9 Things I Learnt Taking My Business On The Road

Having just taken a luxurious two months trip back to the UK - I thought I’d share the 9 things I learnt taking my business on the road far away from what is now home, here in Perth, Australia.

To be honest at first it was a total culture shock - I went from quiet rural Western Australia, where the loudest things are the kookaburras, to central Brighton in Sussex, UK, with all its noise, people, cars, hustle and bustle. To give you some context I hadn’t been back for three years, so that probably explains things. And honestly back in Perth I hadn’t been out much, not even to the city, so ‘quiet’ had been my natural setting.

Most people thought I was actually on HOLIDAY, when in fact I was working as many hours as I could, staying flexible and on task. 

Picture me dashing from hire car to cafes, to AirBnB rooms, to friends and family, to trains (very difficult to actually work on British trains), to honestly wherever I could get wifi and a few moments to concentrate. Luckily for me the areas I spent time in were my ‘old stomping ground’, so apart from cafes popping up and shops closing, the basic layout stayed the same.

Very different from me finding my way around places I didn’t know - which I did when I was a digital nomad living and working from Thailand many years ago!

The key to your success here of course is having a crystal clear Business Plan - something I talk about all the time. So I knew what needed to get done, it was just a case of carving out time to complete on various projects.

One of which was creating a brand new live Online Workshop (Create A Simple But Effective Marketing Plan), which I ran live twice from my friends’ spare room in Suffolk!

This all went really well, but there were a few things that I just didn’t manage on this trip and maybe I have to re-evaluate whether they will be possible in future trips…

Here’s what didn’t get done:

• I’d wanted to film YouTube videos ‘on the go’ - I pictured myself walking along the seafront chatting to the camera. But totally forget the ‘wind’ factor in this country! Plus the time factor.
• Daily sketching, some of which I pictured doing outside - I managed a few sketches, but on the whole I hadn’t factored in glorious summer HOT weather! Wow, I’d brought the Aussie weather with me…
• And just not having space to set up painting things in most of the places I stayed, or the time.
• More tips to London (I only went three times in the end).
• I didn’t see all the friends I had hoped to.

Will I plan things differently for the next trip? Definitely. I’ll be more realistic with my time and try to free up my calendar before I go over, so I can schedule in more of the things I missed out on this time.

Much more importantly, here’s what DID get done and what I learned about myself and how I want to live and work going forwards. There’s nothing like going half way round the world to help you shift perspectives.

I DID:

• Spend a ton of quality time with my dad (aged 93) and step-mum, as well as my daughter in Brighton.
• Meet up with two cousins I’d not seen in 20 years!
• Hang out with lots of friends, even for a short time.
• Create and deliver my brand new online workshop.
• Keep my marketing basic routine going.
• Keep my Art Business Academy memberships calls and routine going.
• Create some coastal sketches.
• Get introduced to a gallery where I could have a Solo Show once my new work is ready!

Here’s the nine things I learnt taking my business on the road.

1. First up - You really CAN keep your business moving forwards, no matter where you are in the world, (so long as you have a laptop!)
2. It was good to have a mixture of staying with friends and family, as well as in AirBnB’s so I could have some ‘me’ time to think things through as I was going.
3. Essential was making space and time to go to galleries and soak up some ART. I did the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Courtauld Institute, and the Snape Maltings Summer Exhibition, as well as small galleries whilst I was out and about.
4. Having a ton of outside time in the fresh warm Summer air was vital, and watching the sun sets on the Sussex, Suffolk & Essex coasts was magical. Of course the late light evenings made this especially possible and I made the very most of it every day.
5. Still focussing on exercise - whilst I might not be able to keep up with my daughter’s high fitness levels, I did complete 10,000+ steps most days, some in hilly Brighton and some on the flat, thank goodness.
6. I discovered that finding sketching time wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped, so taking hundreds of reference photos became super important. Now I just have to go through them, edit and print out things that will work for my new collection.
7. Making sure I totally switched off from my business when I was with friends and family was wonderful and easier to do that I thought! This again was due to having a clear Business Plan…:).
8. Being able to stay flexible within the week, or day was also really important - there’s no point stressing when some things don’t work out, you just have to roll with it. For example the first time I went up to see my dad I chose the train, because I figured I could work all the way. However the train was packed and there was no room to get out a laptop or get anything done. Then once I was in a quieter train the wifi didn’t work, so I gave up and read my book.
9. The biggest shift for me was taking a giant step back from my business and checking in with myself what I still wanted to create and what could be let go of. For example I decided to protect my art making days once I got home, so that I work this side of the business Mondays to Wednesdays and save Thursdays and Fridays just for the Art side. 

In conclusion:

I wasn’t sure how things were going to go before I left, and looking back now I think I proved to myself that you can have a wonderfully enriching time with friends and family, all while still building your business. That’s the ultimate work/life balance. 

If you'd like to work towards your version of that perfect work/life balance, then why not book yourself a 20-min Free Consult so we can figure out how I can help you achieve it.