Visibility & Opportunity

// The Introduction

Last Thursday, I stepped up.

The picture above is a shot taken by Stewart Perrett as I delivered a talk to a class of students - I was talking about a subject knowledge which had been my life for the last 6-7 months and I was in the zone. (I was talking about software development and what we do for work at Yammayap).

I’d walked into the classroom 5 minutes earlier and there was no chance of a warm up - the college had been let down by various people and other agencies and it was an opportunity to step up. The organisers knew me (and I knew them) and they knew I’d be capable enough to deliver something of interest.

But this wasn’t always the case - 5 years ago I can honestly say that no-one knew who I was in Poole (now my home town) and I genuinely had no friends, acquaintances or colleagues - no-one.

I’d just changed jobs - my previous job was in Reading and I was commuting back and forth every day (for those who don’t know - it’s about an hour and 30 mins away) so I was wasting 3 hours a day (minimum) in the car every day and because of that, I had no friends in the local area.

When I changed jobs to have a job closer to home, I needed to find ways to build relationships and I stepped outside of my comfort zone and went to as many ‘new’ events as possible.

This is a story about how to be seen and get more opportunities. (and sales).

// Events

I started in all the obvious places - I began looking at the local Chamber of Commerce events. I wanted to ‘do’ business and it seemed the logical place to begin - whilst the Chamber of Commerce events are great networking events, they didn’t offer me something that I wanted - I wanted to be a part of something.

I’m not the type of person who wants to sit on the sidelines and watch - I want to be a part of a team, I want to participate and I want to contribute and the Chamber events are participation events only. The team around the business events was well established and whilst I could be introduced to many people, there wasn’t a hope that I was going to be invited to lead an event or become known.

Being on the sidelines is exactly the same as being in the crowd at a football event - whilst you make up the numbers and the announcer will tell everyone the attendance numbers, you are just a number and no-one comes to a football game to see who’s in the crowd. They only come to see the people who play.

I started to look at the periphery of local events to see if there were people in or around who were doing good work as I wanted to step up and be a player in the arena.

I stumbled upon the community led by Mark Masters called ‘You Are the Media’ and whilst it didn’t present immediate business opportunities - I wasn’t going to make a ton of sales from this community (and nor did I want to) - I could relate to the mission and whole ethos around collective action and I took the initial step of signing up for the weekly newsletter.

The idea was to ‘see’ what was going on but that was only the first step to what has become a wonderful journey which has led me to last Thursday - stepping up and delivering events, stepping up and presenting and being able to walk into most events and place in Bournemouth and Poole and being able to say that I know someone.

But you have to take the initiative - it won’t just land on your lap by just turning up.- It doesn’t happen if you wait for it to come to you.

If you want to “be at the front” - you have to make it happen.

// Make it happen

I went to one You Are the Media event before the COVID lockdown - it was something called a ‘Lunch Club’ which was an event around lunchtime (who’d have thought) and it was a hybrid between a business presentation (which is how you can expense it and call it work) and a social gathering.

The staleness of a business event wasn’t there - it was a high energy environment. People actually knew each other and whilst the crowd were there to see the people presenting on stage, they were also there for the crowd.

It was a different type of event - the main players were not only on the stage, they were also in the crowd and the collective sense of being around others who wanted to be involved was intoxicating.

I’ve spoken about the first lunch club in this video which does a much better job of explaining what YATM means to me now but I want to tell you how I got to step up and be at the front.

I asked.

But not in the way you’d expect - I didn’t come with an idea of how I wanted to step up, I didn’t say how I wanted to lead something - I literally just said that I’d love to be a part of something and if there was a way I could help contribute, then I’d love to be a part of any future events.

And then COVID happened.

I was going stir crazy, the ‘stay at home’ message led to incredible creativity (more on that in next weeks edition) and YATM went online.

I offered to step up and host some elements of the online lunchclubs and there was a small section called ‘Winning’ which was introduced as part of the online sessions - a space where people could step up and share something which they’d ‘won’ at - a place to share good news.

I wasn’t the presenter for that section - I participated in the first ever ‘winning’ section by sharing some stuff on a podcast I’d literally just started (it was good news) and I was nervous presenting to a screen of faces - I definitely wasn’t ready to step up and lead those sections but after a few sessions, I got the opportunity and to really step up - I created the above video.

That was the moment I went from participating to leading.

