Leaving your full-time job and branching out on your own is a daunting prospect. Whether it’s to go freelance or to start up a company, thinking about it is one thing but actually taking that leap is another. However once done most people never look back. Francesca Gamble made that leap and having worked for some of the top international communications agency’s; Chime Group, Engine Group and M&C Saatchi she left to set up the successful Twenty-Nine London a marketing communications consultancy. Here are her top tips on starting your own brand – listen up people, you could be the next Bill Gates or …..
As we enter the Entrepreneurial revolution as we see more and more people wanting to leave full time employment and head for the freelance world. As someone who’s already done this, I‘m a huge advocate and would highly recommend anyone to do the same. I started as a freelancer in 2014 before finding my own marketing communications consultancy, Twenty-Nine London in 2015, since leaving the world of ‘big agency life’ and venturing on my own, there are a few things I’ve learnt:
1. Project you
You are now a brand. Exposed to the world you need to begin getting to like yourself. Understanding how you work best, how resourceful you can be and how the hell you’re going to make your idea come to life – especially now you don’t have a pay cheque every month. Whether you find solace in yoga, walking, or your morning coffee you must now start to explore YOU, as YOU are the only one who can make this brand work.
2. Your big idea
Ideas are easy to come by in today’s world, executing them is the real challenge. Begin by doing something you’re passionate about, create something you love and then start by telling your story. No brand can survive without an authentic narrative. What are you trying to create? What is your USP? Who will buy it? Why should they buy it? How will it look? What font will you use? What will the packaging look like? Get a pen and paper and start mapping out every detail of your brand, look at brands you love and dissect them to find out why you love them.
I love the storytelling aspect of still lives, and ironically how much work they require to seem effortless.
Event photography is a treat, once you get the mood of the event; it’s a bit like a hunt for the perfect storytelling elements, trying to translate the solemnity of an instant or the spontaneity of a burst of laughter.
3. Get social – both online and offline
You must get you and your brand on social media, not on to every platform, just one to start with, the one that is most appropriate to your audience. A social channel such as Instagram is the perfect visual platform, it is also a vital space for networking, so ensure you’re interacting with key people of influence, who you want to be noticed by. Get out of the house each week to a networking event to surround yourself with like-minded people who are on similar paths, it will give you the confidence, support and contacts you need to help build your empire.
4. Prepare to fail, but then get over it
You must get you and your brand on social media, not on to every platform, just one to start with, the one that is most appropriate to your audience. A social channel such as Instagram is the perfect visual platform, it is also a vital space for networking, so ensure you’re interacting with key people of influence, who you want to be noticed by. Get out of the house each week to a networking event to surround yourself with like-minded people who are on similar paths, it will give you the confidence, support and contacts you need to help build your empire.
5. Time management
Throughout our working lives, we’re governed by a set of time manage rules: Monday – Friday, 7am – 7pm days of getting up, hustling for the tube, sitting at our desks, leaving for the gym, then doing it all over again probably for the next forty years of our lives. You must recognise that you’re on a new path, a new way of thinking and now it’s time to not feel guilty about lying in mid-week until 9am, or having brunch at 11am, or taking the afternoon off to see family. Twelve hours is a long day when you work for yourself, building a business. Manage your time so you have work and personal time. It’s essential you focus on Point 1 at least 50% when you’re starting your own brand. As long as you are doing something that you’re truly passionate about (see Point 2) then success will be sure to happen, but it’s your mental strength which will really stand the test of time.
