Tom Davies’ Post

A Cup of Happiness in Good Company! ☕️ Day 67 of My 90-Day Challenge: The Power of Supportive Community 🌟 Having good friends around can make you feel really happy. Today, I want to talk about how being part of a supportive group can make a big difference. In our online business, we're not just coworkers; we're like a family. Even though we're all over the world, we support and encourage each other. I'm lucky to be part of a group from Finland and from our global big team who share the same goals and always cheer each other on. 🌍👫 Every Tuesday, we have coffee together online where we get our questions answered, share experience, tips but it's not just about working online it's being part of a group and have a good time. ☕️ Every other week, we have bigger meetings where we talk about plans, tips, share information and celebrate our successes. Running an online business means you are doing it often alone, but having this group makes it easier. We help each other and celebrate our wins together. It's amazing what we can achieve when we work together. Cheers to our awesome community! 😊 #SupportiveFriends #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork 🎉 #businessconnections #90daychallenge #onlinebusinessowners #startglobalonlinebusiness

Last week was the craziest week of my working life. Tears, exhaustion and relief. Around a year ago, we decided to launch a new community at Design Cuts. Building this on top of day to day operations was intense. Long-days, late nights and a mammoth team effort. We spent months in the 'validation' phase. Customer interviews. Focus groups etc... We deeply listened, to ensure we understood what our community wanted. What started as a vague and messy offering, quickly evolved into something our community seemed to love. As we refined the concept, we started to realise - we really have something special here! We observed that learning in the creative space was broken. An overwhelm of choice. Students passively watching course videos, with an average 5% completion rate. A lonely experience, lacking fun and interaction. If you wanted a deeper level of learning or interaction (think: coaching, bootcamps, support), it would cost you several thousand dollars per year. Something the average creative just can't afford. Our new community - Creative Club, sought to fix this problem. We brought together 50 of the top artists and creatives in the world to provide the highest quality teaching. Not only that - but we created a model whereby access to your creative heroes and real support was made accessible. For just $99 per year, members can enjoy top courses, supported by group coaching, feedback sessions, interactive workshops and a thriving community unlike anything I've seen before. We knew we had something special, but as we approached our launch day, the nerves set in big time. We were exhausted, we'd worked for months driven by a faith that this would all work out. But as we crept closer to opening our doors, invariably thoughts of 'what if nobody likes this?' 'what if it flops?' started to creep in. To ensure we provide exceptional service for those in the community, we opted for a staggered launch model. We opened up 250 seats, to ensure our new platform could cope, and desperately hoped they would sell out in a few hours. Come launch day my nerves were shot. I'd spent the previous 48 hours responding to hundreds of our community personally. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. Our whole team were. We released the private join link to our waitlist.... gulp. What happened next blew my mind. Less than a minute later (50 seconds to be precise) our CTO Darren messaged us. "Guys! It just sold out, what's happening!? We need to shut this thing down". Our dev team scrambled to set the join page to forward to the 'sorry we're full' page. In the 60 seconds that took, more people rushed to sign up. After a frantic 100 seconds, 420 members had signed up to Creative Club. I was stunned. I jumped on a call with our team, still in shock. Emotional tears followed. I know deep in my heart, this is the start of something special. A game-changer for creatives everywhere. The early member feedback has been phenomenal. I'm so grateful.

For as long as I can remember, I loved helping others... but it came with a painful lesson. Growing up, I found joy in assisting people, believing that if I could brighten someone’s day, I was doing something right. I was always eager to lend a hand,organizing events, offering support, or simply being there when needed. I believed that making others' lives easier was my way of making a difference. But as much as I loved helping, I often felt unappreciated. My kindness was taken for granted, with more expectations but little acknowledgment. It was a tough cycle, giving so much, only to feel overlooked. I remember investing hours, even days, helping friends or colleagues, only to have my efforts go unnoticed. It was a hard truth to face: how could something that brought me joy also leave me feeling undervalued? But here’s the thing,I still love helping people. That hasn’t changed. The realization I came to was that I could continue doing what I love in a way that also values my time and skills. → That’s how my journey into becoming a virtual assistant began. I realized I could use my strengths to support businesses, streamline their operations, and truly make a difference, all while being appreciated and compensated. →Here are some hard-earned lessons I’ve learned along this journey↓ 1️⃣ Start Before You’re Ready: If you wait for the perfect moment, it may never come. I wasn’t fully trained when I began my virtual assistant services, but I chose to start anyway. And honestly, that’s where I learned the most,by choosing to Start. 2️⃣ Know Your Worth: It’s easy to undervalue your skills, especially if you’re naturally giving. But recognizing your value and setting boundaries isn’t selfish,it’s necessary for growth. Don’t hesitate to charge for your expertise; your time and skills are worth it. 3️⃣ Turn Your Passions into Purpose: Whether it’s your knack for organizing or helping others, your unique story sets you apart. Embrace what makes you different and let it shine in all that you do. Today, I’m proud to support businesses as both a brand identity designer and a virtual assistant, helping them thrive by bringing their visions to life and simplifying their operations. I still help my friends whenever I can. The difference is that now, I’ve found a way to use my strengths in a way that’s both fulfilling and sustainable. I want to hear from you! What do you love to do? How did it shape your career path? I’d love to hear your story. #myvirtualassistantjourney #brandidentitydesigner #startbeforeyoureready #passiontopurpose #knowyourworth

