Dawn Barclay

Helping you align all that you do with your core values

Moxie Business: Creative & Courageous Business

How To Not Have a Crappy Day (Or Lessons From Orangutans)

Not got time to read ’cause you’re having a ‘day’? Here’s 5 Quick Tips:

  1. Working alone does not equal being alone: change your state, talk, make a call, anything!
  2. It’s okay to raise a white flag no matter who you are or what you ‘do’. Cut yourself some slack.
  3. It’s okay to have a ‘day of rest’ or ‘not going to plan’! Oh, I think that means we’re human!
  4. Connection, connection, connection is KEY. Vital. Enough said.
  5. Hang out with people who don’t ‘rescue’ you.

When was the last time you had a non productive day?

What do you mean you’ve never had one? You, you, you…saint!

I’ve just had one. Today.

I had great plans. Cultivated and seeded in writing before shuteye last night. Pretty little ‘get done’ list it was, handwritten too.

Woke up raring to go. Champing at the bit to get started.

But.

Today totally bombed. It was siphoned away from me, doing loads, but doing nothing.

The Teeny Weeny Problem With Plans

Please, no advice such as ‘why didn’t you just follow the plan’. I thought I was!

Plans are awesome, but surprise surprise, they they don’t work, when the person working them isn’t in top working order!

Funny, because I was reading Made to Stick (a great book on why some ideas stick and why some don’t, it’s in our bookstore: look under the category creativity, click here)

Authors Dan and Chip Heath discussed how armies plan, plan, plan, plan and plan some more. But when it comes to the crunch the army knows ‘No plan survives contact with the enemy’.

In the past (during perfectionism days) I would plod, today at 3pm I waved my white flag.

The enemy? Just me.

How do you manage your ‘off’ days?

I turned to a lovely group of extremely (cough cough) understanding peeps and said  ‘I need a serious kick up the a*se, I have accomplished nada today’.

Being ever so caring and empathic, in a funnykindasorta way, they listened (well read) and replied:

  1. Have you had your coffee?  (Which made me laugh)
  2. What is your preferred method of getting nothing done?

My what?!!

Preferred methods of getting nothing done

Huh?

Do you not just LOVE that?

I soooooooo did! No guilt, no beating myself up, no screaming or kicking myself at the waste of time.

My Well Thought Out Equation…

Laugher + Completely Different Perspective On Situation = Instant State Change

A quick break, cuppa and zippity back to it.

On reflection, do you know what I needed today the most?

Connection

That was all?

Yep.

Exactly what I say to you. We all need to feel part of, to belong, to feel connected.

Today, I just wasn’t feeling it. I needed to walk my talk.

And that applies to everyone, including solo business owners, I mean we aren’t Orangutans! We need connections.

(Apparently Orangutans like to live and work alone, but hermit crabs don’t, that’s a myth, they bury themselves hence the hermit part! I did have hermit crabs, but double checked and apparently Orangutans come out tops with not needing any connection!)

When I replied to the ‘preferred method of getting nothing done’, I was actually stunned at what I had achieved but hadn’t planned to ‘get done’ today.

So, how can I help you today? Do you need to connect?

Your Turn

How do you manage your ‘off’ days? Tips, techniques and silliness welcomed in the comments below, keep it clean though. 

Photo credit again the lovely Hiking Artist

Solopreneur Interview #3 Susan Daffron ‘The Book Consultant’

‘Tis Friday! Time for another solopreneur interview, up this week is Susan Daffron, owner of The Book Consultant (well, that’s one of her businesses!) where she offers Book Publishing for Savvy Entrepreneurs.

If I were to introduce Susan to you (and if she wasn’t in the room) I’d say “extremely professional, she is human but triples up nicely as part ‘Information Point’ (directs you to what you are looking for) and half  GSD fairy (getting stuff done!), or fairie if you are in the US!  No messing, no pretence, straight talking, and incredibly funny. She’s written and published 12 non-fiction books.

Right over to Ms D…

Susan, tell us who you are, what you do, why you decided to go ‘solo’?

“Here’s my story…

When I started my business in 1994, dozens of small software companies were springing up in San Diego. Most of them didn’t have tech writers. So, I saw an opportunity.

At the time, I hated my job, hated the company I was working for, and pretty much thought my boss was evil incarnate. In short, I wanted out of the cubicle.

