“Free up energy to focus on what you’re really good at” with Chris Mitchell
Do your thing · Episode 6 · Hosted by Fliss Lee
How to plan around what you actually want from your business and focus on what you do best
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After my very first coaching session with Chris, I came away feeling like he'd given me permission to do less.
Which, for someone who loves a plan and is very capable of putting 700 things on it, was probably exactly what I needed.
Chris has been my business coach since the beginning of this year, and he's helped me completely rethink how I plan – starting with what I actually want from my business, rather than everything I think I should be doing.
So I was very excited to turn the tables and get him on the podcast.
We talk about why Chris had to unlearn the corporate 9–5 when he started his own business, why being busy isn't the same as being productive, and how to stop spinning when everything feels important.
We also get into something Chris and I come at from two sides of the strategy coin: figuring out what you're really bloody good at. Because trying to get better at everything can leave you mediocre at lots of things. Letting some of it go gives you more energy to become exceptional at the things that are actually yours.
What you’ll learn in this episode
How to plan around what you actually want, without turning it into an enormous to-do list
Why letting go of what you're not good at can free up energy for what you are
How understanding your difference can help you work out what you want to be known for
Listen to the episode
Find it on your chosen podcast player here.
About Chris Mitchell
Chris Mitchell is a business and leadership coach, mentor and advisor. He helps business owners and leaders get clear on what matters to them, focus on what they do best and turn what makes them different into an advantage.
With a background in corporate strategy and business planning, Chris also brings an ADHD and neurodiversity-informed approach to his work.
Episode links
Connect with Chris on Linkedin
Visit his website
You might also like
If Chris's thoughts about slowing down and figuring things out as you go resonate, listen to my conversation with Jag Panesar about what 18 years in business have taught him about success, failure, adapting and taking things one step at a time.
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Chapters
00:00 – Meet Chris Mitchell
01:08 – From corporate strategy to business coaching
03:34 – When challenging the status quo isn't welcome
08:22 – Why the 9–5 mindset is so hard to shake
13:41 – Being busy isn't the same as being productive
14:23 – How Chris taught me to do less
17:10 – What do you actually want from your business?
20:52 – Why are we obsessed with being good at everything?
23:12 – Free up energy for what you're really good at
25:52 – What makes you exceptional?
28:13 – You don't need business goals
30:38 – What to do when you're spinning
35:00 – Going too fast and trying to do too much
39:11 – “I sound exactly like everybody else”
42:35 – Can you articulate what makes you different?
46:19 – Owning your difference
48:24 – A better way to plan for the year ahead
50:58 – Other people's expectations
51:42 – Being brave enough to ask for help
Transcript
Fliss (00:00)
Hey Chris, I'm so excited to have you on the podcast. I'd love for you to share a bit about who you are and what you do for everybody who's listening who doesn't yet know you.
Chris (00:12)
Sounds good and it's really good to be here. So yeah, I'm Chris and I specialize in working with business leaders, those in the corporate world, navigating all the challenges that brings, or the owners and founders of small businesses. I typically work with them as a coach, a mentor, or sometimes helping advise them on maybe what they should do or how to go about it. And recently I've been folding in additional specializations.
on ADHD and neurodiversity. The whole idea that those that think differently and really disrupt the corporate environment or come up with new creative ideas in business, how to leverage those strengths so they can thrive rather than sometimes struggling to fit in where actually their difference is what makes them excel.
Fliss (01:08)
So I would love to learn how you, because you're a coach, but how did you start out?
Chris (01:17)
Sure. Well, I spent 12 years in the corporate environment and my background went from as an analyst to pricing and then into strategy and business planning. And when I was in the strategy team, it was all about helping the business with its three-year business plan or working with business leaders on problems that they might have in a specific area of the business. And I loved challenging and
Fliss (01:27)
Hmm.
Chris (01:43)
really asking questions of why we're doing this way or thinking differently, the kind of cliche of challenging the status quo. And through the process of seeing others progress around me or learning about what I really felt loving, I stopped thinking, well, maybe I could be the next leader, but what if I could be the leader minus one, the person who's in the background that brings the challenge, the support, the advice to help them do the thinking.
So I'd gone back to university to do a coaching accreditation to help me be a better strategy consultant. But through that process, um, ASDA went through a transformation where I was working at the time and I had the opportunity to take a settlement agreement. So for a period of maybe four or five months, I was really debating what I should do. You know, I have this coaching accreditation. I'm really enjoying it. Do I stay or do I leave? And I came to the conclusion that.
Fliss (02:17)
you
Hmm.
Chris (02:38)
Well, maybe this is a perfect chance to take a risk. I could use my package to fund my business. And if I didn't take a chance now, maybe I never would again. So if I tell people what to do with their businesses all day long, maybe I could do it for myself. So I left in late January, nearly four years ago now. And the week after I set up my own business.
took me about a year to 18 months to really figure out what I was doing and why and who for. But through that process of trying different things, working with different individuals, really figuring out what I loved, slowly I found more focus, I found more of a place and eventually ⁓ really understood that the experience I had could be leveraged coaching in the corporate space.
Fliss (03:18)
Mm.
Chris (03:31)
and helping small businesses with their strategy.
Fliss (03:34)
Hmm, interesting. ⁓ Before we get into your business, I'd to ask you how you found challenging status quo in the corporate world.
Chris (03:45)
I really enjoyed doing it. I love being that person in the meeting that would say, I'm not sure that makes sense. You know, why do you think that way? But what I found was that even though in job descriptions or in teams that were there to enhance the quality of thinking, like in strategy, the overall environment or the leaders within those businesses or the managers in the teams, they didn't necessarily want the status quo to be challenged.
