“The first time I asked a boss to pay for a digital course, it felt like I flew back in time to the painstakingly practiced presentation 12-year-old Michelle made to her mom trying to convince her that I needed to be allowed to wear thongs and to buy them at Victoria’s Secret because whomst amongst us has the emotional fortitude to withstand bullying because of their VPL!?!?” - Janelle Pearson

A disagreeable but intelligent woman I worked with long ago gave me two good pieces of job advice:

You should interview every 6 months, even if you’re not looking (it’ll either humble you or hype you up, and there’s good learning either way).
Every chance you get, you should get your employer to pay for training, conferences, and experiences that’ll make you an even more desirable expert in your field.

Listen, I didn’t like this lady as a person. Like, couldn’t sit through a half-sandwich lunch with her.

But, she went to Harvard Business School, and from my experience of HBS grads most of them are great at playing the game and figuring out how to leverage every situation.

So her advice was spot on.

Because getting an employer to foot the bill for continuing ed or experiences that will make you even more expert at what you do.

💸 gets everyone paid 💸

And honestly, when someone dangles free money (free course + free skills that’ll get you a fatter paycheck in the future? don’t mind if I do...) in front of you ... you take it.

Even if it kinda feels like asking your dad if your BFF can sleep over tonight.

Fortunately, writing emails that convince people to do things is kind of my witch superpower.

Plus, I’m a boss on a budget, so I see where your manager might be coming from... and what could push them over the edge from “idk...” to “where do I pay?”

Without further ado, here are three email scripts you can use to get your boss to pay for a continuing ed experience.

(I’ve taken the liberty of filling in the deets for our upcoming all-day retreat, Quantum Con: Get Sh*t Done Weekend)

Hey BOSS,
Don’t get me wrong — I love how social our team is (I’m actually lol’ing at my Slack messages all day long) — but I think an out-of-office environment where I can ignore my email and messages while I’m working will help me get through some work that’s been de-prioritized strictly because of bandwidth issues.
There’s a 2-day weekend deep work retreat that I’d love to attend on April 30-May 1 in LA, called Quantum Con: Get Sh*t Done Weekend.
Funky name, but the premise is that this group curates a work environment that supports deep work and focus, so you can accomplish tasks that help you really move the needle in your work and prevent future burnout.
I’d love to attend with the intention of focusing on [INSERT PROJECT YOU’LL BE WORKING ON HERE].
Because our goal [INSERT GOAL THAT YOUR TEAM OR COMPANY IS WORKING ON, like “is increasing Instagram conversions”] I think the deliberate focus time on this project will be a weekend well-spent.
The deep work sessions plus the live workshops programmed throughout the weekend on copywriting, research, brainstorming, and editing would be really supportive to helping me [insert your desired outcome here: finally finish this project, uplevel my content-making skillset, etc.]
I’m also looking forward to being in a room with 80+ other content creators! Imagine the watercooler conversation...
Can [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE] find some budget to send me to Quantum Con? It’ll be on a weekend, so I won’t miss any work, and per the conference schedule, I’ll spend from 8a-5:30p both days focusing on my project.
The cost increases on April 1st, so maybe we can find some time to talk about it later today?
Thanks!
YOUR NAME
PS: Here are some benefits of deep work — maybe you’ll want to join me!
Hi BOSS,
We’re launching into Q2 next week, and while I’m so excited about everything our team is creating, I’m feeling a bit like I’m teetering on the precipice of burnout.
Not saying this to scare you! Promise!
Because of the nature of my job, I spend a lot of time responding to what comes across my desk all day long. I love that because it keeps me on my toes, and I have to admit that I really need a day or two to be heads down and spend some time organizing, archiving, and cleaning up old and creating new SOPs to set us up for success in Q2 and beyond.
I recently found a 2-day deep work retreat called Quantum Con: Get Sh*t Done Weekend that takes place in LA on Saturday, April 30 - Sunday May 1.
Here are some benefits and the philosophy behind deep work, and why it’s so important.
I’d love to attend with the intention of focusing on [INSERT ADMIN PROJECT YOU’LL BE WORKING ON HERE].
In addition to the deep work sessions, this conference also has workshops and training on systems creation that I’d really like to sit in on.
Can [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE] find the budget to send me to this deep work weekend?
It’ll be on a weekend, so I won’t miss any work, and per the conference schedule
I’ll spend from 8a-5:30p both days focusing on my project.
The cost increases on April 1st, so maybe we can find some time to talk about it later today?
Thanks!
YOUR NAME
Hey BOSS,
I’m feeling SO excited about up-leveling our growth strategy at [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE] over the next quarter.
And if I’m being honest, our current workflow doesn’t afford me a ton of time to schedule deep work into my creative process.
[Here’s the philosophy and benefits of creating deep work time.]
There’s a 2-day weekend deep work retreat that I’d love to attend on April 30-May 1 in LA, called Quantum Con: Get Sh*t Done Weekend.
The programming for this weekend includes deep work blocks, and advanced workshops on branding, marketing, and strategy that I’d love to sit in on between my heads down hours.
I’d love to attend with the intention of focusing on [INSERT STRATEGY PROJECT YOU’LL BE WORKING ON HERE].
Can [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE] find the budget to send me to this deep work weekend?
It’ll be on a weekend, so I won’t miss any work, and per the conference schedule, I’ll spend from 8a-5:30p both days focusing on my project.
The cost increases on April 1st, so maybe we can find some time to talk about it later today?
Thanks!
YOUR NAME
Hey BOSS,
Let me get ahead of this: I’m not quitting. I’m not asking for a raise. I’m not going on maternity leave.
🙃
I am feeling pretty zooted when it comes to my workflow, though.
Working at a high-grow company is ✨fun✨ for sure!
And because we’re moving so fast, I often feel like I’m playing catchup... I’m getting flashbacks to running laps in gym class, languishing as I bring up the end and struggle over the finish line only to realize I have THREE MORE LAPS TO RUN.
[sweating just thinking about it...]
Instead of feeling like I’m constantly behind, I want to get to the place where I’m ahead.
Like the person who’s 15 minutes early to their doctor’s appointment.
Or someone who makes dinner reservations more than two days in advance.
Like Paris in Gilmore Girls, but with a better personality.
I’ve been reading about Deep Work, and I think it’s what I’ve been craving.
Time to put my head down and work and focus, without the incessant Slack notifications and the low-grade anxiety that comes with seeing my unread emails number continue to grow like some sort of mutant alien life form.
There’s a 2-day weekend deep work retreat that I’d love to attend on April 30-May 1 in LA, called Quantum Con: Get Sh*t Done Weekend.
It’s a deep work retreat created for those who have a tough time focusing.
There are deep work blocks combined with workshops that help you uplevel your skills in marketing, branding, systems creation, and copywriting.
I’d love to go and spend the time getting ahead. Paris Gellar style.
Can [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE] find some budget to send me to Quantum Con? It’ll be on a weekend, so I won’t miss any work, and per the conference schedule, I’ll spend from 8a-5:30p both days focusing on my project.
The cost increases on April 1st, so maybe we can find some time to talk about it later today?
Thanks!
YOUR NAME