I know there will be some of you who are already planning what work you are going to do on your business over the weekend, but remember it is important to take a break from the 'grind'. This is not only for your mental health, but it is strategically important. While we are busy doing, we don't get a chance to gain perspective over what it is we are putting together. And that lack of 'brain time' stops us from being able to really create the vision for our business. So this weekend, whether you are framing it as working on yourself or working on your business, give yourself time to stop and appreciate everything you have already done!

Organic growth of your start-up has many benefits: * Full control of vision and strategy * Full control of finances * Full control of growth and success If there is a way to grow organically, you should. *********************** Did you know there is a whole library of posts, tips and tricks on our social media library? If you have ever read any of my social media content and then couldn't find it when you most needed it - you are in luck! Go to Adviser Blog — Adviser In Your Pocket for more!

I'm thinking practical things, rather than concepts or ideas - we know how important they are! So for our first community poll, which of the following helps you the most with growing your business?

You may or may not remember my podcast launched last year, called the Startup Game. I was very lucky to have on some brilliant guests and the premise was simple - talk to founders about the reality of running their business. I chatted with two founders at a time about their weekly activities running their businesses and we covered a large variety of topics and challenges. I also got some terrific feedback :-) We are in the process of setting up for the next season of The Startup Game and this time we are going on YouTube as well! The format will be changing slightly - I will be talking about a particular subject for about 15 minutes, and then I am going to have a chat with a founder for another 15 minutes. Why the change in format? Mainly, the issue was logistics - trying to get three very busy founders in the same place at the same time was a lot harder than I thought! And isn't that one of the biggest ironies of being your own boss - that it doesn't leave time for anything else than running it?! We also had some issues with the tech we were using - Riverside started off as a terrific option, but as we used it more, we ran into more and more instances of the files corrupting and sadly, some episodes got so corrupted we can't recover them. So this time, it is simpler, so we can get more episodes out without the drama. My team are working on a suitable podcast studio vibe, and I am putting the word out that I am looking for more brilliant founders to talk to. The format of the chat will remain about the realities of running a business - and yes, it will inevitably involve talking about white boards and networking! But one to one, I think we can have a much more interesting conversation and a great fun way to enter the weekend! If you want to listen to the previous conversations, go to https://open.spotify.com/show/5TBs8kyekTQ7LzA35CpmLs?si=hMo3aQpbRsSvbU2HI8w_WQ Or you can start following The Startup Game podcast on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@thestartupgamepodcast?si=B4G_0wh4z_N3ReWL

Do you ever go to exhibitions or conferences, and end up coming home with every free cup, mousemat, stress ball and pack of candies? Of course you did - in fact it is not unusual to end up with one of the free bags given out in order to carry the things that you pick up from every stall. But how many do you use? How many stay in the bag because you actually have no use for it? You got it because it was free and well, why not? Online goodies are also on the rise - free courses, workshops, and downloads. All it takes is your email address. And you may be tempted to sign up for all of it - because well, why not? But take a step back before you give your email address away too freely. First, almost every free pack you will be given is a way to get your email address for further promotions. Some of it may be useful, but most will end up in spam with you forgetting how they got your email address in the first place. Second, it can feel really empowering to give yourself a goal of completing lots of programs and workshops that are going to help you take your business to the next level. But it can also become the items on your to do list that just sit in judgement on you, knowing you will never do them. For the sake of your to do list and inbox, think strategically about what help you really need this year. Where is your focus? What will take your business to the next level? Research a number of free offerings before selecting one. Just one. Then schedule the time to complete the course into your calendar. Don't just promise yourself to get it done - commit to it. Your business won't improve through a list of courses you signed up to just because they were free. Just as much as your desk really doesn't need a mountain of stress balls.