The day the fax machine replaced the noisy old telex machine in my first office, was a good day. Things were on the move! In a few short years, I had a mobile phone which was literally the size of a briefcase but just a few years after that, it had been shrunk to the size of a brick. Remember the "Brick"? Technology was on the march now and soon I was marvelling at the sweet whistle of dial-up internet. I knew it was going to be a game-changer, but wow! At the same time, my "Brick" turned into an awesome little Nokia which spawned a billion ninja thumbs, and Blackberries aside, they had all but achieved world domination, until a certain Mr. Jobs came along, put the "i" into phone and the world in our hands.
Good job I didn't get too attached to the joys of fax marketing! That was never going to happen. I jumped up on lifes surfboard and rode along the top of the greatest and fastest period of technological and economic change the world has ever known. For better or worse, that's where you'll still find me. Yes, I was around when fax marketing was a thing but I'm still here and I'm fresh enough to know the difference between an Ad-Set and a Campaign in Facebook Ads Manager! Do you?
Although I have spent most of my life writing business and marketing plans, if I'm being honest, my heart belongs to the creative side of the business. For me, the analytical and creative aspects of marketing come together in the brand creation and brand building process. I love brands and I love being involved in all aspects of building and maintaining brand integrity both visual and written. I have always been very hands on with the creative elements of the process such as copy writing, design, corporate identity, advertising, web creation and so on.
I have owned businesses and worked in an insanely diverse range of industries including: government (the telex!), commercial property, air treatment, entertainment, franchising, international trade, wine & spirits, antiques, digital marketing, cosmetics import/export and China consulting. I've done everything from manage million pound advertising budgets in my twenties to making my own graphics in Photoshop and using them on websites I've built for my own start-ups. I used to see my lack of focus on building a career/business in one industry as a flaw but in a world where we are told that Gen Z will change careers at least five times in their lifetime, I now like to think that as I rode that wave from telex to iPhone, I was well ahead of the rest of my Gen X colleagues! Of course I have also realised that I have a bad case of FOMO but that's what keeps me current.
To finish off, I should say that in this globalised business world, I have either lived in or extensively worked in Ireland (where I now live), Great Britain, Dubai, USA & China.
So, whether you want a simple re-design of a sales deck or whether you want to discuss your re-branding strategy before going global, you will find me ready, willing and able to make a meaningful contribution to both and at a surprisingly affordable price!
Thanks for listening. (PS. Did you work it out? Guess my age and win a free telex machine.)