⏱️ 30-second version I stopped using Zoom because it couldn't listen, concentrate and sit still at the same time, and life was great. Then I reintroduced it because - well I don't even know. I've re-stopped using Zoom and by suiting myself I'm able to do my best work. If there's something a bit crappy that you don't love about your business right now, how can you change it to work better for you and your clients? Is there something you do for your business on the regular that you’d really...
13 days ago • 3 min read
A few weeks ago I visited a sales page for a course I was a little bit interested in buying, and after getting 50% of the way through the text I felt like I’d been poked in the eye with the ‘actually’ stick 100 times. I checked – it was on the page 14 times. On a page of around 1,000 words, the word ‘actually’ appeared FOURTEEN times. FOURTEEN!!!! 1% of the words on the sales page were ‘actually’. I did not buy the thing. I closed the page, took some calming breaths, and channelled my...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Have you heard the expression ‘sell the sizzle, not the steak’ Reader? Or ‘focus on the benefits, not the features’? In 15+ years writing online sales copy for other people’s businesses, I have heard those two a LOT. From clients. From other copywriters. From business/marketing coaches who mean well, and are trying to improve a sales page they’re critiquing. But, in my opinion, if you’re selling an online service, coaching, group program, course or similar, it’s really crap advice. ‘Sell the...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I’m nearing the end of the third week of having sciatica. Most of the time, I’m pain-free - unless I sit down. And my leg does what it’s supposed to with about 80% reliability. This morning I felt good enough for a shuffle around the supermarket to retrieve some essentials. Sitting in the car park, before embarking on this quest for bread, bananas and Son #2's weekly fix of sausage rolls, I reminded myself of my Doing Hard Things mantra: This can be therapy or torture or somewhere in between,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
It's back - I've missed doing these wrap emails. Every week I come across so many things that make me think 'ooh my Comfy Business people would love this' but I don't really use social media, and so I forget to share them. So I'm bringing back the Weekly Wrap. Here's a selection from the last 7 days that you might love: New blog post from me: Suit Yourself Decision Sprint - 9 prompts to help you decide whether to do that thing you want to do but keep putting off. Repeat Repeat Results...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
I knew from the opening scene that I had seen this film before Reader Last Friday morning I settled down to enjoy my weekly movie date with myself, a pint of tea, and a huge bag of Butterkist to hand. I’d chosen Her - a film that had been on my watch list for two years but until now hadn’t been available on any of the five streaming platforms I paid for. So when it rocked up on Netflix last week, I knew it was my Friday morning film. And then I saw Joaquin Phoenix at work in his office job,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Over the last 16 years (yes, really) working in online marketing, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with business owners trapped in a marketing thought loop. It sounds like…… “There’s this thing I want to try out / stop doing / achieve, but… What if I break everything else that’s working well What if I hate it What if I fail It’s not really how people are supposed to do this I should be working on this other thing instead…..” They can't see a way forward because each thought generates two...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Reader, do you tell yourself things like …. When I have more time, then I’ll be more consistent with my marketing. When things calm down a bit, then I’ll do that thing I really want to do. When I reach some imagined state of calm, then things will be easier. That’s When-Then-ing. But When-Then isn’t coming. I know this. A whole chapter of my book, The Comfy Business Playbook, is dedicated to making choices that are right for you and your business now, not holding out for a future reality that...
2 months ago • 2 min read
I tend to rush into the ‘doing’ part and skip essential prep, Reader My brain gets intensely annoyed by anything getting in the way of what I want to be doing right now. Like, when it’s a beautiful day and I’m in the mood for a bicycle ride, I just want to jump on and start pedalling. I am not inclined to pause to check and pump the tyres. It’s frustrating enough that I’ll have to get dressed, organise a drink, drag the bike out of the garage and lock up the house. That already feels like a...
2 months ago • 1 min read