Every week, I receive emails that all sound something like this:
“Mike, could I borrow 15 or 20 minutes of your time?”
Sometimes it’s someone wanting career advice.
Sometimes it’s someone trying to move from banking into corporate treasury.
Sometimes they’re hoping I’ve got a job for them.
And almost every email finishes with:
“I’d just really value your advice.”
I’m very thankful for the position I’m in, and that people look to me for help in their careers.
I feel privileged about that.
And I genuinely would love to help everyone, but the truth is…
I get so many of these requests that if I answered them all, I would run out of hours in the day.
So while I love talking treasury. I love hearing people’s stories. And I love helping people think through their careers.
There’s also a practical reality.
I run a small business. I don’t work inside a large corporate with a team of people around me whose job is to manage requests, calls and diaries.
The team and I pay the bills by recruiting treasury professionals for our clients. That has to be where most of our time goes, because that is what keeps the business moving and allows us to keep creating free content, events, podcasts and resources for the wider treasury community.
And yes, speaking to new people is part of what we do. I love that side of it.
But there simply aren’t enough hours in the week to have a one-to-one career chat with everyone who asks.
That’s not me being dismissive.
It’s just the honest reality of trying to help as many people as possible while also running the business properly.
However, that doesn’t mean I can’t help you.
This is exactly why I started this newsletter.
People sometimes assume it’s just marketing. Whilst that is a part of it. It’s also my way of answering the questions I get asked over and over again.
In fact, I’d wager that almost every email I receive has already been answered somewhere – in a newsletter, our podcast, or at one of our events.
- Am I underpaid?
- How do I build my network?
- What qualifications should I study?
- How do I move into corporate treasury?
And if we haven’t covered it yet, you can bet we will in the future.
Because if one person is asking, chances are another hundred treasury professionals are wondering exactly the same thing.
Now, if you really do want to have a conversation with me, here’s what I’d suggest…
Don’t send me a cold email and hope for the best. Instead, come to one of our events. I’ll happily chat before the event, during the networking, or over a drink afterwards.
Why?
Because you’ve invested your own time too.
You’ve shown up.
You’ve joined the treasury community.
And that’s exactly why we created those events in the first place.
So please don’t take it personally if I can’t jump on a call. It’s never because I don’t want to help.
It’s because the best way I can help the greatest number of treasury professionals is by creating resources that everyone can access.
And fortunately…
They’re ALL free.
Best regards,
Mike
P.S. If there’s a treasury topic you’d like me to cover in a future newsletter or podcast, drop a comment and let me know. I can’t promise a phone call, but there’s a good chance it’ll become something that helps the whole treasury community.
