Selling with a passion, with Amy de Sybel
Kate Butcher
Hello, and welcome to today’s podcast. Today, I have my first in person podcast, which I’m really excited about. We’re doing an interview in the same room, which is what I initially intended to do when I first had thoughts of a podcast. But the practicalities don’t always work. And COVID was still going on when I started and very much in place. So it just never really happened. So I’m really pleased that I’m actually getting to do an interview. Today I am welcoming Amy De Sybel to the podcast, and Amy is going to tell us all about the fantastic business that she runs and how she juggles that with being a mother. So first of all, Amy, could you please tell us a little bit about who you are what you do a little bit about business and family and how you juggle it all.
Amy de Sybel
So Hello, and thanks for having me. I’m Amy and I have a business selling my husband’s paintings and sculptures. And I mainly do that online, although we have had sales that have come from, come from online as well in person, which has been fantastic. I am a musician. I’m also a teacher, and I’m a mum of two children. Hetty’s 10, and Orlando’s 3. So it is very busy. But I like it like that. To be honest, I always feel very kind of inspired creatively by lots being lots going on. And I think when there’s periods where I’m not doing anything, that’s when I feel a little bit low. So I always have to get something going again. Yeah, so I enjoy that, the that busy, that busyness in my life. But if I’m not careful, it can become a bit overwhelming. So I just try to manage it and try and find a balance where possible.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic. Yeah, the overwhelm is definitely something that, I don’t know about you, but for me, it comes in waves of overwhelm. And I think most people around me know that if I sort of disappear or withdraw from things that I’m doing for a little while, it’s because I’m in overwhelm. And I need that time to get myself back on track. And I think it’s something that a lot of us, as mums in business, do have phases where we do feel overwhelmed, I think it’s quite a frequent thing for a lot of us.
Amy de Sybel
And actually spotting the warning signs of that is is so important. And I feel like I’ve gotten a bit better at that in the last few years, and, and noticing when I need to take some time out. I think it’s generally when I feel like there’s an acceleration in my, in my brain when I think I’m going faster than everyone else. I’m thinking why is everyone so slow? They’re actually not they’re just, they’re just calm and I need to slow myself down. So yeah, that’s that’s one of the those those moments for me.
Kate Butcher
Amazing. And tell us a little bit more from a business point of view. So you sell your husband’s artwork?
Amy de Sybel
I do, I do.
Kate Butcher
Tell us about the artwork.
Amy de Sybel
So I guess this might be a little bit different. I’ve listened to your podcast Kate and they’re amazing women talking about their own businesses, you know, as as in their, their own kind of creations that they do them personally. And that’s why mine’s a little bit different, because I adore the art that Nathaniel makes. And he is wonderful at making it and I’ve been pretty okay at selling it.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic.
Amy de Sybel
I kind of used all my interests like writing and advertising and kind of reaching out and communicating, which I think are strengths that bring me a lot of joy, and I need in my life and they’ve sort of just worked together, there’s been a kind of symbiosis that Nathaniel and I have managed to work together to create something really lovely and that people seem to enjoy. And I think for us it was it was very much a kind of process of discovery about, about that, you know, could we actually do it? Would people ever buy off the internet? That was a massive thing. Because I grew up surrounded by painters, my my family are very artistic. Nathaniel’s family, he comes from a long line of Australian painters. And we both grew up with a good knowledge of the challenges of the art industry as a result. So I knew all about the galleries, I knew about all the private views and all the agents and I knew the massive amount of stress that that can cause and how difficult it is to make a living. And so the idea that we would do something directly where we would present work directly to to people, to anybody rather than, right we must have a posh gallery on Cork Street, we must have this, I mean lovely, wonderful. And we have worked with galleries and they’ve been incredible. But the idea that we might be able to circumvent them.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
And, and that we might be able to build relationships with people directly was new.
Kate Butcher
And reach a different audience, I suppose as well, because there’s a lot of people who, myself, I follow your account on social media. But I probably wouldn’t think to go to a gallery because it’s not in the realms of what I would do. So you’ll be reaching a whole new audience by opening your art out there online.
