Dear diary, this is the reason why you should drive for daylight

A few years back, after one of our events for Creative Impact (my old company), I was walking back with one of our attendees: we were talking a bit about the company, goals, challenges, hurdles.

She looked at me and she asked: “How does one manage to keep on going when things do not work out? You always seem to do so well”

The curse of being someone who wants to try loads of things, it that I always appears to be immensely busy - even when things are tough.

“The truth is” I replied with my best here-goes-the-lecture voice

“A lot of the times thing do not go well. Being your own boss is like being on a roller coaster ride every single day of the year”

Probably one of my most quoted lines ever.

“What you can do, however, is let go of any idea as soon as it has gone out in the world. Simply put, you have no control of the outcome once it’s out there. It’s the nature of ideas in themselves.”

It can be incredibly frustrating at times, but it is the way you can sustain in business. You have to accept what does not work, and let it go if it’s not working anymore.

In summary

• Keeping track of projects and assessing overall performance can help determine when it’s time to adapt or move on.
• Taking a break and reflecting on what was learned can be beneficial after a failed idea.
• Focusing on the road ahead is essential in order to proactively solve problems and move past failed ideas.
• Most ideas might not become best-sellers, but learning from the experience is what makes an entrepreneur successful

From my Notion Dashboard

You can create yours here!

• Honestly checking my Meco has been one of my daily rituals since Alex Llull introduced me to it in his newsletter. Enjoy your newsletters in a space built for mindful reading while giving your inbox space to breathe.
• With this current economic downturn, consumer’s spending habits are changing. And more importantly, their goals and perceptions are changing. Main takeaway from this thread is to adjust your copy across the board to how much brands or consumers can save when purchasing from you over somebody else.
• Enter: micro-mentorship. Bite sized engagements to benefit someone who knows what they want but is, well, busy. Mentees should be clear on near and long-term career ambitions. And mentors should guide their mentees to keep each engagement to one topic or question.

Why you should drive for daylight

As I mentioned over the past few weeks, I have always been one for experimenting.

For example, I created over 25 courses in the past 9 years (and helped over 100 people do the same, you do the math).

One of them, probably my favourite, was a marketing course for yoga teachers in 2014 (at a time when, sadly, the market was not right).

I launched my first (and only) round, and had to accept it was just not going to fly.

The idea and execution were very good, but the timing was wrong.

The idea of focusing on the idea, not the outcome is at the base of what author Amy Wilkinson calls ‘drive for daylight’ (Creators Code).

Whether you are moving forwards or staying still, being clear about your values, strengths, and weaknesses is something that can truly help you find the focus you need.

Most startups and small businesses are putting a lot of yourself in your work, this is when driving for daylight is even more paramour.

Next time a product does not work for you, this is what I’d recommend you focus on:

• Keep track of your projects, and assess their overall performance. If something is not working anymore, ask yourself what has changed and assess whether it’s time to adapt or let it go.
• Once you decide to let go, give yourself some time to have a little break, a cry or a tub of ice-cream (or even having a friend on call) and accept that it’s time to move on.
• What have you learnt from this experience: what will you repeat, and what should you not do again?

The attitude of focusing on the road ahead is what has supported me wasting less time mulling over what did not work, and take action to proactively solve problems and move past failed ideas.

From our shop

Appreciation corner

This week's appreciation goes to our teacher Ren Balogun.

We had a FANTASTIC first session on Tuesday, and that is also surely thanks to Ren.

She is so invested in our work and mission for Alt Marketing School, is such a passionate marketer and all round wonderful human being.

Her passion for purpose, accessible and inclusive marketing are second to none. Go find out more about her on LinkedIn.​

Fab-ulous weekly highlights

1. Our next cohort has started! It's been truly a labour of love to get this out, but the amazing feedback and kind words from our students have really filled me with confidence. The group is super engaged and proactive, and it's a joy to see it all come to life! If you want to get a glimpse of our cohort experience, we just released a new free on-demand class here.
2. New podcast episode, all about customer insights, review mining and...cricket? The amazing John McManus takes us through some of the core lessons from over 15+ years in marketing. You can listen to the episode or watch the video on our sparkling new YouTube channel.
3. I have been working on something pretty exciting - sadly it has all piled up with the cohort as well, AH! and I dropped a hint on Twitter - can you guess what we have in store?

Fab Giovanetti ✌ @fabgiovanetti Can you guess what I have been up to? Something exciting is launching over st @altmarkschool 👀 pic.twitter.com/OlH1Y4e0Ye February 28th 2023 0 Retweets 3 Likes

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So, what's the main takeaway from today?

Ultimately, most of your ideas may not turn into best-selling products, yet learning from the experience is what truly makes you an entrepreneur.

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P.S. if you are looking for more support, these are 3 ways I can help…

1. Learn how to market with purpose and access weekly tactics here.
2. Book a power hour session and get unstuck here.
3. Reclaim time to focus your energy where it matters here.

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