What a difference a year makes!

It's been a year to the day since I left my previous employer, Benchmark Capital. I thought I'd jot down some things I've learned in the past 365 days. You've probably heard it all before, but this time it's personal!

1. Time is the most precious of gems. in the past year I've had more control over my own time than at any point since I left university. If I had one single piece of advice for the world in general, it would be to stop thinking of time as sand, something that constantly slips through your fingers, but rather as a valuable commodity to be invested well and spent wisely.
2. Take pleasure in the small things. Dropping the kids off at school. Going for an unplanned cycle at 11am. Making a pie containing random ingredients. Learning what powers Pikachu has. These are things that would never have quite made it to the top of the to-do list when I was working full time, but have been enlightening (and very tasty!)
3. Don't burn bridges. I see a lot of people - particularly on LinkedIn and Twitter / X - taking a side-swipe at the firms they previously worked for, or even the people who worked there. DON'T DO THIS! The past is in the past, so get over it and think forward. It looks bad even if you think it's subtle or cerebral, plus you never know when you'll be able to help out or be helped by someone you once worked with / for, so be respectful, and if you have any dirty laundry, for goodness' sake don't air it in public forums.
4. Don't feel guilty about doing nothing. I've been asked loads of times, "what did you do post-Benchmark?" and my answer is... pretty much nothing. But that nothing was the most enjoyable, restful, reconnecting, thinking time ever. Nothing helps you focus. Nothing gives you a chance to reset. Nothing gives you purpose, helps you take stock and realise what's really important to you and yours. For me the magic number was 3 months off. For others I'm sure it'll be more or less. But how ever long you take doing nothing, don't feel guilty about it.
5. Don't just jump back in (if you have the luxury). I've spoken to a number of friends and contacts who were a few months behind me in their contractually obliged quiet spells who were pretty stressed about their next steps and on a couple of occasions took the first opportunity that came along, without going through the "nothing time". The "nothing time" above should be an opportunity for you to set guide-rails, direction of travel and perhaps even a new destination. The danger of going back to what you know is that you end up with history repeating itself, in the same place you were but minus a few years on the countdown timer.
6. Do your own personal / family financial plan. This should probably be much further up the list but it was a bit of an embarrassing realisation that I couldn't confidently answer the questions "how much do we need?" and "how much is enough?" and writing it down. Like many people who work in our profession, I'd made a few too many assumptions about things just carrying on roughly as they were and that it would all work out. The startling thing about going through this audit process was that it turns out we don't need as much as we thought we did, and that, even if ill-health / unexpected bad stuff comes along, we should be okay. [If any of my financial planner chums are reading this they'll be sending head-in-hands emojis at this point!]
7. When / if you do decide to get back into work again, value your own experience and don't sell yourself short. It doesn't matter whether you've left your previous role voluntarily, been made redundant, or returning to work after maternity leave - the single most important piece of advice I can give you is be clear about the value you can add to the role you're considering. It's about what you know of course, but it's also about what you believe in, the difference you believe you can make and at a basic level the kind of person you are - all of these are hugely important on a personal level, but they are also negotiating tools. They're what make you unique. Try to have the confidence and clarity to bring them all to life for your next opportunity.And finally...
8. Don't forget to say thank you. I was asked to present at an industry conference a few months ago, my first real foray into the light since I'd left Benchmark. I was absolutely blown away by the number of people who came up to me (albeit under the influence of alcohol in a couple of cases) and thanked me for what I'd done for them. Never underestimate the impact you have on people, and never forget to thank those who have helped you on your own journey.

So that's it - a year on I certainly don't have all the answers but I'm a lot better at managing my own time, much less willing to give things up than I probably was, and have built up a nice little community of people I help out - some of whom pay me!

Massive thanks to everyone I've talked to / at over the past year - you might not even know it but you have helped me immensely. Richard Meek Matt Timmins Stuart Dunbar Tim Clarke Harry O'Connor Craig Barraclough Claire Sutherland MBA Ed Dymott Ian Cooke Roger Goodchild James Roberts Paul Young Mick James John Netting Gareth Thompson Abigail Barnes Jim Truscott Toby Owen-Browne DipFA Abraham Okusanya Jo French Robert Bolton Greg Robertson and many many more - thank you!

All the best

Keith