Amy de Sybel
That that’s an amazing point. Okay. And I’m so glad that you said that, because I’m unbelievably, I’m really passionate, I realised that and I’m like that about music as well. I feel like there is a lot of, I would say, snobbery, but that’s not specific enough, I think there’s, when you have an industry that also is affiliated to social status, or to appealing to, you know, the super rich or, any sort of niche market. And it’s also connected to what’s fashionable, there’s a lot of pressure on on people to like certain things or to to say that, that they understand a trend in art or music, and that makes me really cross. Because I think that’s just false advertising. And actually, people should be empowered to go with what they love, you know, so if they see a painting, or a photograph, or you know, any piece of art, and they think I love that, I’ve made a connection, they shouldn’t then be thinking, Oh, but, you know, it’s not, I don’t I don’t know about art, you know, I don’t have the confidence to go for that. And And is it the right thing? And should I be buying this, which I actually really hate, but someone told me was a good investment. So I want to cut through that. And I want to, people to think, actually, yeah, I am an art buyer. And I’m going to buy that because I love it. And you know, I don’t care?
Kate Butcher
Absolutely.
Amy de Sybel
What such and such thinks, I’m going to do it.
Kate Butcher
And art is, it’s such a subjective thing, isn’t it? Everyone has a different concept of what they like. And yeah, tell us a bit more about the type of, I’ve seen the art.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah, of course.
Kate Butcher
But of course, a lot of our listeners won’t have. So-
Amy de Sybel
Yeah.
Kate Butcher
Tell us a little bit about what it’s like.
Amy de Sybel
Well, I think, what I love about it is, it’s very direct. And I do use the word beautiful, and I say beautiful advisedly because obviously that’s also subjective. But our buyers have told us that they experience joy when they buy a piece, and that they have, one of our buyers is she’s, she’s bought a number of pieces. And she bought a major piece last year, and she messaged about a month ago, to say that she will sit, I’m really not making this up, she will sit in front of it for hours with a glass of wine. And just really, it’s almost like a meditative experience, which I think we should all feel and have that in our lives. And that is also what’s brought back a core group of buyers to us. So they they’ve bought up to, you know, 9, 10 works. It’s absolutely incredible, because of the way that the pictures work in the home. As I say that there’s sort of there’s, that we do different series. So Nathaniel has painted a lot of Italian landscapes, because he has spent a lot of time in Italy, we go back there are a lot. They’re, you know, they, for a lot of people, having a scene like that, to live with, where they’ve experienced joy, where they’ve, you know, been on holiday even just once and have that time with their family, that’s formed an emotional connection. So there’s been lots of people that have loved those. And then other people that have loved the English landscape series, because they love England and they love the countryside. Or there’s still lives, he does lots of kind of very expressive, large still life paintings of flowers, incredibly vibrant colours in a kind of abstract landscape. And it was one of those that, that buyer was talking about when it was one of those, almost takes you into a dream state, a dream world, if you do want to see them, actually, I should say it, my Instagram is @contemporarymum, @contemporaryartmum. And so I, I’m the kind of the communication with, with people. And Nathaniel is the painter.
Kate Butcher
And that’s the main point of service is through that Instagram account and where you put the artwork out through that.
Amy de Sybel
It’s actually through the website. Yeah, I mean, people message me through Instagram and Facebook, actually, because I realised that a lot of people are not on Instagram.
Kate Butcher
Absolutely.
Amy de Sybel
And that’s totally fine. I mean, I wasn’t until fairly recently. In fact, I joined Instagram for this purpose. So there we go.
Kate Butcher
There you go.
Amy de Sybel
There we go. But the website is, has been so brilliant. And I think, I mean, I think if I if I was to give any advice to anyone or any kind of point that’s really helped us, it is really get the best website you possibly can. And if that means bringing in a professional and making an investment, go for it.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
Because people have said to us, “Oh, your website’s amazing.” or, “Oh, it was really easy.” Or they’ve googled it while sitting in the audience at a concert because my husband’s a cellist as well. And they felt, they felt that it’s, it’s, it’s so user friendly and quick and all that stuff, now we can never have built that. So, yeah, we needed it. We needed somebody. Great.
Kate Butcher
That sounds absolutely amazing. Fantastic. So tell us a little bit about how you came to be involved in the business, how it came about?
Amy de Sybel
Well, it was one of those lockdown projects. So the first lockdown, I think it would have all been, it would have hit people in lots and lots of different ways. From our personal perspective, it was the music industry, because my husband is also a cellist. And we know what happened to concerts. During that time. It’s been very well documented, and that first lockdown, I went into what serves as a studio in our, in our house, and I found a painting that he had done, he’s always painted, he’s always painted. And so it was an it was a little seascape, and I looked at it and I said, I carried it through to our bedroom. And I said, this is really, really good. I think I could sell this. And he said, “Oh, no, please don’t put it on social media. I’m so embarrassed”, you know, because I think he was also, we’re both quite shy, in some ways.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
And I think the idea of saying buy something. Is such a hurdle. I mean, for anyone nobody wants to-
Kate Butcher
A lot of people, most people hate selling.
