Ai, Dog Guy and Other Stuff

My toxic trait is believing that if I have an idea today, it should probably be built, launched, earning money and featured on the BBC by tomorrow afternoon. Patience has never really been my thing. But this year has taught me something I probably needed to learn a long time ago: if it can all be done in a day, it’s probably not worth having. 

Some things need time, and weirdly, a year after I started stripping everything back, things I planted ages ago are finally starting to become fruitful.

Last week was a perfect example. I finally got to have the proper photoshoot day with Steph for Pink Gorilla Collective. Steph and I met in 2016, barely saw each other in the years that followed, and now, ten years later, we’ve somehow built this brilliant little business together. We went to Top Drawer where Steph was speaking, had our branding shoot in Canary Wharf and then I took her to a fashion show. Business, photos, fashion, drinks, laughing and plotting. It all just worked. And I came away thinking maybe God does have a plan and occasionally I just need to shut up and ride it out. I spend so much time trying to force the next thing to happen that I sometimes forget to notice that the things I asked for a year ago are actually happening now.

Now, a brief AI rant while I’m here. 

We’re going to ignore the lone lady trolling my Instagram because I used ChatGPT to create an image of itself as part of a trend. 

Actually, no we’re not. 😂 

I left her comments up because I do think we need conversations about AI. But me deciding not to use ChatGPT tomorrow isn't going to put the genie back in the bottle. AI is here. While everyone is arguing about shit AI posters and weird pictures, the billionaires and companies building this technology are so much further ahead than that and most of us probably don't even know what it is already capable of. Those are the conversations I think we should be having. What safeguards are being built? Who is responsible for them? What happens if it becomes more powerful than we can manage? Who puts the lid back on it then?

But am I going to stop using AI in my business? No. I'm going to learn how to use it properly. I'm a small business owner hustling to build a better life, and if there is technology that can help me research, organise ideas, write, plan and do things I couldn't afford a team of people to do, I'm going to use it. I can have concerns about AI and use AI. The two things can exist at the same time. Rant over.

Back to what this last year of stripping everything back has actually allowed me to do. On 1st October I'm running my first free workshop in Bristol. I want to take some of the business support that people normally have to pay for and bring it to people who might not otherwise have access to it. Small businesses, rural businesses, people with an idea who don't know what to do next, or people who simply need someone to sit down with them and untangle the bloody thing. I've also started looking for the campervan, which will allow me to take this idea on the road and eventually remove people from their normal environment for a day and properly work on their business. What are you selling? Who actually wants it? What are you charging? How are people finding you? What's stopping you? No fluff. Just getting shit done.

And because apparently I cannot just do ONE thing, I've also got my sauna friends on board. Along the way there'll be wellness, sauna, workshops, conversations and hopefully a lot of people leaving feeling a bit better than when they arrived. It feels like lots of separate ideas I've had over the last few years are finally starting to join up, rather than me constantly trying to force them into place.

Life outside work has been pretty bloody lovely too. I've had such a good summer with my grandchildren and I'm ridiculously blessed that I get to see them as much as I do. Neil has also been an absolute trooper. He's still an untrained little terrorist when the mood takes him, but he's also been my little sidekick through all of this, and because of him I'm outside walking miles three times a day whatever the weather and whatever mood I'm in.

Which brings me neatly to Dog Guy. 

If you follow me on social media, you'll already know. It's been about a year. A YEAR. We've walked past each other, looked at each other, said the occasional hello and done the slightly ridiculous dog walking dance, and I've finally decided I'm going to actually talk to him. I spend half my life telling the Pink Gorilla Collective to stop being frightened. Post the thing. Ask the question. Make the offer. Tell people what you sell. What's the worst that can happen? Meanwhile I've spent a year walking past a man I fancy waiting for something to magically happen. So apparently I need to take my own advice. I'm going to offer him a hot chocolate.

There are therefore two possible updates to next week's blog. 

Either we've had a lovely hot chocolate or I've been arrested for entry level stalking. Either way, there'll be content.

And perhaps that's actually the biggest thing this year has taught me. You can push yourself, work hard, put things in motion and be brave enough to make the offer, but you can't control the timing of everything. Some things take a year. Some things take ten years. Some things might just take one slightly awkward conversation in the park. Plant the seeds, do the work, keep moving and occasionally have enough faith to leave the bloody thing alone and let it grow.

Same person 

New chapter x