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This is the third of our new blog series with Business Psychologist and Coach, Charlotte Sheridan. Running a business is hard work – if it was easy everyone would do it. And the stark truth is that most new ventures don’t make it. Statistics from Small Business Trends (USA) show that of the small businesses that set up in 2014:
By 2019 this would be a fail-rate of about 50% These are difficult figures to read if you’re an entrepreneur. But you believe in your product, right? You think your service is worth pursuing? If that’s a yes, then what can you do to succeed? One useful area to watch is how your pace can impact your performance. Years ago I did a half marathon for charity. I hadn’t run for years so I got some help from a personal trainer. One of the first things she taught me was pace. But I had a hard lesson many years before. I was 11 and it was Sports Day. My mum and dad had high expectations - my grandfather had run in the Olympics fifty years before. I wasn’t a good runner, but I was competitive and wanted to impress them. So, I set off at an incredible speed and was quickly at the front of the pack. My parents were clearly excited and I knew their imaginations would be going wild - podiums and ribbons were in sight. So I pushed myself even more and the gap got wider. Would this be the fastest I’d ever run? The cheers went up. Just a handful of parents, but it felt like a stadium roar to me. And then I hit a wall. I completely ran out of steam. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t run, my legs turned to jelly and the roar was now in my chest. Three minutes into the race I just gave up and stopped. Back in the 1970’s there was little training. We wore tennis shoes for running and didn’t drink much water! No one told me about pace. It didn’t understand what stamina was - I just thought you had to go fast. And I was a hare, not a tortoise. Always throwing myself into a task, giving up too soon because I ran out of energy. It’s something I’m still working on today. Trying to find a pace to matches my enthusiasm but one that’s sustainable. This is one way I keep track - I imagine a project or task as a race. Short sprint(or when a deadline is looming): Research has shown that an optimal pace when you’re sprinting is to go slightly faster at the start (3% quicker than normal). It’s OK to push a bit harder and work extra hours - but only for a short time. If you drive yourself too hard for too long you’ll reduce your performance. In fact when runners run 6% faster than normal they fail to finish the race at all. So don’t over do it. If you’re pulling late nighters for weeks on end your work will suffer. So will your health. Keep an eye on how you’re doing physically. Pay attention to your eating, exercise and sleep. Here are two people who didn’t - one nearly lost a leg and the other had a life-changing seizure. Marathon(or when you have months of hard work ahead): Pacing for a marathon is the opposite. Successful marathon runners pace themselves 3% slower for the first few miles. Inexperienced runners talk about “putting time in the bank” – running faster at the start to make up for going slower at the end. But this has the reverse effect. World record holders always run the first half of their race slower than the second. I’ve been interviewing 100 people who have left or are leaving their paid jobs behind. One of my interviewees used to push himself incredibly hard. “Previously I just got in the boxing ring and I kept going until the fight was over.” Nowadays he does things differently, “I get into the ring and say, ‘I have to break this up into rounds.’ So I give myself short breaks. We have more nights away. We go to more concerts. I'm breaking up the difficult parts of the job with more interventions that are restorative.” Being an entrepreneur is a marathon. You’ll need to put in months of hard sweat to get your business up and running. Then, if it’s successful, there’ll many more months of hard graft to keep it all going. So pace yourself in a sustainable way. Remember which race you’re in. The second area is the impact of pressure on your performance. When you’re working on something you enjoy, when the challenge is high, it’s exciting and interesting and it will stretch you. Then you’re in a state called “Flow.” You won’t notice the time passing and you’ll feel full of energy. But to get into this state you need to manage the pressure and effort. Psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson developed the Yerkes Dodson law. It says that performance will increase as effort goes up, but only up to a point. Test yourself too much too quickly and your performance will go down.  Different people will have different points of boredom, flow and burnout. It depends on your skills, experience and what you enjoy. Try and keep as much as possible in the Flow state. Do this by monitoring the pressure you’re feeling. If you’re edging towards the stressful end make sure you give yourself breaks so you can rest (both physically and mentally). Try to stop thinking for a while - take time out to do something relaxing, enjoyable or just completely different. Our brains use up a large amount of energy. They make up only 2% of our body weight but use up 20% of our energy. Another of my interviewees works in a very high-pressured environment. He uses mindfulness and breathing techniques. “Those moments when other people might panic I just step away, take a deep breath, visualise what it would feel like to be awarded the business… that’s really helpful at 11.30 the night before, when you've got another three hours of work.” Meditation, exercise, being out in nature are all good as they increase alpha waves in our brains. This helps us to feel calm and relaxed, reducing stress and anxiety. But when you don’t have time for these, just get up and stretch your legs for a few minutes. Sometimes this can be enough. If you’re at the bored end, add in some pressure. Set a timer to give yourself a mini deadline or stretch yourself more in the kind of work you’re doing. Some people find working on a number of projects means they can keep themselves motivated. By rotating across the projects they keep engaged. But don’t confuse rotating through projects with multi-tasking. Keep focused on one project at a time and do only that. Then move to another task and do only that. Psychological research shows that too much multitasking is actually just constantly switching. This is very tiring and can affect your memory, increase your stress and distractibility, and it can impact your intelligence longer term. So overall, pay attention to how you’re feeling. Keep yourself motivated by rotating projects. And most of all, remember to pace yourself as you’re in a marathon not a sprint. To find out more about these topics read this.
