What does it really take to sell with confidence and make your first £10k in business, without feeling like a pushy salesperson or hiding behind jargon?

In this episode of the Video Marketing Toolkit, Dan sits down with sales OG Hugh Cochrane from Creative Folks to break down how he went from “no clue after uni” to building sales functions, launching a business just after lockdown, and now leading growth for a digital agency.

Hugh shares honestly about failed ventures, terrible management, awkward pitches, and why most businesses get sales totally backwards. Together, Dan and Hugh unpack a simple, human process for winning work, building trust and actually closing deals.

You will learn:

• How Hugh fell into sales after uni and why that first role shaped everything

• What launching a business just after lockdown taught him about risk, resilience and reality

• Why so many agencies are “cowboy” and how to spot the red flags

• Why outreach beats waiting for enquiries if you want your first £10k

• How Hugh uses LinkedIn voice notes and video messages to stand out in crowded inboxes

• A simple flow for outreach → discovery call → proposal → close

• How to scope work, price properly and avoid giving away your profit

• Why confidence in yourself always comes before confidence in your product

• How to turn a client’s bad past experience into a long term relationship

• Why selling is not B2B or B2C, it is human to human

There is also a quickfire quiz at the end where Dan and Hugh go head to head on sales and business questions, powered by AI, with plenty of laughs and a bit of chaos.

If you are trying to get your first £10k in consistent sales, this episode will help you see that you do not need fancy scripts or endless training. You just need a clear process, a bit of bravery and the willingness to show up as yourself.

Dan Dennis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-dennis-815a74172/

Hugh Cockrane - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughcochrane-creativefolks/

In this episode of the Video Marketing Toolkit podcast, I sit down with Leicester estate agent and creator, John Ghent, to break down how he has built a hyper engaged local audience by talking about streets, pubs, underpasses and storm drains.

We talk through his journey from traditional estate agency to short form content machine, how one simple nightlife video exploded to over a million views, and how that attention now turns into real instructions and high quality leads.

You will learn:

• How to spot viral local story angles in everyday life

• Why nostalgia and local history are gold for content

• John’s simple content workflow for long form and shorts

• How often you really need to post to stand out in your city

• The mindset shift from “perfect video” to “post more”

Perfect for any local business owner, estate agent or creator who wants to become the familiar face in their town or city.

In this episode of Video Marketing Toolkit, I sit down with entrepreneur and YouTube creator Neil Betts, the founder of Go True North and creator of the Vision to Venture startup programme.

Neil recently passed 100,000 YouTube subscribers, and in this episode, we unpack the full story of how he used video and YouTube to find his audience, test his business idea, and build trust online — without the need for perfection.

We talk about:

• The power of “fail fast” thinking in business

• Why every video is a learning opportunity

• How to use YouTube as a trust wall to grow a brand

• Turning long-form interviews into shorts

• The mindset shift needed to show up consistently

• The secret sauce behind real community building

Whether you’re just starting out or growing something new, this episode is packed with honest insights, laughs, and practical advice on how to use video to bring your idea to life.