You Are The Media

One lesson stands out: you can't please everyone when building a community—whether it’s a coworking space, a local group, an online course, or an underwater polo squad. And that’s a good thing; it's excellent news and will save you tons of energy. Trying to please everyone is why many coworking spaces feel "a bit shit and soulless" even though they 'look like they have everything' - they are pandering to the non-existent mainstream. The 'can't please everyone' came up during a recent conversation on the Coworking Values Podcast with Mark Masters, during which we discussed Seth Godin’s First 10 concept. There is a link to Mark's post in the show notes and on You Are The Media. If you’re unfamiliar, the idea is simple but transformative: The first 10 people who show up—whether it’s for your coworking space, restaurant, or online course—are the ones who will shape how your community grows. How you connect with them sets the tone for the long-term success of your project. Here’s the kicker: the more niche and specific you are, the better. Sure, you’ll leave some people behind—but the right people will love it. That’s what makes a community thrive. Seth’s point, which we explored deeply in the podcast, is that trying to please everyone waters down one's vision. I'd like you to focus on clarity and connection with the few who get it. In today’s video, I explain how to apply this idea to running a coworking space, starting a project, or building your crew. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Who are the “first 10” people you want to build your community around? Please reply below and let me know. #coworking  #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon 

Border Collies fascinate me and their instinct is to lead, and I find this a good analogy when trying to explain what a design agency does and how relationships are nurtured. When I look back at the various factors that have contributed to the growth and resilience I have forged within my business, one of the key elements is “relationships” (this is something to delve deeper into at the YATM Lunch Club) and I value the ones with clients that come on board with the “Giraffe” values of working together as a partnership. Designing a website for a business can be complex or simple depending on the type of client and their objectives and I give the analogy that a web designer is almost like a border collie in the realm that you are herding the client on a pathway to achieve their goals. A close working relationship where the customer realises, they are essential to the successful outcome of the project, buys into the intended solutions and embraces looking at their business from outside perspective all contribute to achieving the desired goals. I have made mistakes along the way, persevered with customers that do not come on board with the notion of a shared working relationship, but at the same time I have developed a thicker skin to ride these peaks and lows and now have a few more tools in my armoury to overcome issues, quite often I would take problems to heart and it would really affect me. The key to any successful project is setting clear objectives, making sure the customer understands their role and the consequences of not investing in a successful outcome. I am looking forward to being part of the #YATMLunchClub panel hosted by Anne R. with Steph Lucas, Abi Lemon 🍋 and Ruth Richards in February to delve deeper into why people want to work with you.

Being a solopreneur can be a bit……lonely 😢. There, I’ve said it!  While I am committed to what I am trying to achieve and enjoy/need the flexibility, I do miss the fun and support of going into an office to work in a team, as part of an organisation’s community. Thanks to Mark Masters, who is big on bringing people together and building communities, I have found a new team. He has created a really welcoming Sea Dipping Team 🌊 that meets at sunrise 🌅 every Friday in Poole.  It’s why I go in (nearly) every week.  It’s a team effort. I never thought I would be going in to the Channel in any month other than July and August. I still can’t quite believe I went in last Friday 😱!  But I really enjoy being a part of the wonderful, but questionably sane 🤔, team that Mark has created (DM me if you want to join us).   So much so that I am teetering on the edge of a 15-day January 🥶 sea-dip challenge organised by Tim Sills for the MYTIME Young Carers charity.  Are there any “Dare You!”s to help me take the plunge? 💪 Thank you, Mark and fellow Sea Dippers for creating such great team spirit! It means a lot to me. Nicky P.S.  Shoutout to my OG SUBU team - Gillian Lewis, Emma Davies, and Kamila Dowgiert!  Even though three of us have moved on, we still make time to catch up (just not in the sea 🌊). Proof that great team spirit endures! Sea Dipping pictures by Kin Ho who takes great photos every week. 🙏 #teamspirit #bettertogether John Jocham, Rachel Williams, Mark Williams, Ema Armstrong, Emily Turgoose, Ruth Richards, Paul Taylor, Stewart Perrett, Susannah Brade-Waring, MSc, FRSA, Tessa Walton, Felicity Hodkinson, PCC, Christophe Stourton, Nick Whitnell

A great honour to deliver the YATM Queen's Christmas Message, opening the final edition of Mark Masters' weekly email for 2024. This has been my 6th year playing a part in the community and I've had lots of adventures throughout. This year I... 🩷 Spoke on YATM panels at Bournemouth and Poole College and Bournemouth University 🩷 Delivered a 'village vignette' talk at Lighthouse - Arts and Entertainment | Poole for YATM Creator Day 🩷 Appeared on the YATM Creator Day podcast series with Mark and Rosie Sherry 🩷 Presented our Grapevine | IT & Comms SIMs and partnership with Julia's House Children's Hospices alongside Caroline Attreed at Lunch Club. 🩷 Hosted the 'Game Nite' segment of the YATM Summer Party 🩷 Ref'd four world record attempts, one of which, Alix King's, was successful in breaking the current record! My talk at Creator Day was on the theme of 'joining in'. All of the above is what happens when you take that step forward. Mark wrote in today's email about sharing the spotlight. I've seen the evidence of this and experienced the benefit of it, first hand. With plenty of opportunities to get involved across the south and south west already lined up in 2025, why not join us for some fun next year?

Meeting new people is the number 1 most enjoyable thing about my job. 💛 It's funny where connections can take you but also incredibly powerful. I moved to Poole back in July not knowing anyone apart from my in-laws. My daughter is much better at making friends than me (she's that person who always bumps into someone she knows - apparently there's no correlation between age and size of network). We were very kindly invited on a play date one Friday evening. It materialised that the parent that invited us, Anna Lundberg, was in the same community I had recently joined, MicDrop (I mean, what are the chances). She recommended I connect with Mark Masters, with whom I have since shared a lovely cup of tea and discussed how we can support each other in our efforts to lift up young people. Today I received an email with my face on it - thank you Mark 😊 And already I have made some more new connections. How brilliant. I've ebbed and flowed in terms of time commitment to new communities and connections in 2024. But in 2025 I'm going all in. #NewConnections #Communities #2025Goals

It’s been a long-standing ambition of mine to create a business event.   It would be rooted in kindness, realism, and the collective support of our community.   Someone challenged me: “If you held one, Gordon, it’d be packed.” That stuck.   I attend many events, but they can miss the mark. Too glossy, too focused on unattainable goals. What we need is a space for genuine stories: the ups and downs of starting, running, and sometimes struggling in business. That’s why I’m creating this event.   It’s for everyone—seasoned entrepreneurs, those starting out, and people transitioning careers. It’s about meaningful conversations that inspire confidence and insights, whether you’re adapting advice to your journey or meeting peers to collaborate with.   This is also a chance to showcase businesses that thrive locally but often go unrecognised, and to engage the next generation of entrepreneurs—students, career-changers, and dreamers.   To me, success means attendees walk away with:   📖 Inspiration from relatable stories. 📝 Information to protect and grow their businesses. 😁 Satisfaction in celebrating what we’ve all achieved.   Speakers won’t promise 10x growth or boast million-pound exits—they’ll share their real-world experiences. These relatable moments often resonate far deeper than polished presentations.   This event will also remind us: change begins within. We don’t need to mimic other cities or wait for outside help. Our collective action can drive the change we want to see.   This event will coincide with You Are The Media Creator Day, marking the start of YATM Creator Week. I can’t wait to bring it to life and share it with you all.   I hope you’d like to be a part of it on Tuesday 13th May at Bournemouth University (thanks Ian Jones)   Stay tuned.