Erin (00:00)
Today's episode is a little bit special. It's my annual Atomicon debrief. I recorded this the day after the conference while my notebook is still overflowing and my brain was still processing everything that I'd heard. But it's become a little bit of a tradition for me to do this for my members before I catch the train back down to Bournemouth. So rather than trying to give you a blow-by-blow account of
The whole day I wanted to share the ideas that really stood out to me from each of the talks that I went to. The things that challenged my thinking, confirmed what I already knew or made me look at my business differently.
And because you know me, I'm viewing all of it through a life-friendly lens.
What is actually worth our time? What's going to create the biggest impact? And what can we ignore and leave for later? Let's dive in. I really hope you find this useful.
Erin (01:01)
So it is the day after Atomicon 2026. And as has become a little bit of a tradition, I'm gonna share the takeaways from each talk with you. I'm doing this before I catch my train home. So my brain is still very full, but this is quite a good exercise, not only because I know that this helps you guys to get some of the takeaways if you didn't make it here, but also it helps me kind of process.
those thoughts while my brain is still very foggy from everything. But it was such a great event. I highly recommend coming to Atomicon in 2027. It's going to be in Manchester. So that's a little bit easier for those from those of us from the South. But this year as well, I hosted a female founder meetup for the Fringe events the day before and it was brilliant. And I would love to do that again for 2027. So hopefully if you come along, you'll be able to join me for that as well. Fingers crossed.
Atomicon is organised by Andrew and Pete and it's the UK's largest sales and marketing conference, 1500 people, tons of speakers and there is just so much value there and I've taken something from every single talk. So without further ado, I'm going to go through my notes and read out the things that I've put big stars on to try and share with you. So Andrew and Pete opened the event, well actually Atomic Kitten.
Natasha Hamilton opened the event, which was really funny because of course people get atomic and atomic kitten tangled up when they're searching for things and you know, they made a bit of a joke of it, that was fun having Natasha Hamilton live on stage singing to us at 9.30 in the morning. But Andrew and Pete opened with their talk and I really did, I had quite a few light bulb moments from this. Basically, you know when you're listening to a talk and you're thinking about,
stuff that you're doing or how you're approaching something. And it just kind of, yeah, set off a few light bulbs. So that was a great start to the day. And their whole talk was, is it better to do something rather than nothing? And, you know, they keep going backwards and forwards with it. And actually the outcome is, like, we need to be making sure that we're focusing on the right things, because actually doing something is not always better than doing nothing. And they talked about...
the 90-10 rule about focusing on one thing remarkably well and getting that sorted before you try and focus on all these other things. And it really kind of reminded me of the life-friendly approach about the fact that we have to be intentional with our time. Like, we're so good at spreading ourselves really thin because we get excited and we're creative and we want to try all these different things. But they were saying how important it is to like test what's working.
So they were saying to grow faster by giving the right thing enough time and effort to test it. And I know that this is one thing that I get a bit bored with is doing the testing side of things. So I was definitely taking note of this and also be willing to let go of things that aren't working. And you don't really know they're not working unless you test it. And then you can reallocate your time and efforts to things that are working.
And they were also pointing out about the fact that, you know, we're all looking for the magic bullet. We are all thinking like, there's just one thing and that's going to change everything in my business. And that makes us spread ourselves too thin because we're constantly looking around for that magic bullet.
But their message was the 90-10 rule. Focus on one thing, do it well, run a test, look for reaction spikes. So like really look at whether like that thing is getting good engagement, good conversion, all those things, and then lean into doing more of that.
So yeah, my takeaways from that were that we are so good at trying to do multiple things at once, but you our time and attention is going to be fractured in that case. So lean in and spend 90 % of your energy getting something working really well before you move on to the next thing.
