neilmartin.me
Beats, Business & Life
Proud Dad and family man. A lifelong obsession with music. 3 decades in business and technology. Stuff about this thing called life that I’m still figuring out.
Latest
Fresh off the press
The AI conference website went down. I built an app anyway.
The AI conference website went down and bits of the demos wobbled. I vibe coded a prototype app in the room anyway. Done beats perfect.
Marketing starts the conversation
The purpose of marketing is to start a conversation. Why selling too early creates friction, the five jobs marketing really does, and why satisfaction equals experience minus expectation.
Line up your dominoes
A domino the size of a fingernail can knock over one taller than a man. How I break big goals into small dominoes, and why they go in the diary.
Marketing earns you the conversation
Backstage at BizX I asked Jeb Blount about phones nobody rings. Why marketing’s job is to earn you a conversation, and why the phone still matters.
Track by TrackThis week’s track
Track by Track: Morning
My own song this time. The story behind Morning, a Dust and Data love song about two cups and the start of a day, and why I think the little things matter most.
Previous tracks
Run-DMC, Here We Go (live on Yo! MTV Raps)
Run-DMC on Yo! MTV Raps, a VHS tape I’ve kept for 33 years, and why they were hip hop to me.
Beats
From the Decks
A lifetime of following music down the rabbit hole. The beats, the lyrics, the samples… but more than anything, how it makes you feel.
Sunday Selector
Sunday Selector: Run This
This is the playlist I run to. Forty-four tracks, just over three hours, and most of it is classic hip hop with a bit of drum and bass thrown in.
Most of it sits around 90 BPM, or double-timed off that, which for me is the perfect rhythm for a run or a gym session. Your feet just fall into it. But it’s more than the tempo. These records have energy and lyrics with something to say, and they put a smile on my face because they take me straight back to other times in my life.
read more…Track by Track: Morning
My own song this time. The story behind Morning, a Dust and Data love song about two cups and the start of a day, and why I think the little things matter most.
Bedroom decks, 1987: where it all started
Where the DJing started. Years of learning to mix behind a shut bedroom door, then MCing at parties as a teenager. And yes, two records locking together still gives me a buzz.
Business
Business In Plain English
Some of it’s about tech. Some of it’s about teams. All of it’s about the conversation that changes everything.
The AI conference website went down. I built an app anyway.
The AI conference website went down and bits of the demos wobbled. I vibe coded a prototype app in the room anyway. Done beats perfect.
Marketing starts the conversation
The purpose of marketing is to start a conversation. Why selling too early creates friction, the five jobs marketing really does, and why satisfaction equals experience minus expectation.
Line up your dominoes
A domino the size of a fingernail can knock over one taller than a man. How I break big goals into small dominoes, and why they go in the diary.
Life
Everything Else
The stuff off the clock. Good food, fresh threads, and trying to be a bit better than yesterday.
The Day I Jumped Out of a Plane
Saying yes to a charity skydive was the easy bit. What the jump itself taught me about change, and why the scary middle bit has the best view.
The year I ran my Dad’s race
At 12 I watched my dad run the Southampton Half. In 2015, years after losing him, I ran it for him. What that race taught me about making peace with the past.
Would you talk to a friend like that?
Years after I asked someone one question, she told me it changed her life, and I didn’t even remember asking. The question, and how to ask it of yourself.
About
Hi, I’m Neil
I got my first turntables in 1987, when I was 12, and I’ve been playing records to people ever since. I’ve been in business for three decades and I wrote a book called Done Beats Perfect. This is where I write it all down.
By day I’m Director of Marketing & Edutainment at ActionCOACH UK.
DJing since 1987Three decades in businessAuthor, Done Beats Perfect
The book
Done Beats Perfect
A short, honest book about putting things off, and how to stop. Paperback, Kindle, or the audiobook read by me.
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