While going for my morning walk, I realised that it’s been 3 months since I attended the Pop Up Business School. Since then, my life has changed so much and the course was pivotal to that.
I’d initially heard about the Pop Up Business School on a Choose FI podcast featuring its co-founder Alan Donegan. And I recall rapidly checking their website to see if they were running any events near me.
Sadly, they weren’t and the ones currently listed on their site were all being run during term-time, which meant that I’d be unable to attend. So I resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to learn what I could from Alan’s podcast, Rebel Entrepreneur (which I highly recommend – it is pure gold).
Fast forward a few months when lockdown hit and I noticed a Twitter post mentioning an online Pop Up Business School. I’d love to say that I signed up immediately but I actually didn’t.
Fear took over and I began to question my own ability and whether I was cut out for business ownership.
After giving myself a stern talking to, I gritted my teeth and signed up. Looking back, I’m so pleased I did as it’s changed my perspective on life entirely.
What is the Pop Up Business School?
The Pop Up Business School consists of a series of workshops to teach people how to set up and run their own business.
It steps away from the somewhat ‘outdated’ concepts of needing a lengthy business plan and taking on debt and instead shows you how to set your business up for free or with minimal start-up costs.
The Pop Up Business School is based on the concept that anyone can run a business doing what they love. And amazingly it’s free to attend!
What I learnt from the Pop Up Business School
Attending the Pop Up Business School was a whirlwind of excitement and inspiration.
There were opportunities to ‘meet’ and share ideas with the other students – many of us still keep in touch and support each other. And the week just had an overall feel-good vibe.
It’s hard to summarise what I learnt, but I’ll try…
Firstly, my mindset has completely changed. Prior to attending the course I felt reliant on my 9-5 day job. Now I know that I can make money from other sources and support myself. My confidence has sky-rocketed.
I also learnt the importance of experimenting and just getting in there and giving things a go. Accepting that things don’t have to be perfect was a massive take-away from the course.
Focusing on one thing at a time was another key message. I went into the course with so many ideas and if I’d have tried them all then it’s likely that none of them would have succeeded.
Instead, by focusing on one thing at a time and avoiding decision fatigue, I’ve now built up this blog and the number of visitors are increasing each month. I’m also slowly building up my knowledge of the ‘technical side’ of blogging – email lists, SEO, logo design, blog layout, creating freebies etc. Plus I have more ideas in the pipeline.
Social media, especially Twitter, is another area I’ve developed my skills in – especially promoting my ‘product’ and finding my voice. Yet without the inspiration from the Pop Up Business School I’d have never experimented with this.
What next?
As you can see, there has been a huge transformation in my life in the last 3 months, both within my internal world and also in what I’m creating and putting out into the world.
So where do I go from here?
Well this blog is very much a labour of love and one that I’ll be continuing with but I also have a few ideas in the pipeline.
I’m working on creating notebooks and journals to sell online and I’m also starting up a small side-venture with my fiancee, so watch this space…
I highly recommend the Pop Up Business School to anyone who has ever dreamt of owning a business. If you want to find out more then check out their website. They’re still running vitual classes making them extremely accessible to all – and they’re free.
So what have you got to lose? Give it a try – a new life might be just around the corner!
Image courtesty of Ian Schneider on Unsplash