Fliss (03:46)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Chris (04:11)
This is how we do things. These are the project timelines and this is the budget for the next 12 months. Those environments are not actually open and ready for challenging the status quo. And it was my experience as the financial services where even though they think they wanted it.
Fliss (04:17)
Mm.
Chris (04:30)
The reality is that they were unable to use it. So what I perceived was a lot of own goals or slowness in decision-making or a lack of risk-taking, which competitors were taking advantage of. So that actually created a lot of frustration for me because how could I, if that was a strength of mine, but it wasn't valued, where's my place?
Fliss (04:52)
Is that what made you think start thinking maybe I could do this for myself?
Chris (04:56)
Yeah, because coaching or mentoring is a safe space for people to be challenged and they'll meet with you to be challenged and it's part of the reason you work together. So rather than it being something that is just part of a job description in a culture, you're there to specifically ask people.
Fliss (05:03)
Mmm.
Chris (05:17)
why, what's going on, what made you think that way, what could you do differently and people have a different perspective that it's for them to help them rather than rocking the boat in an environment that people don't want to see change.
Fliss (05:30)
Yeah, yeah. And so I guess there's probably some experiences and ways of working that you learned from the corporate world that you've kind of taken into how you run your business now and how you work with clients as well.
Chris (05:44)
It's really surprised me how almost the same approach of challenging thinking can have such different results. So that's one thing that I guess is taken from one to another. But the other is all the tools and techniques and the experience they took from the corporate world.
It applies just like for like, but in a different way. So whereas I didn't think that that would be valued or would come with me, what I've realized is a lot of the things that I had learned are really applicable. It's just applying them in a different way. So for example, rather than me doing it as my job, now I help others do it alongside them. So it's very similar. There are lot of parallels.
Fliss (06:26)
you
Chris (06:30)
but the approach and the way it's done is quite different.
Fliss (06:33)
So what sort of experiences or have there been any experiences in your employed career that have shaped how you run your business these days?
Chris (06:43)
The final few years in my strategy career, I was shown a lot of techniques for how to do strategic thinking and planning in a really structured way. And that applies to any business, any person, even a career.
And I took those ways of working to my own business. So if this is how big carpenters do it, how can I plan in that way too? So just things like action planning, getting things down, using PowerPoint or different tools like Notion as a way to create structure. That's one thing that I really tried to take. The other is I really felt as I left the corporate world that
the loss of the team, the ability to ask the person that sat next to me, what do they think, or that connection of, you know, like, I can't do everything myself, so I need that help. So I think one of the things I also took with me was that even if I don't have a direct team now...
Fliss (07:34)
you
Chris (07:49)
still consciously connecting and building a team of someone else who can mentor me or someone else who I can bounce ideas off because the quality of my thinking is improved with people around me and just because I'm now the sole director of my own company doesn't mean I'm alone.
Fliss (08:07)
Yeah, that's so important, isn't it? That's the great thing about working as a team in employment. Like you have people around you and it's about having to find those people when you're on your own because whether you're a sociable person or not, people do feed us and as you said, having people to bounce ideas off is so important. Yeah.
Chris (08:22)
Hmm. ⁓
Yeah. The
other thing that I think is coming to my mind as we're talking is one thing that I took from the corporate world into my business was this kind of nine to five working ethos. even though I chose to leave to create more flexibility for myself, more freedom,
Fliss (08:35)
Mmm.
Hmm.
Chris (08:45)
What I've really struggled to shake, but I've taken with me, is that expectation of nine to five and being sat like a marathon through the day. I found that really difficult to let go of actually. So even with the intention to do more of my own stuff, definitely for the first two and a half years, I worked in exactly the same way and felt guilty. If I didn't, that has been a big thing that I took with and have been working hard to get rid of.
Fliss (08:57)
Yeah.
god. Yeah, well, yeah, I'm exactly the same and I know so many people who say the same thing, I think, because it's drilled into you from such a young age. And you were almost told that it's wrong to work evenings and weekends if that's when you work there. What sort of things helped you kind of shift that mindset?
Chris (09:22)
Hmm.
Well, I think I started noticing that people would like bring judgment on it. So as I was like trying to work differently, you know, for example, if I wanted to just take a morning for myself and start at 10, you know, I go to the gym, go get a coffee and I noticed people making comments of, you all right, you started a bit later today. That helped me because I could see that they were putting their expectations on me and that helped me kind of push back in my own mind and go, actually I can see that I'm working differently now.
Fliss (09:36)
Mm.
so are there any kind of like tools or ⁓ journaling or something that's helped you shake those expectations?
Chris (10:06)
Yeah, so been really difficult to shake those expectations. One of the things that helped was around spotting and noticing the judgment of others. So if I would start late or work in a different spot, go to co-working or finish early and do something for myself. If I notice people saying, it's 10 o'clock, you're not started yet. Or it's three o'clock on a Friday. You know, like, there's still more you could be doing.
Fliss (10:17)
Mmm.
Hmm.
Chris (10:31)
or they'd kind of make passive aggressive looks at their watches. I was noticing those things and that helped me shake it off because I could see that they were putting their judgments on me. So it was the first time that I could see myself outside of those expectations and almost having the rope against them.
Fliss (10:39)
Hmm.
Mm.
Chris (10:50)
As I was working as well and noticing that I was still doing a lot of hours and sat on my desk, I really started putting in my business plan what I wanted from my business, because it's not just about money or achieving. Like you run your own business to give you something. And I wanted more time and flexibility. having them written down and knowing why I was doing this helped me push back.
