Almost 25 years ago, I found myself going through the Yellow Pages (Google was two years old, lol), calling literally hundreds of companies. I was trying to find an internship. I’d bombed uni, I had bills to pay and I was panicking.
The first company to agree to meet was a PR agency who offered unpaid work experience. I had no idea what PR was. With nothing else on the horizon, I took it, working nights and weekends on two other jobs to make sure I had enough money to live on.
Fast-forward, and today Lee, Magin and I are all in the PRWeek UK Power Book alongside the legend Rachel Bell. Maybe this isn’t the cool thing to say, but I don’t care – I’m proud of us.
Getting onto the list nudged me to think about back then and how I found myself here. For anyone who’s interested, I think these are the things that helped to turn that crappy time around:
⚽ Set clear goals.
Maybe it was because it felt like the only way was up, but from the moment I started that first job, I gave myself annual and three-year goals - and made sure they were punchy. When we started the agency, it felt audacious and more than a little ridiculous to write down that we’d earn £1m and win a best agency award within five years. We did it in four.
💪 Find strength in others.
This one took me a while to get the hang of because I didn’t want to show weakness – but working with supportive, open, collaborative people showed me that you can find answers more quickly if you ask peers how they’d solve your problem. Surround yourself with folk who like to lean in (and make sure you return the favour).
❓ Question everything.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love an obscure question. But that’s because I love the insight it gives. Working in an agency offers access to lots of different types of people from lots of different types of industries. Learning about their business, passions and motivations through questions keeps me inspired – and shows others I’m a good listener and partner.
🤒 Trust your gut.
If something feels off – even if it looks good on paper – it invariably is. Start with logic and reason when it comes to decision-making, but if your heart isn’t in it, don’t do it. Intuition isn’t airy-fairy. It’s your subconscious reading the room and reminding you of previous experience. From hires, to pitches, whenever I’ve ignored my gut, I’ve ended up regretting it.
🎉 Celebrate the good times.
No matter how well you’re doing, there will always be downs as well as ups. So, when hard graft brings a good thing your way, make sure to take a moment and enjoy it. That’s what sustains you when the going gets tough.
With that in mind, I’ll be raising a glass to Magin, Lee, Rachel, our brilliant team and everyone else in the PowerBook tonight. Here’s to failing – and finding the things that help you to feel powerful again.
One of the most highly anticipated days in the UK PR calendar is here – the launch of PRWeek’s UK Power Book 2024 #pr #comms #powerbook
Olivia Dunn, Dan Jones, Jeremy Townsend, Kate Thompson, Gavin Ward, Stuart Sanders, Graham Biggs, David Jackson, Debbie Hull, Ken McConomy, Brendan O'Grady, Kate Macnamara, Aurelie Kane, James Crampton, Gina Maffucci, Ellen Freeth, Jamie Williams Cooper, Sarah Warman, Ben Jenkins and Assad Malic
![Who’s in? PRWeek UK launches Power Book 2024]()
Who’s in? PRWeek UK launches Power Book 2024
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6moI really enjoy Attention Seeker! It's so far been a fun and insightful read. Catch me seeking National Carbonara Day🍝 April 6th!