A reminder of some of my favourite catchphrases and lessons I’ve learned the hard way
Consistency and delusion: you need a healthy amount of each. Set goals that feel like audacious asks and take steps towards them.
Beauty in the boring: the journey is boring. Share the messy middle. The going backwards. Not just the extreme highlights and lowlights. Find a way to enjoy the everyday part and bring people along for it.
Show a bit of ankle: you do not need to share all of your private life. Repeat. Find little bits instead. I’m obsessed with RuPaul’s Drag Race, Studio Ghibli, learning to forage mushrooms, learning French, doing slow cute things like making arbousier jam, walking my dog. That’s a few insights into what is ultimately a very private life.
Doing things differently: sure, take inspiration from your peers, but ask what you can do that genuinely sets you apart from them.
Everyone loves your fails more than your wins: so stop being embarrassed about them and own the shame. Our brains have a negativity bias, so we connect more with these stories. Just get it out there.
When you feel like it the least, is probably when you need to promote that thing the most.
Know your values: and know what other people’s are too. It’s not worth collaborating with a big name if it goes against what you stand for.
Send the lift back down: if someone helped you get there, or you learned something that will help the next person, make sure you credit them.
Use your profile as a gift: if you are raising your profile, you have the opportunity to put the names of underrepresented communities in the room with you. Put others forward from marginalised communities, not just your best mates.
If you don’t tell people what you sell: they won’t know what to buy from you. Most of the time people won’t see what you’re sharing anyway, so it’s okay to repeat yourself.
You don’t need another 100 challenge: Unless you 100% know what your business goals are, don’t waste your time on anything that isn’t helping you reach them.
What are you selling?: where is the link? What’s the call to action? Is it a waitlist? A signature product?
Delete “excited”, “delighted”, “thrilled”: these are the most overused words in a press release quote. Unless you genuinely talk like that, find more original language to share your win. Try chuffed, gobsmacked, surprised, tickled pink, shocked, grateful or thankful instead.
“Everyone else is doing it” is a terrible reason to do something: promoting the same software, bizfluencer, service offerings, bolt-ons or selling language should always be a red flag. How can you swim in your own lane?
If you don’t ask: people don’t know — especially when things go wrong, because inevitably they do. Be specific about the help you need. The small business community loves to help, but we need to know how.
Real life trumps business expertise: facts, stats and research are great, but anecdotes are more memorable. They don’t even have to be your own.
Uniqueness, uniqueness, uniqueness: this isn’t the name of your programme, your methodology, or repeating standard opinions. It’s fully leaning into how you really talk, what you really think, and where you are right now.
Don’t feed the fire: got a negative comment or feel triggered by something someone’s said? Focus your energy on your own thing, or give yourself at least 24 hours before responding.
Remove at will: feel copied, not credited, or activated? Block. Mute. Remove.
People need what you sell: stop feeling like it’s embarrassing or awkward. You help people with something — remind them of what that is.
Remember people are sat in your office: just because your business is online doesn’t make it any less real. We don’t stop employed people going to work when things happen in the world. You’re allowed to be doing your day job.
Don’t forget the serious stuff: I know it’s boring, but make sure you have the business insurance, the contracts, and the terms and conditions in place.
Comparisonitis: I love this line from Desiderata — “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” There’s never been a better time to focus on you.
Know the heads of department of your imaginary agency: who’s your equivalent across different areas? Public speaking. Workshops. Finance. Borrow expertise instead of trying to be everything.
Keep on hyping: obviously don’t burn yourself out. Promotion done with the right energy is a good thing. And don’t give up. If you need a cheerleader to give you a hype boost, you know where I am.
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