Personal

Published on September 24th, 2012 | by charliesaidthat

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Adventure time… The one where Charlie goes to China…

For the past six years I have been, what can only be described as obsessed about going to China. Everything about it has excited me. The language, the food, the culture – the economy, the sights, the people… Did I mention the food?

Ever since my cousin shared a handful of philosophical nuggets from Lao Zi’s “Dao De Jing” I was captivated by a seemingly mystical culture entrenched in the realms of Tigers and Dragons – that is becoming a prevalent force in the world we live in. Something we just can’t ignore.

This passion saw me starting out trying to learn Mandarin, a massive undertaking which I am ashamed to say has fallen by the wayside whilst I have been building my business Screendrip these past 2 years.

A business which has challenged me in every possible way: intellectually, emotionally and personally. A journey which has genuinely enriched my life, and I’ve enjoyed all the work I have done with Jack, as Screendrip. As with most entrepreneurs, we lurched between joy and utter panic with very little grey area in between. But always pulling through to deliver great work for our clients.

Now is a time of reflection. Looking back on the past two years I’ve worked all the hours under the sun (and the stars). To deliver what I wanted for clients meant making gradual concessions in the rest of my life; seeing friends less, seeing my partner less, spending less time learning Mandarin and more generally less for enjoying myself until suddenly you look round and question it all. I have been too busy fulfilling my mind, earning money and growing a business that I kinda forgot about me.

That said, during this time I have learnt a lot.

• I learnt that figuring out what a client wants, when they don’t understand the tools available to them, can be very tricky.
• I learnt that reporting and measuring in the digital space is very easy. But delivering  and translating meaningful results, with actions for the coming month in a way clients can understand is much, much  harder.
• I learnt that organisation requires processes that actually speed things up, not just jumping straight into each task with fervorous devotion.
• I learnt that cashflow trumps every other business decision.
• I also learnt quite quickly I needed to charge more for what I do.
• I realised that delivering work for clients has taken over my life. And there really is more to life than work.

It’s time I nourish my soul and make some time to enjoy and experience life. This has been the easiest and hardest decision of my adult life.

I decided it’s time for me to disconnect from the social media and SEO world for a little while and follow one of my dreams – China.

So, I’m planning to throw myself in the deep end and go to China for about 2 months on an adventure to inspire myself.

This does mean that Screendrip is on a little bit of a hiatus for now. There have been no creative differences and I hope there will be a re-union in the not too distant future.

In the mean time, take it easy and remember to unplug every now and again to do something exciting.

C

About the Author

charliesaidthat Hi I’m Charlie, a digital marketer with an interest in social media, SEO and understanding consumer behaviour. I enjoy creating conversation and finding ways to improve businesses through digital platforms. Feed me Cha Siu Bao. Connect with me on: Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Linkedin | or just Email Me