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This is the first of our new blog series with Business Psychologist and Coach, Charlotte Sheridan. So you want to set up your own business? Or you’ve just started. Maybe you’re killing it already (tell us how and share the love). Whatever stage you’re at, remember one thing. When the flight is turbulent do what the crew says…. “Put on your own oxygen mask before you help someone else.” This is the first rule of survival. If you run out of oxygen, you can’t run your business. We are in the eye of the storm. COVID-19 is a body blow to us all and we can’t predict where it’ll take us. We can’t know what our businesses will look like in 12, 18, 24 months time. But you can take control of one thing. Set yourself up with the right resources. Focus on the stuff that will keep you on track. I’m suggesting you create a Virtual Board of Directors. A group of people who will help you and your business stay fit. Then you’re more likely to weather the storm. I’ve been running interviews with 100 people who have left or are leaving their paid jobs behind - Spoon by Spoon: why we must feed ourselves with wisdom. Some have set up new businesses, many are changing career, others are re-training. They range from 28 to 68 years old. It’s never too late to become an entrepreneur! Whilst each person is unique and their circumstances differ, they do share similar strategies. See what some of my interviewees have said below. FriendsCheck who can talk to, who cares about you? It could be friends or even a counsellor/ therapist. Someone you’re comfortable sharing how you’re feeling. “I've got friends who I've had for years and when I told them that I was leaving work behind, and was going to set up my own business they were so happy for me. They said it's about time, we've been waiting to hear this. So I've got fantastic support out there from family, my good friends.” “My friends celebrated the highs and shuffled me through the lows.” “I had a couple of really good friends. I would have broken without them. I poured my soul out to them and they kept me going,” Wise Aunts (or Uncles)They don’t have to be blood relatives, but they do need to support and mentor you. And they need to care about your business. They should be people you can bounce ideas off and who’ll give you objective feedback. “I got myself half a dozen people [in the same area] who were there to help me when things got a bit sticky - when I was having a bad day, something had gone wrong or I was confused and needed a sounding board. A tribe as I call it. It’s been invaluable for me.” “I have a coach and he's brilliant. He’s really supportive, and he's certainly the person who I go to. Just having to cope with the knock backs and being told thanks but no thanks which happens to me quite a lot.” Fitness CoachThis doesn’t need to be an actual coach, just someone who just looks out for your health. It may even be you. They (or you) will need to help you stay fit enough to run your business. You need to be on top of your eating, sleeping and exercise. “I’ve taken up Jujitsu and that's been a really amazing outlet for me. Because it's part physical, but part mental.” “I cut out sugar and processed carbs and notice a difference in my mental health and how I feel. More veg and fruit and my mind feels clear and less sluggish. “ “I suffer from mental chatter, a lot of noise going on all of the time and the voices are not always positive. Yoga gives me a break from stressing out about everything. The physical element of being flexible and stronger and the mental element of finding peace of mind.” ProfessorWhere do you find your information (outside of the Pop Up Business School of course)? If you’ve got a question where do you go? Some people find networking groups useful. Others use digital resources (e.g. TED TALKS and blogs) or reading books. “I run a network of women leaders in communications which has been quite important. I'm also trying to broaden my network to people who run small businesses.” “I'm reading Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed. It's about learning from mistakes. The argument is that the more open you are to your failures, the more opportunity you have to learn and really make that kind of seismic leap into another level of performance.” Your older SelfIf you could go back in time what wisdom would you share with your younger self? What do you wish you had known then? Remind yourself of how much you already know, how much you’ve already learned - If you could turn back time, would you be more brave? This is what some of my interviewees said to their younger selves: “Worry less about what might happen. You won’t get lost. You will find your way.” “Don’t get too upset about what’s bothering you now. With time and distance most things become less important.” “Nothing’s black or white. Not every decision is the end of the world. Don’t be so scared of everything.” “Life takes unexpected turns. Sometimes it’s things that you really love and it's surprising. But it's okay if things don’t go according to plan.” So, have you got a Virtual Board of Directors in place? Take this questionnaire to find how strong it is and actions you can take to improve it. 
