The Happy Entrepreneur

 On this episode of the podcast I talk to Christine Chopyak, a visual strategist and idea builder from Denver, Colorado.We met last year at our Alptitude retreat on Mount Hood in Oregon. She's the author of Picture your Business Strategy, a book that helps you master the principles of "strategic illustration", a proven system for visualising ideas.Christine discovered the power of visual strategy nearly 20 years ago and it’s changed her life and how she relates to people. For her it’s a way to make ideas come alive.Christine will be joining us at this year’s Summercamp and will be running a workshop for people who want to learn how to use drawing to help them get more clarity for their business.Here are some nuggets from our conversation:Too many thinkers like to hear themselves talk.Designing your week to help you manage your energyWhen you’re too attached to an idea you can forget what you’re actually trying to doVisual strategy helps you see where you’re going and see where you’ve been in one breathThe brain processes images 60 times faster than textIn order for your brain to understand an image it only needs to be 30% accurate80% of the population learn visuallyFrom the ages of 0 to 3 we make sense of the world through shape and colour and so we all have the capacity to visualise ideasPrototyping and storyboarding your service or product is the best way to understand your customer. It’s both fun and revealing.The more complicated your business the more important it is to try and visualise itWe don’t get to see the diversity of solutions unless we try and visualise themEngaging with your customers and clients using a visual approach can help you uncover what they really needOnce we get our ideas on a page we see patterns that we can’t see when we’re in our own headsWhen you give people a picture they’re not so quick to start editing while they’re much more keen to edit your textDrawing together helps you start building togetherDoodling helps you listen and retain information betterUse word anchors if you feel like you’re not great at drawingJoin us at Summercamp to get hands on experience of being a visual strategistFind out more about Christine on her website - www.arlosoul.comAnd you can email her on info@arlosoul.com.Her book is available on Amazon and is called Picture Your Business Strategy: Transform Decisions with the Power of Visuals

At Summercamp we devote much of the middle Saturday afternoon to hosting an Open Space session. This is a chance for all the attendees to have the conversations and curate the discussions that they want to have. We've found it a powerful way to connect people and to surface the real needs of our attendees. It's a bit scary for people not used to it but if you open yourself up to possibility and ride the uncertainty you WILL find the person and have the conversation that is most important for you.Last year the session was hosted and held by Line Morkbak alongside Marcus Pibworth and Nick Stevens. In this episode I talk to Line about her work and also about what Open Space is and how it works. We also touch on the topics of serendipity, the future of work, leadership and collaboration.As well as being a master facilitator and creator of collaborative environments Line's on a mission to discover powerful workplace innovations across the globe. Her project Leap Laboratory (https://www.gleapconsult.com/the-leap-lab) is a series of interviews with changemakers who are experimenting with inspiring ways to rethink workplace structures and collaboration.More about SummercampWebsite - www.happystartupsummer.campGallery - https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheHappyStartupSchool/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1912693348767824Trailer video - https://vimeo.com/298048389

This is the second in my series of podcasts about Summercamp and the people who'll be there. In this episode I'm joined by Christina Kisley where we talk about her work to help people grow. She says “I love helping people grow.” She's an expert in organisational effectiveness and an entrepreneur coach.We met on our Alptitude retreat in 2018 and her wealth of knowledge and humble way means you can’t help feel both inspired and at ease in her company. During our conversation we talk about two types of growth: maturing growth and restorative growth. The latter is about addressing the pain in our past so as to live more fully in the present. And by living more fully we have better relationships and become better business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders.The lower your ability to lead, the lower the lid on your potential and the potential impact of your organization. Christina says “when you’re in a startup or a small team your stuff can get in the way real fast”. She calls this the Law of the Lid, and you’re the lid. We also talk about how growth happens in community and that “we are so much more invested in each other when we heal and grow together.”Our Happy Startup Community exists to create spaces for people to find their role in the world before it’s too late. Part of finding that role is personal growth and a space where this growth can happen is our Happy Startup Summercamp. I hope you’ll join us there.More about SummercampWebsite - www.happystartupsummer.campGallery - https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheHappyStartupSchool/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1912693348767824Trailer video - https://vimeo.com/298048389

This podcast is the first in a series of episodes where I'll be focussing on our annual event here in the south of England called the Happy Startup Summercamp. We first held this event in 2013 and we're now into our 7th year. Summercamp is the business event that Laurence and I were looking for when we were running our digital agency. It's a heady mix of inspirational talks, practical workshops, fun activities, deep conversations and serendipitous connections. We have veteran campers who come back every year and we have new attendees who have no idea what they're in for. They come together as strangers and leave as friends.Over the next 5 episodes I'll be talking to some of our Summercamp contributors so you can get to know them and what they bring to camp. My hope is you'll have a better understanding of what it's like to be at the event.I'm kicking off the series with the MC of Summercamp and the glue that sticks everything together. Sanderson Jones is one of the founders of Sunday Assembly and also the creator of Lifefulness. In Sandeson's words Lifefulness is to congregation what mindfulness is to meditation. During the discussion we talk about peak experiences, the importance of gathering with others and what it's like to be on startup love island. If you're passionate about building community and hosting events that create real impact then listen on.More about SummercampWebsite - www.happystartupsummer.campGallery - https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheHappyStartupSchool/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1912693348767824Trailer video - https://vimeo.com/298048389

