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 [email protected] 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 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.

Show Notes

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.