I wanted to step forwards and do something and it had taken nearly TWO YEARS from making that decision, finding a place to fit in and then be a part of something enough to be asked to help.

I’ll be honest, thats TWO YEARS of wanting to be a part of something and trying. Just trying with no guarantees.

Other people can do it quicker (and have) but for me - it was a long process.

// The Power of the Right Community

As I said before, you have to find the right space to step up - where you're not just a passive member but an active participant.

YATM fosters this sense of visibility and leadership because its a community of creative people who want others to succeed, it’s not like other professional spaces where a suit, tie and business card are the only entry requirements.

I don’t understand the dynamic of turning up to a business networking event with the only intention being to see who and what business you can ‘get’. It’s never resonated with me to be a 'take’ first member of a community and I would suggest that those types of events don’t help you - they only help those who are better known and who pay enough to be a player in the team.

I would actively encourage you to seek a space where you’re not just a face in the crowd but to find somewhere where your contributions can shine.

Imagine going to Old Trafford or Wembley and sitting in the second tier next to Cristiano Ronaldo - you’d literally be sat next to the best player of our generation (and you’d know that) but the rest of the people in the crowd would be looking at the pitch in the hope that the players on the field get to see you.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with ‘business’ events as they have their place and their purpose but if you’re looking to be a player on the field and not a part of the crowd then you need to find a place where you have the opportunity to do that.

// Visibility Creates Opportunities

Being a part of that community has led me on a journey which is now entering it’s fifth year and it all started with that small video - I stepped up and presented on Thursday in four different sessions.

I spoke to around 200-300 people in various different sessions and I finished the day energised by the opportunity.

All of the experiences I’ve had over the last few years with YATM are proof to show how being at the front presents opportunities - I want you to understand that speaking engagements, leadership roles, or even new business ventures have come from just saying yes and grasping the chance.

I’ve hosted things online for YATM, I’ve led panel discussions and I’ve been given opportunities further afield thanks to my deliberate intention to consistently step up.

It’s not an accident that there is a definitive link between visibility and credibility - people start to see you as a leader when you get the chance to lead something and it has implications further afield.

When you’re seen as a leader somewhere, you get to lead in other arenas - if you’re repeatedly banging the drum for a space where you want to step up but you’re not getting the joy or recognition you think you’re worthy of, then look for an adjacent space and be a part of that instead.

I can’t emphasise enough that the proof of this principle is evident in the way my journey has unfolded.

// Digging Deep

Opportunity only shows itself when you don’t wait for it.

Please read that again.

You have to be pro-active and show up - even in those moments where stepping forward feels uncomfortable.

In fact, I’d go so far to say that if you’re not uncomfortable (like I was in the panel session this week in front of 100-150 students) then you’re not pushing yourself enough. I lost my train of thought, stumbled over my words and lost a little confidence at the start of my panel session on Thursday but without these little experiences, you’re not going to become competent and seen as someone who’s reliable.

In the coming 12 months, I want to step up and be offered wider speaking opportunities and I’m still figuring out a road map on how to get to that place (I’ll share it with you once I’ve figured it out) but I know that it’s going to require me to ask, be ready and offer my support even if I don’t get the opportunity.

Please, please, please - don’t read this blog and think that you can step up into a community and begin leading if your sole intention is to make more sales - with a mindset of ‘what can I get out of this’ - you’ll likely end up with nothing.

You have to understand that the only by-product of stepping up is opportunity and it’s what you do with that opportunity that’s the difference.

// The First Step

So, how do you take that first step?

Whether it’s finding a community like YATM, attending an event, or making your presence known online - start by asking yourself where you can actively participate. Don’t wait for someone to come along and hand you the spotlight; go out and find your own.

The opportunities are there, but they don’t come to you if you stay on the sidelines.

You need to be intentional about your visibility - show up, ask how you can help, and keep saying yes when opportunities present themselves. It’s in those small moments, where you push past the discomfort, that you’ll find your greatest growth.

I can look back on my journey and see how far I’ve come. From not knowing a single person in Poole to standing in front of hundreds of people, the satisfaction lies in the path I took to get here.

And I’m still learning, still stepping forward, still figuring out what’s next.

But none of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken that first step.

So now, it’s your turn.

Find your place, show up, and make yourself seen.

The right opportunities are waiting for you - but only if you’re willing to step forward and grab them.