mentor Archives - Page 14 of 15

Here's the thing: Christmas in April

I’ll be honest – I’ve been working myself up to this one. Because it might not be entirely what you think.

Let’s start with what’s happening.

Lots of people, like glossy magazines, marketplaces, retailers, and PR and marketing people of all kinds are starting to plan for their Christmas content and collections and campaigns. It takes them a long time to put things together and, especially for print, it’s important to plan ahead.

Nothing new here.

But it filters back to designers and makers who suddenly get into a flap in April about not having their entire Christmas range planned and made and photographed and the rest of it.

If you’re sat at your desk right now feeling totally organised and wonderfully placed for Christmas 2015, I am so pleased! It is a huge effort to get things done, especially if this is the first year you’ve met the deadlines and timetable of all these other people. You may not need to read the rest…

Because, for the rest of you, I want you to receive this message loud and clear: it does not matter.

I say this with love and respect for the big marketing wheel, for the PR industry, for everyone who mistakenly believes that creating exceptional products is a conveyor belt process.

I say this because I have seen products created and launched in November that have sold beautifully – exceptionally.

I say this because the brave new world of the internet, of digital marketing, of reactive marketing, of the unplanned and unseen opportunities – they have all made it possible for less planning, less insanity, and less fear-based craziness.

Do you want to know what will make your business a success at Christmas? Lean in a little closer, because it’s a big deal.

Great products. Really, really wonderful unique products that people are going to love.

And if you don’t yet have them, it’s not the end of the world. I also implore you not to rush something out in a day or two weeks in order to meet someone else’s deadline. Create something magnificent (which requires an unfixed amount of time) and people will love it, buy it, want it.

So here’s the thing:

I propose a new Christmas master plan for you.

Concentrate on what you do best: making new, wonderful, delightful, want-able products. Give yourself time (lots of it) to create, to play with ideas, to percolate and see what feels good and interesting and right to you. Be inspired by whatever inspires you. Emerse yourself in the creative process. This is the best investment you can make, because it will give you the best results in the end.
Share your creations. Once they’re there, once they’re ready (FULLY ready), tell people. Send out lovely press releases. Take wonderful storytelling photos. Share them online. Send samples to people who might like to feature them, sell them, or promote them. Even if it’s too late for print, it’s not too late for everyone else.
Stop thinking short term. Worried about not having a million billion pound turnover this Christmas because you haven’t got 100 products to market yet? You’re thinking too small! Products have a lifespan. When they’re especially new and exciting, it can take a couple of years for them to build up traction and excitement, especially if they’re seasonal. Your trend-setting, thought-leading product might not sell a million billion units this year, but you’re investing in the future. Have a good Christmas this year. Create products full of integrity and interest. And see what unfolds.
Stop dancing to other people’s tune(s). Collaboration is important. Working with people who will help you get more sales is important. But please realise that you’re the boss of you and your products. You do not need to meet other people’s (sometimes unreasonable) demands in order to succeed. If you can, without too much effort or compromise, then do. If not, walk your own path.

I know that, to some of you, this may sound crazy. Maybe it sounds like I’m off my rocker, never to have a commercial thought in my head again. But, seriously, it’s not about meeting deadlines or being influenced by fear-mongering.

It’s about creating something really good.

There are buyers, seekers, your dream customers out there who look for products like yours, even that one you haven’t even made yet. They’ll find them. But allow yourself to create them first.

Here's the thing: what it's like to mentor with me

A few weeks ago, I was on a call with a client who asked whether she was using the time “correctly”, whether she was like other clients in her worries, questions, progress.

My first reaction was: it really doesn’t matter. If this is right for you, this is what we’ll talk about.

So we carried on. And then someone else asked me what it was like to mentor with other people, too. So, I figured it’s probably time to spill the beans.

This week’s blog post is an open letter to all current and future mentoring clients about what it’s like to mentor with me.

You bring lots of worries, thoughts and ideas – I listen and try to identify the most important bits.
We talk about everything – products, marketing, websites, branding, pricing, suppliers, social media, colleagues, business, family, weather, food, tea, rest, meditation, books. Everything is on the table.
We talk about feelings as well as practical stuff, and I usually add a to do list for the week which can include anything from uploading a product to researching a supplier to getting an early night. Sometimes it includes throwing out everything that was already on your to do list.
We repeat things on a week to week basis – sometimes we spend weeks talking about the same thing before it feels like we’ve made progress. This is entirely normal, and to be expected, as we realign your business practice and create new habits and ways of thinking.
Time management is always a thing – always.
I will encourage you to use (make you use) spreadsheets. Resistance is futile.
We usually end up with a shared, secret Pinterest board to share ideas for branding, photography and projects. This is one of my favourite parts of the job.
Typically, you need as much encouragement as I can fit into a call. It’s okay to need real reassurance from someone you can trust.
You can ask for what you need – nothing is off-limits to talk about, but I might point you in a different direction for better help where relevant.
I am an excellent secret-keeper. Several clients have shared news with me long before anyone else, because I’m here to help plan for change.
There will be moments of silence as I scribble down notes. I’ll ask you to repeat things, or say more about something, so that I really feel like I know what you’re worrying or thinking about.
I’ll give you options, suggestions, choices. It’s up to you to take them.

