Kathryn and others that that are starting a business around full time employment find ways to build it around their everyday work patterns, she says:

"Promoting a business has changed so much from 10 years ago. Now people can do so much via social media. I work with clients to look at their day and see how they can get results from spending focused time on social media whilst commuting or during other 'downtime' opportunities".

We asked if the change in clientele from big business to micro businesses was a challenge financially, did she feel she offered a lot of her time on a volunteer basis, she says:

"The clients I work with are committed to making their business a success and want the most effective use of their time and money to get there. Many are still in employment and therefore a one to one session with me on my Buddy programme, which is about £30 an hour, can prove more productive than a one day training session if time is tight. I like to keep the sessions very practical, my clients tend to tell me that I'm underpriced if anything".

Although the sessions have an outlay Rickie sees one of her roles is to encourage her new starts not to spend money unless they have to.

Although the Buddy Programme Rickie offers covers advice and practical support she says it also has a mentoring element too, she says

"We tend to meet for one hour a month and they go away with an action plan. There's a structure but I respond to their business pressures and encourage them to reach their own solutions".

Kathryn says she's found it useful to have sessions that are tailored and specific to her needs, she says, "they help me maintain focus, refocus, reinforce and re-evaluate on a continual but evolving basis.”

Rickie believes that one of the reasons her support is useful for businesses is that she is running her own business at the same time. All of the things she's supporting her clients with are struggles for her business too which means her skills stay fresh, "I'm promoting my business in the same way so I know the challenges first hand".

Rickie says that she engages all of her clients via Twitter, "my clients know that the best way to get hold of me is Twitter,  it's where I do most of my business".

She's a Twitter evangelist and so we used the opportunity to get a couple of her top tips, she says,

"Firstly, and most importantly, remember the word is social, so make sure it is social. Have conversations with people. When you walk into a room, the first thing you're going to do is say 'How are you?', not 'Do you want to do business with me?', so use the same approach on Twitter"

"Also, make time for it every day, make it part of your business networking and keep up with the conversations you've started and those you could join."

"Finally, have the politeness you would have in the real world, always reply to people and be inclusive and supportive of those in your network".

As well as the commercial side of her business, Rickie also volunteers a great deal of her time supporting and connecting the local business community.  This includes organising monthly coffee morning called Likemind, founding and running Jelly, an event for solo workers, and being the co-organiser of Birmingham Entrepreneurs. Rickie has also volunteered her time to support a diversity scheme at Birmingham University and a few mentees via the IOEE, she says:

"I went to the mentoring workshop two years ago and the recent Meet A Mentor event in Birmingham. It was mind blowing! There was a queue of people waiting to speak to me.

There were so many lovely businesses in the room, I found it invigorating. I love getting involved in activities like that and do lots of volunteer mentoring to support it, I believe there's absolutely no point in having knowledge if you're not willing to share it."

If you'd like to connect with Rickie or any of the delegates at the Birmingham Meet A Mentor earlier this year, join the Birmingham Meet A Mentor Group on the IOEE.