Make sure you check every three months to find out whether your Virtual Board of Directors is helping or hindering your business.
We have already unpacked the biggest barriers to starting up a business and this episode gives you one of the most powerful tools to overcome them. Join Simon Paine and Alan Donegan, co-founders of PopUp, as they unpack the unexpected power of mini-experiments. How to get your business going quickly! New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and listen to the full episode now on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon is joined by the founder of Femme Fatale Airsoft, Kelly Louise Hardwick as we discover how Kelly turned her passion into a full-time job and how she got over 1 million views to her airsoft blog. Femme Fatale Airsoft - femmefataleairsoft.co.uk You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Simon is joined by personal development coach Lori Hammond as we discuss how to reduce stress and boredom while in lockdown and tips to move past your self-limiting beliefs. Lori Hammond - trancypants.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Even the biggest companies in the world start somewhere. In this episode we find out how Shawn Jenkins started a NASDAQ listed software company. New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon is joined by Katie and Andrew from TimeTrap Escape Rooms as we discover how they've had to pivot and share their StartUp story of borrowing space for free to test their business idea. TimeTrap - timetrapescaperooms.com/online-games You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. 
How do you get a building for free to use for your business? In this episode Katie and Andrew from TimeTrap Escape Rooms tell us their story including how they borrowed a room for their first escape room for free! New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon and Katie are joined by Jillian Johnsrud a public speaker, podcaster, coach, and mentor to discuss how to get started in coaching and finding everyday courage. Jillian Johnsrud - jillianjohnsrud.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. What stops most people from starting up? Why isn't everyone launching their own company and making money doing something they love? In this episode we look at the three biggest barriers to people getting going and unpack and demystify entrepreneurship. New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Alan and Simon are joined by Brad Barratt, co-Founder of ChooseFI to talk about creating a podcast, running side hustles, and launching their new podcast with PopUp - The Rebel Entrepreneur. The Rebel Entrepreneur - choosefi.com/rebel You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Will you allow people's comments to define the rest of your life?
This post was inspired by Nduno who we met in Namibia last year. She has aspirations to be Namibia's First Astronaut but was told by people she loves and trusts that she is 'not enough' to pursue her dreams. Doubting yourself and your idea is a situation that we have all been in, but should we conform to society's blueprint? Will you allow people's comments to define the rest of your life? click here to read the full blog post at simonpaine.coSimon Paine
Simon Paine is the co-founder and CEO of PopUp Business School. You can find out more about Simon though other PopUp Content or find him on twitter at @SimonJPaine Simon is joined by Sunday Times Bestselling author Jamie Smart to talk about changing your mindset and how to pivot your business to an online audience. RECORDED LIVE: 30th April 2020 Jamie Smart - jamiesmart.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Simon and Alan are joined by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung, founders of Millennial Revolution to talk about taking advantage of the situation, how they deal with rejection and how they got a book deal through blogging. RECORDED LIVE: 28th April 2020 Millennial Revolution - millennial-revolution.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Jo Watson attended our PopUp Business live course in Bolton last November to help her copywriting business: agoodwriteup. Jo has graciously written the following article about her experience over the past few months and how she is applying the PopUp Principles in her daily life. I'm a former student of PopUp Business School, and I'm also a part of the hardworking demographic of freelancers and the self-employed, who are as much in fear for our finances as we are for our health, right now. When I found out that Simon and Alan were putting together a Survival Guide to help the PopUp community now that this Corona thing has us tightly by the tax returns, I had to show my support. I'm a copywriter first and foremost, but for this article, I wanted to focus on figures rather than words. In particular, I want to talk about money. If you’ll indulge me, I'd like to put forward a few things for you to think about right now as you face the future, and it goes without saying that I draw these points from the lessons I learned - or perhaps had confirmed for me - during my time at PopUp Business School. I wonder if you'll remember those lessons, too? Whilst the PopUp principles taught us that we really shouldn't be going into any kind of short or long-term debt to set up a business, we need to remember that it's also good practice to avoid the dreaded D word now that we're actually in business. I know it's