A lot of people picked up running for the first time in lockdown, which is nice for them. But for those of us that were already running regularly, it has meant more people out on the roads/fields/pavement. Don’t mistake that statement for a complaint (well maybe a little), but it is a reality of lockdown life, so I worked out a few little life hacks. I hope they help.

It’s a Crowded Field

There can be no denying it, there are a lot more people out running. We might see fewer people in general. Fewer cars on the road? No doubt. Unfortunately, most shops are empty too. …

On the day of my 14th birthday, I ate a lovely roast chicken dinner made by my Gran. It was delightful. It was also my last meal before becoming a vegetarian. A year ago, my wife converted from being a meat-eater to a vegan, bypassing the vegetarian element altogether. My wife has lived with me as a vegetarian for over 20 years without complaint, I have not been as patient in my 12-month trial.

Surprising Things Vegans Cannot Eat

Before I talk you through some important ideas and ways to help the new vegan in your life, let’s look at some classic mistakes and pitfalls — things that you’ll be surprised are not vegan and will make you look bad if you slip up serving them. …

Coming into 2021, whatever you decide on for a New Years resolution, having more time will be important to achieve it. So rather than using ‘I’m Busy’ as an excuse, actually crack on with things and try some of these really easy methods to make you more efficient and free time for better stuff.

I am as guilty as anyone for making excuses, but its time we all got a bit tougher on ourselves, set out to achieve new things, not let 2020 be our defining year and take control of our lives. …

Earlier this year, I was running 40–50 miles a week whilst training for a trail marathon. Then for a couple of months, I had weeks when I logged zero miles, and averaged less than 10. The difference was not training for a race, but a total lack of motivation combined with no enjoyment. But why?

I’ve always had quiet periods after my races. Some of this is recovery time but it is also because training takes up a lot of time, meaning less spent with the family. …

Imagine a drug addict that gets sent an email daily telling them what they just put into their body. The shopaholic whose credit card bill gets updated daily and sends them a text saying how much they have ever spent. That’s what it’s like as a childhood fanatic of a game that kept a record of how long you spent on the game!

The crazy thing, I never saw it as a problem, it was a badge of honour. One summer holiday I racked up over 12 hours a day for 2 straight weeks and proudly showed people — turns out the rest of the world did the same, and not just on Championship Manager like me. …

When I left my executive role earlier in the year, my goal was to have a more flexible and fulfilling work life. In the intervening 6 months, I have started a new company, consulted for some really lovely organisations, started as a Non-Executive Director, taken on freelance writing and even started an e-commerce store — this is what I learned and why I love it!

Finding the Right Balance

From the start, my goal was to try as many different things as was sensible. Organisational skills have always been a strength of mine, but it’s tested even my skills and patience in this area. …

The first thing any good salesperson learns is that you need to hit your activity numbers. The more calls you make, the more meetings you book, the more pitches you make, the more deals you close.

There are literally hundreds of articles on Medium that say there is no alternative to prolific writing. The more you write, the more you get published, the more fans you get, the more you get paid.

As someone that has been very successful in sales & marketing and has starting writing more frequently (and pleasingly picked up several contracts already), I can certainly understand where people are coming from…

Segmentation will increase your chances of new and repeat customers. It will make your marketing spend go further and improve your conversion rate. It is quite simply an essential element of marketing for small businesses and it is so much easier than people realise.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article all about small business and why it’s the best friend of any small business. Based on the feedback I got, people loved the idea and understood it, but were worried about how they would have the time or data to really start.

This got me thinking, I bet most small businesses already have so much of this data and with a little guidance and a few tips, they could be flying with segmentation — so prepare yourself for a little guidance and a few tips! …