🎉 December already? Cue the video of memory lane… You may even see some familiar faces 🎢 2024 has been that year—a thrilling mix of opportunities, challenges, milestones, and learning curves, both professionally and personally. From fabulous incentive trips, pride parades, exhibitions, events of every kind, and more spiff days than I can possibly count, it’s been a wild ride. (My brain thinks about Windows 11 so much, it’s basically running on it) But if I’m keeping it real behind this glam reel of insta worthy moments were countless hours of hard work, a hefty dose of "same old, same old," and plenty of coffee-fueled office days ✨ Key lessons I’m taking into 2025: 1️⃣ Step back and let others shine – delegation isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a lifeline. 2️⃣ Failure = Growth – those "oops" moments were really "aha" moments in disguise. 3️⃣ Networking is non-negotiable – the right connections can take you places. 4️⃣ Mentors matter – never underestimate the power of a good pep talk. Grateful for all the highs, the lessons, and my brilliant team at CI Group this year and to our even more spectacular clients. Onward to even bigger adventures in 2025! 🚀 (Side note: This post is 10% reflection, 90% a shameless attempt to win the wellness team’s social media competition—so do your good deed for the day and smash that like button! 😉)

Back from Europe and into my second week at my office. I've been away for a long time, and I'm now getting back into things. I had neatly worked out what I do when while being away, but threw that overboard in about week 1.5. There were so many other things to do, so I only wrote a handful of messages to clients and for the rest greatly enjoyed being offline (a 5-star experience, highly recommended). If you didn’t see me on LinkedIn last month, it’s because I wasn't around. And yes, I acknowledge that your purpose here isn’t solely to follow me and my wisdom. 😂 I also realised that I forgot that I have humour in all my attempts to be professional and add value. Note to self: be more fun and self in postings. I’ll try and we see how that goes. Apart from travelling, having a blast with my family and friends, and rediscovering that I can be entertaining, I needed time and distance to review strategies, deduct some learnings on what works well and where I put the cart in front of the horse or did not help myself, despite knowing better or having helpful people telling me. Well, it all happens. And now the cool thing is that I have fresh eyes and am exploring a new partnership, a new program and I’m reconnecting with clients from last year. What’s your plan for the rest of the year?

#TiMsPartnerProgram: Whether we accept it or not (or whether we think about it in the back of our minds), the times & the working style (culture) at our workplaces are changing and have been for sometime now... which directly affects our life in general with our loved ones... The old-school working culture is dying, and we see all around us a new-age cultural shift... as a generation we are in the cusp (also in the middle for some of us) of it... Here are some of the key features of this new-age change: 1. Hustle culture doesn't define our work, where rest & recharging ourselves are equally important.. where we understand the importance of deep work & slow growth, and not instant gratification... 2. We value our time & energy more, and understand the importance of directing it in the right place.. with the right people... using technology to our advantage.... 3. We understand the importance of building a quality life (in some cases, a family life) over spending long hours at work & differentiate between our wants & needs... 4. We also understand that money cannot be the only thing that stops us from living a life that we desire and a more fulfilled one... and if money is the only obstacle, then that has to be the way forward too.. On these lines & more, we 𝐓ravel𝐈n 𝐌oments ✴ have been building our culture at work for the last few months while spreading our backend operational roots deep ( if you are curious to know more, then pls feel free to check out the featured post on my profile, or simply click the link below: https://lnkd.in/gNSqVBXs ) We envision bringing our unique work culture to a wider audience & also bringing this opportunity to earn money passively in the travel & tourism industry, through our partner program... Learn more about our partner program also through the caption of the same featured post/above link, while we share more information about the program in the coming few days... #StayTuned #TiMsPartnerProgramComingSoon P.S: The choice has always been ours, whether we start living an intentional life or just go with flow (in our comfort zone) #OurReasonedChoice #PassiveIncomeMadeEasy #EarnWithYourMindAndNotYourTime🧠#TheNewWorld

