Year: 2020

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What is content creation?

What is content creation?

You’ve probably heard a lot about how important content creation is when you’re marketing your business. The trouble is, it’s such a generic term it can be tough to work out what the flipping heck it means in relation to your business. There’s such a bewildering array of options and platforms out there no-one (least of all me) would blame you for feeling a bit bewildered. So, I decided to go back to basics and help you negotiate the content creation maze a bit more easily.

What is content creation?

I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel, so here’s Hubspot’s definition (they know a thing or two about creating great marketing content).

“Content creation is the process of generating topic ideas that appeal to your buyer persona, creating written or visual content around those ideas, and making that information accessible to your audience as a blog, video, infographic, or other format.”

Hubspot

Basically, it can be anything you like. Writing, images, videos – anything you can put online or give physical form to offline. Of course, there’s more to it than that. It’s utterly pointless if it doesn’t get in front of the people you can help.  It’s even more futile if it gets in front of them but doesn’t tell them how you can
help them. Which leads me on to the next thing…

How do you get started?

I feel as if I’ve been banging on about getting to know your customer for about a hundred years (I know, I’ve told myself a million times not to exaggerate). The truth is, it’s the key to getting your content creation right. You can read more about knowing your customer here but the first step is to work out what their life is like and how you could help to make it better. That could be by solving a problem or enhancing their everyday life in some way.

Then, think about how (and where) you can tell them about it. Do they love watching videos or do they prefer something they can read? What images or memes will lift their spirits or make them laugh?

What do you want to create?

The next step is to think about what will play to your strengths. For me, a blog was a no brainer. It lets potential clients get to know me and shows them I can string a sentence together. If you create something beautiful, you’ll need images that show it off, but that doesn’t have to be all you create.

Ask yourself what you’ll enjoy creating, whether it’s words, pictures or video. Then think about how that fits with what your customers will love and whether you can share it somewhere they’ll see it. I’m not saying that you’ll never need to push out of your comfort zone (you will). But if you can start off creating content in an enjoyable way you’re more likely to do it consistently.

What next?

Once you’ve gathered your ideas, it’s time to start posting. One key thing to keep in mind from the start is what you want you want people to do when they see your posts. Social media is a fickle beast so how can you encourage people to stay in touch with you? Sign up for updates on Messenger or via email? Join your group? Share your post so you reach more people? A good call to action will encourage people to take the next step, so you need to know what the next step is. As the saying goes, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Resources

Claire Mitchell of The Girls Mean Business has loads of brilliant marketing advice – you can join her free Facebook group here.

Read more about creating a call to action here.

You can join my free Facebook group ‘Blogging Brilliance’ here or just complete the form below to sign up to my email list for blogging and marketing hints and tips straight to your inbox every month.

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How are you?

How are you social distancing?

I had a completely different blog post written for this week. Yet somehow I couldn’t bring myself to publish it. It felt a tiny bit irrelevant to tell another story when the world has turned upside down. So here I am. The only question running through my head is ‘how are you’? Not just for you, but for myself as well. The last time my eldest son went to his fun football session, I got a funny look from one of the dads because I coughed. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him it was his aftershave! Now, every time I cough I wonder if it’s the first sign. Trouble is, I am a cougher. My youngest boy is too. Blame the asthmatic ancestors whose legacy wasn’t the condition itself, but extra sensitive airways. The last couple of weeks have seen me in extra vigilant mode in case the usual coughs become unusual ones. I’ve also been conscious of the different ways that people have reacted to this. I’m not going to talk about the crowds who treated social distancing as a green flag to flock to their local beauty spots. It’s a waste of energy and I’m going to need all mine. What I will tell you about is what’s helped me and what definitely hasn’t.

The personal networks

I’m lucky to be in a brilliant range of business networks, but there are some beyond that too. The parents at the school gate and the local community associations are all a part of my network. It’s been heartening to see how many people have stepped up to help. There’s been co-operation that has helped quarantined families and vulnerable people to be fed and supported in other ways. There have been social media posts in my school groups giving ideas for things to do with the children. There’s also been a phenomenal level of whingeing. I know it helps some people, but the difference between that and the alternative is really striking.

