Marketing Skills Academy

What’s the one marketing tip you wish every solopreneur knew - before starting a new business?

How to:

> Set clear and measurable objectives?
> Understand your unique positioning?
> Thoroughly research and define your target audience?
> Avoid spreading yourself too thin with the endless marketing tools and channels available?

Well...

These were just some of the topics we explored yesterday with a group of amazing future entrepreneurs during my Marketing Masterplan strategic planning workshop - part of this year’s Teesside University's Launchpad FUEL programme.

And… what a morning!!

It was an energising session - full of ideas, questions, and big thinking.

I can’t wait to see how each business concept develops over the coming months.

A special thanks to the team at Launchpad for inviting me.

The creativity and drive in the room was truly inspiring!

So…

What’s your top marketing tip for someone about to launch their first business?

I’m doing something wildly radical next week…

I’m putting my out-of-office on.

I know.

Steady on.

But honestly, I need it.

Like many self-employed people, I’m very good at telling others to pause, reflect, recharge and look after themselves…

Then quietly ignoring my own advice.

Because when you run your own business, it’s easy to believe you have to be available all the time.

One more email.
One more client check-in.
One more piece of content.
One more thing ticked off the list.

And before you know it, your business starts getting the best of you, while the people you love get the tired version.

That’s not success…

That’s a warning sign!

So, Mrs C and I are taking a much-needed break…

To rest.
To walk.
To breathe.
To spend time with family.
To enjoy a few days without constantly checking what needs doing next.

And this break feels especially important…

Because behind the scenes, I’ve been working on something new.

A new direction for my business…

Still rooted in strategic planning, positioning, personal branding and purposeful marketing…
But with a stronger focus on helping experienced professionals and business owners think about what comes next.
How they evolve.
How they reposition.
How they communicate their value.
How they build work, brands and businesses with more clarity, purpose and intention.

There’s also a new book on the horizon - more on that in September.

But for now, I’m taking my own advice.

Because time off isn’t a weakness.

It’s part of doing good work.

We need space to think clearly.
We need distance to regain perspective.
We need rest to stay creative, useful and human.

And sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is stop trying to be productive.

Right then.

Out-of-office pending.
Sun tan lotion located.
Laptop and mobile … still looking at me suspiciously.

(And sadly - no crazy patterned 'Dad shirts' this year)

Are you taking a proper break this summer?

I want to share something personal with you...

In 2014, I launched a full-service marketing agency.

At the time, I thought offering 'everything' would be my competitive edge.

I was doing it all - from marketing plans and websites to campaigns, events, brochures, social media, client meetings and chasing invoices.

I was trying to be 'everything to everyone'.

And before long, I became a very busy fool - exhausted and not particularly happy.

From the outside, it probably looked like progress...

From the inside, it felt messy - misaligned.

But looking back, that period taught me something really important.

Sometimes reinvention doesn’t start with a grand plan...

Sometimes it starts with realising: 'This isn’t working for me anymore.'

That was my moment.

I didn’t want to keep running around trying to deliver every possible marketing service.

But I did notice something -

Lots of business owners were outsourcing marketing without really understanding it.

They were spending money, hoping for results and trusting other people to “sort their marketing”.

But often there was no clear plan.
No strategy.
No direction.

That frustration became a turning point...

I started writing down my thoughts...

Messy notes.
Post-it scribbles.
Ideas from client conversations.
Frameworks I was using in my own work.

At the time, I didn’t think I was writing a book.

I was just trying to make sense of what I knew.

Eventually, those notes became my bestselling book - Marketing Masterplan.

And without fully realising it, I was repositioning myself.

Not as someone who simply 'did marketing' for people.

But as someone who could help people understand, plan and lead their marketing with more confidence.

Then Covid hit...

The book had only been out for six months when the world shut down.

No events.
No in-person workshops.
No normal route to market.

I honestly wondered whether the momentum had gone.

So, I turned to LinkedIn.

I started sharing ideas...

> Showing up
> Connecting
> Commenting
> Having conversations.

Talking about the things I believed around marketing, strategy and personal brand.

And slowly, things changed...

It opened the door to podcast invitations, virtual events, online panels, university guest lectures, industry conferences, keynotes, corporate workshops and coaching conversations.

Opportunities I hadn’t planned for started to appear.

Not because I had everything figured out, but because I had started using what I already knew in a different way.

That’s the bit I think matters most.

Reinvention doesn’t always mean starting again.

Sometimes it means repositioning your experience.

> Your knowledge
> Your stories
> Your lessons
> Your way of seeing the world.

Your personal brand becomes powerful when people understand what you stand for, what you know, and how you can help.

How valuable is your ‘social capital’?

This was a question I asked in a recent leadership course I was delivering...

