Passion. It's been a recurring theme recently. I'm not talking about Lady Chatterley's Lover type passion before you start getting carried away. When we start businesses, so much of our drive comes from us. We have made a decision, often life changing, to develop our hobby into a career, help people, attempt to improve our quality of life or just to be happier in our working lives. Naturally from this, that passion then fuels our marketing and leads us to steer our messages and posts with that in mind.
One of the several conversations I have had recently was with someone who had lost that passion. That drive and overall enthusiasm had been diluted by the day to day challenges of capacity, finance and the seemingly endless list including World War III, the cost of living crisis...need I go on? Once this begins to set in, our marketing goes flat, each Facebook post becomes a chore and that end goal disappears from sight. The decision then has to be made as to whether to continue flogging a potentially dead horse or call it a day.
However, when that passion is still so strong and consuming, our marketing can take on a life of its own, or at least maintain a strength of character and consistency so that it becomes second nature. When that passion then becomes inspirational to others, the magic happens. That magic is certainly evident when it comes to Andrew Jancey (AJ).
I had the pleasure of meeting AJ a few years ago (I wish I could say how many exactly but with the intervention of 'COVID Time' something that happened 4 years ago feels like about 10!) at a workshop I was running in Bury. At that time he was looking to set up a virtual assistant business, however, during the pandemic things took a turn.
"I'd been working in administration and project management for 40 years. I'd been sitting at a desk all day every day and at 54 I had a major health warning. I have always suffered with my mental health, and it will always be there, and but I had a breakdown that 'disabled' me physically. My body said enough was enough."
AJ and I stayed in touch after the workshop as he looked to build his business. and He began working with a personal trainer and started to see the positive benefits of exercise.
"Exercising regularly made me realise I could bypass the bad days and I made the decision during lockdown to turn this passion into a business. One of the biggest barriers I previously had going to the gym, I found many others felt too. When you walk into a gym you can feel intimidated and lack confidence. It can be overwhelming. I wanted to take things back to basics and instead of just demonstrating how to use weights or a machine, I wanted to explore why we should use them."
AJ now works as a coach and personal trainer, offering 1-2-1 support and group sessions, and is about to facilitate chair based exercise in care homes and online programmes. too.
"I want to work with an older demographic like me, people who may be nervous going to the gym but want to get fitter and more flexible as they get older but of course if anyone wants the support I can offer they can get in touch."
He has always been very open about his mental health, both on his social media channels and when you speak to him face to face.
"I had never previously talked about it and really wish I had done earlier. Men in particular struggle and don't talk about it enough. I urge people not to hold back - if you hide it, it will kick you. There are so many supportive groups out there now, and online too, that can help. Just do it!"
AJ's passion is magnetic and drives his marketing and his business as a whole. It can be so easy for us to lose sight of why we started our projects in the first place. Invariably, our marketing can fall a little flat but by revisiting that 'why' and that drive, it will revitalise your social media and marketing efforts.