Fliss (11:02)
you
Chris (11:19)
on my own expectations. And then I think the final thing is just testing things out. I spent a lot of time, I've done training courses and coaching in the evening. I didn't really like that, but it meant I had the mornings free. Actually, what I found is I really liked getting up early, like started at seven, you maybe I'll finish at lunchtime, but then I'll probably finish for the day around two o'clock, you three o'clock. Then I'll go for a walk.
Those things, like testing different ways and what works for me, help me redefine what healthy work looks like for me or the way that I want to work. So even in between coaching sessions, sometimes I have a 15 minute gap. I used to try and like get the next email done or like do a little bit on my business plan. I'll create that next slide. But even testing, just sitting on the chair in my office and...
listening to music or reading or even just going for a quick stroll around the block. These are like pushing on different ways of doing things and working, which takes time to change from so long working in the same way.
Fliss (12:10)
Mmm.
doesn't it just, and it's still, even if you think you've had it, you know, you've been through that change, sometimes it does just creep back in. It's like years of it being drummed into you. And I guess what you said there about other people's expectations and noticing that, I found that really interesting because ⁓ yeah, like you do sometimes, you feel like you're getting judgment, whether you're getting judgment or whether it's a feeling coming from you. And I think sometimes maybe just.
Chris (12:42)
Yeah.
Fliss (12:46)
Like what I think you said was you started to recognise that and maybe being a coach you were able to reflect on it really easily because we coaches seem to do that. But it's hard, isn't it?
Chris (12:52)
Yeah. ⁓
It's really hard. It makes me think, there's been a time where I've gone to my parents for a cup of tea in the afternoon and they've gone, oh, I've not been working today. The answer is yes, I have been working today. I'm just working in a different way. I've been up early, I've done what I needed to, so I've finished and I'm here as a benefit, not because I still should just be there grafting for the sake of it.
Fliss (13:19)
Yeah, you're kind of like shoved and moulded into this box, aren't you, in the working world and everybody working in a certain way. And I understand why, because you're in a business and everyone has to be kind of dancing to the same tune. like, try not to unpick that and then find your own way of working is really... I know from my own experience, it's got huge benefits on productivity, but it can be really hard to like do it in your own way and figure out your own way of doing it.
Chris (13:41)
Yeah.
Hmm,
yeah, even the distinction between productivity and busyness, like the nine to five, well for me it was kind of eight till five, eight till six, like you have an expectation or feel a pressure to look busy on your laptop, know, not on your phone, you just sat at your desk for hours, even if you're not doing much productively, but actually in your own business there are key things that need to be done, and if they're done...
Fliss (13:49)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Chris (14:12)
There is no boss or team that you need to feel busy for. So actually you could be really productive in really focused way and then finish. Whereas the corporate environment, if you get things done fast, you've still got to sit there.
Fliss (14:23)
Yeah, yeah, you really do. my God, I experienced that ⁓ in agency world, sitting waiting for work for nothing to do. What about the flip side of that? Like I want to just chat to you about something you helped me with, because Chris has been my coach for this year and it's been so, like I feel like I've really transformed the way I've worked with your help this year, Chris, but my problem was
Chris (14:27)
Yeah. Yes.
Fliss (14:52)
when we're talking about productivity and busyness just then, I, I hate so much expectation on myself in relation to what I thought I should be getting done. ⁓ and I like really, I wasn't a realistic planner before our sessions. I put so much pressure on myself. ⁓ and I feel like you gave me permission to, to do less. ⁓ but I would say I have probably had
Chris (15:12)
Hmm.
Fliss (15:20)
the most productive year ⁓ in so many ways than previous years What if you're an unrealistic planner and you're heaping loads of expectation on yourself? Why do think people do that?
Chris (15:34)
I think it's really difficult to plan and actually think things through to... because people have a long list of everything that they want to get done and I'm talking not just busyness, but things that feel important and are important but all that comes in a long list in your mind and they're all kind of flat on the same page so sometimes they can feel like they all need to be done all at once when actually that's not the case
Fliss (15:38)
Hmm
Chris (16:00)
But being at a step back and see the wood from the trees, like Dr Sam Clichy, is really difficult on your own. And even coaches or mentors can't do it. They need help as well. So I think it's not unreasonable to find it difficult.
Fliss (16:07)
Hmm.
Chris (16:16)
to break things down, to see things in chunks and be realistic because who you naturally think, anybody thinks, is everything feels very present and now and being able to step back is something that's just so difficult on your own.
Fliss (16:27)
Hmm.
Yeah, I think like I really love to just chat about how you helped me me kind of plan for the year because it really helped me with the decision making around what I do and when I do it. You really helped me link my planning to my strategy, what I want it out of business and not in like a really big overwhelming way like strategy I think a word is word that people think it's like passive and important but you did it you did it in such a
realistic way planning around what I want for my business. I thought I'd been doing that before, but I really wasn't. how do start planning with that in mind? How do you think people can pull out what they really want from the business and then make decisions based on that? Where do you start?
Chris (17:10)
Hmm.
think it's the question of what am I doing this for and this can be about money but it can be about your personal goals or what you want to get out of it and these don't have to be complicated sentences they can be just like I more free time and flexibility to do things I enjoy or I want to do more work that feels meaningful or earn X amount of cash by working X amount of hours and when you identify those things then your business or your job
Fliss (17:29)
Hmm.