The next speaker was Jamie Laing, who is the founder of Candy Kitten. He was also on, I think it's Made in Chelsea. It doesn't actually say in his bio, but I haven't watched it, so I don't know, but I think it's Made in Chelsea. That's where most people knew him from. And he was really interesting. So he was being interviewed and he was talking about how important it is to be self-aware as a business owner.
and that he thinks that all business owners should have therapy so that they can become self-aware, which I think is an amazing point. And I do think that, you know, when we're thinking about self-leadership, we have to be aware of our strengths and our weaknesses so that we can support ourselves as well. He said that he thinks everyone should have a b-hack, a big hairy audacious goal.
and that we should be thinking bigger and kind of visualising those goals.
One thing he said, which is going to really stay with me because it's always fascinating to hear these highly successful people tell you the honest truth. He was saying that Candy Kittens did not make profit for seven years. He did not pay himself from that business for 10 years. And I just, think it's so useful to hear stories like that because, you know, we're so used to being fed all this messaging about how quickly you can have financial success.
And I think it's really sobering to hear those kind of stats. So yeah, no profit for seven years. And probably lots of you have heard of Candy Kittens. I certainly have. I've eaten them. They're lovely. But to know that that is the reality of the business is really good, I think. It's quite reassuring.
And someone asked him, as a small business owner, where would you advise that we focus our time and energy? And he said, double down on content creation, because it's the fastest way to get seen. And obviously we can do it for free as well. that, you know, storytelling and behind the scenes is what is being really popular right now. And...
One thing that was really nice, Suman asked him what his definition of success is and he said it's about his table getting longer, which is really nice. And he recently had a baby and he's realised that, you know, that means there's more people around and they've got more family around looking after the baby and all those kinds of things. And yes, success is your table getting longer. I really like that.
So next up we had Shawn Kanungo, I hope I've pronounced that right, and he was talking about AI and he said that he was there to provoke and challenge our thinking and he was talking about all the kind of much more advanced ways that we can be using AI than we probably all are now. And one thing he said was that AI is our greatest teammate because it will never let you down. He was talking about how so many people talk about bad experiences in group projects and things like that.
but AI will never let you down and it is on 24/7 which was really, you know, it makes you think because yeah, I've absolutely been using AI as my thinking partner. And yeah, it's always there. It's always ready to help. I don't have to make an appointment with it. We don't have to go and find a place to sit down and chat. it was very positive. He was talking about
how AI is going to create new industries. So there's a lot of fear around it getting rid of jobs, but actually it's going to create new jobs through innovation. And that's what our power is now, is innovation. And if you're scared of AI, he said, you really need to put in the work now and start building a muscle. Because once you start using it, you will become excited and empowered.
And it's true, actually, like all of the people that I speak to who are already using AI are really excited by AI. And it's the people that haven't necessarily taken the bull by the horns yet that feel nervous of it. So he said, work scared until you become scary.
He was talking about how he sees us moving forward with some things becoming incredibly automated, but other things becoming incredibly human. that kind of, you know, the human touch caring deeply is still going to be so important. Like that is humanity. He said he doesn't need any more smart people in his life because now we have AI that knows everything
and that we have all the resources at our fingertips that we might possibly need. what his kind of final message was the fact that what got you here is not going to get you to the next mountain. So we need to be learning those skills, those AI skills. We need to be building that muscle now.
And someone asked about where they would start with AI in their business that has been running for 200 years. And he said, the first thing is to start with the problems in the business. Think about the problems that you're facing and the context of why you want to use these AI tools. And then take the problems and ask AI how they would address it. So that's a great place to start if you haven't been using AI yet.
The next talk that I went to see was Liz Mosley about podcasting. Obviously I have my own podcast, The Life-Friendly Business podcast. So I was really keen to hear her wisdom around this. And it was a really useful talk.
So she said that podcast hosts are the most trusted media personalities and influencers for product endorsement because they have proof that they can speak and that they can ask questions ⁓ and that they can talk well around a subject. She said to stop waiting for people to notice you and actually go out there and ask for what you want. And she talked us through how to pitch.
to sponsors as well and she's given us a free slide deck to use, which is awesome. Also, she talked about visibility and networking and putting herself out there trying to get guests for her podcast. And she told a brilliant story about being rejected by a celebrity that she wanted to interview who basically said, yeah, your following's not big enough right now, contact me later on when you've got more people.
and she actually set herself up with a rejection challenge to get 100 rejections within six months. So she just started sending out loads of invites to like really big people. And I thought that was brilliant. And it's definitely something I'm going to be thinking about the idea of a rejection challenge. She made herself a sticker chart as well. And every time she got a rejection, she put a little smiley face, but she said, of course she failed. She failed her 100 rejection challenge because some people said yes.
