Helen ‘Scotty’ King is a cartoonist and illustrator supporting business owners in the pet industry by bringing their messages to life.

She works with all kinds of clients, including holiday cottage owners, product makers, coaches, and people providing pet services, capturing the essence of what they do.

Helen says she was ‘rubbish’ at drawing growing up, but loved the work of Walt Disney as a little girl and set herself a challenge to learn to create cartoons.

She studied for an online diploma in design, was supported by Steve Bright, the creator of the 1980s cartoon Bananaman, and started her own business creating cartoons.

With her late dog Jasper as her muse, Helen found a love of creating canine scenes, and after a few years, decided to specialise in working with dog businesses.

Helen has created hundreds of incredible stories for her clients, and her cartoons stop the scroll, create a lasting impression, and lead to sales and enquiries.

In this interview, we talk about how she started her business, the variety of services she offers for pet owners and businesses, and the challenges of running a small business.

Helen talks about dysautonomia, a nervous system disorder that began during her teens, and how she navigates this in life and business, plus the marketing systems that work for her, and ways she’s found support as a business owner.

Topics and timings in this episode:

0.20 - Introduction to the episode.

1.47 - Helen shares how her business started and that she was ‘rubbish at drawing’ but went on a mission to learn.

4.30 - What inspired Helen to niche into becoming The Dog Cartoonist.

6.45 - Ways Helen went about getting the word out about her work.

7.44 - How you can get 650% more engagement with an image than text.

9.21 - The different ways Helen works with pet owners and businesses.

11.40 - Examples of Helen’s visual storytelling.

15.59 - How the cartoons can impact on social media reach.

22.00 - Helen explains how dysautonomia affects her as a business owner and what dysautonomia means.

26.20 - Helen’s feelings on being visible and the frustrations of the ever-changing algorithms.

29.12 - What’s working on different platforms for Helen.

31.25 - What has helped Helen in terms of support in being visible.

32.25 - How being told to ‘Get Over Yourself’ by May King Tsang changed her approach and took away the fear.

35.29 - Helen talks about her blog and newsletter and how they fit into her marketing and inspire her social media.

39.31 - Why building relationships, the personal touch, and being consistent has helped Helen grow her business.

41.42 - Advice for business owners who feel overwhelmed with the information we’re bombarded with about all the things we’re meant to do!

44.00 - How Helen’s business is looking right now and the benefits of being in a community.

47.49 - Ways to find out more about Helen.

Connect with Helen:

Website:  https://www.scottyscartoons.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottyscartoons

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottyscartoons

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ScottysCartoons

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenscottyking/

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Check out Bananaman on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz8XTi4nc5Y

Listen to Nicki Cameron talk about learning to love LinkedIn

Further reading/listening

How building a community can help grow your pet business with Kerry Jordan

Creating FOMO for your pet business with May King Tsang

How to feel more comfortable and confident promoting your pet business

Having the confidence to step out of your comfort zone with Sarah Jones