Full-time jobs were scarce and I didn’t want another cubicle job anyway. So I started signing up with contracting companies, so I could quit the evil job, get a lucrative tech writing contract, and a quick influx of cash, so I could start my own biz.

I ended up taking a 6-week contract at Intuit reading the tax code help files. I’m not kidding! It was the most boring job I’ve ever had (and that’s including packaging candy at a factory while I was in college). But reading the tax code did pay well, so mission accomplished there.

While I was doing my existing job and working the contract, I was also setting up my new business, Logical Expressions on the side.

I got my business license and all the legal stuff done, created a logo, bought computer equipment, took an adult ed course on entrepreneurship, researched potential customers (at the library; this was 1994, so you couldn’t just research companies on the Internet!) I also wrote a business plan, signed up with an ISP, and got on CompuServe. (Remember CompuServe?!)

In January 1995, my contract ended and I was all set up. I mailed out my first direct mail piece to my target clients and got clients immediately. For a couple years, I did software documentation and worked for a couple tech publishing companies as well.

Later in 1995, my husband joined Logical Expressions doing freelance programming work. Then in 1996, we realized our dream of moving away from San Diego to the forests of Idaho. (We traded our 1,200 square foot condo for a log home in the middle of the forest.)

What made you choose this business?

When I started the company, I basically took the skills I had used in Corporate America and translated them into a freelance service (technical writing).

Since then I’ve switched my business niche multiple times.  I’ve worked on tech books, published my own magazine, done web design, and most recently moved into book publishing. I got out of the tech world when I realized at some point that if I had to write “Chose File|Open” again, I might have to kill myself.

But with that said, the rationale for each switch of my niche was calculated. The reason I killed my magazine was because of the dot-bomb recession. (The mag was about how to use computers…yeah, kiss those advertisers goodbye!)

The reason for getting out of Web design was because I saw that it was becoming commoditized, I don’t like WordPress, and the economy was going to tank (again), so I couldn’t make any money at it anymore.

People will buy a $20 book on Web sites when they won’t pay for a Web designer. Now I’m looking at ways to capitalize on the massive changes going on in book publishing. (Kindle, Nook, etc. etc.)

One of the things I’m proud of is that even though it hasn’t always been easy, and there have been major ups and downs, our business has kept going and has supported us since 1995.

It also made it possible for us to move away from the city to a place we love and live a comfortable life amid 40 acres of trees and lots of dogs, cats, and other critters.

Being in business for myself has also given me the flexibility to explore other interests like gardening and animal-related stuff. I took the Idaho Master Gardener courses, and I volunteered for animal shelters and a spay/neuter clinic for years. That work led to me forming the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals in 2008. The Association offers tools, resources, and information for people working to save homeless animals.

What drives you?

I love the life we’ve created, so that’s what keeps ME going!

If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

Not much actually. I read a ton of business book when I started and I continue to read extensively. There is always something new to learn and library books are FREE.

What do you wish you knew at the start?

That marketing is going to take up a lot of your time. You think you’ll be spending a lot of time doing client work. But if you stop marketing, no more clients. So you have to budget in that time now and forever.

What was the best piece of advice/learning?

At the entrepreneurship class I took, the instructor said, “nothing happens until somebody sells something.”

It’s true.

Any tips for anyone thinking of ‘going solo’ but haven’t yet?

1. Have a well-thought out exit plan. (No matter how much you may want to, telling your boss off and stalking out of your cubicle is not a generally a viable plan.)
2. Set aside money before you leave your regular paycheck behind you.
3. Read as much as you can about business before, during, and after going solo. Go to the library, check out books, and READ them. Also take advantage of other free or low cost business development resources in your community.

Shout Out: Susan can be found at The Book Consultant (if your ready to put your ideas into print) and the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals. You can follow her on twitter @susandaffron, or Facebook. Susan also runs workshops to assist entrepreneurs to get their writing done. with virtual writing retreats

Solopreneur Interview #2 Eugen Oprea My Online Business Team

It’s Friday! That means it’s time for another solopreneur interview. Not sure what these are? This post here will explain, and here’s the link to No 1 in case you missed it.

Onwards.

Solopreneur Interviews Eugen Oprea My Online Business Team

Today I have for you Eugen Oprea (pronounced u-gen) from My Online Business Team.

If someone were to ask me explain what Eugen does in a sentence I would say: ‘Eugen makes internet ‘stuff’ and all that SEO and analytics melarkee really really really easy for non techie types’. What an introduction!