So I really loved that story.
She also talked about building trust and the fact that when you have a podcast, you have so much content to reuse. Like most of us have this content mountain and we're just using the very top of it. So she talked about how she's like using the transcripts from the podcasts and creating content from it, which is what I do as well. And then even asking AI with those transcripts, where are the gaps in content so that she can create episodes around those gaps.
and around the questions that may have gone unanswered from her audience. yeah, lots of really useful tips there with podcasts. And I think it's definitely what I took away from that is I need to be more proactive, especially with like trying to get sponsors for the podcast and making the most of all that content that I'm already producing.
Next up, I heard Martin and Lindsay from Jammy Digital speak and I followed them for years. They're really lovely and they were talking about bingeable video, how to create bingeable video content. And they talked about, you know, what makes videos like a Netflix series really bingeable and then how we can be doing that in our videos. And they talked about having a bold opening with a verbal hook, a visual hook, a text hook. They talked about
intrigue and how we need to be telling stories and talking about, know, we were here and we got here and then the journey that we took to get there, that's what people want to hear. And the fact that even if you're saying the same as somebody else, you are the differentiator, which is so important to remember because it can feel
You know, we all get imposter syndrome thinking that other people are saying things. you know, who are we to speak up? But actually we all have our own experience and wisdom to share. So it was great to kind of get a reminder of that. You are the differentiator, especially when you are a solopreneur and you're speaking, you know, you are your brand.
They talked about how to make videos stand out with signature traits like putting lip gloss on or moving your hair at the beginning of a video or having props in the background. They talked about how important vulnerability is in video and how that really helps people connect to you. And also strong opinions like we need to be brave and put our head above the parapet because as we were just saying, other people might be saying the same as you, but what's your particular stance on it?
they were also talking about the 7.11.4 framework, Daniel Priestley, which I talk about in my visibility training as well, and about, you know, having that seven hours of content that people can binge on their own timeline is so important. And so therefore video is such a powerful way to do this.
And they were talking about, you know, the challenge that we all have saying, I don't have enough time to do this. And actually when you look at your social media usage on your mobile phone, at how many hours a day you might be scrolling, how about if you spend five minutes creating content in a day rather than consuming it? So that was a good takeaway. And also with your videos, having the ending in mind. So making sure once again, the word intentional, what it is that you want people to do.
after that video. think, I think this is right, I think they were saying that 99 % of people consume content and only 1 % are creating it, so be in the 1%. And YouTube is now the number one platform, even over Netflix, for consuming content. So another reason why we all need to be there.
And then the next talk I went to was about YouTube.
So Saf Mohammed, who has worked with people like Ali Abdaal and Daniel Priestley on their YouTube channels,
He said that as entrepreneurs, one of the biggest problems is that we are creating content that is actually disguised ads rather than value, and that viewers can tell if we're giving value or if we're actually trying to sell. And I thought that was so interesting because,
yeah, in my mindset, I was thinking I had to always think what I'm selling here and make sure that it's aligned to the selling thing. But actually he was saying, you know, we need to be giving really good value. And yes, we need to give people a call to action. But the whole disguised ads thing really stuck with me. And he was talking about how they look at ⁓ patterns with how videos are performing. And sometimes you get an outlier.
and then they analyze what has made that video an outlier and how they can recreate that. So that was really interesting. And I know once again, like I said about the testing, I'm not very good at this. don't, I'm not really analytical, but there was such a theme here about how we should be testing things and looking at that data to work out why something has performed well so that we can just rinse and repeat it.
