It happened again, didn’t it?

You were chairing that meeting.

The really important one about the massive change, or the big, audacious goal.

You sent the docs out a week before. You told them it was coming. You even clicked that red exclamation mark and put IMPORTANT in the title of the email.

But when you got to the meeting, your team were all sitting there clueless, and staring at you like it was your problem.

The bad news is, it is your problem.

The good news is, there’s a solution.

It was the best piece of writing advice I ever got.

Okay, that’s not true.

The best piece of writing advice I ever got was, all first drafts are shit. Keep going.

The second-best piece of advice I ever got was that clarity trumps clever every time.

“You don't need to justify it, Lees"

My father’s face had filled up the whole of my phone screen. We were Facetiming and, as usual, he was holding his face so close to the phone that I could almost see up his nose.

I'd been busy rattling off all the reasons the new and expensive jacket I’d just bought on an impulse had actually been a sensible purchase.

It'll be autumn soon and I'll need a jacket…

My dad had cut me off and said, "You don't need to justify it, Lees”.

But I did need to justify it.

I was conned by a sweet old lady.

In broad daylight.

There I was, wandering down Tottenham Court Road on a sunny afternoon, when a tiny, elderly woman appeared out of nowhere and pushed a book into my hands.

I was in a rush. I did not have time to stop.

But now I was holding this book.

Creative: It looks beautiful down there.

God: It is. Truly. 

Creative: So, what am I going to do?

God: You’re going to be a creative. 

Creative: What does that mean?

A guy once told me, on our third date, that he was in love with me.

So I never saw him again.

We’d only met each other in real life three times, and there he was dropping the L-bomb halfway through the starter?

It was too soon. It was weird. And it made me think he had an agenda.

Because if someone starts laying it on too thick and too early, our alarm bells start to tingle and our boundaries shoot up. 

It’s the same in business.

Waking up at 3am soaked in sweat. 

Noticing that the bedsheets have turned yellow and smell like they’ve been slept in by a rugby team.

Wearing layers whatever the weather.

Standing in the garden on a dark February evening in my bra while my best mate assures me that the heating isn’t even on inside the house.

I was chatting to a friend and fellow business owner just the other day.

She told me she didn’t think her personal story was interesting, and she certainly didn’t think it was relevant to her business.

Now, I know her story.

And it has everything to do with her business.

Ask any copywriter how much their services cost and you’ll invariably get the same response…it depends.

And there’s good reason for this. There are a number of factors that can impact pricing.

Things like, how long it will take; how much research is involved; what’s the client trying to achieve; understanding the audience and voice of customer data; keyword research; competitor analysis; does the client already have brand guidelines or do we need to dig into those? 

All of these things matter, and they all take time. Because copywriting isn’t just words.

But.

‘This was supposed to be my year! We’re only three weeks into January and so far I’ve had a married man and a scammer!’’

My back pressed into the cold, hard floor.

My legs ached and my hips were screaming.

The footsteps were getting closer. Sweat dripped down the back of my spine as the slow creep of impending doom padded across the floor toward me.

Then it happened.

I walked out halfway through a workshop a few weeks ago.

It was one of those free events where you get a taste of something valuable, in exchange for your time listening to a shameless pitch. 

We’ve all been to these, we all know the drill.

And I have zero issue with this kind of transaction. 

But there’s something that I have no time for.

I’ve got a birthday coming up.

I’ll be 43.

And as I venture deeper and deeper into the wild waters of my 40s, I’m thinking of the things I wish I’d known sooner.

I’ll never forget the day I got the text.

I was at work, sitting at my desk and thinking about dinner (I can usually be found thinking about dinner). When my phone pinged I had no idea that the universe was about to tip on its axis. 

You take a deep breath and push open the door.  

The interview panel raise their heads to look at you.

Appraising you. Judging you. 

You take your seat and clear your throat. Your tongue suddenly feels like sandpaper and sweat is collecting at the back of your neck.

You have green hair.

No, you do.

It’s as green as a Granny Smith.

Don’t believe me? Read on.

The year was 1987.

A coffee company captured the heart of the nation.

And they kept hold of it for 6 whole years.

I am of course talking about the Nescafe Gold Blend serial ad campaign, starring Anthony Head and Sharon Maughan as two neighbours who fell in love over the course of twelve 45 second adverts, and a cup of coffee.

Did you ever see that movie, Hitch?

The one where Will Smith is a dating coach who helps men to woo women for lasting, meaningful relationships?

Well, that’s what copywriters do. But for businesses.

One of the best lessons I learned from my mentor at the start of my career was this.

The best product isn’t the one that sells. The product that sells is the one with the best marketing strategy.