Imagine waking up every day, knowing that you have the freedom to spend time with your loved ones. 🤩 No more missing out on the special moments, every bedtime story, every school event, and every family dinner is yours to experience. Sounds like a dream, right? But what if I told you that this could be your reality, without any tech skills or a massive social media following? This is about more than just a business, it’s about reclaiming your life and making it what you truly want. You were built for more than the 9-to-5 grind. Life is too precious to waste working 40+ hours a week, only to hit a ceiling with your income. It’s time to stop trading time for dollars and finally bet on yourself. I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, to wish for more but not know where to start. That was me, until I found this powerful, newbie-friendly digital marketing Done-For-You Program. It’s simple, effective, and allows you to run an online business with just 2 hours a day. Imagine that, two hours to change your life forever. 💡 No tech skills needed—If you can scroll through Facebook, you can do this. It’s that simple. 💡 100% of the profits are yours—No splitting with a boss or company. Just straight-to-your-pocket income. 💡 More time for what truly matters—Family, adventures, hobbies. You’ll have both the time and money to enjoy life on your terms. 💡 A supportive community—You won’t be doing this alone. Join 40,000+ people worldwide who are transforming their lives just like you will. We're all in this together. I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for the day I said YES. It was the start of a new life for me, and it can be for you too. My name is Joaquin, and I want to connect with you and help you achieve your version of success, just like I have. Drop “Ready” if you’re ready to take control of your future. This isn’t just about business—it’s about changing lives. 💙 #MoreTimeWithFamily #LifeOnYourTerms #DigitalFreedom #GlobalCommunity #YouWereMadeForMore #TimeFreedom #WorkSmartLiveBetter

Last post of the week...made it to the home stretch of a weird business week with a holiday (for Americans) right in the middle. How do you navigate a week like this? Better yet, how do you navigate the summer schedule? My coach, Emily Bissen, and I were discussing just this very thing during our call this morning. Summer is just weird. I *think* I get as much done as my "during the school year" compressed schedule as a working Mom, who still makes morning and afternoon (and sometimes evening) carpools, homework, and sports happen. But summer just feels different. The days are longer, but there is more wedged into the middle - either of the day or the week. It's like I have to make sure I get everything in place in broader windows of time than I'm used to the other 9-10 months of the year. Anyone else? Emily's sage advice, as she is gifted to see what I can't, was to leverage the "Pomodoro" Timer, which essentially means working in bursts to get started and see where you end up. After our call, I leveraged this on a few administrative tasks that, in my mind, would take me a lot longer than they actually did. I've done this before, but this off-schedule+summer week, where I still have deadlines and things to do for my business, will serve me well. Now, on this Friday after a holiday - if you are indeed working - I would love to hear what you use to help keep you focused, even if your concept of time is different during this solstice season.

As the dawn of a new month casts its golden light across the digital landscape. I feel a stirring of excitement deep within me. It is Wisdom Wednesday. A day where the wisdom gained from past experiences merges harmoniously with the promise of new beginnings. In my role as a general virtual assistant I thrive on the ever-changing nature of my work. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities. And I embrace them with open arms. Eager to grow and evolve alongside my clients. Today, as I sit down at my virtual workstation, I can't help but feel a sense of renewal coursing through me. The start of a new month is like turning the page of a well-loved book. Revealing fresh chapters waiting to be written. As I delve into my tasks for the day, I find myself reflecting on the journey that has led me to this point. From the early days of uncertainty to the moments of triumph and success. Each experience has shaped me into the virtual assistant I am today. And as I interact with my clients. Supporting them in their journeys of growth and transformation, I can't help but feel a deep connection to their dreams and aspirations. Whether it's helping a small business owner streamline their operations or assisting a busy entrepreneur with time management, I take pride in being a part of their story. As the day unfolds, I allow myself to savor the small victories - the inbox is organized, the deadlines met, the projects completed. In the hustle and bustle of virtual life. it's these moments that remind me of the impact I have on others. And the joy that comes from helping them succeed. And as I look ahead to the days and weeks to come, I feel a sense of excitement bubbling within me. In the world of virtual assistance. Every day is an opportunity to learn, to grow, And to make a difference in the lives of those I serve. Happy New Month 💘 🥳 may God fulfill all your heart desires "What's the most unexpected challenge you've faced as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?"

As I head into a much-anticipated family vacation this weekend, I'm pausing to reflect on the power of coming together. This summer has been filled with opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals, all of us navigating our own challenges yet united by a shared passion. There's a certain magic in gathering with others who are driven to push boundaries and explore new ideas. Even in the midst of chaos—whether it's wrapping up work before a break or juggling a packed conference schedule—these moments of connection remind us why we do what we do. Looking back at this photo from a recent conference, I'm struck by how these interactions, brief as they might be, leave a lasting impact. The energy in the room, the exchange of ideas, the collective drive to move forward despite the obstacles—it's all incredibly inspiring. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle, but it's moments like these that ground me and remind me of the bigger picture. The power of community, of shared goals, and of mutual support is something truly special. So as I head into this weekend, I'm carrying these reflections with me, grateful for the connections made and the experiences shared. Here's to more moments like these—both in work and in life. Oh, and always, always, always take the photo. Always. (Props to Jennifer Carlson for making sure this one was snapped and shared!) #reflections #professionaldevelopment #worklifeintegration #pause