Gemologist and designer Henry Deakin discusses his gamble to open a store in Piccadilly Arcade, influencer marketing and joining the family firm.

Podcast: Marketing a 233-year-old family business

Podcast

This week's Small Business Sessions podcast welcomes Henry Deakin, who's taken the helm of seventh generation family business Deakin & Francis.

Gemologist and designer Deakin discusses his gamble to open a flagship store in Piccadilly Arcade, influencer marketing and what it's like to join the family firm.

Deakin talks about the kind of marketing and experiences that can help retailers succeed in spite of the growth of ecommerce.

"We needed this flagship shop and it had to be in the right location. Piccadilly Arcade is such a wonderful place to be, it's so historic. It is a shop, but it's actually an experience," he said. "Retail is now all about the experience. Gone are the days of just buying things. People can go online and buy whatever they want."

Host Dan Martin and Deakin also talked about:

The Small Business Sessions: Marketing a 233-year-old family business

Henry Deakin discusses his gamble to open a store in Piccadilly Arcade.



? Discover your entrepreneurial flow &amp; thrive in the wild. Are you a corporate escapee seeking to define your personal brand online and position your services with elegance and grace?
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I am the Queen Bee of LinkedIn, a marketing communications strategist and personal branding specialist on LinkedIn.
My clients will tell you that I’m known for positioning their services with clarity, developing compelling calls to action and helping them attract prospects on LinkedIn with integrity and authenticity.
I am also a Chartered Marketer since 2009, and was fortunate to be involved in LinkedIn Marketing for the last 12 years. Like you, I&apos;m a corporate escapee, I left that world over 10 years ago. That&apos;s one of the reasons I love helping other consultants and coaches to promote their knowledge based business on LinkedIn effectively.
I&apos;d love to connect so please get in touch.
Yours in flow.
Celia

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I am a consumer goods marketing professional having worked for some of the big global FMCG household brands. &amp;nbsp;I have also worked over the past few years with many Start Ups and SME's. &amp;nbsp;I now run my own Marketing Consutancy -the services I can offer are: &amp;nbsp;firstly, marketing strategy development ( Market Analysis, targeting , Positioning , Communication Strategy) to drive profitable growth along with implementation of the strategy ( if required) and secondly I can offer a marketing training programme of workshops at your offices or off site ( whatever works best for you) - the training programmes can tailored to your individual needs or you can attend an "off the shelf" workshops on how to develop a marketing strategy to drive your brands profitable growth and helping building your personal confidence and capability in marketing.

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Hello, I’m a digital marketing agency founder and communications consultant in Cambridge.
After a decade in broadcast media producing radio and digital content with the BBC, ITV and Magic FM, and as a homepage editor for Yahoo and AOL, in 2008 I founded Sookio.
I built and scaled the agency through intense periods of change – pandemic, fire, recession, four premises, shift to hybrid working – and oversaw the delivery of targeted marketing campaigns for clients in education, science/tech, B2B and the public sector, reaching millions of people and increasing footfall, applicants, and revenue.
In 2024 I pivoted the business to go from agency to consultancy, enabling me to draw on my wealth of experience in marketing, leadership and business operations and offer a more streamlined set of services:
<ul>
<li>Audits and recommendations</li>
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</ul>
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Values (see more on my <a href=&apos;https://www.sookio.com/about&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>About page</a>)
1. Innovation for the betterment of society
2. Empowering others through knowledge, skills and opportunities
3. Best practice in communication
Handy to know (<a href=&apos;https://www.sookio.com/sookio-team/sue-keogh&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>see my full bio</a>)
<ul>
<li>Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and RSA</li>
<li>National Business Women’s Awards judge</li>
<li>Host Skillshare courses taken by 10k+ people</li>
<li>Founder of work experience initiatives which have helped 150+ young people kickstart their career in marketing</li>
<li>Host of Communication Untangled podcast and regular speaker on marketing, digital, communications</li>
<li>Winner of multiple awards for myself and the business including Service Excellence, Business Person of the Year, Community, Website</li>
</ul>

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Hi, I&apos;m Denis Jastrzebski, a digital marketing, business, and AI educator passionate about leveraging technology to foster business growth and innovation. I&apos;ve had the opportunity to mentor and train hundreds of business owners and teams across various industries in Ireland, empowering them to succeed in an ever-changing digital landscape. With a background in IT and digital strategy, plus international experience working with enterprises in the UK, USA, Canada, and Asia, I bring a forward-thinking, global perspective to anything digital. Mentoring is a huge part of what I do—I love helping entrepreneurs develop digital marketing strategies and adopt AI tools that streamline their processes. My ultimate goal is to equip businesses with the strategies and tools they need to thrive in today’s fast-paced digital world. Feel free to connect if you&apos;re interested in growing your business through digital innovation or need help navigating the exciting potential of AI.

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Denis Jastrzebski

Hi, I&apos;m Denis Jastrzebski, a digital marketing, business, and AI educator passionate about leveraging technology to foster business growth and innovation. I&apos;ve had the opportunity to mentor and train hundreds of business owners and teams across various industries in Ireland, empowering them to succeed in an ever-changing digital landscape. With a background in IT and digital strategy, plus international experience working with enterprises in the UK, USA, Canada, and As

The Small Business Sessions: Marketing a 233-year-old family business

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