There seems a lot to report since my last update. February may be the shortest month of the year but that hasn’t stopped us cramming everything we can into each and every day. We have even travelled to the Arctic Circle and back to ensure our content continues to be both current and relevant!
The Do What You Love e-course began on January 26th and it is now entering its final week. Once again the energy in the classroom has been phenomenal but this time around something really stood out for me. This particular group of people have created such a tight community that I am sure they will continue to support one another long after the courses finishes.
For us, reading the testimonials has been fantastic – it makes it all worth while.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Frances Booth. Over the Christmas period we added to our list of inspiring Free Resources with the launch of our Winter Writing Workshop. It was a massive success with over 1,000 writers taking part. We know from the feedback we had that it provided much needed inspiration, guidance and support for people with burning ambitions to write.
Our commitment to building our Free Resources portfolio will continue throughout 2015 and many more useful tools are being written and designed as I type!
And there’s lots more exciting news to report…
- Our brand new website is coming very soon… watch this space!
- Our blog has been galvanised by the introduction of our new guest bloggers who are all leading all experts in their field. They include: Alastair Humphreys, Ben Keene, Frances Booth, Louise Armstrong and Lara Tabatznik.
- Beth has been working extremely hard for the past several months on two brilliant new e-courses. She says: “It has been a very personal and contemplative process, and in them we give away much of our business model and DNA. Why? Well the simple answer is because it can help you change your life and that is what we are all about. It has certainly changed how we view the world.” More exciting news to follow shortly…
- We are extremely proud to be returning as an affiliate partner for B-School and we are currently offering one of our brand new courses as part of the package. We have also created the Complete Online Business Builder. Our offerings, combined with the amazing information and teachings from B-School, are an investment you really can’t afford not to take.
- We have been recruiting. Our team has grown dramatically over the last 6 months and we couldn’t be happier with our team. We are having our final round of interviews for the new Marketing Officer and Community Manager role next week and I look forward to introducing you to our newest member very soon.
- The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is getting ready to open its doors in the coming months. (Sign up here for our newsletter if you aren’t already on the list to hear when applications open again for the Spring 2015 residency opportunities).
- Beth will be giving a talk at TEDxYouth@Islington on March 19, on the subject of ‘How to teach your parents to give you better careers advice’. I know she will be fantastic and careers advice is definitely something which needs addressing. This event has been postponed. We’ll let you know when we have been advised of the new date!
An update on our collaborations
Make Art That Sells (MATS):
- The next round of MATS Part A + B courses start next Monday (that’s March 2nd) and places are filling up fast. If you fancy joining the amazing group of artists and people from all over the world please register here.
- Assignment Bootcamp began with a bang in January with just under 1,000 people participating. The second assignment has just been submitted ahead of a well-deserved mini break! You can view the February gallery here.
- There has been lots of other exciting work going on behind the scenes and I’ll be able to divulge more in next month’s update…
Make It In Design (MIID):
Early in January we received some sad news that our MIID Manager Angela Kiely is moving on to pastures new. We wish her all the very best as she follows her heart to ‘Do What She Loves’. Never a company to stand still, we have already recruited two new people to ensure MIID is in the best possible position to serve all the Surface Pattern Designers of the world. We are delighted to introduce you to our new Sales and Marketing Manager, Lisa Moncrieff, and our new Education & Resource Officer, Victoria Dickenson.
We have just launched a big Spring Sale for our upcoming courses. It is only on offer for one week so before to take advantage of the sale by March 3 if you want to get the awesome Brand Builder package on offer (includes an individual website or branding review!) If you’d like to find out more about the content of the courses to see whether they are right for you, please click the respective course – Module 2 and Module 3.
There is lots of very cool stuff on the horizon and although my lips are sealed for now, I promise that by this time next month we will have shared some very special news with you. Let’s just say we will be announcing a major new partnership which will offer a host of exciting new opportunities for you!
Our thought for the month: You can judge the true character of a person in their worst hour
As you are aware earlier this month we travelled to the Arctic Circle for a big adventure. We deliberated for quite some time whether we could go or not as we would only go if Sienna (our 13-month-old daughter) came with us, and it is quite an extreme environment, but we prepared as well as we could and took the plunge.
Very soon after arriving we realised that she was not well and after a 100km round trip to the hospital we had received the diagnosis – Chickenpox. On one hand it is much better to get it when you are young but it is never great to be unwell when travelling. I know I’d much rather have all the comforts of home and curl up on the couch. (You can read more about this in Beth’s post ‘Notes from the Arctic #1: When your worst nightmare comes true’)
This brings me to my point. She was an absolute little trooper. She was far from herself but she never cried (not once), she continued to smile and wave at everyone who passed by and even gave Mrs. K a huge hug when she looked a little worried. She had all the excuses in the world to be a little madam and to cry the cabin down day and night. I certainly know many adults who would not have dealt with being ill so well. Mummy and Daddy are very proud sweetie and we love you.
On a side note, travelling to the Arctic and having an amazing adventure on work time made us feel extra grateful for the freedom our company brings. Find out more in Beth’s post ‘Notes from the Arctic #2: How I got here for free (and what that means for you)’
So that’s it from me. Have a great month – I’ll be back in March.
Until next time,
Mr K