Amy de Sybel
There you go. Right.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
Okay, so this is totally new. And I said, Well, I’ll do it. I’m gonna do it. And I put it on Facebook. And that was in April. And I think we went into lockdown on March the 23rd.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
And it just, it just went from there.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic.
Amy de Sybel
People just absolutely-
Kate Butcher
So he wasn’t selling his artwork at all prior to lockdown?
Amy de Sybel
He was, but he was selling it via, he had a couple of galleries in Australia, because he is Australian. And he had, he had a few pieces in there. And he’s always he’s always painted. His father and grandfather are both famous Australian artists. Nathaniel was a cellist, I mean is a cellist. And he’s extremely highly focused on that. But he’s always desperately wanted to paint, you know, more and more and more.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic.
Amy de Sybel
And so yeah, but but the actual, the amount of sales and the amount of everything, everything commercial really started that.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah.
Kate Butcher
Wow, that sounds amazing. What an, what an achievement to have created a business in, what, as you say, so many people were finding it such a difficult time. But you’ve taken that and made it into an opportunity, and made it into something that works for you as a family. And as you said, you know, your husband desperately wanted to paint. Yeah. And now this is really taken off as something that he can do. And yeah, it’s created an incredible opportunity for both of you.
Amy de Sybel
I think it has and it’s, I have to tell you that the most important thing for me is that I really love the work. I love working with it. I love finding, sorting out the framing and working with people, once they’ve bought the work, we will frame it with them so that they can choose what works with their home and what they love. And I think a huge stumbling block, possibly, or I’m just saying this, but things that I found hard in my life, anything I haven’t had my heart in has been impossible. It’s just been such an uphill struggle to try to persuade oneself to put the effort in.
Kate Butcher
Yes, I can relate to that.
Amy de Sybel
And I think for me, it’s just easy. I mean, you know, because we love it.
Kate Butcher
No, I know, I know what you mean.
Amy de Sybel
But it’s, I’d say that once I’ve got it in my hands, you know, once, once he’s got, he’s done a painting that I just think that is superb.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
I can’t wait to show this.
Kate Butcher
Yeah, absolutely. Having a passion for what you do is a huge part of the success of any business, I think. If you if you’re passionate about it, it’s it’s gonna get you in the right direction. Absolutely. It’s really important.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah, that’s, that’s like, that’s what I found. And I think that’s why it’s also had that sustainability. And it has continued, but I think we were we were talking about it a bit before, weren’t we there if I, if I had tried to start a business, if I had sat down and thought, right, I’m going to start an art business, I just would’ve given up after five minutes, maximum, because of those enormous hurdles, you know, associated once you think about all of those things that could go wrong, and I’m gonna have to do this, I’m gonna have to deal with that. And then your mum and you’re having to deal with, you know, the most important thing.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
Your children. It’s just lucky that we, we just did it step by step and it kind of had its own momentum.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic. So you almost fell into doing it rather than intentionally setting out to do it which is fantastic. I think you’re right, I think the, the thought process of everything you need to do to get a business, running and up and running and started is so overwhelming. It’s often a point that a lot of people completely freeze, right. And I was very similar. I think, I started my business completely by accident.
Amy de Sybel
Did you?
Kate Butcher
Absolutely, totally by accident. And I helped my sister with some virtual assistant work, she was looking for a VA and I just said to her, I can do all of that stuff and help her with some stuff to set up her business. And three weeks later, she had recommended me to three other people. And I suddenly had clients and I hadn’t started a business at that point, but it suddenly happened.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah.
Kate Butcher
So yeah, I was in a very similar position it it started before I’d realised, but I think I would be the same if I actually decided I wanted to sit down and set up a VA business, I would have researched it, I’d probably still be researching it now.
Amy de Sybel
No, me too and I would’ve-
Kate Butcher
And I would’ve researched it to death.
Amy de Sybel
And I would have been so intimidated, as I say, because the the big guns, you know, you think about the art business. And I mean, you just think Sotheby’s, Christie’s you know, all that you just think what, you know, I’m just me. You know, what am I doing? Who do I think I am? So yeah, the imposter syndrome was massive, massive.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic. Thank you, and how does it all fit in for you in terms of like family life and the work that you’re both doing? Because you’re both involved in this business? So how does how does that balance for you?