Business support

Most of all, there’s been business support. The panic that your business won’t survive doesn’t last long when you’re in a community of amazing women who’ll help you to brainstorm ideas one minute and teach you how to implement them the next. They’ve also helped to alleviate the guilt. It’s more than working parent anxiety just now. It’s the feeling that you shouldn’t be promoting your business when other people are struggling. The truth is, you shouldn’t feel bad about offering something that will help people. There’s also nothing wrong with putting on your own oxygen mask first. If you can keep a roof over your head and food on the table you’re less likely to need a bail out and that’s better for everyone.

How’s your social media?

Life is being lived on social media more than usual at the moment. There’s been extra positivity because support groups are mobilising on Facebook. There have been the usual spats, but no more than usual. The thing that’s got to me, more than anything, are the people predicting what’s going to happen. I don’t mean the experts. I’m hugely grateful for the people who are providing proper data and explaining the psychology behind the guidelines. I mean the people fretting about stuff that hasn’t happened yet, if it ever does. It took me a long time to stop worrying about things I can’t control, which means I can’t deal with other people doing it. I appreciate that’s my foible but it’s made me much more careful about where I spend time. 

I hope you and your loved ones are OK. Saying ‘how are you?’ has taken on a whole new seriousness, hasn’t it? If you need anything, whether it’s practical support, a listening ear or absolutely anything else, please shout. I’m helping quite a few people with finding the right words to market their business at this strange and crazy time, so let me know if I can do that for you too.

In the meantime, take care and I’ll speak to you soon.

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How I broke out of my sales comfort zone

Sales comfort zone
Actual footage of me hiding from my fear of being too salesy

I know I’m not alone in having a squeamish relationship with sales. It’s bizarre when you think about it. We’re in business. If we don’t sell stuff, we don’t make money. Then we have to go back to having what’s generally known as a ‘proper job’. Picture me shuddering as I write that. As much as the security of a salary and a pension would be lovely, I don’t want a boss. And I’ve had some perfectly lovely bosses in my time. (There have been some fairly hideous ones too, but that’s a story for another day.)

Yet when you get into marketing and networking, it almost feels as if you need to apologise for wanting to sell. No-one wants to be seen as ‘salesy’. This is particularly true in women’s networking groups. I don’t like to generalise and (of course) there are always exceptions. It just feels as if we’re generally more apologetic. I took part in a challenge recently that aimed to help female business owners increase their leads and get more sales. It got me thinking about my own attitude to selling and why it makes so many of us feel uncomfortable. Here’s what I came up with.

Why am I like this?

The obvious answer to my sales aversion is that I hate the hard sell, but is there anyone who actually likes it? That’s too simplistic an answer. I realised that most of my earlier jobs were in businesses where sales were someone else’s department. As a lawyer I had to convince people to take a particular course of action but I never had to persuade them to work with me in the first place. I’ve also worked in environments where women in charge were treated differently. Behaviour that would have been perfectly acceptable from a man was seen as ‘bossy’ or ‘pushy’ in a woman. These issues have deep roots but it
certainly feels as if we’re expected to be quiet and not bother anyone.

How my attitude to sales changed

I recently took part in a challenge run by the lovely Gemma Gilbert, who supports mums with service based businesses and helps them to make consistent sales. Her take on selling firmly stomps on the idea that we’re bothering people. We’re in business because we offer a service that will help people. Telling people how we can help them should be, well, helpful. It isn’t diving straight in with a sales pitch. That’s like proposing marriage on the first date. Sales start with telling people what we do and how we help them in our marketing. We build trust so that when we finally say ‘if you’d like me to do x for you, this is how it works’, they decide to buy because they know us.

What now?