Chris (17:52)
is essentially the vehicle for you achieving it because I don't do coaching because I like it's like the one thing that I love and it's my passion but I do really enjoy it but a coaching business is a vehicle for me to achieve the things that I want that I wasn't getting in the corporate world so if you can name those things you can then ask yourself all right well then what is my route to making that happen and it might be
Fliss (18:16)
you
Chris (18:19)
You are in a job and that's the best way to do it, but it might be your business. But these kind of questions help you break it down. So what is the route I can take to make this happen? What do I need to have happened to make this a reality? And then once you can identify all those things like create my website, do my brand, start going to network camps, whatever those lists are, you can ask yourself, now what order do I need to do them in?
And when you can start putting them in order, you almost create a map for yourself and directions. You can keep working backwards. So if this is my map, the first step is, and all of a sudden, just a few very clear succinct actions will appear and everything else can be left. So what becomes, what was a list, a long list that can be overwhelming, just becomes a few things that are the must do's.
Fliss (19:07)
Mm.
Chris (19:09)
and all of sudden it feels like a lot less even though people or you much more focused and then things very quickly start to change.
Fliss (19:19)
Yeah, I think in January when we had our very first session together and I like we're coming up to the end of the year now so I'm actually finding this really interesting to reflect on this. In January I remember coming to you and like just like feel like I put everything in my head. I feel like I just dumped everything on you. I want to do this and I want to do this and this is why I'm doing it and we left that session and I felt so much lighter because
Chris (19:37)
Yeah. Yeah.
Fliss (19:46)
We'd almost like unpicked what I needed to do first and what actually I realized I needed to do was needed to get the systems in place in my business to then go from there. And I found that really interesting way of looking at it. Like I have so many ideas that I wanted to do, but what you helped me uncover was I can't do this without freeing up some of my time or energy or, you know, headspace without the systems in place to do that.
Chris (19:53)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Fliss (20:13)
Is that something that
Chris (20:13)
Yeah.
Fliss (20:14)
you often find with your coaches?
Chris (20:18)
I think so because working in a way that works for you, like for you, like the systems and putting in place of things or how you work in certain way was really powerful. For others, it's about trying to understand what they need because everybody's different and everybody thinks in a different way. So the approach that we took is the approach that only me and you have taken. Other people really like to think and work in different ways. So it's just simply breaking it down. Still the core idea is working out what you really want and why and how you're to do it.
Fliss (20:23)
Mmm.
Chris (20:47)
it, but the way to try and achieve it, then it's really personal. And the work is all about uncovering exactly how to do that. ⁓
Fliss (20:52)
year.
⁓ I think that working in a way that works for you is really interesting. You help people to understand their strengths ⁓ and stop working at things that we're not very good at or mediocre at or don't like. ⁓ I'm really interested to know why you think we are so obsessed as a society to think we should be good at everything. It seems to be a thing, doesn't it?
Chris (21:10)
Mm-hmm.
Fliss (21:23)
Like, why is this, you think?
Chris (21:24)
I think in the world, the corporate environment, it's very common to get developmental feedback. And the developmental feedback typically pushes people to be good at everything. So you have a sense that if there's something that you're not great at, your boss will say, I need you to improve this a bit. But it ends up kind of everyone chasing five out of 10 or seven out 10 on things that everybody is good at.
Fliss (21:32)
and
Mm.
Chris (21:48)
But it's much more, and it's also very difficult to identify strengths or positives in yourself. So it's sometimes hard to figure out where you really excel, make you feel comfortable, you might not even see them, or how to leverage the things that make you excel.
Fliss (21:55)
Hmm.
Chris (22:07)
It's easier to work on the things that people call out as feedback or developmental feedback or things that you know you're not good at because you can sense it and feel it. So people typically work on developing everything or to a standard that's mediocre rather than being able to let go of the things that they're not that good at and really need to where they can be exceptional.
Fliss (22:32)
It's that exceptional thing, like we all want to be experts, don't we? But you can't be experts at everything and kind of really understanding what makes you good at what you do and how you can make that better, like is so... Do you see a lot of change in people when they start doing that?
Chris (22:43)
Yeah.
I do because you can let things go and for example I'll use myself as an example. I used to have to do a lot of financial analysis, lot of formulas, lot of detailed work and I'm rubbish at it. Absolutely rubbish at it. I can do it if I have the space and time and the patience but ultimately it's not what I'm strong at.
Fliss (22:54)
Hmm.
Chris (23:12)
But it's so hard to go, actually this is just not my thing, and to let it go. When you can start letting that go and being confident to not just me or others saying, this is not my thing, or my strengths are elsewhere, that frees up that time, or that energy to focus on the things that you are really good at. I'm always so impressed how creative you are, how everything is so on point, how...
Fliss (23:12)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Chris (23:40)
Things are so articulately thought through in things like messaging, voice, connecting with empathy to customers. I can't do that stuff. So there's almost no point in me trying to, to get the help because it's something that I don't have a strength in. But what I'm really good at is visualizing and seeing what people are telling me and seeing it as like a system or a plan. And I can draw it so people can see it as well.
Fliss (23:51)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Chris (24:05)
Well, maybe people never going to get like that themselves, but I can leverage that strength. And now I'm really leaning into it by letting go of doing fancy excels. I've been able to do graphs. Actually, where I'm best is talking to people one-on-one and helping them think strategically. But that's meant I've had to get comfortable letting things go and asking for help where I needed.
Fliss (24:26)
Hmm.
