Hello,

Firstly thank you all so much for your lovely feedback on the podcast trailer. That was a tricky thing to put out into the world but with so many emails and messages of support I am encouraged to keep pushing the project forward. At the moment I am aiming to have the first episodes live in September but I am not holding myself to a date yet. 

One of the reasons for not setting a date is that I realised that all too often we put ourselves under pressure to do things in a certain way because that is what we see other people doing, instead of taking the time to work out how we want to bring something into the world. I am guilty of this too and I wanted to share the obstacle/truth solution ladder that I went down (or up?) to get to sharing the podcast I knew I really wanted to record, in case it helps you get your secret project out there more quickly too.

Obstacle: Everybody is doing a podcast, I'll never stand out. 
Truth: A lot of people in the online business world have a podcast, not everyone. Not many of them are women and even less of them are from women based in Europe. I can help change that demographic.

Obstacle: I have too small an audience to get on New and Noteworthy in iTunes.
Truth: Yup, I actually did think this at one point, my brain seriously needs a good talking to sometimes. I have wonderful friends who have regularly been on New and Noteworthy because they deserve to be there. If I make iTunes my metric of success I am doomed to failure from the start. It isn't something I can control, so it can't be something I use as my measuring stick. Ultimately, third party ranking doesn't matter. What matters most is producing something my people want to listen to.

Obstacle: Podcasting tech is hard, I don't have time to learn how to edit or mess around with getting it out into the world. Libsyn, Podbean, Soundcloud, argh!
Truth: It is hard. But I know people who find it easy and I'm in charge of my operating budget. I decide where it is best to spend money in my business. Outsourcing the part which would stop me from ever getting a podcast out into the world feels like the right thing to do right now. 

These are just some of the things I thought of and reasoned out (with the help of good friends and mentors to talk sense to me and cheer me on). Believe me there were more. Probably some of the same reasons that you use to procrastinate on getting that thing you really want to do out into the world. If that rings true for you, try the obstacle/solution ladder  yourself and see what comes out of it. Then focus on the simplest way to get the first version of what you want to do out into the world. Because if it could impact one person, it's worth it. 

And now let's get on with the Notes...

1) How you doin'?

Middle of the year. Summer holidays approaching. It feels like a good time to reflect on how far we've come this year financially and where we still want to go.

2) Does a community need rules?

What do you think? This is a really thought provoking look into the evolution of communities in the digital age and how the word community is being used. It's something we touched on recently over at Redefining Communities, the difference between an empire and a community. This article goes a little deeper though, into who holds the power in these spaces we call communities and why it matters.  

3) Live, live baby

I have been live on Facebook precisely one time. It's really not my thing, so I gave myself permission some time ago to leave that space for other people to play in even if everybody is telling you to get on Facebook Lives right now because Reach! Engagement! If you do want to give Lives a go though, then this is a great insight into what happened when MeetEdgar went live for three months. If nothing else, it will prove to you that worrying about how many people will watch you while you are Live is not worth it because the end results can be so much better than you could have imagined.

4)  Announcing a rebrand

Interesting times for my favourite mailing list software. I love ConvertKit (this is my affiliate link) because it (em)powers these very Notes for the Curious that you are reading now. But ConvertKit is no more. Don't worry! They are not gone, just re-branded. They are now called Seva and it has been a very interesting re-branding to watch unfold. If you have ever wondered what it takes to change an established brand name this is a great peek behind the scenes.

5) Creating connection

It's not hard to get me on my soapbox about something. There are many things that I hold strong opinions on and I am rarely shy in sharing those opinions under the right circumstances. But if there is one thing, above all others which will have me racing to drag out my biggest, tallest soapbox it is community and specifically our personal responsibility to create connection and belonging within them. Which is why, as the founder of a not-for-profit, volunteer-run foundation built on the mission of connecting people I really appreciated the recognition in this article of the critical role of voluntary organisations in tackling the issue of loneliness. As we head into the latter half of the year and start planning for 2019, I would like to encourage you all to think about how you and/or your business can contribute to voluntary organisations. We all suffer from lack of time, but organisations like mine are very much in need of your support whether it is your skills, your time, your money or something else. If you can find a way to build giving back to a cause you believe in into your plans for 2019 then please do so. We need all hands on deck if we are going to create more belonging in the world. 

Until the next Notes,

Emmy

P.S. My end of year speaking plans are locked and loaded. Which means we will have multiple chances to meet each other. On the 27th of September I will be at the Rise and Lead Conference in the Hague where I will be MCing the event and moderating the panel discussion on Personal Branding and Visibility Strategies to Stand Out in the Marketplace. Early Bird tickets are only on sale until the end of July, get yours here (this is my speaker link). Then from the 29th of October you will find me at the WIT (Women in Tech) Regatta in Amsterdam. I'll be leading the very popular panel Why Women Turn On Each Other, which after our mini-sessions at the recent WIT Regatta Meet Up is a topic I just can't wait to get my teeth into with the panellists and audience. I'll be hanging out in the Leadership Port and at the MotherSHIP during the Regatta so do come and find me if you are attending. Early bird tickets are on sale until September 15 at a substantial discount.