Sometimes your biggest achievements can guide you in very unexpected directions. When I found myself at what many considered to be the pinnacle of my industry, I learned that true success often looks remarkably different than we imagine. In this episode, I share how my journey of creating flowers for Harry and Meghan's wedding led to an unexpected revelation about building a sustainable business - and why your most natural path to success might not be the one you're currently pursuing.

Key Moments:

• [00:00] Introducing our most read journal post: How building a luxury brand from my kitchen table challenged industry norms
• [01:33] Creating royal wedding flowers: The unexpected lessons about sustainable business growth
• [02:11] The journey before the royal wedding: Building relationships with prestigious brands
• [03:15] The reason for sharing this episode: To show you that our biggest achievements often teach us something totally different from what we expect.
• [04:45] The unexpected advantage: How starting without industry knowledge made for a unique approach
• [06:58] Trusting my own intuition: The moment everything changed in my business
• [10:02] Behind the royal wedding designs: What truly mattered beyond the media spotlight
• [12:35] The pivotal moment: When florists sought business guidance over design expertise
• [13:44] Natural business evolution: Building around your core strengths
• [16:27] Practical steps to align your business with your natural expertise

Notable Quotes:

"Sometimes not knowing the 'right' way to do things means you find your own way, one that actually works out better for you."

"Success isn't about getting everything right from the start - it's about learning from what goes wrong and staying true to what you do best."

"We might be chasing one type of success while our natural talents are actually pulling us in a different, often more aligned direction."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read This Week's Full Journal Post
• Episode 058: How to Work with Department Stores with Nic Waller
• www.philippacraddock.com

Share Your Insights:

Has your vision of success evolved as your business has grown? I'd love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram about how your own definition of success might be shifting...

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Have you ever noticed how bigger projects seem to take longer than they should? Those moments when you find yourself doing anything but the main task at hand? Research shows it takes our brain 23 minutes to fully refocus after each and every interruption. Through personal experience and scientific insights, this episode explores how creating space from distractions, during focused project work can help you complete substantial projects more efficiently .

Key Moments:

• [00:00] A More Relaxed Episode - Designed to get you thinking about how you operate when working on larger focused projects
• [01:33] When something needed to change - How building my new website revealed the need for new work strategies
• [03:27] How we approach our relationship with digital tools
• [05:55] Information Overload - What our minds have to cope with on a daily basis
• [06:48] What the research says - It takes 23-minutes to refocus every time we are distracted
• [10:30] Being Realistic - Creating the right environment for completing bigger pieces of work
• [12:19] Learning to recognise digital distraction
• [14:00] Managing Strategies - To create boundaries that stick
• [15:38] Study - Computors In Human Behaviour - The mear presence of a smart phone can...
• [17:20] Learning from how our children approach device boundaries
• [18:26] What works best for you - Building sustainable habits without relying on willpower

Notable Quotes:

"Research has found that just having our phones in the same room - even when we're not using them - can reduce our brain power and ability to focus, even if we're actively trying to ignore them."

"We need moments of what might feel like boredom almost, those times when our minds can wander and our creativity can breathe."

Resources Mentioned:

• Read This Week's Full Journal Post
• Study: "Computers in Human Behavior" - Impact of smartphone presence
• Professor Gloria Mark's research on task-switching
• www.philippacraddock.com

Share Your Insights:

What's your biggest challenge when tackling larger projects? Share your experiences with me over on Instagram - I'd love to hear what works for you.

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What if AI could make your customer service more personal, not less? Building on your writing style guide from last week, I share two practical tools that help you handle everything from common queries to tricky client emails with authentic care and consistency. These approaches will free up your time and energy for the areas of your business you love, while ensuring every response sounds genuinely like you.

Key Moments:

• [00:00] Introduction to AI in customer service
• [01:53] Reflecting on last weeks episode and your success with using the 'Writing Style Paragraph'
• [04:01] First Tool: Using AI for common email responses
• [05:24] Making your template personal
• [10:50] Second Tool: Handling challenging client messages with grace
• [14:42] Practical steps to start using these tools this week
• [17:00] Summary: Becoming more consistantly personal using AI

Notable Quotes:

"Think of it like adding any new tool to your business - you start with the basics, build your confidence, and gradually discover more ways it can support your work."

"This neat little method helps us step back and respond from a place of clarity rather than reaction. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a lengthy or emotional email, you can quickly identify the core issues that need addressing."

Resources Mentioned:

• Last week's episode: 'The Writing Style Secret'
• 'Writing Style Paragraph Generator Tool'
• Read This Week's Full Journal Post
• 2 Template prompts

Share Your Insights:

Have you tried either of these approaches to managing client communications? I'd love to hear how they work for you. Drop me a DM on Instagram I'm always here and genuinely love to discuss your insights and experiences...

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Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights and first access to all our new resources.