A Year From Now - Celebrating One Year of Consume Digital

After making a start writing this blog back in the December and never finding the time to finish it, I decided that there was no better time than the present to get back into my writing, Why? I am currently on an aeroplane flying back from a fantastic weekend break in Barcelona. This trip was with good friend and fellow digital marketer Chris Shadrick and the truth is, it has been my first real break since embarking on my journey just over a year ago. It’s been a weekend for catching up, site seeing, eating and drinking way too much, but it has also been a really good time for reflection. 

I wrote a blog nearly one year ago at the start of my journey to self employment. Looking back now it feels like an absolute age ago that I finally took the leap into the unknown. Since then it has been a real whirlwind, the biggest highs, a number of lows, but most importantly many lessons learnt which will prepare me for the years to come.

It's been the most exciting year of my life and I have had the opportunity to challenge myself in more ways than one.

How the year has been 

After ups and downs I leave my first year in business on a huge high with many valuable learnings, but most importantly with hugely successful projects delivered. I am delighted to have 25 fantastic clients across many different sectors, an amazing and hard working network of contractors who have helped me to deliver 12 new websites, 7 new brands and delivered fantastic results on a range of marketing campaigns. I am also extremely grateful for the amazing network of people and friends that provide constant support and guidance.

Now moving into my second year of business, I thought what better time than now to look back and reflect on the year that has past? Here are some of my top takeaways from last year:

1. Sticking To The Plan

For me planning is everything, before getting started I knew just about every detail of the business, the proposition, route to market and already had a tested network ready to deliver it. Of course not everything always goes to plan, sometimes details change and you have to adjust and adapt, but knowing your proposition and what makes your business unique will be at the core of everything you do. In lots of ways the explosive growth of digital has made it more difficult to stay on plan, with so much noise going on around you and exposure to just about what every other business is doing. I always try not to get distracted, because if your vision and plan is right, you probably have everything you need to stand out in even the most competitive marketplace.

2. Brand Is Everything

Now that we have access to such a broad spectrum of marketing channels, there seems to be less and less of a focus on brand and building an identity. This is something I invested lots of time in, I wanted to create a brand that didn't feel corporate, that represented a modern approach and most importantly that focused on the idea of bringing together the range of channels and simplifying the process offered by more traditional agencies. Brand is the first interaction most companies will have with you, if your brand doesn't represent what makes you unique and why people buy from you, chances are they simply won't.

3. Know Your Limits 

For me this was always going to be the biggest challenge, I am an absolute perfectionist and genuinely want every client to experience a service which goes far beyond expectations. When starting a business it's easy to get carried away, interesting marketing concepts, pitching, meetings and simply taking on work that just isn’t right, but everyone has limits, everyone has boundaries and ultimately taking on too much will only result in unhappy customers or as I now describe it 'total Chaos'. Knowing the right time to invest in your growth is hard, but it is also often the only way to grow. This year I have made the decision to invest in two new team members, part time initially but with the aim of building this overtime. The model is the same, but having people who are able to manage elements of the business that demand large amounts of time, will allow me to focus on the core customer service and delivery.

4. Making Compromises 

The term ‘nobody says it’s going to be easy’ has never rung more true than this last year. To make Consume Digital a success, I knew I would have to wear a lot of hats, deal with a lot of obstacles and overcome a lot of challenges. My days typically starts at 5am and I rarely end the day before 10pm. Of course I know this isn't sustainable forever, but I cannot emphasise enough the need to throw yourself at every challenge and not give up, no matter how long it takes.

5. Instinct Is Everything

When running a business on your own, you cannot always rely on having a second opinion for every decision. One huge lesson I have learnt this year is to trust your instinct, if you don't feel something is right then don't do it, if you think something is a good idea, then do everything you can to make it happen. Making the wrong decision, can be hugely costly to your business and result in damage to your reputation.

Never be afraid to ask for a second opinion either, your instinct may be right but it never hurts to ask for help from someone close to you. I have been hugely lucky to have great clients, mentors and friends who have all given me feedback and help throughout the year.

What’s Next? 

Ok so now onto the next chapter and I cannot wait to see what the year brings, there are already great projects on the horizon, fantastic new developers and designers, an opportunity to work with my fantastic customers for another year, but possibly the most exciting for me is the expansion of the team to make sure I can deliver the level of service I set out to in my plan. 

Away from Consume Digital this year will also be an exciting opportunity to progress some of my other interests and passions. I have been working with Harry Wright to develop a unique conservation network 'The Conservation Project', which is something that I am hugely passionate about. Our aim is to create a global voice for conservation, encouraging people from all different walks of life, backgrounds, nationalities and with a whole range of interests to start talking about the causes they most care about in the natural world.

This year we have already had some amazing successes including receiving a hand written letter from David Attenborough and meeting the extremely inspirational Prof. Jonathan Baillie formally of ZSL and now vice president of National Geographic.

You can see some of the current contributions on our current website - www.tcproject.co.uk

Then leaving the most exciting update until last, this year I will also be embarking on a new venture. This time not on my own but with three amazing people (not naming any names yet), but including my brilliant sister Leah Ackford who is a personal trainer. The idea was born out of my struggle to fit my running training around my busy working schedule and is focused on a brand new and innovative concept for workplace wellness. Not going to say too much now, but keep your eyes pealed for more information coming soon. 

I cannot thank everyone enough for their ongoing support and I am really excited to work with you in 2017, so get in touch …..