Taking a Leap of Faith

This is a BIG THANK YOU and an announcement about my new direction...

This month marks a significant milestone in my working life. It's been 12 years since I struck out from corporate life to start my own marketing consulting business.

That was a big and scary step at the time.

I went from regular hours and a steady income - with the security of holiday and sick pay - to being self-employed and not knowing where my next pay cheque would come from.

I like to think of myself as pretty brave and I’m willing to step outside of my comfort zone (I’ve jumped out of planes, explored continents solo, scaled mountains and dived with sharks!), but I’m also ‘sensible’ and somewhat risk averse, so turning away from what seemed like security was excruciatingly uncomfortable.

What I can say looking back, without the slightest hesitation, is that backing myself and starting my own business is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I am so incredibly grateful I took that leap of faith to walk away from the security and structure of corporate life into the unknown. Twelve years down the road, amidst a pandemic and an impending recession, living with all this uncertainty, would I make that same choice now?

The honest answer is, I don’t know.

The time that I did choose to step out, was toward the end of a significant global economic downturn. It was uncertain times. But being a little further down the path (aka ‘wiser’), and in the current context, I might choose to take a middle road and start working on a side business rather than just ‘jumping’.

But then again, in the current climate perhaps my ‘secure’ role might have ceased to exist and my ‘side gig’, could have suddenly become my bread and butter. Who knows.

Either way, I couldn’t have continued living the way that I was.

I was doing work that was intellectually stimulating with a team of clever people I liked and admired, but my work held no personal meaning and I couldn’t see what it was all for. The fire in my belly just wasn’t there and honestly, I was miserable.

What I couldn’t have known back then, was just how fulfilling it would be to move away from the perceived safety of corporate life, to work closely with business owners and their teams to define and implement new, more effective ways of marketing themselves.

I’ve been so blessed to have found myself working with the MOST amazing clients. Businesses that I believe in, businesses that I feel are making a positive difference in the world. And working with small businesses, I can see the direct impact of my work, rather than just feeling like a cog in some big corporate wheel.

If I deliver well in my work, I’m doing more than putting money into the pockets of shareholders. I’m helping the owners and employees of small businesses to create brighter futures and legacies for their families. Helping them articulate and bring their big ideas and important contributions out into the world to make a difference for the customers they serve.

And just as important for me personally, I don’t have to pretend to be anything or anyone other than who I really am. I get to authentically connect with the people I’m working with and develop genuine and caring relationships within the teams that I work with.

That to me, is priceless.

So, this post is a very long way of saying a HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MY CLIENTS OVER THESE PAST TWELVE YEARS. It has been an honour and a pleasure, and I look forward to continuing to serve.

For those who know me well, you know that I’ve been toiling away in the background for the past few years to gain a small business coaching certification. Anyone who has done this knows the scale of that undertaking!

I’m absolutely LOVING this new adventure and despite so much that is uncertain, I can’t wait to see what comes of the next twelve years, for all of us...