Are you building the business that you actually want?
✏️ ON MY MIND
Are you building the business that you actually want?
This question has been on my mind a lot this year, especially as I tested a few different ideas for services I could offer, and there were several times when things didn’t pan out as expected. I found myself doing a lot of work that drained me.
Before I go on, it’s worth noting that I also landed a freelance contract in May as a Growth Marketer with Journey, an agency specialising in helping accounting tech startups scale. I’m enjoying working 3-4 days per week with the team and have no immediate desire to leave anytime soon.
The power of taking a “Me” Day
There's something magical about a "Me Day," that precious time when the only agenda is self-reflection. Recently, I took one of these soul-searching days, heading to a tranquil spot outdoors that always fuels my clarity.
With Katelyn Bourgoin's insightful talk on “Overcoming Mimetic Desire: How To Know What You Really Want” from the SparkTogether Summit echoing in my thoughts, I opened my journal to answer two powerful questions:
What's one thing you want to achieve in your work life in the next 12 months?
What are 4-5 instances in your life that have provided a great sense of fulfilment, and what about those experiences made you feel that way?
Katelyn had spoken about "thick desires," those deep, fulfilling aspirations that give more meaning to our lives than fleeting wants. So, I listed four specific moments that brought me profound satisfaction.
Here’s what I wrote down:
Launching Design for Change Laos in 2011, where I was part of a mission-driven initiative to empower young minds.
Organising a Dirty Dancing Flashmob in Sydney, bringing joy and unity through a public dance spectacle.
Leading the Warrior Women Mastermind Laos retreat in 2015, creating an empowering experience in my birth country that involved taking a group of amazing women from Australia and Canada on an adventure of a lifetime. All while supporting a local non-profit to deliver books to students at a rural school in need.
Co-creating the Release Your Inner Confidence Retreat in 2014, helping participants find peace and purpose while enjoying the beauty of the Central Coast of Sydney.
Identifying the Patterns
A follow-up question that I answered was:
What recurring themes or patterns can you identify in these experiences, and how might they reveal your underlying desires?
So why did these moments mean so much to me? As I delved deeper, the reasons crystallised:
Each experience was mission-driven, fueled by a desire to make a meaningful impact.
They involved building communities and forging deep connections.
They allowed me to share my culture and facilitate learning in immersive settings.
I thrived in creative collaborations with teams where my role was to enable, teach and guide, not to manage logistics.
There was a tangible sense of achieving visible results - through storytelling, testimonials, or direct community impact.
These "thick desires" were the signposts pointing towards my ideal business – a venture that would encapsulate these elements of purpose, community, culture, collaboration, and visible impact.
Crafting My Ideal Business
My ideal business started to take shape in my journal's pages. It would be a social enterprise or educational platform that:
Champions a cause, going beyond profits to drive social change.
Fosters connections, where sharing stories and experiences is at the heart of what we do.
Celebrates and integrates cultural diversity as a core value.
Operates on collaborative leadership, with operations handled by a dedicated team, allowing me to focus on empowering others.
Emphasises measurable outcomes and real-world impact.
This clarity was liberating. I was not just daydreaming about an abstract concept. I was blueprinting a business that resonated with my very essence.
With this in mind, I now have a vision for what I want to build in 2024. Whilst I don’t have all the details worked out yet, I know what’s essential for this to work. I’ll keep you posted on how things evolve, so watch this space.
Guiding You on Your Journey
When you close your journal, the real power of introspection becomes clear. This isn't just about figuring out what you want to do; it's about ensuring your business reflects your deepest truths.
If you're ready to embark on this journey of self-discovery, here's a guide based on my own path:
Carve out time for deep reflection, far from the daily grind. Get into nature if you can, and off the devices.
Ask yourself these two critical questions about your aspirations and the type of business that resonates with your core:
What's one thing you want to achieve in your work life in the next 12 months?
What are 4-5 instances in your life that have provided a great sense of fulfilment, and what about those experiences made you feel that way?
Look back at what has truly fulfilled you in the past and pinpoint the recurring themes.
Note down the attributes of these fulfilling experiences to reveal your profound desires.
Shape a vision for your ideal business or career that matches these desires, setting a course for fulfilment and authenticity. (If you’re interested, I’ll happily share how I do this with ChatGPT. Let me know.)
Embrace this journey of self-discovery to build not just any business but the business that echoes your deepest aspirations. It's a path to success, fulfilment, and making a lasting difference.
-Anf
(Drafted with the help of ChatGPT-4 and the incredible Small Bets community - shoutout to
Ivana Kalanj for the amazing feedback)👍 3 THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION
1/ Read: Goodbye Hallucinations, Hello AI Research: Advanced Tactics for Content Teams
One of the most frustrating things about using tools like ChatGPT for creating content is its hallucinations.
Whilst GPT-4 is better than 3.5, I’ve noticed it’s still unreliable for recommending credible (and actual) sources of information.
Bard AI is only slightly better, from what I’ve tested.
This incredible article from the team at Animalz reveals a solid process that reduces hallucinations and makes the research more dependable.
2/ Read: From Rebel Spirit to Brand Revolution: Journey's Punk Rebrand
Internally at Journey agency, we’ve been working on a brand refresh for months. It's been fun to be a part of the awesome creative team bringing this to life.
This week, Journey 2.0 went live. Check out our new branding and website and how we got here.
3/ Listen: Oprah’s Master Class - Whoopi Goldberg
Did you know that Whoopi Goldberg - American actor, comedian, author and television personality - is only one of 18 entertainers to win the grand slam of all four major entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony?
Even more fascinating is that Whoopi never wanted to become an actor!
My biggest takeaway from hearing Whoopi’s life story is that opportunities come when you pick a direction and are already in motion. Not when you’re sitting still thinking about what to do next.
🔧 TOOL OF THE WEEK
AudioPen
With AudioPen, you can finally think out loud and let your thoughts flow freely. ✍️✨
This app utilizes AI technology to convert your voice notes into beautifully summarized text, eliminating all the filler words, repeated sentences, and pesky 'umms'. 🚀🗣️
I particularly like to use AudioOpen on my phone while I’m on my nature walks, and I get an inspiring thought or idea in my head.
I’ll open the app, hit record, speak whatever’s on my mind, and within minutes I’ve got a nice summary I can use for content. (Here’s a newsletter that was written thanks to this app)
Works on both desktop and mobile.
Anfernee Chansamooth
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Forward it to someone else who might find it useful too.