Because, whether you’re reinventing your professional profile, career, business or lifestyle - it rarely happens alone.

Yes, skills matter.
Experience matters.
Confidence matters.
Clarity matters.

But, so do the relationships you’ve built along the way.

The people who know you.
Trust you.
Recommend you.
Challenge you.
Open doors for you.
Mention your name when you’re not in the room.

That’s social capital.

Not followers.
Not contacts.
Not business cards.
Real relationships.

Built on trust, generosity and shared value.

And when you’re thinking about what comes next, that matters more than most people realise.

There are three types worth paying attention to:

1. Bonding…

Your close circle.

The people who support you, encourage you and tell you the truth.

2. Bridging…

Your wider network.

The people outside your usual bubble who bring fresh ideas, different perspectives and new opportunities.

3. Linking…

Your access network.

The people who can influence, sponsor, introduce or open doors you can’t open alone.

Most people only think about their network when they need something.

A job.
A client.
An introduction.
A recommendation.
A new opportunity.

But by then, it can feel forced.

Social capital is built before you need it.

> Through listening
> Showing up
> Sharing ideas
> Making introductions
> Telling better stories.

> Following up
> Being useful
> Being human.

Because your next chapter may not arrive through a job advert, a perfect plan or a sudden flash of clarity...

It might come through a conversation.

A recommendation.
A chance introduction.
A relationship you’ve been quietly building for years.

So maybe the question isn’t:

“How big is my network?”

Maybe it’s:

“How strong are my relationships?”

Because reinvention isn’t just about what you know.

It’s about who knows what you stand for.

Many of us have spent our lives following a ‘life script’ we never stopped to question...

Go to school.
Get qualified.
Build a career.
Work hard.
Retire.
Then (hopefully) enjoy life.

It’s a script that has shaped generations.

But what if it no longer fits the world we live in?

Over the past few months, I’ve been having conversations with professionals in their 40s, 50s and beyond.

People who have built successful careers...

Led teams.
Started businesses.
Raised families.
Accumulated decades of knowledge and experience.

Yet many quietly wonder...

“Have I already done my best work?”

I don’t think that’s the right question.

Perhaps the better question is:

“What if my experience has been preparing me for what’s next?”

Think about it.

Today you know more than you did at 25.

You’ve made mistakes.
Built resilience.
Developed wisdom.
Understood what really matters.

Surely those aren’t reasons to slow down.

They’re reasons to contribute differently.

I’ve met people who have become:

Coaches.
Consultants.
Mentors.
Teachers and academics.
Authors.
Trustees.
Non-executive directors.
Business owners.

Not because they wanted to start again…

But because they wanted to build on everything they’d become.

Maybe midlife isn’t the beginning of the end.

Maybe it’s the beginning of your most meaningful chapter.

This is another idea I’m exploring as part of a current project.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Do you think our best years are behind us...

Or could they still be ahead?

Many of us have spent our lives following a 'life script' we never stopped to question...

Go to school.
Get qualified.
Build a career.
Work hard.
Retire.
Then (hopefully) enjoy life.

It's a script that has shaped generations.

But what if it no longer fits the world we live in?

Over the past few months, I've been having conversations with professionals in their 40s, 50s and beyond.

People who have built successful careers...

Led teams.
Started businesses.
Raised families.
Accumulated decades of knowledge and experience.

Yet many quietly wonder...

"Have I already done my best work?"

I don't think that's the right question.

Perhaps the better question is:

"What if my experience has been preparing me for what's next?"

Think about it.

Today you know more than you did at 25.

You've made mistakes.
Built resilience.
Developed wisdom.
Understood what really matters.

Surely those aren't reasons to slow down.

They're reasons to contribute differently.

I've met people who have become:

Coaches.
Consultants.
Mentors.
Teachers and academics.
Authors.
Trustees.
Non-executive directors.
Business owners.

Not because they wanted to start again…

But because they wanted to build on everything they'd become.

Maybe midlife isn't the beginning of the end.

Maybe it's the beginning of your most meaningful chapter.

This is another idea I'm exploring as part of a current project.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Do you think our best years are behind us...

Or could they still be ahead?

This is the biggest mistake professionals make with personal branding...

They start with LinkedIn...

Instead of themselves.

I’ve spent years helping people build personal brands.

We talk about:

- Positioning
- Visibility
- Reputation
- Credibility
- Content

All important.

But recently, my thinking has shifted.

Particularly when working with experienced professionals in their 40s and 50s who are considering a career change, starting a business, or simply wondering what comes next.

Their first question is often:

“How do I reposition myself?”

My response is usually:

“Before we think about your personal brand... let’s think about you.”

Because after 20 or 30 years of work and life experience, you’re not the same person you were when your career began.

> Your values have evolved.
> Your priorities have changed.
> Your definition of success may have shifted completely.

