Atomic HQ

Atomic HQ ATOMIC is the Online Community for Small and Mighty Business Owners and Hosts of ATOMICON. We invested in a website, but the developer gave up halfway through.

Hi, we’re Andrew Pickering and Peter Gartland and we run a company, believe it or not, called: Andrew and Pete! We actually randomly got placed in the same halls at university and became friends, bonding over a passion for one day (ruling the world) running a successful business empire. When we left university we then had a decision to make, do we find a comfortable graduate job or do we try to ma

ke it on our own in the big bad world? We decided to go for it of course, BUT we had a problem...

We were young, inexperienced, and Andrew wanted to move to the other side of the country (Newcastle upon Tyne) to live with his girlfriend, Vicky. This meant we had to start up our marketing company in a city we barely knew, with no money, and no business contacts what-so-ever. Ouch. So we dug deep and invested the rest of what little savings we had in another more expensive web development company...

What could possibly go wrong? Unbelievably they also ripped us off and didn’t give us our money back! We felt the weight of the world come crashing down on us. By this point we had no website, no confidence in web developers, and we had spent all of our savings. Worst of all, it was at the time of the worst financial crisis in decades… and to top it off, Business Link (who funded many websites and marketing investment in the area) had been shut down so no one in the area wanted to spend any money, especially on marketing. Great. So what did we do? How could we compete with all these bigger marketing companies with all their fancy marketing materials? How could we come back from this crushing waste of time and money? With nothing to live on we needed to act, and fast...

With no budget, we turned to blogging, email marketing and social media. Being young and ambitious we thought we'd be global thought leaders within a couple of years. We were wrong. After a few years it was still our networking and referrals where we got most of our business. Blogging is tough! We are living in a 'Content Crisis' whereby there is an overwhelming amount of content out there - most of it boring, most of it just sales messages in disguise. There are over 2 million blogs posted every day. We needed to do something different... we needed to stand out. We got great a reaction at networking when we did something a bit different. Would the same be true with content?? We developed our brand and let it shine through our content. The results were incredible. We started to get fans who loved reading our content... and sharing it!! Now we were going somewhere. Then we started our video channel and OMG it was amazing. Straight away we had more sales, fans, subscribers and shares than ever before. Quicker lead times. People binge watching our videos, and joining our membership site without any lead nurturing. More speaking gigs booked than ever before and many, many other benefits! AT THIS POINT WE KNEW WE HAD TO SHARE THIS DISCOVERY...

CONTENT MARKETING DOESN'T NEED TO BE A LONG-TERM STRATEGY! NO LONGER DO PEOPLE NEED TO WASTE THEIR TIME FOR YEARS ON END BLOGGING FOR NO REASON - JUST WORK ON CREATING REMARKABLE CONTENT AND YOU WILL GO FASTER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. At Andrew and Pete, we never stop trying our best, always learning and always eager to push the boundaries to inspire others. Today, we work with some amazing clients from all over the world, have been featured on some of the world biggest and best podcasts and blogs, written 2 books, won numerous awards and continue to collaborate with world-leading experts. None of which would have been possible without our amazing fans. We've been through thick and thin, but we believe that:

“ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS LIVING A FEW YEARS OF YOUR LIFE LIKE MOST PEOPLE WON’T, SO THAT YOU CAN SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE LIKE MOST PEOPLE CAN’T.” ANONYMOUS. We are on an ambitious journey, coming very far, very fast. We think it is down to our ambition and hard-work ethic… but more importantly, letting our creative juices flow and standing out. Fast forward to now, our signature programme ATOMIC helps businesses double in 6 months or less. We teach the processes, strategies and way of thinking that took our struggling £12k/year business into a multiple 6 figure one, by stopping swapping time for money and instead focussing on how to scale the smart way. We'd love you to check it out at www.andrewandpete.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and hopefully we shall hear from you soon. Have a great day! Andrew and Pete

04/09/2026

Great leaders don't need to know everything...

challenges the idea that age or experience automatically means you have more to teach.

Leadership works both ways. You can share the lessons you've learned while staying open to what younger people can teach you, and the real reward comes when you see those people grow beyond where they started.

Your team's success isn't separate from your success. It's one of the clearest signs that you've led them well.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

03/09/2026

Your most valuable skills aren't always taught in school...

shares how the skills she developed in hospitality ended up carrying her throughout her entire career.

Listening, starting conversations, understanding people's problems and finding solutions in real time aren't just people skills. They're foundations for sales, leadership and business, and proof that the strengths you already have can take you further than you realise.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

31/08/2026

Dr. Alison Edgar MBE is one of the UK’s most recognised sales experts, a keynote speaker, TV business expert, and the woman known as the Entrepreneur’s Godmother.

But her approach to sales is NOT about being pushy, manipulative or having the perfect script.

It’s about understanding people.

And if you think you’re “just not a salesperson”, Alison wants to change your mind.

