Working Out

In the third part of our mini-series, we look at the progress Ashley has been making with the development of the app. She presents what she's whipped up so far and we see if it works or not, which leads us on to a discussion about having confidence in your code and working to deadlines. We're now looking for beta testers for the app, so email us on info@workingoutpodcast.com if you're interested in taking it for a spin.

Paddy pitches the wireframes and designs to Ashley in part 2 of our mini series following our side project creation process. We discuss the contract between us, the interactions and details of our daily stand up app and what the next steps will be to create our MVP. If you want an insight into Paddy's design process and how he presents to clients, this one is for you. Make sure and visit http://workingoutpodcast.com to view the wireframes and designs and follow along as Paddy & Ashley discuss them.

We're putting our money where our mouth is this week as we kick off a multi-part series where we're actually going to design, build and ship a side project together. In this first part, we brainstorm a list of ideas and make a decision on an MVP that would tie in well with the philosophy of the show. This series sees us putting into practice all of the topics and advice we've been discussing over the past 22 weeks of the show.

Everything you put out there contributes in some way to how people think of you as a professional. Every tweet, Facebook status, Instagram and email. Everything. People like to deal with people, so ask yourself why would a potential client choose you over someone else with your exact skills? Honing your skills is important of course, but what makes the difference is that extra value you can add that nobody else can.

Why would anyone like my work? Why would anyone read my blog? Why would anyone listen to my podcast? We know we've got the skills to deliver, but why do we still have confidence issues when it comes to our passion? If we should be confident in one thing, it's our passion. So why do we still think we're not good enough? Why do we constantly compare ourselves to others? Ashley and Paddy discuss their experiences with these questions, and touch on the difference between low self-confidence and being too self-critical.

Have you grown bored of your goals or projects? Starting something is easy, but sticking with it is the difficult part. Paddy and Ashley talk about the key to sticking with things and the importance of optimising your environment, as well as becoming a proactive worker instead of a reactive worker. It's easy to give into disruption and stop sticking to something.

Nobody said following your passion would be easy. Encountering periods of frustration is normal. Ashley and Paddy share some of the frustrations they face in building their passion-based businesses, from coping with a lack of support to dealing with a lack of control in projects. A lot of people love complaining about their frustrations, but taking action on those frustrations is critical.

In a culture that celebrates long, unsustainable working hours, Paddy and Ashley look at how taking a break from work can actually be conducive to productivity. They talk about the guilt they've battled with when taking breaks from work and stepping away from their computers. Whether it's exercise or playing video games, though, taking time out allows you to recharge your batteries, ultimately putting you in a better place to accomplish your goals in building your passion-based business.

It's that age old saying that you should 'never work for friends or family', but is it ever a good idea? What happens when professional criticism comes across as a personal attack? How much should you be charging your family for your 'passion'? This week Ashley and Paddy chat about the good and bad experiences they've had with this particularly tricky topic. They talk about how early preparation can help establish a better working relationship and the big difference between working 'with' someone and working 'for' someone.

Do you know 'what' you're passionate about? Sometimes it's not so easy to pick out a theme that ties all your various passions together. What if you aren't passionate about anything at all? Following up on last week's 'why' discussion, Ashley and Paddy discuss how flexibility is key when setting up a business doing what you love.

Using the 5 Whys technique, an initially skeptical Paddy finds out that his original goal of 'cutting out client work' isn't really his goal at all. This week on the show, Ashley and Paddy embark on a journey of self-discovery to get to the root of why they're doing what they're doing.

We all go to conferences or listen to podcasts and nod along to the advice thinking 'That's a great idea, I must do that.' But then we don't do anything about it. We slump straight back into our familiar surroundings, when we should be taking action! This week we discuss why we don't follow through with things and how to optimise your environment to get better at doing it.

The Day Job. It's one of the huge barriers between you and setting up your dream business. Not a decision to be taken lightly, but leaving the 'security' of a day job for a chance at setting up a passion based business is a big step in the process. This week, Paddy talks about his experience quitting his job and setting up as a freelancer, and if you're thinking about making the leap yourself then we have some advice on how to go about it. No job has 100% security, so you might as well be in one that you love, rather than one you hate.

We've all had it. That feeling where you can't move forward, the idea well has run dry and everything that you create is missing the mark. Creative block is horrible, but is it really just an excuse we use for something we actually don't want to do? This week we talk about our tangles with creative block, both in client projects and our own personal endeavours, and share our tips for getting through it.

Whether it's hearing the words 'we won't be publishing your book' or 'I don't like green', everyone eventually deals with rejection in their quest to create a passion based business. Stop letting other people dictate the success of your dream. There isn’t any shame in being rejected, but there is shame in not doing anything about it and letting it hold you back from achieving your goals.

Registering domain names and putting up landing pages are easy. Actually building and shipping your idea is the hard part. We talk about those first few crucial days after you get an idea, and how building something as quickly as possible can drastically affect your motivation. If you've simply lost the passion for the thing you want to ship, should you just cut your losses? This week we ask the question 'Why are you not shipping?'.

Do your passions lie in an industry which lacks innovation? Do you feel you could do better but there are too many huge, more established players to compete with? Remember, more often than not, true innovation comes from the little guy. Ashley talks us through her experience of building a new quote system that she wanted to create in order to disrupt the insurance industry, but after presenting this to the insurance companies things didn't go quite as planned.

‘If you're good at something, never do it for free’. How do you charge for doing what you love? It’s difficult to put a price on a hobby that you're turning into a profession. This week we talk about knowing your value, negotiating with clients and taking control of your pricing.

How can you snag those dream clients? This week we talk about portfolios, which pieces you should and should not put in them and the damaging effects of a coming soon page. We discuss the importance of clearly defining your potential clients and curating your personal brand. If there's a certain type of work you want to be doing, then you should already be doing it.

How do you actually go about flipping a passion into a money making venture that you can live off? We discuss the various steps you should take as your turn a hobby into a job. Any niche passion can make money, so why not yours?