Man Bags: the truth will out

I’ve been receiving some great contributions to my man-bag contents researches – my grateful thanks go to everyone for their input. Notebooks are common; one chap carries three. Wow. In contrast, Filofaxes appear to be rare, and generally little used. Food and unposted letters seem especially popular amongst the regulars on the Scottish Business Forums site, leading Photographer Brian Mcintosh to utter the immortal fauxtation

“No Man Bag is complete without a buttered scone.”

Which has triggered a discussion as to what’s inside everyone’s scone, of course.

What’s in your man-bag?

I love my man bag – a very tasty Katherine Emtage number in Harris tweed like this:

and I’m writing an article about what guys carry in their bags for Bite magazine. I thought it’d be interesting, given the mystique we chaps traditionally cling to surrounding the contents of women’s bags.

So if you’re male and use a bag – courier bags, DJ record bags, lap-top bags, and even briefcases count – what’s in yours?

The contents of mine, by the way, include a Swiss Army knife, folding picnic cutlery (very handy at baked potato shops that give you those terrible flimsy “sporks”), Molskine notebook, pencil case with pens blotting paper and pencil, laptop… Oh, and several scrunched up receipts and a rather old Breakaway bikkie.

More cool stuff for small businesses!

A little while ago I announced that I’ve been putting together a program of coaching, workshops and networking for small businesses. Well, I’m proud to announce that now, it’s here!

It’s called Business Lounge, and I invite you to go and have a look at the Business Lounge website.

If you’re a freelancer, an entrepreneur, or anyone with a small business, this is designed specially for you. You get a workshop and a coaching session each month, together with extra support in between. The BL website has social networking and discussion forum features, so even if you’re not on the program, you can come and get involved.

The next intake is for September – contact me at mark@markthecoach.co.uk for more details and to sign up.

Currently the workshops are only available in Edinburgh, though we’re planning to expand soon. Let me know if you want us to come to your area!

Here’s some details on a pdf – if you’d like to download and circulate it we’d be grateful!

business-lounge-info

Tell everyone! Spread the news! Business Lounge is here!

Former Client onstage in Fringe Festival!

I heard some great news today from someone I coached until a few months ago – he’s appearing in a play in the Edinburgh Fringe! I was absolutely stoked. It’s a production of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” – here’s what he has to say:

“I am appearing in this year’s Edinburgh Fringe (partly as a result of the increased confidence in myself which you showed me how to access!) in a performance of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.

We’re playing at Sweet ECA (corner of Lady Lawson Street and Laurieston Place) from Saturday 2nd – Saturday 9th August (Sunday 3rd is sold out). Tickets for Saturday 2nd are £6, and all other days’ tickets are £10, although tix for Monday 4th are 2-for-1 i.e. a fiver! The show is 1 hour and 50 minutes long and starts at 7.15 every night.”

Click here for more online details.

So do go along and have a look if you’re in Edinburgh at Festival time!

Welcome to the new site!

It feels lovely to be able to say at last -

Welcome to the new Mark The Coach website, now with added blog and much less grouchy looking photo!

It’s all part of my plan to get all “Web 2.0″-ish. The internet, we hear, is becoming all about writing as well as reading; the days when you had to get someone else to change the merest bit of text on your site are receding.

So now I can let you know what’s happening nice and easily. There’s the weekly Life Clubs which I host – I’ll be posting on what’s happening in them each week. I’m also working on a special program for entrepreneurs and freelancers, Business Lounge. That’ll be a launching properly in September – I’ll let you know here when the party’ll be!

Enjoy the new-look site, and be well!