He talked about how important the titles, thumbnails, hooks, ideas and formats are.
and he talked about splicing and spinning. So splicing, I think, is taking two video outliers, working out why they performed well, and then trying to combine them into one video, a new video. And spinning is taking an existing idea that someone else might have done a video on and making it uniquely yours. I hope I've got that right.
So he said in terms of creating content that, you we need to be starting with their pain, starting with their problem and thinking about what we can do to help that rather than starting with what we're trying to sell. So his tips were start with the value proposition, lean into your credibility. And he also said you don't get if you don't ask. So make sure that in the video you are asking for a subscribe or a like.
and starting the relationship that way. And then as you go on further into the relationship, that's when you can start asking them to buy.
Then I went to hear Jo Bird talk about inbound leads and ⁓ she was brilliant. She was a fantastic speaker and she was post-lunch as well. I was thinking, no, I'm really flagging now. And she was great. She was really engaging. And she was talking about how to stand out and how to be uncopyable. She told this great story about...
know, dating apps and how everyone there says that they love a roast dinner. That's their idea of a perfect Sunday. And she's like, it's so boring. you know, make yourself stand out. And that's what we need to be doing in our business as well.
She talked about the fact that there used to be the rule of seven, people needed to see you seven times before they thought about buying. And now it's 30, 30 interactions before someone thinks about buying. And she said, if it's B2B, I hate to tell you this, I think she said 260 interactions before people think about buying from you.
She was talking about sales as in people buy from you, but your brand, people are buying into you, which I thought was really fantastic.
she challenged us to think about what our brand's belief is. And she gave the great case study of Disney and she was saying that, you know, we are in the business of belief. And when you are thinking about belief, it bypasses rational thinking, it's self-reinforcing and that shared belief bonds people together.
So I thought that was really, really interesting and I've definitely scribbled down lots of notes. She's saying that your brand is your business personified. So what would that look like? What would your character be for your business?
So lots to take on board there that I need to percolate as well, but it was really useful to think about. And, you know, she was just saying how important it is that we do try and stand out because we don't want to look like the next business. We want to have our own unique selling point. And we do that through our voice, through our character, our core beliefs. And that helps with the messaging as well.
And last but not least, we had Ann Handley.
And I would love to share the passion that the people around me had for her talk. But my brain had just absolutely powered down by that time. You know, talk about capacity, mental capacity. My brain was absolutely full. So I have written down the villain is not AI. It's the speed without judgment.
and then my notes just disappear into fluff. So the good news is that I get to watch all the replays from all the talks that I missed, because there's lots of different talks going on at the same time. So I'm definitely going to do that because some of the people around me were saying that was the best talk of the day. So I'm a bit gutted that my brain did not allow me to absorb any of that. And it's absolutely nothing against her because she was a fab speaker.
But yeah, I think you get to a point where you're just like, okay, my brain is really, really tired now. But I hope that that stuff made sense. I know that, you know, this is the stuff that I'm going to be letting percolate. And when I'm having conversations in the membership or with my one-to-one clients, I'm going to go, yes, I remembered this from Atomicon. But I'm definitely going to give myself time to kind of let it decompress and then write myself a to-do list going forward. But I think...
you know, off the top of my head video, which we all know, and you know, we've been saying this for years, but I have so much more content than I'm actually using, and making sure that I am optimizing that and thinking about Andrew and Pete's message about 90 10, you know, really putting the focus into test as well, to actually take that time to think what is what, what, what are people responding well to?
why are they responding well to that and how can I do more of that because yeah maybe doing something is not better than doing nothing if we're doing the wrong thing because we're just wasting our time and energy and as you know I'm all for ⁓ life-friendly approach which means we want to make the most of the time that we do have on our businesses so yeah another amazing event I must must must carve out time to watch some of the other replays because
It's really nice as well when you're sitting with people at lunch and you're saying, what was your takeaway from the talk that you went to and kind of comparing notes. But I have booked for 2027, which is taking place in Manchester. And I'm really hoping that I will be able to host another female founder meetup. So if you're going to come along, let me know. I will put my affiliate link as well in the notes here. And if you want to chat to me about any of this stuff or about adopting a life-friendly approach in your business, please do reach out.