tough, and we all need to accept help where we can take it, but please please please, do your research about everything that's supposedly available to support you financially, and look carefully the Ts and Cs attached to each one. Whilst I have my own political views on Government 'support', rather than enter into something that's going to make me really fucking mad, I'll instead focus my attention on so-called mortgage holidays from our mortgage providers and banks. It's not a bloody 'holiday', and no bank in history has ever done anything for its customers that hasn't benefited them substantially in the long run. Whilst the idea of a break in payments may sound tempting, please ask yourself if you really need to take it, or if you're just grabbing it because it's there and it sounds nice. Please, do your research, and get that calculator out, because whilst you're not paying for it right now, you'll definitely pay for it later. Okay so far? Good. Know your worth. Unless there's really, truly, absolutely some return value in it for you, don’t feel pressured to give anything of your business away for free. Anyone who values your talent and time - and who respects you as a person as well as a professional - will never expect you to do anything for free at a time when it's just as tough for you as it is for them. They'll certainly never ask you, at least. I know that as a good person you'll want to help people out in a time of crisis, but please don't do it at the expense of either: a) finding or doing paid work for yourself elsewhere, or b) spending time supporting those closest to you with the issues they have at this awful time. Like I said, if you can gain some kind of non-monetary yet valuable return on your 'investment', brilliant. But pure freebies? No. Look at how the world keeps turning on its business axis despite Corona. Tesco aren't giving you your groceries gratis, British Gas aren't lighting and heating your home out of the goodness of their own hearths (yes, that was an awful pun), and HMRC aren't going to turn around any time soon and say, "Y'know what, Karen, it's been a shit year, don't worry about paying your tax for 20/21, love." As a business, you have a right to earn money, especially if you're providing a product or a service that will help people right now in addressing an area of their own business that will likely help keep them afloat. Just as a side note, and I don't know if you've noticed... but if you've ever done anything for free for someone in business, they've usually ended up being a bit of an ungrateful and demanding dick about it... A blog for another time, maybe? Let's move on. Keep marketing your business. Providing that you're not putting your prices up, or venturing into brand new territory where you now don't ply your usual trade but instead sell marked-up bog rolls by the boot load, you are fully within your rights to market the hell out of your products or services. Everyone is struggling, so you're really going to have to make sure you're heard above the noise, and you'll also have to show that your business is the perfect choice over the competition to help others stay afloat during this shitshow of a health and financial crisis. Social media virtue signallers will cry “profiteering” and spew passive aggressive keyboard warrior rants about “capitalising on the crisis”, but let's just remember, social media virtue signallers are arseholes. Do what you've always done. Why wouldn’t you?
I'd been running my business (agoodwriteup) for a few years already by that point, and honestly thought that the PopUp sessions would mainly be aimed at those people setting stuff up from scratch. That was so far from the case, however, and so as well as learning so many new concepts and ways of applying them to my business, I developed the confidence to come away from any existing plans and projects that were just never going to work. So I guess my point is this... with the three things I've talked about in this article being deeply embedded in PopUp principles, I think it's only right that at this tough time where it's really not 'business as usual', we go back to basics and remember our roots. It is so bloody tough right now, but I'm practicing what I preach, and I'm remembering that PopUp Business School may not have been around when I got my business off the ground, but they've sure as shit been there to help it fly. They know their stuff, and you know yours. Keep that partnership in mind, and you'll get through this. Jo Watson
As well as being a Chartered Manager and a former PopUp student over in Bolton (Greater Manchester), Jo is a freelance copywriter, editor and trainer. Over the past year she’s also become a professional speaker and is currently writing her first book. She’s aware that everyone says that. When it comes to language, she’s a fan of swearing, sarcasm and puns. She likes to attract clients who feel the same! LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jo-watson-agoodwriteup Facebook - @agoodwriteup Twitter - @agoodwriteup Website - www.agoodwriteup.com You’re probably hearing the term “pivot” a lot, and it simply means moving in another direction. With the current situation and our businesses, a lot of us are having to ‘pivot’ and try something completely new. Add a hint of urgency, a splash of financial pressure and changes to day to day life… it’s a recipe for challenging times. So, what do we do? Throw ourselves into the next challenge.
