I’ve had no clients in my business for the past two weeks.

Thankfully, this was deliberately planned, as I forced myself to work on my business instead of in it, or whatever the phrase is. It can sound a bit dickish when you say it out loud, but it’s definitely a decent concept.

There was a reason I chose the last two weeks in particular to take on this way overdue task. The fortnight covered the time that the fast-becoming legendary ‘Pop Up Business School’ was in town (Bolton), and having been badgered about it by almost everyone I now have the pleasure of seeing regularly at the community centre I’ve recently become a director of, I decided to get signed up.

I didn’t expect much from the experience, because I’d learned that the whole two week project was to be structured in a way whereby you didn’t have to be present for all of it, and you could pretty much come and go as you pleased. In addition, in being a funded scheme through whichever housing association snaps up the Pop Up offer in any given town, spaces on the course are always free. I hate to admit it, but if I see that something is free, whilst I’m grateful and intrigued, I can understand why people don’t immediately value whatever’s on offer…

Also, whilst the ‘School’ was open to anyone at any stage of their business, a big push was towards those who were just starting out – or maybe even just thinking about starting out. I was a bit arrogant in thinking that, having done this agoodwriteup thing for a good few years now, I’d already know much of what was being delivered.

I’m a massive geek, though, so whilst I was looking forward to attending any of the days I could get down to, my plan was to sit at the back, with one eye on the trainer and the other on the pile of admin that I knew I could be catching up with and/or prepping in advance. If the odd bit of inspiration or a handy hint or two peppered the sessions, then that would be just lovely.

I got no admin done.

I mean, I’ve done it now, because it needed doing and was a ‘nice’ distraction from the ironing I’ve been putting off since 2017, but during the two weeks of Pop Up Business School, no admin was even dented.

Why? Because even though I’m naturally hard to please, cynical, and a well-renowned eye-rolling realist, every day of that two weeks (that I was able to attend) positively slapped me in the face with ideas, inspiration, and alternative ways of thinking about things. It also made me think about things that had never even entered my pretty little head in the first place. Shocking, I know.

I think the reason it had an effect on me was because it was all just good sense delivered in a good-natured way. I think the trend these days is that if you’re going to have your life or business ‘transformed’, then it’s via the medium of being battered into submission by some loudmouth who stomps around erratically, doesn’t invite your involvement at all, and yells at you to “Just fucking do it”. The irony is that you then can’t do anything at all because you’re that bloody exhausted from the experience, but whatever.

I’d rather die than sit through that.

I imagine many people have died sitting through that.

Pop Up couldn’t have been further away from the empty, short-term, ‘motivational’ spiel so prevalant in pricey programmes available at every turn. It was just totally accessible, good fun, and completely practical. I’m not saying everyone should sign up to Pop Up Business School, but I have to admit that this ‘slacking off’ from doing work for clients so that I could listen to new ideas, learn new things, and mix with new people I never would have met anywhere else… it all really gave me time and opportunity to think about what I do, what I want to do, and what I could possibly consider doing at some point in the future.

If my rapidly closing mind can be opened to stuff like this, then I’m pretty sure everybody else’s can.

You may already do a lot for your personal and business development, so if that’s you, I’m sorry I’ve probably mocked you for it in the past (and will likely do so again if you post generic motivational bastard quotes from unconfirmed sources on my newsfeed). If it’s not you, though, read a book, listen to a podcast, attend an event, or be like me and go buy a new pencil case and sign up to an entire course. You might just be surprised.

We all need to work on our businesses if we’re going to do ourselves – and our clients – justice. We need to treat ourselves as clients.

I appreciate that my blogs are usually more piss-take than positivity – If you really must hire a freelancer being a good one that highlights my point – but I really hope that this blog might open the eyes of those people who, like me, work damn bloody hard for a living* and could do with a bit of a boost.

*Yes, really. I do.