Q & A with MD Fiona

"25 Years is a significant milestone - what was your driving force behind setting up the business and where did you imagine it would be in 2023?" 


After 12 years at Bridon International, my first job from University, I, along with many others were made redundant, due to a re-engineering of the business.
 

Having a broad depth of experiences in those years from shop floor to UK sales, Export sales and finally Marketing, I was still quite unsure of my next step. My 4 years studying Business and specialising in Marketing would suggest that starting my own business would be the path to follow – I was still nervous.  

I couldn’t afford to carry on living where I was, even after 12 years, redundancy was not going to make my everyday living easy. So, rather than spend weeks searching for a new opportunity and attending stressful interviews on no pay, I decided to take the plunge and join forces with a Bridon colleague (also made redundant) and set up a new business offering Marketing services. 

I really had no vision in the early days, I just wanted to pay the rent. The internet was young and whilst exciting to many – I was still worried about getting involved, it seemed so huge and it would mean a lot of learning, entering a world of technology that was not really my thing in those days! I was only confident at providing services in which I had experience and skill. 
Day to day was my focus then, and that is probably one of the reasons we did not get too far ahead of ourselves with dreams and fancy goals. So many businesses, particularly today, have such drive that they grow fast and fail fast. Concentration on the day to day, cash flow and customer service – I am sure that actually doing what people want, when they want, kept us alive back then. I didn’t dare to dream - something that of course has changed over the years.

"Inevitably, there will have been some highs and lows over the 25 years – are there any stand out moments (successes or major challenges) that stick in your memory?" 


Isn’t it funny that we remember the lows more than the highs? Why do I bring them to mind quicker? A valued business coach once said to me: “
why is it that you don’t celebrate, as soon as you have a high you go straight onto the next thing without stopping to enjoy the moment” Over the years I have always remembered this and yet, still I do not celebrate as much as I could or maybe should!  

There have been more pivotal moments than highs and lows I think – in ‘low’ times I seem to have had the skill to remain positive and look at what can be done to move to a better place. Whilst I do not celebrate highs, I hate the low moments and will find any way I can to move onwards and upwards, whatever the cost. Finding that person who can help, realising that there is power in collaboration and experts out there that know far more than I do in these situations. Not saying that I don’t go my own way anyway, but having a variety of opinions is a great help for decision making. 

The lows have generally focused around people – team failures, customer service failures, & partnership lows. The hardest thing for me about running a business is getting the right people in the team, working with people who have the same values and ethos in life, dealing with clients that are just not ‘getting’ what you are offering. 

Having weathered a real low point after 4 years and bringing the business back from the brink, one of my highest points came from my next lowest point in 2008/9, 10 years in. 
I had to deal with maternity leave from a long standing and well-loved designer, manage maternity cover, whilst at the same time I became pregnant at the age of 44. All of this turned my ‘routine’ and ‘safe’ environment into complete turmoil. As wonderful as expecting a child can be, it was challenging to say the least to deal with other people and all their expectations, to realise I did not have systems in my business that would help it run without me, even if was for only short periods of time. 

The high came from a brief conversation from a valued friend and business colleague – over a coffee one day, he said something that changed my perspective and vision for business: “ It isn’t the team or the clients that are the problem, it’s you – you don’t have the resources to deal with these situations, you need to upskill”, as harsh as that felt at the time – it has become a great memory. He put me in touch with a recommended business coach that over the next year or so introduced me to so many things and encouraged me to dream and become a better leader. 

"Why did you choose to get into (and stay in) Marketing?" 


I have always considered myself as creative, my love for music and movement as a child was always going to make me lean towards something in a creative vein. Originally wanting to do Marketing and music, I soon realised there was not a lot of money in this and staying in London was probably necessary.
 
I wanted more, more travel, more variety and more remuneration. I keep my cello as my hobby and am grateful that I chose to pursue Marketing within different sectors. 

Every day is different, yes the theory is the same across sectors, but how you implement it and what is important to each one varies hugely. Social media is not for everyone, websites are completely individual (not that many get that, even today!) and it keeps me on my toes, learning every day and meeting new people. Marketing is dynamic and ever changing and growing – particularly with the online aspect, which at the start I ran from, we now embrace and thrive in this world. 
Marketing is not just a discipline it is a fundamental part of running and maintaining a successful business.  

"If you had your time again, would you do anything differently?" 


I am a great believer in never looking back – focus on what's next, only use the past to learn and implement new ideas – move on.
 
You cannot say you would do anything different, because you dealt with the situation at the time in the way that you thought best. No regrets.  

"How will you be celebrating 25 years in business?"


With the help of my fantastic team that know better how to celebrate, I’m too practical. I hope to enjoy a small part of the limelight and hope that all my experiences and these general musings can help someone else to persevere in business.
 

There have been many changes in Marketing over the last 25 years so keep an eye out for our next blog where we look back at how things have evolved and where they might be going in the future. 

Working With

  • Doncaster Culture & Leisure Trust
  • KLC Employment Law
  • LMF
  • ORB Recruitment
  • SIA
  • Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals
  • TLC