Introducing ‘Leap Takeaways’: #1 BE RAPID

I have produced a series of nine short and snappy videos, ‘Leap Takeaways’ in which I give small businesses, freelancers and the self-employed tips on staying ahead of the game, how to keep clients and how to ensure you succeed and survive.

The first one is all about the importance of being rapid.

Communicating Your DNA

‘Executing against your DNA’ is important but remember to manage the market perception of you.

I’ve talked before about personal branding. That’s so important to have a coherent personal brand message whether you are an executive in a corporation or a freelancer.And when you are a generalist rather than a specialist; when you are a multi-dimensional juggler – then it's even more crucial.

I met an old contact yesterday, I had not seen him for at least four years. I updated him on what I am doing. I talked about the risk of being pigeonholed. He understands my strengths and my diversity but we agreed that if you asked ten different people what Ian Sanders is, you might get 10 different answers. That is fine, because that reflects my plurality as a juggler, but it also gives some challenges.

It's crucial to unite the seemingly disparate elements of your portfolio in a single personal brand. In my case, what is Ian Sanders' business OHM about?
Two things.
One, we work with clients to exploit their market potential.
Two, in all we do, we are a Safe Pair Of Hands for projects, from conception to delivery.

Whatever my business does, whatever clients, sectors, projects I serve, I ensure these are valid to everything we do, everything I do.

It’s my DNA; it's my brand equity, it's what I am about.

And I apply that criteria to every client we work with, every project we work on.

So develop your personal brand equity - and shout about it.

Loving Being On The Same Wavelength

If I was going to sum up my new book ‘Juggle’ in a few words, it would be about the importance of being multi-dimensional, of avoiding being pigeonholed and just being YOU. It’s been my story, through all my career but especially since I worked for myself. Doing my own thing. Wearing loads of different hats, mixing up a load of interests and business activities. Stuff like ‘serious’ marketing, co-devising a book for kids, presenting a bunch of videos, managing a rock band, advising an arts festival, writing a book - all in the same week, let alone the same lifetime. I love that.

I sat next to a woman at a wedding reception the week before last and we were both excited to have such common ground. Rachel Beer’s story is very much my story – we found we are on the same wavelength with us doing a bunch of stuff; our business offering reflecting our personality. It’s great to meet a kindred spirit like that.

So when I just clicked play on Gary Vaynerchuk’s latest video post on being multi-dimensional I was similarly excited; it was the online equivalent of sitting next to someone at a wedding and discovering that kindred spirit! His message = my message. He says: Don’t be scared of being multi-dimensional, execute against your DNA, and don’t be pigeonholed.

It’s no coincidence of course that Gary V is one of the featured jugglers in the book; so they’ll be more from him when it comes out next year.

Check out Gary’s video here. And in his words, ‘Execute Against Your DNA’

'Ldn'

It’s easy to have a go at London. Tyler Brûlé does a good job in many of his ‘Fast Lane’ columns in the weekend FT. Sometimes with good reason, especially if he’s bemoaning the short comings of Heathrow and our struggling transport infrastructure. But for everything: business, culture, eating out and hanging out London can’t be beaten. And with the Olympics here in 4 years, it’s time to celebrate London.

It’s centre of excellence for the creative industries helped ‘Fast Company’ magazine named London ‘Global city of the year’ earlier this year and Alice Rawsthorn wrote a great essay about the city from an international perspective in its June issue.

Although I’ve become more nomadic to not have a ‘proper office’ (or my home) in the city anymore, we still benefit from our proximity to the city. We had dinner in the West End last Friday night and were back home – by a fast car – within the hour (just).

So whilst I’m still open-minded to live near or in any city, London is very much part of my story. Its creativity and entrepreneurial spirit was the catalyst for my business and marketing consultancy OHM, and that’s where most of my clients are.

Read the Fast Company article here. Fast Company published my (edited) response to the article, in this month’s issue of the magazine.

Going Places

I’m not great at switching off, especially when on holiday, especially when I have an idea to ruminate on or a book to write. The last six holidays I’ve been on with the family I have been pre-occupied by ‘Leap’, ‘Juggle’ and other bits and pieces.

Just back from a week in the north east of Mallorca where I was literally able to switch off - a real treat. Just one client ‘phone call in the whole week, plus I only checked emails at the local biblioteca a few times the whole week.

My two young sons made sure I did not get through my pile of books and papers to read. But I did get through a large chunk of Sean Condon’s ‘My ‘Dam Life’, a memoir of an Australian travel writer and advertising man’s years in Amsterdam. I have a love affair with the city and would love to live and work there for a time. So Sean’s book was an amusing insight into what’s it’s like for an expat trying to find his feet in the city (or more like trying to find an apartment, let alone his feet).

I wonder if Sean has read Alain de Botton’s ‘The Art Of Travel’? When I first read this extract a few years ago it seemed to sum up my passion for the city.

In one street lined with uniform apartment buildings, I stopped by a red front door and felt an intense longing to spend the rest of my life there. Above me on the second floor, I could see an apartment with three large windows and no curtains. The walls were painted white and decorated with a single large painting covered with small blue and red dots. There was an oak desk against a wall, a large bookshelf and an armchair. I wanted the life that this space implied. I wanted a bicycle. I wanted to put my key through the red front door every evening, I wanted to stand by the curtainless window at dusk looking out an identical apartment opposite and snack my way through an erwentsoep met roggebrood en spek before retiring to read in bed in a white room with white sheets.

Or maybe that’s just the romantic in me?

Either way as I said to my wife on the plane on the weekend, it’s great to know that we could go anywhere, just like that. I can literally work from any city or anywhere. So long as I’m close-ish to London to see clients. My business/ our family life is flexible enough to embrace change.

And regardless of where I go, that’s a very liberating feeling.

Here's the cover design..

After much debate and deliberation, here’s the cover design for the new book.

Nice work Ricky!

'The Juggle Interviews'

Later in the year we’ll be releasing a series of videos ‘The Juggle Interviews’. In each video I will be interviewing a business ‘juggler’ and talking about the themes from my book. We have already filmed two interviews with jugglers Kevin Roberts and Mike Southon (here's me and Mike above); both of which have been filmed on roof terraces, in Paris and London. That’s whetted our appetite and now we are looking to interview more jugglers on rooftop locations.

Our juggler Roxanne has her popular video blog called ‘Beach Walks’; for this I am thinking we could call ours ‘Roof Talks’...