Sometimes you've just got to go for it!

Now I'm not a marketing expert, especially when it comes to the technical how to's, but I am an engaged amateur. What do I mean by that? Well as a business owner, direction setter and guide for others, I pay very keen attention to what appears to be working and what...

Sometimes work, life even, can feel overwhelming. You know those times when everything seems to go wrong, people oppose your ideas, you feel thwarted at every turn, like you cannot go on? I know I’m making that sound dramatic – but when you are in the middle of it, it...

It's so easy to plod along doing similar stuff, because most of the time your business will be ok, you'll still eat, you have shelter etc. In other words, you're settled, things might not be great but they are OK. And it’s easy to stay on the known path, do the same...

There are some talented, creative and just plain brilliant people in the Brave community (and in my wider network also). One of the things that strikes me over and over is just how modest we can be – this is not a good thing by the way. What I’m really saying is just...

As I sit here in a lay-by looking down at the sea, I think it would be fair to say that I’m filled with immense gratitude for my life. I have a business model that allows me the freedom to work where I like – most of the time; I get to work with inspiring, creative...

I talk a lot to my clients about clarity, about understanding what really matters to you, and about what you are prepared to do (or not) to make stuff happen. So imagine my discomfort when, last year, I felt confused, like I’d lost my own clarity or uniqueness about...

I don’t believe that we succeed or fail, I think mostly people settle. They settle for what they are good at, for what others expect of them or what is safe and comfortable, while at the same time committing themselves to playing a small game, feeling unfulfilled,...

How often have you set out on one path and ended up somewhere totally different? I know I have, and there are usually two reasons. Either, I’ve been distracted by something more interesting (or ‘urgent’) along the way, or, I was unclear about where I was going in the...

I’ve unexpectedly found myself with some extra chunks of time on my hands. Normally I’d jump with joy at this, but these chunks of time are because I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room while my Dad has radiotherapy. As many of you will know, my 86 year old Dad has...

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest speed of action is critical in bringing ideas to fruition, and I believe this is a real differentiator between people who do ok and those who really play their bigger game. Success is all about the action you take not the ideas...

When I started out I didn’t think of myself as an entrepreneur, a business guru – I was just a nurse who got fed up with the politics, the time away from her family and so set up on her own. Except that nurse was the national lead for emergency nursing, had a multi...

We have regulations around unsolicited sales call and emails, but conversations are a whole different ball game. Have you ever been networking, with genuine intention of meeting and building relationships only to find people just want to sell to you? Yeah, me too,...

Ever got into the ‘when is good, good enough’ debate? I seem to all the time, especially with people who are scared to put themselves out there in the public eye, or the sight line of their potential clients, until everything is perfect. Of course nothing is ever...

Most of you who know me, know my thing is connection – connection with yourself, connection with your business and connection with the community you are here to serve. Making that connection can seem easier for some than others, especially when it comes to first...

Let’s be honest, this is a spectrum and most people sit either side of the mid point, and there’s nothing wrong with that if you are living the life you want. If you are not, if you know you are playing too small a game, or you secretly believe you could be so much...

I talk to a LOT of business owners - my clients, people I meet at events, at network meetings and my own peers and mentors.  I’m curious; curious about how people present themselves, what they talk about and most of all how, or whether, they try to build connection...

Are you a rule breaker? Some of us are, some like to be thought of that way, and others prefer to stay within ‘the rules’. There is no right or wrong here, only what’s right for you. On the other hand, it’s very easy to create a set of ‘rules’ that effectively become...

I’m writing this while on the plane, on my way to Miami, where I’m working first then holidaying – lucky me. It’s unusual for my to do anything hugely constructive while travelling – I’m not the best traveller in the world, I can get motion sick on a rocking horse......

Over the years I have worked with an awful lot of business owners, one of the biggest challenges lot of them face is 'closing the deal' - actually asking for the business. It's one thing to talk about what you do how you can help people, what results clients have had...

  Is overwhelm killing creativity in your business? Overwhelm can hit anyone at any time. Anyone with a dream or goal will experience it at some stage of their journey and, if your business is centred on creativity... it’s the quickest way of blocking that...

When you first start a business you will make mistakes, everyone does. There are common behaviours start-up businesses engage in, some necessary in start up phase, some unhelpful at any stage. Identifying behaviours you need to grow out of can be challenging, but is...

I recently spent two days at the CIPD Learning and Development Show exhibiting Appraisal360. As always it was an exciting, stretching and exhausting experience. During the two days I must have spoken to literally hundreds of people, those interested in 360 feedback,...

This camera is very similar to the first 'proper camera' my dad gave me when I was only just old enough to understand how to take pictures. It was a pre auto exposure, auto focus, model and 'point and shoot' techniques didn't work out so well. I had to decide what I...

  This is a re-run of a blog from a couple of years ago, for which I make no apology - it is worth another read. How often do we get stuck in the same routine, doing the same thing, often with the same people and coasting through our work and even our lives. It’s easy...