Hmm. Oh my God. It's so, yeah, it's so hard to do that sometimes, isn't it? But I think you freeing yourself of expectations that you're putting on yourself often if you're going, you know what, I'm actually not good at that. I'm not going to do it or I'm going to get someone else to do it. I've personally noticed this year being aware of what I am good at, what I love, what I don't love has really helped me kind of go, well, I'm not going to do that then. And then that...
I'm not berating myself for not getting round to doing the content plan or whatever because I'm just like, it's just not my thing. I just don't work in that way and finding ways to do it ⁓ like this podcast in a different way has been so freeing. The amount of things I've said I was gonna do but I just haven't got around to doing it before. Well, that's the solution. ⁓ It's amazing, isn't it?
Chris (24:54)
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think so. like, makes me like, thinking again back to the final team I was in, there's an expectation that you are able to do everything and everything, but it then looks like each other in terms of their skills profile.
Fliss (25:18)
Hmm.
Chris (25:25)
But it's very difficult to put your hand up to your boss and say, I'm just not very good at this. Can someone else do it? It feels like a failure. It feels like you're not going to be doing your job right. It feels like you might be getting judgment from your boss. Yeah, you might be worried about your performance review. But actually, giving it to the trained accountant in my team was actually probably the best way to do things rather than me doing the analysis. But that's not how it worked out.
Fliss (25:30)
Yeah. Yeah.
No, the higher up I've got in my career, the better I've got at delegating. ⁓ Like if you've got people in your team or, you know, partners that you go to when you're self-employed, that you can delegate to, you can spend time doing the stuff you're really good at. That superpower of yours, idea of like, ⁓ do what makes you exceptional. What do ⁓ you think the impact on people's businesses is if they lean into that?
Chris (25:52)
Hmm.
I think the impact of people can figure out where their superpower is and I don't want that to sound like a cliché thing.
Everybody is exceptional at something and it's just trying to figure out what it is. And when you can find it and lean into it, you'll notice that you'll start accelerating away from other people. So that might be your ability to create beautifully crafted high quality joinery products. It might be your ability to think creatively outside of the box and spot new opportunities in healthcare.
Fliss (26:43)
Mm.
Chris (26:51)
It might be your ability to offer different types of training to the corporate environment, focused on new market needs that others have not even been able to switch to. But each of those examples require a slightly different skill set, a slightly different way of thinking, a slightly different superpower. But by spotting them and investing in them, that's where change and real difference happens.
Fliss (27:18)
And you stand out. feel like what you said there, it's like we're both like two sides of the strategy coin, but this is where we kind of ⁓ meet in the middle and overlap because that's the stuff I help people take with their brand and, you know, make it about you and what you're amazing at and how you stand out but you help people uncover what that is and figure it out.
Chris (27:21)
Mr. Doe.
Hmm.
Yes.
Fliss (27:45)
can't do one without the other.
Chris (27:45)
⁓
Fliss (27:47)
it's about knowing yourself and what you really enjoy and I guess part of coaching ⁓ is learning to shape those expectations and go, you know what? I'm going to do things my way. Yes, ⁓ I get quite a few people come into me saying, I don't like planning goals, goals aren't my thing. So we've talked a little bit about
Chris (27:58)
Yeah. Yeah.
Mm.
Fliss (28:13)
planning but what about if anyone's not really kind of a goal-setting person how can you work out what you want to do with your business?
Chris (28:22)
I don't actually think you need girls to figure out what to do with your business.
Fliss (28:27)
Mmm.
Chris (28:30)
The thing that I think is critical is just having an indication of where you want to go. And what I mean is, if you can't say I want to go north, south, east or west, then you could end up going in any direction. But as long as you have some idea that I want to go east, I don't want to go west.
Fliss (28:35)
Hmm.
Chris (28:50)
that is enough to start moving in a direction and you don't have to have complicated goals, you don't need to be specific. At least you have a clear intention of which direction you're going in. And that applies to career planning, applies to business planning, applies to leadership.
Fliss (29:07)
Mm.
Chris (29:08)
As long as you have some insight of the direction, then that's okay. If goals really do help you stay focused and you're thinking that way, perfect, then do it. I love working in a very specific goal-focused way, but you don't need to do that. Just the intention of direction is enough. And it might be a statement of, in the future, I want to. And as long as there's something at the end of that, that's all you might need at this point, because even that intention...
means that you can then think, all right, well, my first action is, and then you're actually on move and moving towards it.
Fliss (29:40)
Yeah, that's really interesting because I think that's how we went about my planning, wasn't it? It was like, what do you want from your business? And I think I pinpointed three things. earn the money I want, time and enjoyment of some kind. And my goals, guess, came from there, didn't they? But that's not, I guess that is a goal, what I want for my business. But it's like the intention of why I'm doing this.
Chris (29:56)
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah, I think that clarity is enough. For some, they say, it still might not be that specific, but as time goes on, it may become more specific, or as time goes on, it may meander, but that's still okay because you're moving in direction. What I see all of the time is that lack of even the smallest intention leaves people just spinning.
and they don't know where to go, so they do lots of different things and then nothing happens and they feel stuck.
Fliss (30:38)
Hmm, what if anyone is kind of spinning? My friend Emma calls it being twirly. If anyone's being twirly or spinning, kind of advice might you have for trying to get out of it?
Chris (30:47)
Yeah.
notice it first of all, so you can only get out of it when you realise that it's happening. It might feel like overwhelm, it might feel like a giant list of things to do when you just don't know where to start, it may feel like this feel, like this sense of being stuck, like I'm in the mood, I'm working so hard and I'm just not quite sure what's happening. I think
Fliss (30:58)
Mm.
Mm.
Hmm.
