Exactly one year and a month ago, I quit my job as an architect to pursue my goal of working for myself and doing what I love.
I lived in New York City, couchsurfed in Iceland, visited family in Holland, ate pork ribs in Texas, drank Singha in Thailand. I did stand up comedy, attempted to hitchhike, got my first 20,000 views on a video, flew to conferences, spoke at a conference, wore a lycra costume to a conference. I know it seems like it was one big holiday – but honestly I spent more time creating content, going to professional events, doing courses, hustling for speaking gigs and building networks than actual ‘holidaying’.
Not that it wasn’t fun, of course! In the last year, I’ve met incredible people and made solid friendships all over the world. And I’ve learned a phenomenal amount of stuff – not just about business and marketing, but also about what I’m good at, what value others see in me, and how I can help them.
I always knew I was going to return home to Melbourne at the end of 2014. And when I did, I found myself being asked over and over again:
“So, what’s the plan?”
It really bothered me at the time, because I didn’t actually have a plan. I didn’t know how long I was going to stay in Melbourne, and frankly, I didn’t want to stay in Melbourne. But to go overseas again meant I needed money, which led me to applying for a job (see video below) at US company AppSumo (which I nearly got, by the way). I even almost went to Koh Samui to be a bar manager.
I was very unsettled.
I soon realised that this was all part of ‘post trip blues’, and I remembered a lesson I had learned in Texas. Was I blaming my circumstances for not getting things done?
I pulled my shit together, and began to look for the opportunities that existed in Melbourne, instead of making up reasons as to why I couldn’t be here:
- I already have a solid professional and personal network in Melbourne
- There are a lot of small businesses and job seekers (my target market) in Melbourne
- I can meet with them in person, as opposed to virtually
- There is a thriving startup community and lots of support for entrepreneurs
- I can easily set up a business without complication (as opposed to in the USA)
- and…Melbourne is a damn awesome city
I began to feel better.
Three months on, I’m pleased to say that I DO have a plan.
I’m staying in Melbourne for at least the next year to build my business, my network and client base. Travelling is great, but it’s hard to build a business from the road when your service requires a lot of (real life) face time. I’ve spent the last year learning and creating, and now it’s time to knuckle down and get hustling!
Uh, so what DO I actually do?
I help people effectively communicate themselves, their brand and their business. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and by telling your story with passion, confidence and clarity, you are much more likely to get people listening to you, hiring you, buying your product, following you and supporting you.
For example, I helped the wonderful Marita Davies script, film and edit the video for her Pozible campaign (which exceeded the target of $4000 in one week, by the way!). I helped Dan and Rosa from Primal Health Products with their ‘About Us’ video and ‘About’ pages, to share their story and why they started their protein and supplement business. I’m working on LinkedIn profiles for a few clients, and doing a website and social media for another.
So yes, what I ‘do’ is quite varied – it just comes down to you and what you need help with. Maybe you don’t know how to deliver a kick-ass speech. Or you’re really nervous about an upcoming job interview. Or your LinkedIn profile sucks balls. Or you want to be able to talk about what you do and ‘sell’ yourself without being “salesy”. Whatever it is, if you need help communicating yourself and getting your message out to the world, that’s my jam.
My business is called The C Method, and if you feel like it, you can read the About page here.
If you have any questions or if there is something I can help you with, please reach out 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to read this somewhat self-promote-y post – I realised that a lot of my friends have been confused as to what I actually ‘do’, and I hope I’ve provided some answers!
If you’re wondering what I’m doing right now – I’m 4 weeks into a 12 week business course, the Cert IV in Small Business Management, at RMIT in Melbourne. It’s part of the NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme), which I found out about through a couple of my entrepreneurial friends. The highly-practical course is designed to get new businesses up and running. It’s government-funded (no loan required), and they give you financial and mentor support for 9 months after the course ends. Not bad, right? Hit me up if you’re thinking of starting your own business and want to learn more!