Part of the challenge was to post on our personal Facebook page telling people what we do. It felt odd as I’d always been told that Facebook actively discouraged business posts on personal profiles. I’d always assumed that people know what I do – turns out a lot of them didn’t. Ultimately, it wasn’t a business post. It was just telling people what I do so that they can support me if they want to. It’s definitely made me more open to talking about work on
my personal social media and in life generally. I need to remember that my network goes beyond business contacts. It’s also taught me that my marketing is
on the right track, I just need to take it a bit further sometimes.

If you’d like to know more about how I can help you, sign up for my mailing list or email me at info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk  for a chat.

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Why brand consistency is important

Why brand consistency is important

In a nutshell, your brand is your most valuable asset. Whether at home or in the workplace, we all have brand preferences. Firm favourites we use often, ones we’re following and may well try out next time, and those, for whatever reason, we dislike, mistrust, and prefer to avoid.

Successful brands connect. They have personality, inspire confidence, and are easy to recall. They’re distinctive, making good use of engaging, clear, consistent communication.

Inconsistent branding endangers that relationship. From a customer’s standpoint, it’s confusing and careless. After all, if the brand doesn’t care, why should its customers? Damaging your brand’s reputation will have a negative effect on not only your brand, but your bottom line too – ouch!

John Lewis’ Never Knowingly Undersold (NKU) pricing promise has served them well for almost 100 years and played an integral role in driving loyalty and lifelong customers. If ease, choice, and fast delivery are top of your list, Amazon is likely to hit the spot. Meanwhile, Red Bull is busily ticking all the boxes for speed loving thrill seekers. What these brands have in common is consistency and that does have a value.

The most recent Brand Consistency Benchmark report found “The average revenue increase attributed to always presenting the brand consistently” to be 33%.

Building brand loyalty involves the whole brand experience from start to finish and beyond. As business owners, we all want to attract new customers and a growing number of repeat customers over the longer term.

The first thing to check is your brand resources – do you have everything you’ll need to stay on track?

Logo masters – various file formats so you’re covered for large and small, online and offline applications. Remember, there’s nothing worse than seeing a logo stretched out of proportion, pixelated, or in the wrong colours.

Image library –key images in high and low resolutions, not forgetting social media profile pictures and avatars – the small profile image which displays on your timeline.

Colour palette – colour breakdowns so that you’re good to go for litho, digital and desktop, (Pantone, CMYK & RGB), as well as Hex for web/online.

Brand fonts – usually comprising a pairing for on and offline use.

Strapline – summing up the essence of your brand or company, including its values and personality. Ideally short enough to be remembered and memorable enough to stand the test of time.

USP – differentiates your brand.

If you’re missing any of these elements, talk to your logo designer about working together to develop and complete your brand identity.

The other essential is your Brand Personality Framework. It’s a set of assigned human traits, or characteristics, which help towards building an emotional connection between your prospects and your brand’s personality.

There are five key dimensions – Competence, Sincerity, Excitement, Sophistication, and Ruggedness, each with its own set of traits. Red Bull’s personality is Excitement, as is Nike’s, Rolex and Apple are Sophistication – you get the drift? Even big brands make the occasional gaff though. Harley Davidson (Ruggedness) over-extended their branded product range to include cologne. No surprise it failed being at odds with Harley’s masculinity and strength values.

Google has lots of framework chart examples, which you can use to determine which section your brand resonates with. Try not to overcomplicate – your brand’s personality will change and evolve over time. Once you have your framework, keep it in mind. It will prove an invaluable checklist for all your future brand activities.

Two-thirds of us use more than one channel to make purchases. With all the online and offline opportunities to make an impression, consistency across all channels and touch points is more important than ever.

https://birkettconsultancy.com/
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Is your blog too serious?

Is your blog too serious?
Does your blog need to smile more?

When you first write a blog for your business it can be hard to get the tone right. Too serious and your potential customers will stop reading (unless it’s so dry you’ve actually caused them to nod off mid-sentence). On the other hand, if it’s completely off the wall you run the risk of looking unprofessional. So what do you do? Here are a few ideas from me.

