I Am Scared of This And Need Your Help

Before we get into this, these are the pieces I am working on over the next few weeks.

• A breakdown of the UK budget (Thursday/Friday)
• The Executive Summary Awards 2025 (December)
• Board dynamics: the paradox of talent vs teamwork
• Opex crisis: the invisible costs your CFO can't find
• Just say no: the companies walking away from Big IT demands
• The greatest productivity hacks known to CEOs
• The narrative mistakes that kill seven-figure partnerships
• The Call Out Method - how to overcome your fears
• Growth Blockers - our CEO pulse research
• The transformation of private markets
• Storytelling 101
• The cracks in AI

If you have any ideas for articles you'd like me to look into, I'm all ears.

Now I'm going to share a fear with you - one I've been carrying for a long time.

I've coached a lot of CEOs, but that work has always been organic. It started with media training - PR firms would bring their clients to me before a TV appearance, and I'd help them get the message right and tell the story.

That work evolved. CEOs and their teams started coming directly - not just for media prep, but for client and market-facing narratives. The kind that matter when deals are on the line.

Big wins followed. My clients had never used journalist communication methods in high-stakes situations before. I was also running startups at the time, so those founders wanted to know how to build better audiences for their brands.

The coaching has been very successful.

But I've held back from putting it online. Why? Imposter syndrome. I'm genuinely scared of what you'll think, and I need to get over myself.

It's not like I lack validation. I've written courses used by corporates worldwide. I work with major CEOs and count many more as friends. The deals have landed. The results are there.

So what's stopping me?

That British fear of sounding like a twat.

I spent a lot of last year actually sounding like a twat on TikTok - testing what works and what doesn't. Some videos got 50k views. It took months to get 1,000 followers, giving young people little bits of dadvice.

I've now got ads running for this newsletter on Meta and LinkedIn. They're working well. The next logical step is to launch courses and coaching that help people with mindset, communication, positioning, and growth.

But it's a big step. It means going more public and leaning into that. And while I love being a drama queen on screen, I'm scared. What if people don't like it?

However - despite said fears, I'm going to do it anyway. I've been writing, presenting and coaching for 20 years.

So why stop now.

I see huge potential to help CEOs and founders close the gaps that cost them deals, talent, and momentum.

Here's what I'm thinking about offering:

Foundation: Mindset & Communication

• Overcoming limiting beliefs and building executive confidence
• High-impact speaking, presenting, and writing
• Decision-making frameworks for high-pressure situations

Commercial Excellence: Growth & Positioning

• Narrative for high-stakes deals (investor pitches, partnerships, sales)
• Positioning that actually differentiates
• Sales communication and coaching
• Audience building and personal branding (without feeling like a twat)

Strategic Leadership

• Board dynamics and communication
• Team alignment around narrative
• Leadership communication that lands
• Growth strategy execution

Exit & Value Creation

• Positioning for acquisition or fundraising
• Investor relations and narrative
• Building businesses that tell themselves

This could take the form of 1-on-1 coaching, small group cohorts, self-paced courses, or live workshops - I haven't decided yet.

But here's where I need your help. A quick survey. What do you think?

Use this link:

Massive thanks.

Dan