Atomicon Takeaways, Leeds 10k & A Barbell To The Face
I feel like I have so much to tell you from the last few weeks, but I don't want this email to end up longer than a book, so I'll summarise.
My phone got smashed up the night before I went on holiday, and I didn't have a chance to replace it before I left. My holiday was packed full of amazing experiences that I haven't had a chance to tell you about. And then, within days of getting back, I headed up to Newcastle for Atomicon, which I will tell you about because I came away buzzing with ideas.
I'm going to share my key takeaways shortly, but first I want to tell you what I love about the event and share their early bird offer with you so you can book a ticket if you fancy joining me at the next one.
The early-bird offer runs until Friday, and then prices go up. I have already bought my ticket so you'll know at least one person there. And if you do change your mind, you can get a full refund up until Feb 2026. So if you fancy it, here's the link to book your place.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that the guys who run Atomicon are very good at marketing. I'm not going to go into heaps of detail on their tactics because it would fill this email, so I'll save that for another time.
Instead, I want to talk about what I think makes the event so good. And I think it's the fact that it's so inclusive. They make a real effort to create a friendly community, reduce overwhelm, and minimise the anxiety that people often struggle with when it comes to big events.
You aren't made to feel self-conscious. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable in. You don't have to put on any airs and graces, and nobody will make you feel judged. Plus, they have dedicated quiet spaces and chill-out zones for anyone who feels overwhelmed or overstimulated.
And there's a Facebook group, app, online networking throughout the year, fringe events and a pre-party so you can connect with other attendees before the event.
In other words, if you are introverted, shy, get anxious or feel daunted by the idea of networking, this is a great event.
And even if you are confident, extroverted, or happy to talk to complete strangers, this event is worth attending. There are plenty of networking opportunities as well as some fantastic speakers.
And, on the subject of speakers, I thought I'd share some of the things I took away from the talks I attended.
Firstly, I have to say that Rory Sutherland was excellent. He was my favourite speaker of the day and shared some brilliant marketing insights. He talked about the psychology of marketing and provided some great examples of how the way we position ourselves can make a huge difference to whether people buy or not.
Essentially, if you're product or service isn't selling, it could just be because your messaging is wrong.
Another speaker whose talk really resonated was Laura Belgray, who talked about email marketing. She said you should write all your emails as though you are writing to a single person.
This is something I've talked about heaps of times and something I do myself. I imagine I am writing to one person (you) every time I write one of these emails.
Laura also talked about sharing your own stories and experiences (and wherever possible, linking them back to your services). Some of the ideas she suggested writing about:
- Fears
- failures
- Struggles
- Embarrassing moments
- Something everyone loves but you hate
- Something you love that everyone else hates
- Passions
- Hopes, dreams, goals
- What you're proud of
I like to think I'm quite good at sharing personal stories and experiences (if you didn't see my warts-and-all business journey, check it out here). But even though I think I do this quite well, Laura's list acted as a good reminder. Sharing personal anecdotes is something AI just can't do.
So speaking of sharing real-life experiences, you might remember me mentioning a few weeks ago that I ended up taking a trip to A&E with my husband after he had a running fall and busted his face?
Well, he had almost healed from that, but then he decided to drop a barbell on his face while I was away and blacked his other eye. I'm starting to worry his colleagues will think he's joined some kind of underground Fight Club. I'm tempted to ban him from exercising alone.
Ironically, the post I put out on Wednesday (which I'd already scheduled before this happened) was all about why freelancers should prioritise exercise. But given my husband's recent accidents while exercising, I'm starting to wonder whether exercise really is that good for you after all!
I'm joking, of course. Exercise is something I highly recommend, and it's something I always make time for. I can't imagine my life without it, and although there are physical benefits to exercising, I think the biggest benefits are to my mental health.
Running a business is tough, and exercise helps me process things, reduces anxiety and stress, and gives me a sense of achievement.
Yesterday I completed my 11th Leeds 10k. My goal was to run it in under 60 minutes, and I did it in 57:39, which was well under my goal (and much faster than I expected to be).
So I'm starting this week feeling pretty bloody pleased with myself and highly motivated for the week ahead. I've already smashed one goal, and once my legs stop aching, I'll be ready to take on the world (maybe).
Upcoming events
Before I give you this week's ten-minute task, here's a reminder of what I've got coming up. You can book any of these events on a pay-as-you-go basis for £15 per event or get them as part of a monthly membership at £20 per month or £200 per year.
