You are an SEO and visibility expert, what does this job entail and what do you enjoy about it most?

Hello! I'm Maddy Shine, a coach who helps ambitious female entrepreneurs get to the top of Google and beyond, teaching tools and techniques to improve your SEO and visibility game. I believe that SEO (search engine optimisation) doesn't have to be dry or dull, but it's often taught as such! In fact I like to say SEO stands for Seeking Exciting Opportunities, which is why it's the name of my free Facebook community. I do regular Q&A Lives. I'm based in London UK, but in normal times I travel often teaching workshops and speaking as a guest at conferences, which I love. I'm very much a people person, and I love teaching so I adore being in touch with so many women all over the world every day supporting them to have sustainable and successful creative businesses through my live courses and my Visibiliyay membership community.

**What has been the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome?**
How long do we have? Haha, no seriously. I have to overcome obstacles all the time, as being visible myself is key to my business. But the biggest obstacle is definitely getting over myself. Recognizing that the only thing standing in the way of where I want to take my business is me and my beliefs and blocks. Ensuring that I have the right support network in place and seeking out people who are going through similar challenges has been really key for me.

I now have short blue hair, wear colorful clothes and jewelry and confidently own who I am. But it wasn't always like this, and allowing that evolution to come as I grow older and have had my business longer is fun. I continue to work on my mindset a lot and it works well, but it can be challenging at times but that's part of the growth, right?

What are your favorite tunes to dance to?

I am a big fan of upbeat pop and 70s disco. I've got a public Spotify playlist here I love to share! I love to dance over on my Instagram Stories @maddy.shine - it cheers me up and every time I do it I receive messages from people saying they brighten their day.

What have you learned through your experience as an entrepreneur that can be used by aspiring business individuals?

I can easily say that being an entrepreneur has helped me in every single part of my life. It's helped me trust myself and my own intuition more. It's helped me learn how to manage my money more. It's helped me become more systematic in the steps I need to take to move my business forward. For example, I used to run my business entirely on done-for-you services where I would do the work for the clients.

I switched this around a few years ago because I love to teach, coach and consult, so that's what I do now. By putting in place the right systems and the right team, I'm able to grow the business and support more people. I've also learned not to sweat the small stuff, which can be incredibly tempting at the time when mistakes happen (only natural) and launches don't go to plan (this also happens sometimes). To seek out the right support is vital and I've worked with a number of coaches and bought many courses over the years, all helping in various ways, but the biggest thing really is to actually put into practice what I learn and be unafraid to test ideas out, and to release my sense of self-worth from the outcome.□