Amy de Sybel
Well, it’s really tricky, because I, I work very well, in very short bursts with a massive amount of energy. So what I tend to do, and this is, this is probably not a good model for other people who are doing it sort of slightly different things. But I, I sort of work in a project based way. So when there is work created, or a body of work created, I will then work very hard and flat out promoting that and being in contact with people and that kind of thing. And that sort of works better than trying to set set aside time every day. And I know that actually, there’s a lot of vices as that’s what you need to do. But it’s just not practical for me, because I, I haven’t really, I know that if I don’t sort of, don’t manage the most important thing, which is the children and the cost of them and make sure they’ve got everything they need, then things fall apart very quickly.
Kate Butcher
Absolutely. And I think as a mum, you you have to work in a way that works best around your family life and around the other commitments that you have. Because if, well, like you say if you don’t, it all falls down. You’ve got to figure out what works for you, as an individual, as a family as a business and how that all works together.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah, I think that that’s why if anyone’s ever noticed, which they probably haven’t, there’s a lot of social media during the school holidays. So I’m able to do a big push on work when we’ve got holiday time. And when I’m not at work as well, because I’m also I’m a teacher, so I’m working my days are, are in the classroom.
Kate Butcher
Absolutely, fantastic. Gosh, so much to do.
Amy de Sybel
It is, it is but I’m very lucky in that I, I love teaching and the skills that I love about teaching are those skills that are coming into play. So it’s, it’s, I love to be around people I am really, I’m quite shy in some ways. I actually I love having people around me and things going on. And when you’re teaching, you have that joy and that lively atmosphere. So yeah, sort of cross it. This-
Kate Butcher
Sounds wonderful. Brilliant. And what would you say the best bit of advice is that you have been given since you started out in business?
Amy de Sybel
There’s so much. There’s so much I think, one that I come back to quite a lot is don’t self protect, as in don’t make decisions from a position of low confidence. Okay, so don’t decide that you can’t do something because you won’t cope. And I, I feel like I wasted. I feel like I wasted a lot of time in my 20s for example, worrying about not being able to cope and therefore not doing stuff, like even my teacher, even training as a teacher. I thought, well, I can’t do that, because I’ll have to get up at 6am. And I can’t do that, because I’ll collapse. I know it’s just so stupid. And then-
Kate Butcher
I bet you’ve done a lot earlier than 6am’s as a mum haven’t you?
Amy de Sybel
I really have and now it’s just that’s just part of it, and I am doing it and I love it. And I’ve actually been quite ambitious in that way. And you know with that, with the art, or you know, don’t do that because people will, you’ll cheapen it.
Kate Butcher
Okay.
Amy de Sybel
And that was that was another thing you know, if you, if you sell it, you’ll cheapen the mystique around art in general.
Kate Butcher
Okay.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah, and ignore that.
Kate Butcher
Yeah. Absolutely.
Amy de Sybel
You’ve got to just forge ahead and just go for it and just get started because these amazing things can happen. And don’t be afraid of not coping because you will have people around you who are going to help you.
Kate Butcher
Yeah. And I think like you said in our conversation before we actually start recording, you just have to get on with it.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah you just do.
Kate Butcher
That’s it. You just try.
Amy de Sybel
Just try and you know, also, selling is hard. It’s really, really hard work. But I’ve always come back to, you can’t sell, well, personally, you shouldn’t, but you can’t sell someone something they don’t want.
Kate Butcher
Yes. And I have a big, well, again, for me personally, I can’t sell something I don’t believe in.
Amy de Sybel
Well, there you go. So those two things, so, but if somebody, if somebody falls in love with the work, and this is what has been found has happened, yeah, then it’s just lovely. Then you just have a conversation about how to make it work for that buyer. And that’s what I love the most. It’s that, it’s that process, but I would never, I would never sell something I didn’t believe in.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
That I didn’t take joy from.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
Otherwise it’s, there was something else that that I learned from one of your podcasts, a piece of advice that I learned and I can’t remember which one it was, what one it was in, it was absolute. There’s two bits can I say two bits?
Kate Butcher
Oh gosh, of course you can.
Amy de Sybel
I saw something you said personally –
Kate Butcher
Okay.
Amy de Sybel
– and something somebody else said, or something they recommended that I then read, but the first thing you said was “do not confuse likes with conversion to sales.”
