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Well I have just approved the final cut of the final Mums Enterprise 2016 2 minute film which Kai has been working on.  He is the amazing film guy we used to capture both our events and was a recommendation by Nicola Huelin of CEO Mums.

It is now exactly 50 days since the Rickmansworth event on 9th June 2016.   I have had a bit of a weird 50 days let me tell you.  It is hard to know what to do with yourself after a moment you had been working towards for 15 months comes and goes. 

I have been running Little Fish for two years now and Mums Enterprise for just over one.  And you know what, the very last moment of the Mums Enterprise Roadshow in Broxbourne I actually was shaking because of adrenalin.  It was like I had been waiting for those final words to be said so I could breathe again.  Many people said it was very much like having a baby and I would agree.  It was very intense I had to go out the back to have a moment.

There is no handbook to parenting and there is no handbook to prepare you for the ‘unknown’ once a major project has been delivered.  I know if I was a fancy pants and knew everything there was to know about business (or just used my common sense) I would have ‘planned’ for the weeks after the events.  But I am sorry to all of you who read this and say ‘ah-hem you should know better, by now, or that should just be instinct’.  What with client events for Little Fish, the most important two events of my life coming up and caring for Molly moo and actually trying to have a life for one day a week.  That all came before starting to even think about, yet alone plan what next.    Call me a bad business woman but come on, this is reality.  There will always be things to learn, always things we can do better and you know what, now I know.  You have to live it to know it, that’s my motto anyway and I am sticking to it.

Anyway so here I am 50 days on. I have obviously been up to quite a few things.  A new mentor has entered part of my working/business world which to be honest was unexpected and we actually ‘impressed’ him with what we are doing and how we delivered our events.

He, this business man dude, is very brutal but even in our first 2 hour skype has unlocked a part of my brain which wasn’t open until now.  It feels like it was there all along but I haven’t been using it.  I really think this will be the start of a journey which will lead me to the reach the level I need to be at.  I mean, even in school you go up a few grades, you progress as time goes on.  The same must happen when in business.  If you stayed in year 1 forever then I don’t think you’d get very far.  So this is good for me, a new way of looking at business, my businesses and the reality of the situations I create and am in.

So really up until about two weeks ago, and perhaps before the chat with this ‘business dude’ I have found it hard to concentrate.  I am a very determined person when I know what I am doing when I have a plan. I am happy with having an end goal and when striving in the short term for that particular outcome.

But now,  because I am trying to be a ‘business woman’ and I mean a real one.  Now it gets harder, this is business realm not just event realm now, it’s not just about delivering something awesome.  Not just about those short-term goals, doing a great job on marketing, promotion, event organisation, having amazing exhibitors on-board.  It’s about actually creating something which is a viable business.  We obviously have an amazing idea, we can obviously execute that very well and are up to the risk and challenges involved.  But now it’s time to get serious.  It’s time to be a business which is attractive to investors, I need to know what I am talking about.  I need to know the answers to all those dragon den questions.  I need to get outside of my comfort zone and start to learn my business  s**t.

Since the events 50 days ago I felt I went a little introvert, I became confused in my mind so much so that it felt like a whirl pool of so many thoughts.  It’s really rather odd.  I hope one day I can call it my ‘creative process’ ha ha but until then lets just say I was feeling a little depressed, I wasn’t actually sure which decision was the right one and when I feel like that obviously I am not productive at all.

So a few things have happened recently which have really helped me get back into the self belief mind-set.  These are……

1.       This business dude who started talking to me on a business level.  Teaching me things, talking to me about things which I didn’t know before.  But I like that because it means I am learning and growing.   I am now researching about business models and canvasses and shock horror am thinking of buying a business book to read.  Now I am not a reader so that is mega news for me.

2.       I went to Michelle Grants Santander networking event recently.  I went to support her as she was an exhibitor at the Mums Enterprise Roadshow and I wanted to keep my toes in that regions business water.  A guy called Allessandro Signorelli was in the line-up of short speakers.  But he said the words I needed to hear at that moment in time.  He started his 5 minutes by saying “Believe in yourself”.   “The road will be bumpy, it will be hard but you have to keep going.  To do that you must believe in yourself and one day you will succeed”

I mean for me at that point in time were just the words I needed to hear.  I had to tell myself “Stop, hey Lindsey.  You are doing just fine.  Stop being a fanny and just keep going.  Believe in yourself!”

It also helped he was hosting prosecco tasting which is my drink, if you ever need some nice fizz look-up his online store www.italianfizz.co.uk

3.       I have just this moment watched the final draft of our 2 minute video from the Mums Enterprise Roadshow's which happened in June. It made me emotional, it made me feel proud again and realise just how awesome our events were.  I think in those 50 days I forgot about how great we did.  This was nicely timed only a few days after the prosecco man’s words.  

So there we go people.  I think it is hard to constantly believe in yourself, jeez we are human beings.  Life in whatever form.  Love, family, friends, work – every element is a roller coaster and always will be.  We just need to be able to pick ourselves up and keep going.  

 I cannot wait to share our that film of the 2016 events with you all.  This film is epic even if I do say so myself.  It made me see, right there in front of my eyes what me and Lucy achieved with the first two events.  They were amazing and life changing for me, Lucy and the ladies who came.   So now I have a clear mind again and know what I need to do.

I think we sometimes need that time of doubt, the feeling of ARGHHHHHH what now.  Because at the end of the day that is what challenges you.  If you are not being challenged, then you are not progressing.  You are not learning, and apparently according to my business dude us humans enjoy learning and we actually find it fun!! So there you go. 

I shared a Huffington Post recently about the 12 things successful women do and point 5 was about how successful women ‘Believe they will be successful’.  

And you know what I can safely say for me there is no other outcome.  One day I will be the success I have always dreamed to be.  But nobody ever said it would be easy.

Thanks for reading :-)  Keep your eye our for our new 2 minute film created by the awesome Kai Zammit.

ALSO A VERY LAST NOTE - An unseen video it's very short but I thought apt to share.

 My dad recorded this, it was that very last moment of the second and very last Mums Enterprise Roadshow of 2016 (more coming in 2017).  After the Q&A panel had ended (that moment I could finally breath) I just wanted to thank everybody for comingand got a little emotional.

Check it out here - https://youtu.be/dlfH12rOeQQ

These events mean so much to me and Lucy – these are our world.  This is what we want to do with our minds and talents and this is what we believe we will succeed at.  Organising events which truly change women’s work & business lives, for the better.  Forever.