One Hour Per Week is Working!

I’m looking forward to sharing this with you as its changed my views on how I can help more people in less time and its all thanks to the six business I’m working with as part of ProjectE.

On face value this post is pretty much just about me, its the kind of post that I write in the background and rarely share with the outside world. However I have one critical question I need your help with at the bottom.

I’m still hammering down the details of where I am going, both personally, professionally and with ProjectE and I’m taking the opportunity to share it with you as in the past few weeks, I’ve found this sharing process very beneficial and its helping me move forwards and narrowing down how I can help you more effectively.

Here is a quick update of where I’m at and why

If you missed the invitation, this was a pretty big investment from myself and it was all on the fork of ‘commitment’. I had been procrastinating for ages around the entire project and I could feel this project slipping away from me. Then decided that I needed to get public and make a commitment that I could not back out of.

So I did and it went spectacularly as well.

I covered he results in a couple of earlier posts, you can view the original invitation on YouTube here that I set live on that Friday and the full invitation also on YouTube here that I posted the following Monday, along with the supporting article here.

There is nothing like jumping in with both feet I can tell ya!

With procrastinating over, I ended up with 56 applications and spent an entire weekend sifting through them. It was my intention to work with just five, but a sixth sneaked in. Hey I was already in the deep end, what would one more do to me?

Shortly afterwards I made arguably the worst video to date (see here) which promoted me to get more professional, especially after that damming, but valid email I got, which I covered in the article “Are your video’s so bad, they need this feedback also?

Into the 3rd week

And up to today, we’re now into our third week of working together.

I’ve not mentioned who they are yet, I’m saving this for later this week (hint hint), however its becoming glaring apparent that with the right content and structure (which I’m still hammering out) that one hour per week consulting is actually working and having a positive effect on all of the six businesses.

Frankly I was a little concerned on what could be covered in what is just 8 hours of my time spread over a period of eight weeks, plus some extra time as a group and the real impact of it.

What I’ve found so far is that the tool-set of experience I have at my disposal is actually very “wide” and I had completely over looked that if I focus the six businesses on actionable points at the end of each of the meetings, that in the time we’re apart, they can move at a rate that suits them and still be ready for the following week.

Its a case now of working out how I can detail this process for not only personal one-on-one projects with new clients, but to also make it scalable (and affordable for the masses) for ProjectE.

Revised & new site pages

Its also proving exceptionally useful as for a long time I’ve not focused on exactly “how I can help” & “where I can help” and are refocusing on some critical pages to this site.

The first is the pending redesign of the ‘Contact Matthew’ page, this page does not have a clear goal and the new version has a defined set of goals and will be a marked improvement.

The second is a new page that I should have added months ago called “Work With Matthew” and its proving fun exactly what to include on this page and its on my weekend to-do list, by the time this post goes live, it may already be live on the site.

Summary

I’m so lucky to be able to work with the chosen six businesses

The commitment to them takes up my entire Friday and part of Thursday evening too, but that doesn’t matter, its great fun & I can see tangible benefits to them already.

The biggest take-away for me so far is that one hour per week is working and as I mentioned, its a case now of scaling this, removing the mist and defining exactly how I can help you grow your businesses.

Stop - Take Action!

I need YOUR help!
In the past I have frequently come across the statement “Matt I know you can help me, but I’m not sure how”, I’m actively addressing this.

However flipping the question back at you “Where do you feel that I can help you?” Answers either in the comments below or privately via the “Contact Matthew” page.

4 replies
  1. John 'living the dream' Davies
    John 'living the dream' Davies says:

    Hi Matt,

    Sacrificing dignity for product promotion is noble but not entirely unexpected!

    Funnily enough I dream about Bristolian Cider about once a week myself!
    Also, the CargoBox Christmas party will be in Bristol… (means Mrs D. cant object too much!)

    I also have some business in Bristol in the coming weeks as I’m sure you’re aware… (Excited!!)

    I can’t wait to find out who the 5+1 are…. Will you be doing “before and after” like a late night commercial Ab Dominator…

    That will showcase them and you….

    John

    Reply
  2. John 'living the dream' Davies
    John 'living the dream' Davies says:

    Hi Matt,

    Well, it seems that I’m going to be the first ‘public’ reply here (opening myself up to public ridicule as is normal!)

    There are many ways you can help businesses of all sizes (possibly too many considering the question being posed here!) BUT in terms of many businesses out there I think you can directly help them by addressing your main love at the moment… Data.

    Every business you help, needs to realise that in this eCommerce game, everything comes down to data (the amount, the format, the input method, the accuracy etc).
    The last time we shared a cider (for anyone reading this, when I say ‘shared’… we didn’t drink out of the same glass!) we talked about this (well, you talked and I nodded in all the right places!)

    From this discussion, the realisation that every return, every out of stock sale, most 3PL mis-picks, every mis-described item and crucially, the amount of product I can get online (and therefore, the amount of income I can generate) comes down to these data issues and the management / flow and manipulation of data.

    My opinion, (for what it may be worth) is that if you can help SME’s understand this and give them some tools to put them on the right track, they will be more successful in terms of sales volumes, reduced costs and crucially… Positive feedback!!

    Hope this is of some use….
    All the best,
    John

    Reply
    • Matthew Ogborne
      Matthew Ogborne says:

      Howdy John,

      What an epic day, Pat Flynn turned up here and commented blog, then you!

      Really, there is little you can say here that compares to me sticking insulation tape on my eye for a product demo. Think I’m kidding? Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eU46wgJzt8

      The thing is, that they’re all different. What’s important to one “right now”, is completely irrelevant for another. I cannot say too much, but we’re 3 weeks into ProjectE and one of the 6 (was supposed to be 5, long story) who I spoke tonight to has seen some truly epic results already.

      Two of them got a hint for my passion for data last week, this week I think they might be a little more prepared for it and will ease them in.

      I’ve got no idea where this heading, but one thing for sure. I’m having so much fun working with them and the results are already starting to show.

      You coming over to Bristol again soon, I’m missing the cider?

      Matt

      Reply

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