Chris (31:19)
sometimes you cannot do things on your own and that's okay and recognizing that and then even just like spending time if you notice that you're spinning or you're twirly then all right what do i need to do or what helps me get out of it because you may have the resources already available
But just asking yourself a question, what do I need to do to get out of this, is enough to stop thinking about the long to do list, and actually the action becomes right. What do I do to sharpen up where I go next?
Fliss (31:55)
God, you've just literally described me at the beginning of this week. Like, I was like, I've got all these things to do. I don't know what I'm doing. So I just journaled actually. I was like, what's my priority right now? What am I trying to do? And then which of these things will actually get me to do that? And I found that really helpful. is that kind of a tool that you use for yourself?
Chris (32:03)
Mmm.
Fliss (32:14)
in your business.
Chris (32:14)
I use two tools. Me and you created something called a brand blueprint midway through this year with very clear goals and then an articulation of what those goals were. So I come back to that all of the time because that document captures what I'm working towards. So if I forget that or I lose the focus, that is back on the page and I don't need to worry about it.
Fliss (32:19)
Yes, we did.
Hmm.
Chris (32:39)
then I also use a notions bar to capture my actions. So each month, the final Friday of each month, I'll sit for a few hours with a coffee and I'll work out my actions for the next month. And that is just a time where I don't try to do too long a list. I go, right, what have I achieved? What do I need to do? And what's going on on this now? And that just helps me.
Fliss (32:42)
Hmm.
Chris (33:03)
Okay, I'm clear and then I can start the month with some focus and it tends to dilute as the month goes on but that's okay because I Make sure that I repeat the process at the end of the month again. Some people do it weekly I know as people that do it daily because they don't think as long-term they think a lot shorter But the whole point is that you stop you pause you create some frame of reference To capture your thinking and then create the time to think
Fliss (33:13)
button.
Mmm.
Mm.
That's really interesting, knowing how far ahead you think as well is quite useful. I've used that tool, you've helped me kind of distill my goals down into individual kind of steps and I found that really useful this year. Because it's made it, like if I've got a twirly brain day, I'm going, right, I don't know what I've got to do, but I've got a day working on my business and I can look at those action steps and then I can pick, I'll just pick the ones that...
Chris (33:35)
Yeah, thanks.
Fliss (33:58)
are relevant for how my brain's working at that time, which I found so useful.
Chris (34:01)
Yeah, like
that idea of twirling or spinning around, if you can spend the time working out what you need to do, the thinking should almost become more linear and become hops or jumps to the next thing. And that's where it becomes quite intentional and focused. So rather than it going in circles, that one hop leads to the next hop, like A, B, C, D, And then things can actually feel really intentional in a flow.
Fliss (34:14)
Hmm.
Yeah, I guess that's what going back to my I can't do anything without getting my systems in place. I guess that's one way to hop do that and then I can do the next.
Chris (34:35)
Yeah, get
my systems in place, bring myself the structure and the scaffolding for my thinking. From there I can move to the next thing. Perfect.
Fliss (34:44)
Mmm, yes,
yes, yes, yes.
I'm really interested to know if there's any like, I don't like to use the word mistake, but kind of like, there any mistakes you've made ⁓ while you've been self-employed and have you, what have you learned from them?
Chris (35:00)
Yeah, I think going too fast was a mistake. And what I mean is I thought everything would happen quickly and putting loads of effort in to make things happen. But actually setting up your own business and growing your client base, for me, it was not a hockey stick, which you may hear people talk about.
Fliss (35:04)
⁓
Hmm.
Chris (35:21)
it was like a slow but gradual rising tide and I was rising with it. So the pacing was a mistake. I wasn't patient enough. Patience is key. And as part of that, I thought because I was working so hard and trying to go so fast, I was like, I'll get the money I need and I'll be here there and everywhere. But actually what the mistake was not giving the space and time. So.
Fliss (35:25)
Hmm.
Chris (35:46)
I ended up getting a part-time job for a little bit of time to slow things down and that was the antidote for getting the business where it is now. It just needed space. The other mistake I made, and I'll be just transparent, is trying to do too much. So that pace, working too fast meant I was doing an awful lot, a lot of the time. And when I first set myself up, I had a contract role.
Fliss (35:57)
Interesting.
Chris (36:13)
to be a business advisor whilst I was being a business coach and I got fired because I was doing too much and that was a mistake and it showed me that you can't do everything correctly all at once all at the same time and you have to make a choice and at that point I wasn't making a choice so it's something that I'm not proud of but that mistake taught me that
Fliss (36:21)
You
Chris (36:39)
I needed to make a sacrifice. If I want one thing, I can't have another. And if I do want one or the other, what are my choices to make it happen? And doing both at once led to a mishap.
Fliss (36:43)
Mmm.
That's called a little mishap. ⁓ Wow, that's really interesting. That's just made me think about like last year when I felt really burnt out and like absolutely exhausted. I was trying to do too much and ⁓ I actually, since then I've realised that I, in trying to do too much, ⁓ that's a mistake because I couldn't give enough energy to my clients. I couldn't give the full what I would normally give to people.
Chris (36:57)
Yeah.
Yeah.
and
Fliss (37:22)
Just by trying to do everything once and too much. So there's a bit of a balancing act isn't there sometimes of recognising like I'm doing this so I need to pull back from this other stuff to focus.
Chris (37:22)
Yeah.
Exactly, I think that's a really wise way of saying it because even though it's difficult to say do I focus my time here and pull back on other things, sometimes you have to and no person and no business can do everything that they want all of the time, not even Apple have the resource to do that. Working and being okay in that tension is actually the trick to making things work in the long term.