He’s incredibly helpful, just follow him on Twitter and every morning you’ll read: ‘How can I help you today?‘, he means it to, it’s not just words, he expects you to reply! But you’ll have to go and prove that to yourself!

And we’re off…

Eugen tell us all who you are, what you do, and why you decided to go solo?

I‘ve always dreamed to become an entrepreneur. But just as anything in this world you need to take things step by step. So I started my journey by building computers, repairing them and ultimately selling them. But when I felt that I wanted to do more, I left home and moved to London.

Long story short, after 1 year the recession came, I lost my job, returned home, got another role at a software company and from September 2011 I’ve worked full time for myself.

Right now, I am somehow living my dream.

Pardon? Explain…

I‘m doing what I love.

It’s been a journey. Putting all the pieces in place, I mean ‘it’s happening’ this was the plan.

While I was working full time, I was building and running my business part time in the background including: making contacts, offering help, networking, learning, working out who I could serve best, I spent the same hours on my business as I did in employment!

A lot of people have told me that I know to translate tech for everyone to understand. My business is supporting other business owners: this is my chance to help people and change the world, helping others who are doing the same thing!

I do that over at EugenOprea.com, where I do my best to explain how WordPress works, what it takes to get on the #1 page of Google and how you can get more insights from Google Analytics data. This site is for people who like to get their hands dirty and get involved in the technical.

But for solo and small business owners who feel overwhelmed and would like to have someone else do it for them, I launched My Online Business Team with Rachel Mathews.

What made you choose this business?

When you decide to start a business you need to find a market first with a specific need and then see how you can apply your skills to cover the needs of that market.

So in 2010, when I took Sonia Simone’s course “Remarkable Marketing Blueprint”, I realized that there are people who don’t know specific things that for me seemed so easy.

This, somehow opened my eyes and made me see that I can help a lot of people just by sharing with them my knowledge. I noticed some people were really struggling, putting in all the time and effort and trying to fit together pieces of jigsaw, where I had the whole picture.

If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

If I had to start over, I would go back to high school and spend less time playing on the computer and more time learning new stuff.

I would read more books and I would invest more time into my personal development and professional development.

On the business side, I would choose more carefully the people who I work with. But we make mistakes so we can learn from them and I am fine with that.

What was the best piece of advice/learning?

Read, read, read… until your eyes hurt.

Not having English my first language, it was an obstacle. I learned English at school and from movies, but when it comes to writing that is a different story.

When I launched my blog I started to look for ways of improving my writing and get my message across more clearly and easier. During my research, I have found this quote and I did that to improve my writing.

However it misses something, after your read, read, read you need to write, write, write.

I would probably add to it, after you read you need to take action, action, action!

What drives you?

The feeling that I am able to do something that can change the world.

At the same time I am motivated when I see that the people I help are really happy with the results they get. I am driven when I see that my work has results, or when I get an email from someone who just wants to thank me for something that I did.

Yes, that makes me really happy.

What do you wish you knew at the start?

Nothing that I can really think of right now. I knew from the beginning that this journey may be hard, that there could be difficult times, but I was willing to take that risk.

I believe that anyone starting a solo business will do so at the right time for them.

As you design and build websites, let’s talk about those: what’s the worst website you can imagine? And the best? For a new solo business what do you think they must have on their website to make it look hottie and awesome to potential customers?

The worst website: one that has a design from 1991!

The best website: One that has a purpose, that sends a message across, that is well optimized primarily for readers, one that is not stuffed with ads or other thousands of things that make you loose your focus and one that makes hard for visitors to share it.

If people were building their first site themselves, what would you recommend?

Well, I use WordPress to build sites so I would say get a premium theme. They have clean designs, they are easy to customize, secure, they make your website look more professional and they are not expensive.

If you need help, get someone to help you. Personally, if I don’t know something, rather than spending 2 hours working on that bit, I would hire someone to do it for me in half an hour and spend my 2 hours making at least double the money that I use to pay that person. So it’s worth it.

Another thing would be to have a signup box that is visible, because it will help you grow your list and if you don’t have a list start one right now! Offer an ethical incentive to encourage people to sign up to hear from you again. Also use social media buttons that can let your readers share your content with just one click.

And if you are putting efforts in creating content, make sure that you do that on your home base (your blog, your website) and use Facebook, Twitter, Google+ as outposts not places to put all your work on.

