It’s back to work we go…
#weeknotes S03 EP01 – week ending 6 January 2019
It’s the first #weeknotes of 2019 so this one’s likely to be short as I’ve only gone back to work fully today. Taking a full break over the two weeks of Christmas was definitely the right thing to do – it gave me time with my family I’d sorely missed out on in 2018, and also time with my own thoughts to reflect and look forward.
The last couple of days of the break I really committed to the reflection – looking back at 2018 and thinking about what worked well, what didn’t, what I’d like to feel more of and what I definitely want to feel less of. It was the last bit of time I wanted to spend thinking about last year and so I made sure I’d really worked through anything that was still niggling me about it, and might hold me back as we go into a new year (and for me, a new focus for my work).
Looking forward as well as the planning I captured in my last post I also did the practical of getting my diary in order for the next few weeks and kicking off conversations ready for next week. I also did some rapid development of services and products which will be ready to go live in the next few days – I’m looking forward to hearing what people think of them and what else I can offer to help them move forward as musicians and creatives. Check out Noble and Wild for the latest on all that.
It’s been good too to go back to some tactical delivery as the new Reckless Yes mailing list launched. The sign up rate has been great (nearly at our month-one goal within a week) and with the first mail-out sent I’m pleased to see open and click throughs above industry average too. It’s my first time using MailChimp (I was a Granicus girl when in localgov) and it’s impressed me so far. A few clunky moments in the interface but balanced with nice touches too.
The mailing list will be the primary channel for communicating our news where we’ll be going out to subscribers first about new signings, new releases, shows, and exclusives before we share on social media or through the press. If you’re interested in what we do at the label you can sign up here. It’s the first revamp of our assets as a new online store, updated website experience, and branding will all follow later in the year to keep pace with our growth. And if you’re interested in how I could help your business achieve great customer satisfaction as well as get your sales converting through content which connects you can find out how to work with me here.
I’m still mindful of keeping the balance I’m looking for between work and life, online and offline, but feeling fully revitalised I’m pleased to say it’s with excitement and not anxiety I’m heading into my first work week.
What’s next?
This week brings plenty of admin because I’ve been navigating the endless loops in the online self-assessment journey for months and rather than get distracted by the user experience I need to actually file a return now. This is one of the bits of running my own business I like the least but it’s a small price to pay (figuratively!) for doing what I love.
I’ll be seeing London and Royal Tunbridge Wells this week too and am hugely excited for great conversation and connection in each of them (as well as being able to show action on my commitment to #100people).
A lot of this work is focused on Reckless Yes and Noble and Wild, and I’m loving working more fully with creatives on building their careers and finding success in music and I’m really into the conversations happening at the moment with some great like-minded people around the UK to see how we work together to really supercharge the grassroots and DIY music scene.