This episode is another intimate conversation and exploration with one of our Happy Startup members, Mart Gordon, a long time member of our community and veteran of our Happy Startup Summercamp. It’s a great bridge between the last two episodes with Charlie and Max where we talked about clarity, conflict and needs to the next four episodes where I’ll be focussing on telling the story of our Happy Startup Summercamp and talking to some of the great contributors who’ll be joining there this September.For those of you who don’t know our Happy Startup Summercamp is our in-person off-grid gathering in the Sussex countryside where 150 purpose-driven entrepreneurs and changemakers come together to share ideas, break bread and get inspired.Mart attended his first camp four years ago and during this episode he tells me how Summercamp helped set him on his path to creating Mundo Novus, a creative and innovation consultancy.We talk about his serendipitous journey, the power of play and how we can all be creative.While I didn’t stick to my intention of keeping the episode to 20 minutes long I did make it effortless to create. You can tell me if it’s effortless to consume.If you’re just starting on your own journey of finding work that feels meaningful or you’re stuck in a rut and trying to work your way out of it on your own then I do recommend having a listen. If any thoughts or questions come up for you while you’re listening then please hit me up on Twitter (@kungfucarlos) or ping me an email (carlos@happystartups.co).

If we're going to work together better we need to be able to manage conflict in a healthy way. There are some big, seemingly intractable problems that need to be solved in the world (as well as some smaller ones) that will need a collaborative and collective approach to deal with them.With any groups there will be friction and being able to work through our differences will be key to working effectively.In this episode I talk to Max St John, founder of Being Wild Things and author of the Fighting Well course. He's a trainer/coach/consultant/facilitator whose work focuses on helping people manage conflict.We talk about his small holding in Cornwall and working with nature as well as his work in helping people fight well.Some choice excerpts are:- Who am I, who are you and how can we work together better?- The high frequencies that we vibrate at that are not in tune with the slower frequencies of nature.- You can't do a Facebook campaign to accelerates your pea growth!- Unhealthy conflict = unconsciously reacting and creating distance.- Healthy conflict = awareness of my reactions and how I can choose to react in a way that best serves the situation.- Meaningful work is a creative expression of ourselves and so negative feedback can really hurt and trigger us to react unhealthily.Find out more about what he does by going to his website or just listen to the podcast on iTunes or online on Anchor.fm.

I'm not sure if I'll ever truly understand how blockchain works and I've got a PhD. However, on this episode talking to Evan Yap I got to understand how it could be used to create social good. It isn't just for creating alternative currencies but it can be applied in so many ways whether that's identity verification, tracking your medical history or switching universities. Listen to find out more.

In this podcast, the hosts talk about the importance of having a clear idea in finding fulfillment in work. They discuss prioritizing tasks, aligning creative work with personal motivations, and the evolution of ideas. They also explore the impact of having a clear idea on various aspects of life and how they help people get clear on their ideas and goals through online courses and coaching.

This episode starts off a bit chaotically as it was recorded just before our first Ideas Café event in London. We were at the 42 Acres event space in Shoreditch which was lovely but also a little challenging with people coming in and out of the space...We've been running retreats and business festivals for the past 6 years. A couple of weeks before the recording of this podcast Laurence, Sophie and I took some time to plot out what it took to put together an event like Alptitude.When we finished it looked like the world had run out of Post-it notes. If we'd been aware beforehand of what it would take to run a retreat we would have had second thoughts about making it happen. But we didn't, and the motivation to make it happen wasn't borne of taking advantage of an opportunity or creating a new revenue stream. Alptitude happens because it excites us and we need it ourselves.The question then was: if we need it who else needs it? Apparently at least 180 people (we've done 9 retreats so far), and we're finding many more.Listen on if you'd like to learn what it takes to put Alptitude together and what it's like to be there.Find out more about the retreat here - http://alptitu.de

One of my intentions with my podcast is to share the stories of real startups on real journeys - the ups, the downs and the sideways moments. I'm hoping by sharing the story of Toby Moore, founder of Content Club, you'll connect with his journey of building his business and identify with the struggles and opportunities that he came across. The business building thing isn't a linear path and the destination is not always clear but as we continue along the path the way forward eventually becomes more apparent. I hope you enjoy this intimate conversation with Toby and please reach out to him and if you're a member of the community please reach out to him and say hello.