I am saying this because you do not own your Facebook page and if Mark Zuckerberg decides to delete it, you can’t do anything about that. On the other hand, you own your website/blog and you can do anything with it.

Shout Out: You can find Eugen at myonlinebusinessteam, follow him on Twitter @eugenoprea or on Google+ Eugen also has a free Google Analytics Course over at eugenoprea.com

What Are Core Values? (+ Workbook)

We careesy-coachy-helpery-trainery-people types talk a lot about being or sitting in alignment with your values: knowing who you are, and living authentically.

A lot, lotta, lotta, lot. Mega amounts.

But there’s good reason.

See, they play a great big whooping part in every area of your life, career, business, family, relationships — the whole picture.

Lots of people can state what’s of importance to them, and what they value but not always know their core values.

There’s a difference?

Yes.

Explain.

Okay.

Well, some people weigh up all their values as being of equal value, with no priority.

Example: The happiness of a child (yours even) being given the same value or weight as being able to eat my favourite cake when I want, is not the same.

Let me show you what I mean with a game:

All you need to do is agree or disagree.

Think about them for a few seconds first.

Can you sit on the fence?

Nope. It’s my game. So play fair.

Ready?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

  • It’s okay to go to bed without having brushed your teeth.
  • Same sex marriages should be legal in every country worldwide.
  • It’s totally acceptable to pick your nose in a public place.
  • Life should mean life in a prison sentence.
  • An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.
  • Eye contact must be made at all times.
  • Money doesn’t buy happiness.
  • All politicians are liars.
  • All religions cause wars.
  • It’s survival of the fittest.

Whether you agreed or disagreed will depend entirely on your value system.

Our values are a little bit like an internal navigation system. Guiding and leading.

They are a system in perfect working order: (I didn’t say effective because sometimes they aren’t), working even now as you read this they’re the central HQ of how you choose and what you decide, how you behave &  how you act.

Core values underpin how you live your life.

They assist you to answer, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What do I stand for?’

They are unspoken rules and regulations, terms and conditions by which you have agreed to and ultimately live by.

Whether or not you consciously consult or are aware of them isn’t important, they are the captain of what you do, what you believe as the truth.

Some will serve you, others will hinder you.

Some will be glued and fixed rigid, unmovable, others more fluid.

Some were handed down to you, others you learned along the way.

Some will have changed over time, others will have grown stronger.

You may find when they are being challenged by others, you’ll defend them.

Sometimes, you’ll be swayed by the values held by others and amend your own, or refuse and deepen yours even further.

You’ll look around (sometimes unconsciously) to seek evidence that your values are the right ones.

Where do they come from?

Oh, we could be here for a-g-e-s.

A start…you’ll have been shaped by your upbringing: where you were raised, how you were raised, what you experienced. Some are social, some are political, others are cultural. You may hold values that are swamped in history: values held by your ancestors, that have been handed to you down through generations.

Seriously?

Yep.

They will have been gathered via your beliefs and norms, you will have learned your values from what was acceptable and non-acceptable in your schools, playground, and workplaces.

You have been conforming and forming your values for years.

You will have placed a value base on almost every area of your life.

Is there a difference between values and core values?

They are deeper.

Much deeper.

Finding them, or identifying them isn’t too hard. Look for what triggers a very strong emotion in you (anger, love, hate, jealousy) there will probably be a link to a core value wrapped up there (the workbook will help).

Here’s an example of how deep our core values go:

For the best part of ten years, I wrote and delivered a 6-week program for individuals wishing to enter the role of Support Worker (supporting other people who required support).

For this role, the person had to have strong core values surrounding equality, inclusion, person-centred working, respect, dignity, diversity, empathy…just for starters.

Asked at the interview, ‘Why do you want to work as a Support Worker?’

80% of the time the answer was to help people.

80% of the time that usually wasn’t enough.

Why?

Core Values

Having answered that question I would then ask questions about the actual role such as:

How would you support someone with high support needs, who uses a wheelchair and wants to go rock climbing?

How would you support someone taking a bath?

Core value-laden questions.

When an individual would reply to the wheelchair question something along the lines of ‘well, they wouldn’t be able to’ or ‘I’d try and find something else for them to do’ or ‘tell them they couldn’t maybe take them to a local park instead‘.

Those answers gave so much away about their core values: about freedom, choice, opportunities, and equality. The values just weren’t there.