What’s your personality?

I feel as if most of the blogs I’ve written start with knowing your customer. While this is still true, when you’re writing a blog you need to show your personality. The subjects that you talk about need to be ones that are important to your customers. That way you share your expertise and show them that you can help. But what if there are hundreds of other businesses sharing the same sort of content?

If you offer a service that needs to be delivered in person you’ll be competing with other businesses in your area. Go online and the pool is even bigger. Skills, experience and price are important but your customers will often choose to work with you because they like you. You don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not. I know two fantastic marketing experts. One is in your face and bold, the other is calm and quiet. They both get results and their clients love them. You can do the same.

How do you talk to your customers?

If you’re wondering how you get your personality into your blog while still sounding professional, the answer is pretty simple. Think about how you talk to your clients face to face. When it comes to marketing, consistency is key. You build trust by sharing your knowledge and showing your customers how it helps them, but that’s not all. When you write a blog you’re giving them insight into your personality and what you stand for. If the way you come across is at odds with how you are in real life, the trust will be lost.

In practice, this means developing an awareness of the way you naturally speak to your customers. It’s also worth thinking about how you present yourself in other ways. If you’ve blogged about your green business credentials it’s not going to go over too well if your client arrives at your office to find you dressed head to toe in endangered animal skin. OK, I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea.

Blog in your voice

Most of us shift quite naturally between the tone of voice we use with business contacts and the way we speak to our friends. You might not even notice the shift. If you’ve found yourself wondering how you actually sound, start with your emails. They’ll give you a flavour of the way you communicate in writing in a business context. I often suggest recording yourself talking about your business when you’re trying to blog. This can be problematic as voice to text generally needs quite a bit of editing. Plus, if you’re talking to clients they might not want you to record them.

The best emails to look at are ones that you’ve written to people you’ve worked with for a while as you’ve already built a rapport. The way you write to them is likely to be on the informal end of the spectrum, while still being professional. When you write your blog in the same style you’ll give potential customers an insight into the kind of relationship you could ultimately develop.

If you’d like to start writing blogs that sound like you, I can help. Email me at info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk to find out how you can outsource your blog writing or get training that helps you to write your own.

Otherwise, sign up to my mailing list for monthly hints and tips on blogging and lots of other useful marketing stuff.

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How you can create a successful small business blog

Successful small business blog

It’s one thing to know that you want to create a blog as part of your marketing strategy. It’s quite another to actually do it. Maybe you’re feeling a bit daunted at the thought of starting a blog or have created one that’s fizzled out. If you’re reading this wondering why you’d want to blog for your small business, read this. On the other hand, if you want to blog but don’t know how to make a success of it, read on.

Be consistent

A blog that starts then stops again won’t do your business any favours. A regular blog tells Google that the information on your site is more likely to be relevant so you’ll rank higher in searches. Also, if a potential new customer lands on your website to find one blog post written over a year ago they might think you’ve stopped trading. It doesn’t really matter how often you blog as long as it’s consistent – once a month is fine for most businesses. The important thing is that you keep it up.

Think about your blog keywords

Keyword research is one of those terms that has a lot of small business owners running for the hills. You can get really technical about it if you want to (or you could get an SEO expert to do it if you have the resources). When you’re first starting out the main thing to focus on is how people will find you in an online search. That could be something as simple as what you do and/or where you do it. For example “Manchester florist” or “Leicestershire hairdresser”. If you’re not location specific you can focus on your services instead.

Talk to your customers

If your blog talks about things that your current customers care about it will also attract new ones looking for the same things. The most important thing about any business blog is that it talks to the right people. If you work with industry experts they’re not going to read a beginners’ guide so you can deal with more complex issues. Maybe keep them up to date with industry news in a digestible format. Alternatively, if your customers regularly ask you the same questions, write blog posts that answer them. That way when someone is searching for the answer online they’re more likely to find you.

