This month Edinburgh was buzzing with Festivals including the Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. With my background as a performer, it’s the reason I was drawn to living in Edinburgh back in 2006.
When I first moved to Scotland I worked at the Fringe office; then a couple of years later I took the plunge and wrote, produced, promoted and performed in my first one woman play. At the time I was in full time employment and I took 3 weeks off my day job to perform 21 shows in 23 days - to say it was intense is an understatement!
As August draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on that experience and how many lessons I learned that I have since applied in my business.
So if you’re in business, read on - you probably know a lot of this already, but it might serve as a useful reminder!
🔺 Be pitchtastic
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a unique environment where thousands of performers and flyering teams are out every day trying to convince audiences to come and see their show. A ‘pitchtastic’ elevator pitch is definitely needed to cut through the noise. I tried out various opening lines and eventually found one that would stop people in their tracks, take a flyer and potentially have a chat about my show.
At any given time in a business (or social) setting, you may be asked the question “What do you do?” Being able to respond with a short, confident, engaging answer will help you make a strong first impression, spark a conversation and leave the other person with a clear understanding of your value and impact. (Did you know I've written a book about this? 😉 )
🔺 Reviews aren’t everything
Everyone has an opinion at the Fringe. I had extremely mixed reviews for my show; anything from 5 stars to 1 star! Some critics may not have liked or understood my show, but they weren’t my target audience. Despite mixed reviews, and unlike many other Fringe shows, I still managed to sell 75% of my tickets over the 3 week run.
In business, it’s okay if some people don’t like your product or service, or your partner/parent/friends don’t think it’s a good idea. As long as you have enough customers that love what you’re offering, you can still be successful. And word of mouth is very powerful.
🔺 Don’t mis-sell
My show was humorous in parts but I didn’t consider it a comedy and I didn’t want the pressure to be funny by putting it in the Comedy section of the programme. As a Drama, people were pleasantly surprised when it included light humour amongst the sometimes heavier themes.
Are your customers getting what they expect when they purchase from you? Consider how you might be more clear in your marketing so that customers are left delighted and not disappointed.
🔺 Keep marketing
During the run, every morning I would check my ticket sales for the day and decide where to promote the show. Some days I offered a few tickets through the Half Price Hut to reach different audiences and then I would be pounding the pavements handing out flyers and encouraging people to give my show a chance. One of the other performers doing a show in my venue cancelled after 3 soul-destroying days of having almost no audience; it was a huge loss of money to her but she couldn’t stand the idea of having to promote it every day 😥
If you’re in business, you already know that you have to keep marketing to let people know what you offer and ensure that you stay top of mind (but are you doing it?)
🔺 Grab attention
When I first decided I wanted to do a show, I knew the best person to design the marketing was my amazing cousin Kate Wadia of Mrs & Mr. With a brief to design something eye catching, I was slightly mortified when she suggested photo of my naked torso on the flyer (with bits covered by the show’s title - and no, I won't be sharing it here!) I was very reluctant at first, but she was right; it worked with the themes of the play and definitely got people’s attention, which then made it easier to talk to them about my show.
Think about companies that you remember from their marketing. What do they do differently? Standing out is key to differentiating your company from your competitors; it sounds obvious but not everyone does it.
🔺 Always follow up
Whilst in traditional theatre the cast leaves the stage after the curtain call, at the Fringe, it is acceptable to speak directly to the audience to encourage them to tell others about the show and leave a review. I did this in a humorous way so that audiences left with a smile on their face and were encouraged to tell others about the show.
What happens after a customer has used your product or service? Recommendations are powerful social proof - consider asking for reviews or offering your customers an incentive to tell others about your product or service.
🔺 Ask for help
Doing a one-woman show was a pretty lonely journey and in hindsight, asking for help and having a small team around me would have made it a much easier and more fun experience.
Business can be lonely too. Gathering people around you either in your team or as a support network to turn to when you need to is really important for managing the inevitable ups and downs.
🔺 Take a moment to get perspective
When you’re involved in the Fringe, you tend to find yourself in a bubble; great reviews and bums on seats can feel like the most important priority. But it’s important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture so you don’t lose perspective.
It’s the same if you’re growing a business. You can become bogged down in the detail, burn yourself out or miss vital moments if you don’t step back sometimes and consider the broader context.
🔺 Look after yourself
People get swept away by the excitement of the Fringe and see as many shows as they can, but late nights, too much talking in loud environments, poor nutrition and lack of sleep take their toll and can impact your performance.
When you’re busy building and running a business, it can be easy to grab convenience food, work into the wee hours or skip the gym session, but you’ll never be able to perform at your best if you do this too often.
🔺 Know when to walk away
A few days after the Fringe, a producer told me he wanted to produce my play with another one-person show as a double bill in London with plans for a national tour. Tempting as it was, I knew it wasn’t right for me and after much consideration, I decided not to pursue the opportunity.
In your professional life, you will be presented with various opportunities, and whilst I’m a big believer in saying yes to things, it’s also important to know when to say no.
🔺 Know your why
People have different reasons for putting on a show at the Fringe. For me, I wanted to fulfil a dream of writing and performing in a one woman show (and to not lose any money!) And I’m proud and delighted to have achieved this against all odds. Being clear on my objectives helped me to know where to focus my energy every day and to recognise that the opportunity to tour it wasn’t the right one for me.
Whatever business you’re in, knowing why you’re doing it can help guide your decisions and motivate you to get up every day, even when things are tough.
So those are my reflections and lessons from what was an incredible experience that fulfilled a life-long dream. One day I might do another one-woman show, but for now I’ll take the lessons and make sure I’m applying them in my speaking and training business.
Which lesson resonated with you? Pop a note in the comments - I’d love to hear your thoughts.
P.S. I also learned it is possible to put on an entire face of makeup including foundation, mascara, lipliner and lipstick while speaking to an audience and pretending that they are the mirror! 💋 💄
Mel Sherwood is a Presentation Skills and Personal Impact Speaker, Founder of The RED Effect™ and Author of ‘The Authority Guide to Pitching Your Business: How to make an impact and be remembered - in under a minute!’ She works with global business leaders, teams and individuals who want to be more confident, credible and compelling. An Australian based in Scotland, Mel is an award-winning speaker, author and coach and combines over 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer.