Steven Shaw is a living example of the power of the niche approach in spreading Alexander's work. Steven has managed to build a million dollar business around the activity of swimming. Yesterday, his work was featured in The Guardian's Swimming Blog…

Except when you don't feel jolly, what do you do about that?

The single, biggest obstacle facing you as an entrepreneur is your emotional condition. Energy doesn't arise out of a mind that is defeated - without hope, there's little action. We have CEOs and CFOs and CMOs but who is the CHO, your Chief Happiness Officer?

That would be you.

Except it comes without a title, salary or any training. You are expected to know how to find the energy and gusto to get everything done, while inspiring those around you to join in.

How do you manage that?

It's the crazy season, but that does not stop my members from continuing to work on their Alexander Technique teaching success. While a lot of people are off to a party, they are here pursuing their passion to stay awake and realise a dream. It's a big purpose, and I am privileged to be learning from them all.

Alexander Technique is a difficult sell - I think we all know that.

How do you sell air? How do you sell nothing? Any words you use - as I expressed in my previous blog - end up situating you with a dozen other techniques, all available at half the price of your lesson and much easier to understand.

They give you a set of exercises!

This week, like every other, the members in my coaching group are continuing to focus on their business skills, and how those skills relate to their teaching skills. I think one of the big surprises when you start to work on your Alexander practise, comes when you realise that the service you offer is inextricably bound to the business you are creating - it's not possible to separate the two, as some of the comments I made this week illuminate…

Are Yoga, Pilates and other “fitness” schemes so different from Alexander Technique?

Alexander Technique teachers suspect they are fundamentally different, but for the public it appears that all these methods, including ours, utilize the study of movements to improve posture, cure pain, and bring about well being with greater awareness. Our outcomes appear to match - even if our methods are different - so our claim that “we are not like them” falls on deaf ears.

Every week I am publishing some of the comments made in the hidden Facebook group (ATCS) with the 47 teachers and students working together on building their Alexander Technique businesses. Some of the comments are public, and the rest are in the paid area of my blog. You can join us now for less than the cost of one Alexander lesson with me a month. Note to members - some of these have been lightly edited since I first penned them inside Facebook.

Suddenly Bessie blurts out:

“But how will I help all the people around me in such tension?! How can they bear it? What can I do?”

Bessie is tightening up worse than the people she is talking about!

What to do?

Welcome to group teaching, where my response to Bessie is being witnessed by 10 other people. It is no longer just Bessie than I am responding to, I need to include 10 other listeners…

“Bessie,” I say, “Just remember how lucky you are that you know something that they don’t know…”

Every week I am publishing some of the comments made in the hidden Facebook group (ATCS) with the 47 teachers and students working together on building their Alexander Technique businesses. Some of the comments are public, and the rest are in the paid area of my blog. You can join us now for less than the cost of one Alexander lesson with me a month.

Suddenly my phone is screaming at me…
Who is calling my business at this hour!?

"Hallo, BodyChance Studio.
I'm sorry, but now we are closed until—"

"Please can you help me!?!"
I think: shouldn't we do names first?

"Who is this speaking?"

"Oh I'm sorry, my name is Harry."
I guess he needs to have this conversation now…

"What's the problem Harry?"

"I am in a lot of pain. I can't stand it."
Hmm, me a pain fixer? I think not.

"Have you seen a doctor?"

"Yes."