Choose great images

This isn’t just to make your blog look pretty (although it helps). It takes a while for any new blog to start ranking in search engines, especially if you’re competing with bigger businesses. Sharing your blog on social media helps you to send people to your newest posts. A great image means that your potential readers are more likely to stop scrolling and read your posts. I’d also recommend creating a quick video or doing a Facebook Live to trail your blog post too – even if people don’t read it the video will give them the general gist.

Invite guests

I’ve just started getting organised with guest blogging and inviting people to contribute to my site. Inviting guests to write a blog for you is a great way to extend your reach. You both share it on your social media channels which means you reach each other’s audiences. It’s also a way of bringing your audience new specialist knowledge that will benefit them. My first guest blogger is a social media specialist whose knowledge is more in depth than mine. I’ve also written about blogging for a graphic designer. Exchanging guest blogs mean that you start to build links between websites, which is great for – you guessed it – SEO.

Further information

My guest blogs about blogging for Hollie Ellis design are here and here.

Or read about outsourcing social media with Anita Popat here.

If you’d like to know more about how blogging can fit into your marketing, sign up to my mailing list for lots of hints and tips. Alternatively, if you’d just prefer to hand your blog over for someone else to do, email me at info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk and we can have a chat.

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Social Media: Why outsource when you can do it yourself?

Guest blog - Anita Popat social media

As business owners, we wear lots of different hats to fulfil a variety of roles required to run a successful business.

Social media is usually one of the things that keeps dropping to the bottom of the to-do list. This could be because you need to prioritise more important tasks or just because you don’t give it the attention it deserves.

Let’s be honest; it takes time to constantly think of fresh content ideas to stay ahead of your competition and be interesting, relevant and engaging on top of that!

To be successful on social media you need to be consistent to build that “know, like and trust” with your audience. If your efforts are haphazard then you’re probably not going to achieve this effectively.

Networking events are the perfect analogy for this. When you attend a group regularly, you’re likely to form good relationships and will eventually make a judgement as to whether you like and trust them based on your conversations with them. Guess what, it’s EXACTLY how it works on social media.

Nowadays, potential customers will do their research before getting in touch with you. They will most likely check out your social media profiles before your website, so it’s important that your channels are consistently updated, showcase your company values, your business expertise, what problems you solve, your team and why someone would want to work with you…in a subtle way of course!

On top of this bear in mind that the algorithms (the rules which affect your post reach) can change on a monthly basis. You could have learnt something last month and be ready to put it into action this month only to learn that the algorithm has changed again, so you need to relearn…do you really have the time to keep doing this?

If the thought of this already sounds overwhelming, then outsourcing is probably your best option.

So, here are some reasons why it makes sense to outsource your social media if it keeps falling to the bottom of your to-do list:

  • Let the expert(s) stay up to date with industry trends, news and algorithms so you can take advantage of what’s working right now.
  • You will have a more consistent presence to build that know, like and trust.
  • You won’t have to constantly think about what to post as it will be done for you.
  • You will have more brand awareness and potential clients recognising you when you’re out and about.
  • You won’t have the expenses of full time staff or need to spend time recruiting and training them to get them up to the required standards to make an impact on your business.
  • Most importantly, you can spend your valuable time growing other areas of the business.

It’s worth considering where your strengths lie and what you could outsource, as you’ll be saving time, money and sanity in the long run!

Anita Popat

www.anitapopat.com

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When not to blog for your business

When not to blog
Don’t give yourself a blogging headache

I know, I know. I’ve been urging you on to write a blog for your business since the last decade (feels weird to be able to say that) and now I’m telling you not to?! Well, no. Mostly, a blog is still a really good idea for most businesses. If you need a quick primer on why that is, here you go. Despite that, there are times when a blog just won’t be the right choice for you, either because of the industry you’re in or just because it’s the wrong time. If you’re thinking of writing a blog but any of the following apply to you, think again…

A blog won’t work for your industry

There aren’t many businesses that I would actively advise against blogging, but there are a few. If your business is scientific or sells something technical that’s on sale to the general public, a blog can be great. It helps you to demystify your product or service and make it more accessible. If, on the other hand, you only deal with other members of the scientific community a blog is pretty pointless. Blogs are chatty and conversational. If your audience is already very well informed and your articles need to set out technical data, a blog is just the wrong format.

