Please tell us what is a typical business day for
you?
There is no typical day really, my role is so
varied every day is different. As the MD of the business I currently do
everything; from attending sales pitches, holding training talks for
businesses, running internal team meetings and all HR, finance and administration
functions, all the way through to helping come up with creative campaigns and
strategic plans for clients.
I am in the office quite a bit, but I am also out
and about with clients and networking as much as possible too. The internet
does make doing business so much simpler in that it is possible to communicate
effectively with clients without needing to always be face to face, although we
do always love getting in front of clients.
What made you start the business and how did you
get started?
I had always wanted to run my own business from
being a little girl. My dad was my inspiration, he had his own business and I
always dreamt of doing the same. I didn’t ever really know what the business
would look like, I just knew my own business was the end goal. Then about 7
years ago I started working for a digital agency where I found the Internet! I
had never considered how everything worked and suddenly everything changed.
Overnight I transformed into this geek that needed
to know everything there was to know about digital marketing, I had found my
passion and just wanted to learn everything! I spent the next few years
learning everything I could, building up to the point where I thought I could
do it.
Then one day, I quit my job and, with a £3k
investment from my mum and dad, I started out. I had been building my company’s
website whilst still employed, so that was ready to go. After that, it was all
about finding ways to get our name out there and to start selling. I attended
lots of networking groups and hit the phones.
What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment
in the business world to date? I guess being 4 years in with a team of 21 people
is an amazing achievement in itself! I was also awarded runner-up for the Kent
Women in Business Awards, Business Woman of the Year which was a fantastic
achievement.
What has been your biggest challenge in
business so far?
There are many challenges when starting
a business but I think our biggest challenge has been finding the right people,
who share the business ethos and are prepared for the hard work needed to make
a start-up be successful. I am proud to say we have a fantastic team at the
moment, but we have learnt a lot about interviewing potential employees and now
tend to have a more rigorous interview process.
What are your future plans for the
business?
The plan for the business is to
continue our growth. We have a target from this financial year (April 2015 –
Mar 2016) to achieve a turnover of £1million, which will be a 100% increase on
2014-15. We anticipate the team reaching 30 by the end of this year and expect
to need a second premises to meet this growth.
Our long term the goal is to continue
ensuring that we are employing experts, as well as training fresh talent up to
be experts. We want to continue diversifying the markets we work in: one of our
most exciting clients at the moment is a London Premiership Football Club which
has been a huge opportunity, relished by the team. It is case studies like that
and experiencing the growth that makes it more achievable to win bigger clients.
As exciting working with as larger brands is, nothing can truly match the
reward of delivering results to a small business that genuinely can show a
return on investment and growth for that business.
If you had to do it all over
again, what would you do differently?
I guess I would have started the
business knowing what I know now – it wouldn’t have necessarily changed too
much, but instead prepared us for the challenges. The biggest lessons being
cash-flow planning – this is always a struggle for small businesses, but one I
did not realise would be so challenging.
Why is it so important to inspire young
women in particular to follow their dreams?
It sounds cheesy, but having achieved
what I have in such a short space of time it has made me realise anything is
possible when you put your mind to it. It is so important that women understand
that too. I did not follow the conventional route of getting a degree, but
instead got myself out into the wider world and held a few jobs that in time
made me realise what I wanted – all the while teaching me skills that you only
get from being out in the working world.
What advice would you give to somebody
who wants to start a business in your industry?
Know your stuff. I have seen many
people who know a little and are able to be a success but, to really go for it,
I think you need to truly understand the marketplace. It is important to work
out your USP too, as there are so many agencies out there.
What or who inspires you in business
and why?
Watching from a young age see what my
dad was able to achieve was a huge inspiration to me. I saw the hard work that
was required and the effect it did have on family life…I was still inspired to
go ahead and start the same path myself.
What is your favourite inspirational quote?
My favourite motto in business is ‘under promise and over
deliver’. It is so important that you do not make promises you cannot deliver
on: we are a nation of impatient people and, in this digital age, when we are
let down we tend to just move on and find someone who can deliver instead.
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