Here we are at the end of September…and like a lot of people I’m wondering how is it October tomorrow?

My theme for the month has been something like “acceleration” I think.

Coming back from a break in August, the first couple of working days felt like a slog.

Motivation was low and it took a bit of effort to remind myself where I left off, regain the context on client work and get moving.

I also put a lot of time into finishing my course (The Fractional Executive Launchpad). It’s a bit of a side project that’s taken way more time than I’d expected, but the early signs are encouraging.

There’s been a really steep learning curve in writing, shooting and producing an online course, along with a lot of the marketing and fulfilment infrastructure that’s needed.

The course launched in the middle of the month with encouraging early sales. More than 300 people signed up for my introductory webinar and more than 70 actually turned up – which was a surprise given typical drop out rates.

I also got a bit sidetracked into automation this month – learning the n8n open source automation tool. It does what tools like Zapier do, but with a lot more power and flexibility. The downside is the need to learn a new platform. Thanks to Phil Dearson for introducing me to n8n earlier this year.

Last week I kicked off work with a new fractional COO client, based in Coventry. It’s a fascinating business with a lot of potential, so I’m working through a rapid diagnostic phase to help deliver some early impact with them.

This month I’ve also kicked off some sell-side M&A with a client, helping develop their investor deck and start making connections with potential acquirers. It’s been a while since I did any sell-side work so it’s good to be keeping those skills sharp.

On the coaching side of my work, I started working with two new coachees this month from very different backgrounds and working in very different roles. I enjoy coaching as an opportunity to continue to develop my coach skills and really get value from seeing coachees progress, tackling things that previously seemed impossible with new confidence.

I did some awards judging for BIMA this month too. It was interesting to meet some new folk as judges, as well as catch up with fellow BIMA ski buddy Alex Holliman. There was a pretty broad range of entries.

The ones that came out top in my voting would be worthy winners (judges don’t get to know who actually wins overall until the night), but there were also some pretty average entries that didn’t seem to demonstrate much progression in digital craft since I last ran a digital agency in 2020.

Away from work I ran the New Forest Marathon mid-month, having entered a couple of weeks beforehand. It was a pretty tough course and the weather wasn’t ideal, but I enjoyed the experience and managed to take around five minutes off my marathon PB (from 2010).

The marathon was a good staging post in my training for the 55 mile ultra I’m running in Snowdonia in mid-November. I need to keep pushing on with longer runs over the next few weeks to get some good miles into my legs.

We also went to Wembley for the second time in five weeks to see Oasis. It was great to see Oasis live having never managed that in the 90s, although the clear lack of on-stage chemistry was quite a contrast to other bands I’ve seen this year.

Music this month…

Enjoyed the Country Cockney set from this month’s Mucky Weekender festival. Am pondering whether to head to this festival next year for my 50th. We spotted it from the M3 on the way to the marathon and the line-up looked right up my street.

Podcasts this month…

Am loving Abbie Dando’s Marketing Vs The World podcast. Her down-to-earth style and the practical wisdom on all things marketing really hits the spot for me. It’s relevant for many of my clients and the work I’m doing on my own marketing and my course.

Reading this month…

Not so much time to read this month, but I managed to finish Why We Remember by Dr Charan Ranganath. This was a fascinating (and quite in-depth) look at the contemporary science around memory. Lots of useful insights when thinking about leadership development, coaching and communications. I’m sure some of these will feature in future issues of my Build newsletter.

Cycling this month…

161 miles. Less time on two wheels this month, but a nice gravel ride towards the end of the month for a change.

Running this month

49.3 miles.