It should (hopefully) go without saying that the same applies if your work is subject to a blanket NDA or national security level secrecy. If you want a blog to work you need to be able to share something about your background or life in general. If you can’t do that, a blog probably isn’t for you.

You don’t have time

Lack of time is one of the main reasons people tell me that they haven’t started a blog. It’s understandable. When your blog isn’t a core part of your business it’s one of those things that you can easily put to one side. While it’s great for marketing it doesn’t earn you anything on its own. Focusing on activities that generate income is far more important and I know you’ll have your own list of tasks that take priority over writing.

If you think you haven’t time to blog, this gives you some ideas for fitting it in. But what if you really haven’t got time? Either hand it over to someone like me or don’t do it. If you don’t have time to commit to writing and publishing a blog at least once a month, it will fizzle out before long. It won’t help your SEO and if potential customers come across it they might even think you’ve stopped trading.

It won’t be any good

This might sound a bit harsh. One of the advantages of writing a business blog is that anyone can write one. Of course, this also means that absolutely anyone can write one. For yours to work you need to put a bit of effort into making it good. Otherwise, it’s just going to disappear into the mass of boring, badly written blogs out there.  The good news is there is lots of advice and guidance out there to help you. (Including mine.) You just have to make time to
absorb it and put it into practice.

To put it bluntly, there’s no point writing a blog that no-one wants to read. If you’re already struggling for time, put the effort into creating something that your audience will find useful.

Do you need some help?

Sign up using the form below for monthly blogging tips (and lots of other useful stuff) straight to your inbox. Or, if you’d rather get some personalised help from me, whether that’s blog writing training or outsourcing, please get in touch.

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You can find the time to blog (honest!)

Time zone clocks

OK, I know that’s a sweeping generalisation. There will be plenty of you who really can’t find the time. If adding another thing into your week means giving up sleep or spending time with anyone you care about, don’t do it. Maybe you don’t even want to blog, and that’s fine. That’s what I’m here for. Writing a business blog isn’t right for every business. There’ll be more on that in a future post, but if you’re a small or micro business a blog is still a great marketing tool for most businesses.

The problem, in most cases, is that you think you need to find masses of time all at once. You will need to sit down in front of a screen at some point, but that’s the most time consuming bit. With the right approach everything else can be fitted in around your other daily tasks and will even make the writing part easier. Here’s how I break everything down.

Preparation

Nothing kills inspiration faster than sitting down in front of a blank screen and wondering what to write about. Having your topic ready to go before you start is a major time saver and you can think of ideas while you’re doing other things. You can write answers to your frequently asked questions, share insights on your services and learn about your customers’ struggles at networking events.

After that, create a quick outline plan by breaking the topic down into smaller sections and giving each one a subheading. I often do this when I’m making my lunch. Then when I start writing there’s a guide ready to go.

Writing

I can’t lie, this is the most time consuming bit, but there are ways to make it easier. When you make your plan, if any key phrases spring to mind, write them down. Make voice notes if you like. Recording yourself can also work really well if you find it easier to talk through your topic. Even just talking to yourself could help you to get the words flowing. 

Once you start writing, keep going. Your blog will be better if it sounds like you and that will come more easily if you aren’t constantly worrying about your grammar. That’s what the next stage is for…

Editing

The editing stage is every writer’s best friend. My mantra is ‘you can edit a bad page but you can’t edit a blank one.’ When you’ve written your post, leave it for at least a day then go back with fresh eyes. Run it through a spelling and grammar checker if you like (or visit Grammarly.com). Then, read to see if it makes sense. The best time for this is when you’re (relatively) relaxed. If you’re not already in the habit of taking proper meal breaks or stopping for an afternoon cuppa, this is the perfect excuse.

