I considered applying for a job Reader It’s very rare that I see a job that is even a tiny but appealing to me, but for about 3 seconds this weekend, an assistant manager role at our local nature reserve did look quite attractive. The salary was similar to what I pay myself now, and the hours were a little more than I currently work. Then I remembered that on Monday I was taking Flossie (the world’s fluffiest tabby cat) to the vet for her annual check-up and vaccinations. And then my brain snowballed….recollecting all the little tiny moments of flexibility I enjoy from being self-employed, and how they’d be gone if I had a job. Appointments for the dentists, doctors, hairdressers can be had for me and The Sons at pretty much any time of day, any day of the week. I can match my activity to my mood, energy or well-being. Need fresh air? I open the door and walk out of it. Feeling focussed at 8pm on a Saturday - I can grab my laptop, get productive, and know I’ve freed up hours of my time for the next week. I can take a nap whenever I need to (which apparently is quite often in the Winter). I get to stroke my cats whenever I want….OK I’ve got to stop listing these things now, it’s making me emotional. Oh wait…. I should probably mention something about how I love being around for The Sons….. I probably shouldn’t have listed them after my cats…. don’t tell them. It’s very hard to put a financial value on these micro-flexes, so they often get overlooked. And when we tally up what we’ve achieved so far in our business, or we visualize the goals we want to achieve, these little freedoms don’t make it onto the list. But if we set goals, and measure achievements, only in terms of numbers - hours worked, and money earned - we’re missing out on a huge amount of value our business already gives us, and could be giving more of. Sure count the money - we need that. But count the micro-flexes too. What micro-flexes does your business offer you already? What would you like it to deliver more of in 2025? And have you designed your business, your offers, your marketing to make that possible? |
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What if Star Wars didn’t happen Reader? I’m aware that Star Wars didn’t happen - that it’s not a film based on a true story. But what if George Lucas didn’t make the Star Wars films? Son#1 and I are watching Light & Magic, a Disney+ series about the history of George Lucas’ special effects production company, and at the end of an episode Son#1 had a question for me: If George Lucas hadn’t made the Star Wars films, would the special effects ideas and progress that film generated have been lost...
You know how sometimes when you want to learn how to do a thing, it’s helpful to watch someone else do it, and even better if you can watch a replay in slow motion, Reader This newsletter is a copywriting-equivalent of a slo-mo action shot. I had an idea for a new free thing - blog post, video, PDF - I’m not sure yet, but a free thing. I know who it’s for, I know how it’s going to help them, and I know roughly what the content will include. So this morning, aided by coffee, I started playing...
Did you ever have a school science lesson with a Van de Graaff generator Reader? Or the more child-friendly static electricity demo of rubbing a balloon on your jumper and using it to make your hair stick on end? You know that slightly uncomfortable fizzy feeling when the air (or balloon) is ever so slightly charged? Sometimes, our business can feel like that. A situation, a decision, or an idea can feel uncomfortably charged, loaded, fizzy. And that can make it hard to choose between...