This past week, I took a cheeky little (4.5 hour) road trip up to Edinburgh, where I ditched the usual business attire for something a tad less formal and a bit more adventurous.

My mission? To stir up some creative chaos among a group of bright-eyed business students from University of Chester, who were knee-deep in entrepreneur-focused workshops at The University of Edinburgh for the week.

Back to School, But I’m Running the Show This Time

As a proud alumnus of the University of Chester, the halls of academia have a certain nostalgic pull.

But this time, I wasn’t there to hit the books—I was there to shake things up, share my tales from the trenches of startup life, and maybe, just maybe, pass on a bit of unconventional wisdom.

The goal was to share insights into how they could market their startup businesses and provide learnings derived from my own startup journey over the last four years.

Spilling the Beans Under the Edinburgh Sun

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I dropped my favourite quote on about 20 eager beavers who were probably expecting a run-of-the-mill lecture.

But hey, who says learning can’t happen outside the four walls of a classroom?

We grabbed our chance with the sunny weather and turned the great outdoors into our unconventional classroom, proving that sometimes, the best insights come with a breath of fresh air.

The Rough with the Smooth

Sharing the highs and lows of the last four years at Hussel Marketing, I dished out the raw truth about starting a business—no sugar-coating, just real talk.

From epic wins to face-palm moments, we covered it all. It’s about showing that the path to success is a bit of a rollercoaster and that’s perfectly fine.

A Twist of Fate

And get this—the lecturers who were chaperoning the trip?

Turns out they had all at some point sat in on one of my talks over the years as they were previously students at Chester a few years back.

Talk about coming full circle!

It’s moments like these that remind you how unpredictable and wonderfully interconnected our journeys can be.

Beyond the Call of Duty

I noticed we’d had a shout-out from Conor Dangerfield, a savvy lecturer in business management, one of the trip leaders.

“Lewis not only drove four and a half hours to Edinburgh to deliver the session but also gave up his evening to spend more time with the students, motivating and inspiring new and disruptive ideas.”

That’s right, the hustle doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. We talked shop, swapped startup stories, and dared to dream about ideas that might just disrupt the market.

Wrapping It Up with a Bow

Driving back from Edinburgh gave me plenty of time to reflect—not just on the past and present, but on the endless possibilities ahead.

Teaching, learning, and sharing—this trip was a reminder that we’re all perpetual students in the grand school of life.

If you’re ever given a chance to inspire, to teach, or just to connect, grab it with both hands.

Who knows? The next road trip could be the one that changes everything for you or someone else.