Here’s the thing

There’s no right way to run a business. Yes, some of the things I work with clients on (like getting your pricing to work for you) are business essentials. But a lot of the time, we talk through questions that are varied, multi-level and complex. The places where you can’t see the wood for the trees. I help you see the wood.

If I had one message for all my clients or anyone who feels they it, this would be it:

It’s okay to need reassurance, and it’s okay to feel like you’re stepping into the unknown. You are. And it’s amazing.

Here's the thing: take lunch breaks

In recent conversations with clients and at the Small Creative Business Retreat, it has come to my attention that many small business owners are not taking lunch breaks. In fact, some are not even eating lunch!

It’s time to change. I’m starting a lunch break revolution because, apparently, we need one.

I’m not going to argue with the wise people who tell you breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That would be foolish, I’m sure.

But lunch holds a very particular significance because it’s right there, smack bang in the middle of the day. Which makes it an ideal – nay – essential time for a proper break. You’ve put in the hours in the morning, and you brain and body are in need of sustenance, both food and time.

You know, if you actually employed yourself, you’d be legally obliged to give yourself at least 20 uninterrupted minutes for every 6 hours, plus tea and loo breaks.

Ask yourself right now: do you get 20 minutes off before you stop working in the evening?

And then ask yourself this: do you often feel overwhelmed, tired, unclear, unfocused, or unsure? If the answer is yes, let me suggest something… Take a lunch break!

Not just any kind of lunch break, a proper one. One in which your brain gets to slow down and relax a bit, or your hands get a good rest. A break that allows you to return to the land of real human beings, not a one-(wo)man business machine. A break in which you breathe, notice yourself eating nourishing food, drink something lovely, and sit quietly for a moment or two.

Things that do not constitute taking a lunch break:

Scrolling through Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram
Sitting by your computer or laptop, trying to get food in your mouth without looking
Any kind of chore, or to do list item

If you’re currently kidding yourself that spending 10 minutes on Facebook, getting worked up about what other people are doing, is actually a lunch break, then please – stop now.

Here’s the thing…

I’m going to tell you something you may find shocking. I take a lunch break every single day, for at least 30 minutes, and usually longer. I get up, make my lunch, and I sit on my sofa – 2 metres away from my laptop and phone.

Sometimes I pull out a (non-work) book. Sometimes I make notes (but only after I’ve finished eating). I breathe. I put on fun music. I stretch.

Sometimes (here it comes) I take a 2 hour lunch break. I go to yoga, or I simply need more downtime in order for my brain and my body to return to work mode. It’s taken me a little while to know that this is okay. I started off worrying that I’d need to schedule in “make up” time so that I was “allowed” to have time off. What I’ve discovered is that having a longer break when I need one allows me to work longer, or get up earlier, without me forcing it. It happens naturally. Honest.

Here’s the bit I really want you to hear: taking lunch breaks is a way to develop self-respect and self-worth. You are worthy of time off to eat a lovely sandwich and think about daffodils! Sometimes, we all feel like we’re not “allowed” to rest, that it has to be hard and we have to suffer for it to be worth it. Sometimes, we measure our productivity on how much we sacrificed to get there. You don’t have to suffer or sacrifice downtime to be successful.

And you don’t have to wait until you magically believe you’re worth it to start taking breaks and looking after yourself. Start taking them, and the belief will start to follow. You’ll be sending yourself the message that you deserve to be cared for, and so you’ll start to feel it, too.

Maybe 2 hours is a big ask for you, but try 20 minutes at least. I dare you!

Here are some ideas:

Leave the building. Physically remove yourself from work to clear your head and refresh you body and brain.
Breathe deeply. Follow a guided meditation, or simply take big, deep breaths by yourself.
Plan delicious lunches. If you have something to look forward to, surely you’ll want to sit and savour it?
Turn off all screens. You want to be present in your break, so limit the distractions that could pull you back into work.
Get a dog or borrow someone else’s. Dog-walking is great, because you can concentrate on something else, and you have a moral obligation to take a break! Plus, y’know, cute.

Have a wonderful bank holiday weekend!

PS If you’re still thinking ‘Yeah, right, how unrealistic, there’s no way I could do that, it’ll ruin my business’, I’M TALKING TO YOU. Go back to the beginning, read again. Or email me and tell me exactly how taking 20 minutes off every day is going to ruin your business.

So here’s the thing:

Here’s the thing

Here’s the thing…

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