The bath question, if someone replied ‘test the water’ or ‘would I have to do that?‘ again, a clear indication of the persons’ core values. No mention of dignity, respect, the right to privacy.

Can you see the difference?

See, you can pretend for a while, but ultimately your core values will be exposed.

What about your life, career, business?

I believe knowing your core values helps you make better decisions, better choices.

They are your guide, your map, and compass.

  • If one of your core values is authenticity, how would you feel working in an environment where everyone wears masks, back stabs, gossips, and comments?
  • If another was family time, how would you feel if you worked in an environment where it was expected you would work late, put in extra hours, work overtime?
  • How about if one of your core values was to be treated with respect and dignity, and yet your boss was a tyrant a belittler, an aggressive monster, or your partner ignored you on a regular basis?

They do matter.

To live a life 24/7 where you aren’t ‘in alignment’ with your core values is challenging.

  • Perhaps one of your values is independence and freedom, how do you feel when someone makes decisions (even when it’s well meant) about your life without your consent?
  • Maybe one of your core values is honesty and integrity, what happens when you find someone has been lying to you?

Coach yourself

Discover your core values. Know them, learn from them, embrace the ones that serve you, move away from the ones that do not serve. They will show you why you behave and act in certain ways. They will have you manage conflict and see other people more clearly. They will shine a light on what really matters to you. They will explain to you why you feel what you feel. 

If you want to read more and purchase the Core Values Workbook click here.

Solopreneur Interview #1 Theresa Delgado Smart Marketing Small Business

First up in the new solopreneur series ‘If I Had to Start Over‘ is Theresa Delgado (cue clapping) from Smart Marketing Small Business Small Business.

Known as ‘T’, we met online a while back, she is one of the most helpful, supportive, encouraging and warm peeps I’ve come across…I know her as a woman of many passions (like us all!). She previously worked in pharmaceuticals, and now helps small and solo business owners get smart with their marketing including social media.

I wonder if it was a massive career transition.

Let’s find out…

 

Theresa Delgado – Smart Marketing Small Business

T! Who are you, explain what you ‘do’ and the biggie what made you decide to go solo after years in the corporate sector?

Well, the transition to helping entrepreneurs grow their business was actually fairly seamless with my sales background.  I spent over 20 years in sales and marketing and corporate training within the pharmaceutical industry, and then in 2005 I was laid off.

Seamless?

Yes, as a pharmaceutical representative your territory is essentially your “company”.  You have a company message to deliver; however, it’s up to you to dig deep and uncover the needs of your customers, communicate the benefits of your product, and move the relationship forward.

To me, the Internet is a great avenue for entrepreneurs to accomplish the exactly same steps.

You can actually can put yourself on par with larger companies, if you market yourself properly.

What made you choose this business over others?

Online marketing for business started to interest me because of the ability to reach so many people in a very targeted fashion.  ‘Traditional’ marketing is done by mail, telephone, cold calling etc. This avenue of marketing yourself takes a lot of time and money.

Also, you’re marketing your service or product to everyone in that zip code, telephone list, etc.  A huge majority of those people just won’t be interested in your solution and all that time (a precious commodity) and money are wasted.

Of course, there will be people who do want your offer, it’s about being really smart, working a plan and finding them.

The Internet and social media can help you market your business much more efficiently (even locally). If you have a targeted plan and properly carry it out, you will reach exactly those customers who are looking for your product or service.

Also, without a doubt, the benefits of publishing strategic information (awesome helpful content, like a blog) on the Internet works to market your business for a very long time and builds as time passes.  Every entrepreneur should take advantage of that marketing tool.

Okay,  here’s the biggie, if you had to start over, what would you do differently?

More planning.

I always recommend that if you’re planning on starting a business online (or off) that you develop a plan.

Sometimes this takes time because you don’t know the area you would like to focus on; however, it is time well spent.

Every entrepreneur needs to hone in on their skills and what they enjoy. 

Once this is accomplished it is a lot easier to form a focused business.  You don’t want to waste time and energy chasing a business model that truly doesn’t interest you and doesn’t allow you to grow.

What was the best piece of advice/learning?

Persistence, patience and purpose. 

Starting a business whether a brick and mortar or on the Internet takes time to build and grow.  Too make people with great marketable skills give up because they think that building an online presence is easy and the clients will come running.

