WELCOME TO SCHOOL OF DIGITAL!
Considering a career in digital? It's a fast moving and exciting place to be!
So, I asked a bunch of the best experts in the industry to see what advice they have for sixth-formers that need inspiring with some great advice...
SUPERSTAR DIGITAL MARKETERS:
Cat Howell:
“1. Curate who you surround yourself with
2. Get in action, even if it’s imperfect. They won’t teach you the real skills you’ll need for success in school, only experience can
3. Prioritise your mindset”
James Wedmore:
“There is actually no such thing as failure. You either get the results you wanted or the lesson you needed to learn.”
Pat Flynn:
“Online, the possibilities are endless. Your store, your platform, your content is available to anyone and everyone in the world with a connection. 24/7, 365 days a year. With that said, it’s when you find the little worlds within this world, the groups of people with specific pains and problems - with their frictions big or small - and learn all about them and their objections, it’s then and only then can you build a successful business - by becoming their go to solution for their specific needs. The riches are in the niches. Find your specialty, and dominate.”
MY PEER GROUP:
Andy Gray, Cat Howell’s Platinum Mastermind:
“Being able to work from my sofa 🛋
Hearing about others cool business ideas and running the numbers like your on dragons den and deciding if you want to work with them.
Learning all the cool things about Facebook .
Show them how to use info and ads to get discounts on online purchases.
I think there is such a focus on traditional education routes, with the apprentice starting up again I think it’s also an amazing opportunity to talk about entrepreneurship.”
Alexis Humphrey, Cat Howell’s Platinum Mastermind:
“For me, I think the idea about becoming a specialist as opposed to a generalist is the most eye-opening thing I've learnt in my career, and I wish I could have told my younger self that. I feel I spent the first decade out of uni trying to be everything to everyone, and if I'd been working towards being a specialist instead I would have done much better, much faster. Obviously, it's important that you tell them they don't have to pick their 'speciality' yet (WAY too much pressure!) and that they can try their hand at more than one thing throughout their career, but they should be working towards specialising for all the various benefits it brings. What I like about that topic is that it works regardless of industry, so for those that aren't interested in marketing, it will still apply.”
Casie Lane Millhouse-Singh, Cat Howell’s Platinum Mastermind:
“I get to play on the Internet all day with other people’s money and make things go viral. 🤣
Note to my younger self: become a specialist in one area, don’t try to do it all. Focus on one thing, do it soooo good that people will want to work with you.”