Your mates will take the piss out of you...

In 2019, I finally embraced who I really was and got busy figuring out this LinkedIn lark. All my life, I’d been a company man, but at the age of 39, the 9-5 grind and all of its limitations were beginning to grate on me.?

I needed more stimulation.?

My oldest friends had known me most of my life, which meant many of our conversations revolved around typical ‘lad stuff’, reminiscing about stag do’s and life before kids and commitments. It was always a good laugh.

Childhood Friendships vs Adult Friendships?

The challenge with these long-standing relationships is that when someone breaks away from the pack and starts doing things the others don’t see as ‘normal’… Judgement is cast in the form of relentless piss-taking and for want of a better word, bullying.?

Of course, they would never see it that way but that’s what it was.

For a while, I took the WhatsApp messages in good spirits. Screenshots of me doing a video with some derogatory comment scribbled across for the rest of the boys to laugh at seemed innocent enough. I assumed it was just a transition period and that once it was out of their systems, they’d get what I was trying to achieve.?

They never did. The piss-taking continued.

I found myself in a dilemma, questioning whether they were right. Did I really look and sound stupid on camera? Was I making a fool of myself and they were the only ones being honest enough to tell me?

The engagement and DMs from the audience I was building on LinkedIn suggested otherwise.?

People don’t do well with change

All my life, I’d felt like an outsider. My friends had been there for me through some difficult times, but in so many scenarios, I was always the odd one out. I’d learned to embrace that fact and accept the inevitable comments that were fired my way because that’s what mates did, and for clarity, I fired plenty back in their direction over the years.?

But this was different. I was deliberately trying to better myself and do something many of them would never even consider and the only way they could process it was to mock me. Maybe it was embarrassment or awkwardness that led them down this path but either way, I felt like my friends didn't understand me for the first time in over 30 years.?

Maybe they never did.

Undeterred, I continued to pursue my ambition of building an engaged audience online which I knew one day would pay dividends. Videos continued to roll off the production line and comedy (loose term) sketches were becoming my identifier.?

This gave my crew even more ammunition for WhatsApp bants.

Only the weak give up

If I said it didn’t affect my confidence, I’d be lying. People whose opinions I had always respected and admired had now made this personal. I felt they’d gone too far and not balanced out the bants with enough encouragement.?

Because we all love bants.?

In complete contrast, my growing LinkedIn community could not have been more supportive. The Unconventionall name was weaving its way into the hearts and minds of my following and that was before we had even launched a single product.?

I found myself surrounded by people I’d never met, who understood me better than those I’d known all my life.?

A new-found collection of comrades from all walks of life were pushing me, encouraging me, and confirming the notion that I was indeed, pretty good at this shit.?

On the flip side, I found myself becoming distant from friends who had been my rock because they didn’t handle the fact that I was changing. It was the first time I’d realised that we were still just kids, in 40-year-old bodies.

The right people will find you

As we approach the end of 2024, I’ve now been at this for over 5 years. The Unconventionall brand has a great name and we are all set to relaunch the clothing in the Spring of 2025. We’ve met some incredible people along the way, many of whom we now call friends. To say LinkedIn and my commitment to using it has changed my life would be a huge understatement.

In 2019, I could have easily given up. My friends didn’t get it and my work colleagues at the time laughed at me because they found the whole thing a little bit cringe. At times, it was, but I was testing what would work and you have to break some eggs as they say.

Success with anything often means ruffling a few feathers. It could be a jealousy thing, an embarrassment thing or simply just a difference of opinion. Thing.?

If you are doing something you’ve never done and that others would never even consider, there will be judgment and laughter will often follow.?

You can choose to let the opinions of those who don’t matter defeat you, or you can surround yourself with people who champion your bravery.?

Only one of these options leads to success.?

Stay Unconventionall.