The way to set yourself up for great success is to have a well thought out plan and work your plan.  Every entrepreneur needs to set benchmarks for success. Benchmarks will allow you to track your progress, show the success you’ve achieved and keep you motivated.

What drives and motivates you?

Watching as my clients achieve success.

Seeing the growth potential of a business and putting a few calculated strategies in place to make this happen.

Every business model is different and depending on the goals of the business owner, strategies change.  Suggested techniques depend on the individual and the business.   However, entrepreneurs generally want to know how to grow their business and get the most from their marketing efforts.

What do you wish you knew at the start?

Stay clear of the ‘big empty promises’, especially online.

When you start to research all the possibilities of marketing a business online people generally come across all the “get rich quick” gurus.  Listening to all these promises can get a little discouraging because you know if it was that easy, everybody would be raking in the money.

You begin to wonder (and doubt you’re own abilities) if having a legitimate online presence is possible.

My advice to people just starting out is, “Don’t get discouraged by all these empty promises.”

A legitimate online presence is possible, but it takes patience, persistence and perseverance.

Shout Out: You can find Theresa at smartmarketingsmallbusiness, follow her on Twitter @TheresaDelagado or on Google+ http://gplus.to/TheresaDelgado. She also has a free 20 part free email course on youtube The Art of Video Marketing.

 

Solopreneur Interviews ‘If I Had to Start Over…’

Tomorrow, we’re starting a series of interviews with solo business owners by solo business owners called ‘If I Had to Start Over: Lessons from Solopreneurs’.

(Until I can think up a jazzier title!)

Every Friday (if peeps are ready with their ditty) there will be someone who at one time was just ‘starting out’, someone who has been in your shoes, and with lessons to share.

What’s been really amazing while inviting peeps to contribute is the comments they’ve made:

  • ‘Oh, think it’s about time I shared my mistakes’
  • ‘Right, I’ll admit my errors, no shame’
  • ‘It’s time to expose what I was in denial with!’
  • ‘Yep, I can share a few lessons (learned the hard way!)’

So, it should be good, em, fun!

One person’s mistake is another’s lesson.

If you want to know when they’re out (they will be posted here every Friday) follow on twitter, or Facebook.

Now, On Making Mistakes

I didn’t ask for ‘mistakes’, but then I suppose ‘If I Had to Start Over…’ is translated to ‘here’s what I did, and wish I hadn’t!’

Here’s the great news about making mistakes in your little biz: nobody is going to sack you.

Here’s the bad news about making mistakes in your little biz: nobody is going to sack you.

If I ‘d been an ’employee’ of me, I would have had plenty of reasons to boot my very bounc-y-fied butt out the door long before now.

(Singing: Mistakes, I’ve had a few…too many to mention” Oh, no, the right word is regrets, not mistakes! See?)

In business, you’re probably going to make mistakes, nah, you will make mistakes, blunders, screw-ups, bad decisions, or find yourself slapping your forehead a few times saying ‘doh, doh, doh!’

Get used to it.

Over the years I’ve made plenty (and I’m not alone), from the teeny ones that were quickly rectified and probably didn’t really matter anyway.

To the whoppers.

Whopper definition: Something exceptionally big or remarkable.

These have included money whoppers, partner whoppers, mindset whoppers, website whoppers, tactics whoppers, selling whoppers, contract whoppers, marketing whoppers, time whoppers, comment whoppers, networking whoppers — ach, this is going to go on forever!

Whopping is going to happen.

And you know what? Every single solo business owner has whopped at some stage.

Folks are just good at keeping them hidden.

Rest easy, while your bruising your own cranium, there are other doing the same.

Now, there will be certain whoppers you can do without the ones that waste time and money.

One day I’ll tell you about the day I ordered leaflets 250,000 (with dates on), because it was a good ‘deal’! Imagine, 250,000 flyers in one place! (One ream of A4 paper contains 500 sheets!)

I’m still writing my ‘piece’, but without a doubt my biggest lesson so far:

Connection is key.

Going solo is ‘tuff. Wherever you can connect, share, give.

Lesson: it’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay for the person to say no, but the asking is perfectly allowed.

Your Turn:

Before the first of the series is posted tomorrow: what’s your biggest ‘lesson’ you would not do again if you had to start over, feel free leave a comment in the box below.

And if you want to be interviewed please let me know — you can write it, record it, video it! Get me here, or on Twitter