Throw ourselves into the deep end. Liam, a trainer at PopUp Business School, recalls; If any of you have heard me speak at events, you probably know before PopUp I worked for a small insurance broker. I spent 3 years bouncing around the company learnings skills and the industry like the back of my hand. However, joining PopUp was me diving in the deep end. I’d never worked in Project management or had so much freedom or even that much responsibility. I had to quickly learn how to swim and strive or go under. Along the way I learnt some lessons through my mistakes which I want to share with you now. Here are five reminders that during these tough times, when we have to change how we run our businesses and dive in the deep end, will help us keep swimming and pushing forwards. You're not the expert… yetWhether you’re moving your business onto Facebook Live, or creating YouTube videos. Maybe even creating products to sell on an online store! Chances are you’re doing something that’s completely new to you. When we run businesses based around a passion and a skill, we are the experts in what we do. But we are now trying something we’ve never done before… It’s okay to not be the expert at this new experiment! Remember back to when you first started learning. Did you walk into School an expert? No! We need to try these new things to make mistakes and learn from them. It's okay to ask for helpBe damn sure you’ll need it! Remember YOU’RE NOT AN EXPERT in this, but someone else might be. We can sometimes feel like we need to prove something (either to others or even ourselves), when actually getting support can get the job done ten times quicker. You’re never alone when it comes to running a business. Do you have employees? No… Do you have co-workers? No… Do you have a community of thousands of other small business owners? F*ck yes! Remember to reach out for support no matter how vulnerable it makes us feel – then offer that help and support back once we’ve learned it. The more we give the more we get! What was this designed to teach me?When something goes wrong, we have two choices in how we react. We can consider it a failure and decide that route isn’t the best thing to try. Back to the drawing board! Or we can stop and ask ourselves – "What was this designed to teach me?" Finding a learning in a mistake can be tough when we are in the moment and the red mist is in front of our eyes. But when you learn it, how much more you’ll progress and learn is invaluable! Don’t give up if you fall down… figure out why you fell and try again a little differently. One Step at a timeWe know this isn’t going to be easy, and we aren’t experts yet. But we have a goal and that’s going to push us forwards! But actually, that goal seems really far away and is a little bit overwhelming, right? The easiest way to eat a big meal is one bite at a time! First of all, we need to break down the task at hand into little bitesize actions. Be really specific! It may feel like you’ve now got 100 things to do, but you’ll be powering through them in no time. Just pause, break it down into little tasks, and then GET ON WITH IT ! Reward yourself!Trying something completely new and pushing yourself WAY out of your comfort zone is really tough! You’re probably putting blood, sweat and tears into making this work and yet a lot of people don’t know how much work you’re doing. This sh*t is difficult too! Make sure to reward yourself for the hard work – because nobody else will. Having to adapt, throw yourself in the deep end of the pool and learn to swim is monumental. You’ve got to feel the sense of achievement – celebrate it! Then use that positivity as rocket fuel to launch into the next task.
How are you doing?Alan, Simon, and guest Katie Coombes discuss the actions they are taking to look after their wellbeing and mental health when working from home and being in self-isolation. 
We are all in the woods. But we are going to find a way through and lead others out with us.Like many, PopUp Business School was facing the toughest day of its existence on Monday. Many of its free business training events were suddenly postponed, leading to a six-figure hole in cash flow and an uncertain future.
But CEO Simon Paine realised that, if his company was struggling, the businesses he'd helped to launch would be struggling, too. So he posted a heartfelt message to the company’s thousands of Facebook followers, promising to help them find a way to survive - as he would have to for PopUp. 
Are you stuck in the house?We now have many hours on our hands and I am wondering what to do with them! What am I going to build? What am I going to learn? What am I going to create? This post is as much for me as it is for you. I have been unsettled by recent events and I am trying to find my motivation, energy and strength again. click here to read the full blog post at alandonegan.com
The world seems to be changing faster than ever before and with these changing times comes uncertainty.This post is inspired by the fact that PopUp Business School had 10 events cancelled this week because of the Coronavirus. With change happening so quickly and so out of the blue it is difficult to prepare. What is important is how you react. click here to read the full blog post at alandonegan.com |
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