If you’re feeling brave give your blog to a friend and ask them if it makes sense.

Time for the finishing touches

The finishing touches on your blog are actually a series of tiny tasks that become much more straightforward when you break them down. Finding a good header image, on page SEO and sharing to social media can all be done separately when you have a few minutes. I put an appointment in the diary to find images for future posts, but do what works for you.

It can be a bit of a shift but when you stop viewing a blog post as one solid chunk of work and think of it as a series of smaller tasks, it makes it much easier to work out where you can fit it into your working week.

This is a lightning run through the things that go into a good blog post. If you’d like a bit more detail, sign up to my mailing list for monthly hints and tips on blog writing and all manner of other business marketing stuff. You’ll also receive a copy of my free guide ‘Stop hiding your business’ as a thank you from me.

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Leaving your comfort zone

Comfort zone
Are you stuck in your comfort zone?

When you’re in business there’s a lot of talk about leaving your comfort zone as a tool for growth. I’ve realised that it’s a message that mostly resonates with women. A couple of weeks ago I shared the image below on my social media accounts and the response was greater than anything else I’ve shared this month. Then I realised that everyone who liked and commented, no matter which platform they saw it on, was a female business owner. It wouldn’t be the first time. It’s entirely possible that I’m living in a female centric bubble on social media, but it struck me that you don’t hear men talking about comfort zones. Maybe the ones who start businesses are just naturally confident and the rest get a normal job. Yet I meet loads of women who start up on their
own but lack the confidence to shout about what they do. I don’t say this as someone with all the answers because I struggle with it myself.

I’ve been trying to think of ways to get rid of the mind monkeys (thanks to Claire Mitchell at The Girls Mean Business for that phrase). Actually, since I’ve been watching Baby Chimp Rescue on BBC2 they’ve turned into cheeky chimps in my head. (Seriously, if you haven’t watched it, do. It cheers me up and makes me sob in equal measure.) Then I realised that I’ve already done something that lots of people wouldn’t do outside of a gap year adventure. When I was already a (supposedly) sensible solicitor I headed off to Argentina for a solo expedition. No organised tour, no nothing. Just a husband who’d gone to learn advanced skiing for six weeks and a self-planned itinerary. This is how I got the confidence.

Baby steps

When I told my colleagues that I was going to haul myself across Argentina with nothing for company but a good book (often the best kind of company) they looked at me as if I’d gone a bit mad. My friends and family, on the other hand, barely batted an eyelid. (Although the potential cost of international phone calls meant my mum finally learned to text.) This wasn’t the first time I’d travelled alone, although it was certainly the most dramatic. I had a habit of taking myself off to different cities to explore for the day and took a family history research trip to Edinburgh. By the time I landed in Buenos Aires I was ready. While big, dramatic leaps out of your comfort zone are sometimes necessary, it’s definitely worth getting warmed up first. 

Getting involved

The biggest shock of landing in a foreign country by myself was the fact that I was completely alone. It was scary and liberating at the same time. I could do whatever I wanted and didn’t have to negotiate with anyone else. Starting a business was much the same. The key (for me at least) to tackling both situations has been to get involved with something. In Argentina I booked the activities and got a table for one in the local restaurants. It’s amazing how many people talk to you when you’re by yourself. It’s the same in business when you find the right networking groups. I’ve built relationships with people that understand the life and my business (not to mention my head) is in a better place because of it.

Does all of this mean that I’ll never have to worry about leaving my comfort zone again? Of course not. Mind monkeys can strike even the most successful of us. It’s just reminded me that it is possible. If you’re reading this thinking that I’m braver than you, I’m not. I’ve probably just had more practice.

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Claire Mitchell from The Girls Mean Business on squishing
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