Fliss (37:59)
Mm.
⁓ that's really interesting. being all right with things, kind of just doing this all the time. You can't, can't see me. I'm on a podcast up and down all the time balancing. Anyone watching the video could actually see me. Yeah, that's it's really, that is so hard though, isn't it? Trying to work out that juggle all the time. What do think the biggest,
Chris (38:09)
think so.
Yeah.
It's super hard because you have
to say no, or you have to be okay with living in that tension. It's uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable. There are different things I would sometimes like to do on different days. But sometimes, if a coaching day is a coaching day, then I'm not going to be working on my brand. I'd love to be developing a website right now. Do I have the time? Do I have the energy? No. Does it feel critical? Yes. But I've got to be okay in that tension.
Fliss (38:34)
Yeah. Yeah.
So you've mentioned that you've tried things out over the few years you've been in business and figured out kind of what your thing is. ⁓ Tell me about the process of shaping your brand and to reflect you. Were there any kind of light bulb moments that you had as part of that brand process?
Chris (39:11)
Mm-hmm.
Right at the beginning of the process, before I even started, there was a massive light bulb moment. So I was at a networking event and it was the typical, have 60 seconds to do your pitch of who you are. And in the room before I even went, three of the leadership and business coaches stood up and said their spiel. And I just thought, my goodness, I'm one of those. Not that that's a bad thing. The, my reflection was that I sounded exactly like everybody else and that was
Fliss (39:17)
Mm.
Mmm.
Chris (39:41)
problem because then I'm not standing out from the crowd. I left that networking event realising that something needed to be different.
Fliss (39:43)
Mmm.
Mmm.
Chris (39:49)
Then...
When I started the work with you on my brand
I think the key realisation for me was that there is going to be no bolt of inspiration or epiphany that will come out of nowhere. Actually, the key to doing really high quality brand work requires deep reflection and the work
Fliss (40:13)
Hmm
Chris (40:16)
in between to do the thinking about your clients, about what you want to stand for, about how you want to do it. And when I was able to let go of the impatience of I want this done now to understanding that the work would take months, but the value of the work was in the process, that was what I think really made the work as good quality as it is.
It takes me to a session that we did where we were thinking about what I stand for in terms of the person, leadership and the business and that being struck through with ADHD and neurodiversity expertise.
Fliss (40:51)
Hmm.
you
Chris (41:01)
That
came months into the work, but that clarity on how I do what I do and why that's different to others was something that I wouldn't have just been able to sit down and just create or just put down on paper. It came from that reflection.
the thinking over a long period of time and I think that's the that's the light bulb is actually letting go of the need to have things done now.
Fliss (41:31)
Yeah, I find that light bulb moment, like that session you just referenced there, that felt like a light bulb moment because it was like, it all makes sense. But without the sessions we'd had before, kind of digging into what makes you differ, what your background is, your story and all that sort of stuff layered together without all of that thinking, you probably wouldn't have necessarily got to that moment because I like to say we've got to get everything out.
before we put it all back together again. ⁓ And it's hard, isn't it, like shaping your brand because it's like we're working out what to let go of and what to keep and what makes you, what makes you you and unique, which is what you do with clients anyway. But it's really hard to look inwards to yourself and go, what, what am I really good at? Yeah.
Chris (42:06)
So this is it.
Yeah, exactly.
what really felt important was being able to articulate and understanding the value of my difference. that applies to any business or professional life. What makes you different or why people should work with you or buy your service or buy your product?
Fliss (42:35)
Mmm.
Chris (42:41)
It can seem obvious in your mind and really clear to you, but being able to articulate it explain it externally is another thing. And that also really struck me as part of the process of working on the brand is that unless you can succinctly communicate it, then people may not understand it or you'll probably sound like everybody else. Once that's articulated and done really well.
Fliss (43:03)
you
Chris (43:08)
things will start to feel different because people understand why you are not someone else.
Fliss (43:16)
Yeah, yeah, that is often really difficult. And it's often a few things that fit together to make it like that as well. You're really good at helping people see what makes them different and unique and exceptional. But how different did you find?
Chris (43:22)
Yeah.
Fliss (43:33)
the understanding and articulation of that in the brand process to how you work and what you do with people.
Chris (43:41)
I think the brand process was really good because of the frameworks and process that we used. So I don't put people through a process because everybody has something different that they want to work on. Well, building a brand and working out how to position, communicate, and go to market required, I think, a different approach. And I really liked the worksheets, the activities.
Fliss (43:47)
Mm.
No.
Chris (44:07)
the most structured approach because that focused my thinking and it also forced me to answer things and do things in a way that I wasn't doing myself. Even things like how articulating values are doing a value proposition canvas.
Fliss (44:12)
Hmm.
Chris (44:25)
writing down your USP and having them broken apart and put back together again. You know, these were really tangible exercises and that's why I really enjoyed that as part of the process. So I felt like I was...
Fliss (44:38)
Mmm.
Chris (44:40)
really finding a way to get things out of my mind, but it was clearly part of the process.
Fliss (44:49)
It's ⁓ like I don't do the same thing with everybody. kind of can't do what I feel people are needed. remember I say this quite a lot to clients. I remember saying...
stop trying to run before you can walk. Let's do this thing. Because actually, as you've already said about the reflection process, and sometimes it's about doing some work and then letting it sit and reflecting on it. And that's the reflection piece where you get the... I've had one client, well, not just one client, one that I can think of who's kind of gone away from my session and come back. And she was like, I've got in the bath and I had that epiphany moment and I know what it's all about. And it's that, it's the time.