In this conversation, Alison reveals:

- Why people who think they’re BAD at sales probably aren’t - and what they’re missing 👀

- The sales framework she created that ended up in Ireland’s national apprenticeship programme 💪

- Why understanding different personality types can COMPLETELY change the way you sell 🧠

- The BIGGEST mistakes business owners make when trying to close a sale

- How to know when it’s actually time to ASK 💰

- Why networking ISN’T about selling to the people you meet 🤝

- How to become more confident in selling, even if you don't currently like sales

Plus, the incredible story of how she received an MBE for entrepreneurship, why she got into Daniel Priestley’s taxi (?!), and the business lesson she believes matters more than simply working harder.

Alison doesn’t believe great salespeople are born.

Sales is a skill. And like any skill, it can be learned.

Because once you understand the process, understand the person in front of you, and have the confidence to actually ask for the sale - selling starts to feel VERY different.

Go to our link in bio to listen, or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the link to the ep.

29/08/2026

Relationships only work when you keep investing in them...

shares why networking should never be treated like a one-off activity.

Real relationships are built by consistently adding value, checking in, and staying present over time. That is what keeps you top of mind when the right opportunity, introduction, or collaboration comes up.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

28/08/2026

Your competition might be limiting your creativity...

explains why constantly looking at people in your own industry can only take your ideas so far.

By intentionally building a network across completely different worlds, from film and music to sport, venture capital and entrepreneurship, he found ideas and collaborations his competitors weren't even looking for.

Sometimes standing out means looking somewhere nobody else in your industry is looking.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

24/08/2026

Think you need to be outgoing, or "well-connected" to build a big network?

In this Don't Work Harder highlight clip, author and speaker Simon Ong reveals how introverts can build high-level relationships that lead to big name clients and huge opportunities.

Simon calls himself a naturally shy introvert. But through his genius strategies, he's built a network most people would KILL for.

Simon reveals:

- How he got a book endorsement from a HUGE name by befriending her hair stylist - and how you can do similar

- A huge mindset shift that makes networking easier for introverts

- How to make building relationships should be a daily habit, not a one-off event

- The mantra he developed to remove ALL pressure from networking interactions

- How to stay top-of-mind with the people who matter in your industry

- How to add value to relationships without feeling awkward or transactional

Want to build a better network? The secrets Simon reveals in this video will give you everything you need.

Go to our link in bio to listen, or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the link to the ep.

21/08/2026

What happens when success finally gives you space?

shares what happened when they stepped back from constant delivery and realised they no longer had to keep pushing just to stay afloat.

That space forced a bigger question: what do I actually want now?

For Lindsay, the answer was helping clients win at a deeper level and creating more without burning themselves out in the process.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

20/08/2026

Doing the work can limit your best advice...

shares why stepping away from delivery ultimately helped them serve their clients better.

When you're the person who has to execute every recommendation, you can unconsciously hold back from suggesting what would actually create the best result.

For Lindsay, recognising that meant having difficult conversations and admitting that their greatest value was in their thinking, not necessarily in doing everything themselves.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

17/08/2026

That feeling at the end of the day when you're drained from client delivery.

You'd love to stop and have something more scalable paying your bills consistently but you're trapped by great paying clients.

It sounds weird to say that, but it's true - you can't launch the scalable thing whilst your time is taken up by clients that give you a steady income.

You have no time or energy or headspace. but you can't stop what's paying the bills. So what do you do?

In this powerful Don't Work Harder highlight clip, Lindsay McGlone reveals how they made the terrifying decision to phase out their most reliable income stream - because they knew it was the right choice for them and their clients.

Lindsay was running Instagram accounts and making great money.

But her creativity was drained and she knew she was holding back her best strategies because SHE would be the one who needed to deliver them.

In this game-changing conversation, Lindsay reveals:

- How to walk away from steady revenue that isn't serving you - without panicking 👀

- Why doing the work yourself might be limiting your best ideas

- The financial safety net to build BEFORE making a big pivot

- How to use your audience to hold you accountable to big goals

Lindsay came into the studio and taught us that sometimes the bravest business move is letting go - when you know you need to.

She proved that trusting yourself to build something better - even when the current model is paying you well - is often where real growth happens.

Go to our link in bio to listen, or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the link to the ep.

14/08/2026

Losing 40% of your clients can be a win...

shares what happened when they increased their hosting prices by 5X and nearly half their clients walked away.

On paper, that sounds like a disaster. But 30 days later, revenue from those plans had increased 2.5X and support calls had dropped by more than 80%.

Sometimes growth isn't about keeping every client. It's about building an offer that attracts the right ones and actually works for your business.

🎧 Hear the full conversation on Don't Work Harder. Tap the link in our bio or comment "LINK" and we'll send you the episode!

Address

Clavering House
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE13NG.

Telephone

+441912293452

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Atomic HQ posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Atomic HQ:

Shortcuts

Share

Category