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
So something like, and you said something about the amount of engagement on the post. Because a lot of people think that if they haven’t got more likes, they’re not going to make sales. But it’s about actually converting those into an actual transaction. And for us, I have had buyers, and I just wanted to say this because it might be helpful, –
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
– for people listening. I’ve had buyers who have not liked a single piece of work, who have not commented. And then I’ve had a message. They’ve been watching the work. They’ve been watching it, they’ve been following it. But their personal attitude to social media is a, it’s very much an observational.
Kate Butcher
Absolutely, just a bit more detached.
Amy de Sybel
Very much so.
Kate Butcher
Yeah.
Amy de Sybel
And they might not be liking everything. But those are people that have bought the work.
Kate Butcher
Yeah, no, it’s so true. I absolutely agree with that. I’ve found similarly, a lot of the people in the past who I have converted to clients or who have commented on how much that they, they maybe have enjoyed the podcast or whatever it might be. And when I look at their interaction that there isn’t any and a lot of people will lurk in the background.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah.
Kate Butcher
But still be really interested in what you’re doing. And often they’re the people who are going to be your best clients. So yeah, I think that was really worth doing. Because yes, like you say, you can’t rely on those likes, and likes are all well and good, but they’re not the same. People interacting and liking your stuff is valuable, because it propels your your content further as well. So it’s really important to have that interaction, but it isn’t the same thing as you say, as the conversions, so.
Amy de Sybel
That was Newton. That was, that was really groundbreaking, because I am sure that other people feel the same, the pressure to generate more likes or more comments or, is massive. But as I, if you can just sort of ignore that, and just carry on anyway, even if something gets, you know, three likes, or no likes, you know, do you just go with your gut? You know, keep going. Because there could be people who are following you and you are not aware.
Kate Butcher
Exactly. And equally having a small and engaged audience is much more than. A small and engaged audience is much more valuable than having loads of people following you who don’t really pay any attention to what you’re doing. So keeping those those, I suppose, my brains seized up.
Amy de Sybel
The kind of, core supporters.
Kate Butcher
Yeah, absolutely.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah. That’s that’s exactly what I was gonna say. Because I think you said it. But then also there was a, somebody referred ,at like a lecture or something, and I listened to it and they, they were talking about, it’s much better to have a product that a few people love than everyone quite likes.
Kate Butcher
Exactly. Because no one’s gonna buy something that they quite like. But yeah, exactly. A few people who love something is is definitely the way forward.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah.
Kate Butcher
Yeah, absolutely.
Amy de Sybel
That’s been very valuable to me.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic. Oh, well, I’m pleased that some of the advice that you found valuable is stuff you’ve learnt from the podcast. That’s fabulous.
Amy de Sybel
I really love the podcast. I think came it came into my life at exactly the right time, which was when I needed really some confidence that we were all trying something that it was okay to, to work things out and that there was a community that was really wonderful.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic. Thank you. And do you have a favourite business tool that you use, anything that you use and you find really valuable?
Amy de Sybel
It’s, I don’t think this is going to be groundbreaking for anyone, I really liked the stories on Instagram. I like the stories and on Facebook for stories because they enable me to create almost like a diary, and with art, it’s very much about the process. And people follow and enjoy the process. And the stories reflect that.
Kate Butcher
Yes, your stories are great actually at showing the behind the scenes stuff, I think there was one a couple of days ago of you doing some framing.
Amy de Sybel
Oh, yeah.
Kate Butcher
And things like that you, you don’t necessarily get to see those things on the website, necessarily, or on your social media feed. But on the stories, it’s a really good way of showing that behind the scenes stuff, what actually goes on, the reality of it, and to get to know a bit more about you and your business. And as we all know, people buy from people. So if people can get to know you a little bit through your stories, that’s so valuable, I think.
Amy de Sybel
Oh yeah, well, that’s, that’s what I use it, I mean, pretty much every day, although it’s not always the case. When other things get in the way.
Kate Butcher
When you can. Every day, when you can.
Amy de Sybel
Every day in batches, during the holidays.
Kate Butcher
Exactly. And do you have a favourite business book at all?