So why would you build a personal brand based on who you used to be?

The strongest personal brands aren’t invented…

They’re uncovered.
They reflect who you are today.

Your strengths
Your values
Your experience

And…
The impact you want to make.

Only then does it make sense to think about your LinkedIn profile...

Your website...
Your content...
Or how you communicate your value to the world.

Because personal branding isn’t about creating a version of yourself that people will buy into.

It’s about having the clarity and confidence to express the person you’ve already become.

This is another theme I’m exploring as part of a current project I’m working on.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you were rebuilding your personal brand today...

What would you do differently?

Whose permission are you waiting for?

A few months ago, I was coaching a client who shared something that really made me think.

On paper, she’s incredibly successful…

> She worked hard at college
> Earned her degree
> Built a successful career
> Climbed the corporate ladder into senior leadership.

And, made her parents really proud in the process…

All while raising a wonderful family, who are now building successful careers of their own.

By most people’s standards, she’s done everything ‘right.’

Yet during our conversation she paused and said:

“I feel like I’ve spent most of my life pleasing other people.”

That statement stayed with me long after our conversation ended, because I suspect she’s not alone.

Many of us spend years living according to expectations that aren’t entirely our own.

> The expectations of parents
> Teachers
> Employers
> Partners
> Society.

The unwritten rules of what success is supposed to look like.

Then one day we wake up and find ourselves asking:

“What do I actually want?”

Not what my boss wants.
Not what my parents wanted.
Not what everybody else expects of me.

What do I want?

Perhaps that’s why so many people find themselves at a crossroads later in life.

Not because they’re having a crisis.

But because they’re finally giving themselves permission.

Permission to:

> Change career
> Start a business
> Write a book
> Become more visible
> Try something new
> Pursue a different path.

The irony?

Nobody was ever stopping them.

The permission they needed was their own.

Whose permission are you waiting for?

A few months ago, I was coaching a client who shared something that really made me think.

On paper, she's incredibly successful…

> She worked hard at college
> Earned her degree
> Built a successful career
> Climbed the corporate ladder into senior leadership.

And, made her parents really proud in the process…

All while raising a wonderful family, who are now building successful careers of their own.

By most people's standards, she's done everything ‘right.’

Yet during our conversation she paused and said:

"I feel like I've spent most of my life pleasing other people."

That statement stayed with me long after our conversation ended, because I suspect she's not alone.

Many of us spend years living according to expectations that aren't entirely our own.

> The expectations of parents
> Teachers
> Employers
> Partners
> Society.

The unwritten rules of what success is supposed to look like.

Then one day we wake up and find ourselves asking:

"What do I actually want?"

Not what my boss wants.
Not what my parents wanted.
Not what everybody else expects of me.

What do I want?

Perhaps that's why so many people find themselves at a crossroads later in life.

Not because they're having a crisis.

But because they're finally giving themselves permission.

Permission to:

> Change career
> Start a business
> Write a book
> Become more visible
> Try something new
> Pursue a different path.

The irony?

Nobody was ever stopping them.

The permission they needed was their own.

-----------

This is a theme I'm currently exploring for a new project.

I'm interested in what happens when successful people reach a point in life or work where they begin questioning what's next.

If you've experienced a significant turning point, reinvention, or change in direction, I'd love to hear your story.

Imagine if your job title disappeared tomorrow...

Who would you be?

It’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot recently.

Over the years, I’ve coached and worked with countless professionals who have built successful careers, developed specialist expertise, and become known for what they do.

And there’s nothing wrong with that...

After all, we spend a huge proportion of our lives at work.

It’s hardly surprising that our careers become part of our identity.

We become known as the Director.

The Manager.
The Executive.
The Founder.
The Consultant.
The Lecturer.
The Marketer.

And over time, those titles can become much more than a description of our job.

They become part of how we see ourselves.

Then something changes...

Perhaps it’s redundancy.
Retirement.
A career change.
A health challenge.

Or simply a growing feeling that the path you’re on no longer feels right.

Suddenly, the title you’ve carried for years disappears.

And you’re left asking a much bigger question:

“Who am I without it?”

I remember when my life dramaictally changed...

Being made redundant - through no control of my own.

Whilst the financial concerns were real, there was something else I wasn’t expecting...

A loss of identity.

For years, my career had become intertwined with how I saw myself and how others saw me.

When that was taken away, it forced me to reflect on who I was beyond my role, beyond my employer, and beyond the title on my business card.

Looking back, I can see it wasn’t just a career transition...

It was a personal one too.

Perhaps that’s why so many people find themselves reassessing life and work in their 40s and 50s.

Not because they’re having a crisis.
But because they’re evolving.

They’re beginning to realise they are more than their job title.

More than their role.
More than the label they’ve carried for years.