Chris (45:04)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Fliss (45:31)
the session that makes you go ⁓ yeah or it's when you're with a client and it's going really well and you think this is what it's really this is what I'm really good at this is what I love to do and it's connecting the two I think because brand can feel very intangible can't it and it's a connecting that what it to what you actually do that that actually is often really important. Did any decisions you made about your brand feel a bit of a shift towards doing doing things your way?
Chris (45:33)
See you
Yeah.
Mm.
Yeah.
I think doing my brand my way, what stood out actually was being curious on the difference that I eventually went down the path of, which is work with an ADHD informed approach. And that
Fliss (46:12)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Chris (46:19)
meant actually accepting more of myself in that process. Now, I don't want to sound kind of airy-fairy or wishy-washy about that. What I mean is it forced me to reflect on why I left the corporate world, why I didn't feel like I fit in, and why I didn't feel like I'd had the opportunity to have the challenge or support to work out how I could show up and leverage my difference to be successful in that way, in that world.
Fliss (46:31)
Yeah.
Chris (46:45)
by realizing what that difference was and accepting and earning and saying, actually, no, this is what I do and this is why I do it and this is why it's important to me. Even though it initially felt uncomfortable because I was nailing myself to something, but then by earning it and being confident with it, it's felt actually really quite liberating.
Fliss (47:07)
Hmm.
Chris (47:07)
and
I now almost feel like I stand taller in those opportunities to do my pitch because I know what I want to say and I know why I want to say it and if that's not for someone and they want different support that's okay but I know my space and it feels good to hold it.
Fliss (47:25)
Yeah, it's like a bit of self belief in yourself, like going, I know why I'm doing this. I know what I'm here for. And I really believe it's the right thing. And I see so much like confidence in people once they kind of get that moment. Stop trying to copy everyone else and go, this is what I'm doing. There's like suddenly you suddenly shine. It's amazing, isn't it? I love that.
Chris (47:31)
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, the difference has been transformational for me.
Fliss (47:53)
So because we're going towards the end of the year, Chris, we're hurtling towards it, what I think our chat today is reminding me about, my goal planning, my action planning has been really useful this year because of...
Knowing why I'm doing it. So if we're here towards the end of the year, people might start to be thinking about next year. What's one kind of tip that you can give us on thinking about how to think about your intentions for next year and what you want?
Chris (48:24)
one, find time to review how the year has gone. It's very difficult to work out what next if you don't know where you are now and doing that without judgment on yourself or your performance just this is the situation this is what's happened and then asking yourself based on that now where do I want to go
Fliss (48:31)
Hmm.
Chris (48:49)
and it's okay if it's something different, it's okay if it's changing, but again just trying to work out what your intention is by the next 12 months. The final thing I would suggest that can really help is trying to note down the challenges as well that have come up, are things that are feeling really hard at the moment. A lot of strategic thinking can miss the the hurdles or the problems that get in the way.
Fliss (49:08)
Mmm.
Chris (49:17)
Sometimes you can achieve the things you want not by doing the conventional thinking but removing the blockers that are making it hard to achieve it. So write down the challenges that have come up and think about how you address them as a way to move forward rather than just thinking about what you want to happen.
Fliss (49:42)
I love that. That's definitely something I'm gonna do as we hurl towards the end of the year because I think you're right, we don't always think what is the challenge. You know sometimes it's a recurring one isn't it?
Chris (49:56)
So, and if anybody's listening and thinking, what does that mean? So last year I'd done a lot of work for associate companies. So I was doing it on behalf of, and even though that was great work to do, it meant a lot of risk if the project ended. And the challenge was I have a risk that if the project ends, 70 % of my business would halt essentially overnight.
Fliss (50:10)
Mm.
Chris (50:18)
the intention then becomes how do I create a more balanced portfolio by addressing this challenge of being over reliant on one client? Which is very different to building a brand or doing more sessions, but actually there it strikes the heart of what I actually needed to do, which was to diversify away from over reliance.
Fliss (50:26)
Hmm
Yeah, yeah, that's a really good example. Thanks, Chris. I could chat to you for hours, but we will take this off the podcast going forward. So I would love before we finish to hear what in your experience, what is the biggest barrier to somebody doing things that way.
Chris (50:58)
I think it's just expectations of others around you. When I left the corporate world to do things my way, one of my parents was super supportive and another one of my parents couldn't understand the decision. Going against culture.
Fliss (51:02)
Mm.
Chris (51:15)
Going against views of your parents, or going against views of your friends, or going against views that you have in your own mind can be so hard to go against, even for the right reasons, that it can stop a lot of people doing things their way. So that would be what I'd say.
Fliss (51:26)
Hmm.
a really good one that is such a good one yeah it's often the biggest barrier isn't it. So what's one thing that's really helped you to do your thing?
Chris (51:42)
Getting help when I needed it. I was trying to do things myself and that worked to some extent, realising that I couldn't and being vulnerable enough to say I need some help has been one of the biggest steps for me.
Fliss (51:44)
Hmm.
Well thanks Chris, this has been wonderful. anybody is thinking I need some help from Chris, how can people find you and have a conversation with you or learn more about you?
Chris (52:16)
They can find me on my new website, which is ADHD coaching leads. They can find me on directories or hopefully even just out and about in leads. So I've been in town at networking events or co-working. So if you see me out and about, come and say hello.
Fliss (52:29)
I'll put your links in the show notes as well. I've had a great time today. Thank you so much for chatting to me about all things business planning.
Chris (52:38)
It's been really good to join you.
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