Amy de Sybel
Well, I tell you, for me, the most valuable reading I’ve done is anything that is, that gives you confidence. And I have got a title that has helped me lots but also I think if you can gather around you literature that, that really chimes with, with your values, and makes you feel courageous, you’ll find it, you know, often it’s slightly obscure philosophy and that kind of thing to get you to see the bigger picture. Because there’s a lot of, I feel like, there’s a lot in society that wants us to come down to earth, you know, no, just, you know, just forget about that, and just do your thing, and don’t have those dreams, come back to reality. And it’s, it’s the functionalization of our lives. And that’s actually, that just kills, it kills joy, it kills creativity. So gathering around you things that make you feel like you can dream, and you can embrace creativity as a, as an important part of your human experience. Do that, by Matt literature, do that, do those activities. But on a more specific level. I went to the library about a week ago, and I found a really good book, and it’s called “The Extra Hour”. And it’s by three entrepreneurs, it’s by Will Declair Bowden and Jérôme Dumont. And it’s just about protecting your time. So if you’re like me, and you get distracted, and you’ve got like 3 billion trillion things to do and going on in your mind, it gives you some very basic techniques to improve your productivity in a very easy way to protect the time for your business and for yourself.
Kate Butcher
Absolutely. And what sort of, you said it gives you some tools and techniques? What sort of thing does it include in there, can you give us a couple of examples?
Amy de Sybel
I could give you a couple of examples but I think lots of your listeners will be amazing at this already. And, and this is very much, this is very much a text for somebody who needs to be more organised and, and doesn’t know those techniques. So apologies if you know these already, but it’s things like time blocking, obviously. But things like managing your emails, because for me, my inbox had 30,000 emails in it yesterday. And I’m a bit extreme when I like something, I go for it. And so I deleted all of them.
Kate Butcher
Honestly fills me with dread.
Amy de Sybel
There’s nothing, because I just thought, oh, you know, I can live without it. It’s got to go. And I do feel differently. It’s talked to us about how you have to archive things, you know, put things in folders?
Kate Butcher
Yes.
Amy de Sybel
Which is very important. And I think maybe this is a bit more, this is a bit more impressive. This piece of advice. It’s about fundamental investment. So investment mindset.
Kate Butcher
Okay, yeah.
Amy de Sybel
Because obviously we all know we’re kind of wired for short term gain.
Kate Butcher
Yes.
Amy de Sybel
As human beings, that’s completely fine. We know that, it’s about putting aside the time to invest in the basics and the fundamentals so that everything else is easier, laying foundations.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic.
Amy de Sybel
And also, automation of repetitive tasks.
Kate Butcher
Yes.
Amy de Sybel
Which I liked as well. So really, if something can be repeated again and again, you find a way for it to for technology to do it for you.
Kate Butcher
Absolutely. And you know what, actually, before you arrived for the interview today, my morning has all been about automation.
Amy de Sybel
Oh.
Kate Butcher
There we go. I’ve been working with some clients today on some automations that will help them to speed up a variety of processes. Automation is so important. We can do it.
Amy de Sybel
Yeah, it’s just so helpful.
Kate Butcher
So help you whether it’s automating your, you know, when someone signs up to your email list and automating a welcome response or a welcome sequence or whether it’s automating I was just messaging with a client this morning about automating it so that they’ve used an integration tool so that the posts that go out on one social media platform are automatically posted to another because they don’t have a scheduling tool that works for both. So they found an automation, an integration tool that will automate the two things and just those automations that just speed things up and make things easier, are so important.
Amy de Sybel
This is all new to me. I didn’t even know what automation was. So this is, this is massive, and I’m hoping this will really help me as well.
Kate Butcher
Fantastic. I love a bit of automation. Where you can, it’s amazingly helpful. But yeah, fantastic. So before we finish –
Amy de Sybel
Yeah.
Kate Butcher
Please could you give us a little bit more information , you’ve given us your instagram handle –
Amy de Sybel
Yes.
Kate Butcher
If you could give us that again
Amy de Sybel
Yes I will.
Kate Butcher
And tell us a little bit more about the website, and where we can find you.
Amy de Sybel
Okay, so on Instagram I’m @contemporaryartmum all one word, and my website is www.nathanielboyd.com and you can see all the art there, on instagram you can see all the paintings and sculptures but also the process behind it, so we have lots of kind of videos of the work being made. And then, yeah, and then you can, you can just enjoy it, and enjoy what we’re sharing, I hope.
Kate Butcher
Yes. Definitely will be. Definitely. Wonderful. Thank you so much for your time today, –
Amy de Sybel
Oh, it’s been such a pleasure.
Kate Butcher
– It’s been really lovely to meet you in person Amy, after we’ve interacted online, to actually have a human interaction , so thank you for coming along and joining us.
Amy de Sybel
Thank you so much for having me.