Bristol Academy of Voice Acting (BRAVA) announces partnership with audio production company, Little Monster Media (LMM) today. Due to BRAVA’s continued growth, LMM will provide support with audio assets and custom demos moving forward into 2023.
Melissa Thom, Founder & Director of BRAVA said:
‘We are thrilled to be joining forces with Adam and his highly experienced team at LMM. I have personally worked with Adam over many years, and have huge respect for LMM and their award-winning work for national radio brands including BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 1Xtra, Kiss and Asian Network, as well as their work across commercial and podcasts.
BRAVA Talent have been trained to the highest possible standards and their demos and audio assets must reflect this in order to position themsleves in a highly competitive industry. LMM is the perfect partner to help us deliver these assets at scale, focussing on the high quality we always strive for. We look forward to working with such a talented team.’
Adam Venton, Founder of LMM said:
“We’re very selective in who we collaborate with, but partnering with BRAVA was a no brainer. I’ve known Melissa for many years and know anything she’s involved with has the highest integrity and standards of professionalism. Creating bespoke audio assets and custom demos is just a part of our stable of services, and to be utilising it to help new emerging talent is both a joy and an opportunity we couldn’t let pass us by. I’m excited to see, hear and work with the talent that comes through BRAVA’s doors and hope that we can play a small role in elevating them into the industry”.
If you’d like to find out more about the BRAVA’s work with LMM, please visit our Talent Database at www.brava.uk.com/casting-database or contact us at [email protected]
To find out more about LMM, please visit our website at www.littlemonstermedia.co.uk
As 2022 draws to a close we’re delighted to be ending the year with top-line growth of +40%. We’ve welcomed major new clients and projects including, Bristol Innovations, Loughborough School of Business & Economics, premium plant-based nutrition brand Vivo Life, Made Smarter Innovation, Medi-Tech innovator Radii Devices and law firm TLT.
We moved to a new home in Engine Shed in March, the natural location for our focus on scaling innovative organisations. From here we continue to support leadership teams in this enterprising region which recorded an investment flow of £1.1bn in 2021 – putting it into the top 20 in Europe.
Moving into 2023, we’ll continue to work alongside The University of Bristol, developing its commercial quantum offering, The Enterprise Sessions and other projects.
And our ongoing relationship with Vittoria, the world’s most advanced bicycle tyre company, has also flourished and we’ll continue to support the leadership team on global brand development. Notable achievements this year include supporting the launch of the 5-hectare Vittoria Park next to the brand’s HQ in Brembate Italy and advertising projects including the benchmark-busting OWN THE UNKNOWN campaign which brought about a collaboration with the Velosolutions team and percussionist Ian Chang.
We also captured the spirit of the brand for internal and external audiences with their Manifesto film.
“It’s been a fantastic year for Firehaus. We’ve worked with some inspirational people throughout 2022 who have maintained a visionary approach to the role of their organisation – even in these difficult times. Each of them is changing the world for the better and it’s great supporting them in that endeavour. We’re super-excited about what’s to come!”
Ian Bates – Founder and Creative Partner
Grant Mansfield, CEO and Founder of Plimsoll Productions, an ITV Studios company, has been appointed a Visiting Professor for the College of Arts, Technology and Environment at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).
In his new role Mansfield will be working with the University to help inspire the next generation of programme makers.
He said: “UWE Bristol is a wonderful University where it’s my privilege to serve as a Board Member and now a Visiting Professor. Under Professor West’s leadership, links with employers have been significantly strengthened, benefiting students as they seek employment: in my new role, I hope to highlight pathways, opportunities and the skills required for a career in the creative sector.”
Vice-Chancellor of UWE Bristol, Professor Steve West, added: “We’re honoured Grant is joining us as a Visiting Professor at UWE Bristol; as a Bristolian who has seen worldwide success within his industry his insight and exceptional talent will be invaluable to our students and staff.
Mansfield founded Plimsoll in 2013 and the company has grown rapidly since with a total workforce of more than 400 across its officers in Los Angeles, Bristol and Cardiff. Plimsoll’s BAFTA, Academy and Emmy Award-winning team specialise in wildlife, documentary, live and factual entertainment shows and is a global leader in natural-history programmes. In 2019, Mansfield led a process to sell a minority stake in Plimsoll to private equity Group LDC and in 2022 he spearheaded a majority stake sale to ITV Studios in a landmark deal, valuing the company at £131 million.
Plimsoll is behind more than 50 series, 14 live shows and seven films, including the James Cameron-executive produced and Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated Super/Natural for (National Geographic/Disney+), Emmy-nominated Hostile Planet with Bear Grylls (National Geographic), Night on Earth (Netflix), Tiny World (Apple TV+), Handmade: Good with Wood (Channel 4), Britain’s Parking Hell (Channel 5), Life at the Extreme (ITV), as well as the highly anticipated The Ascent with Alex Honnold (Disney+), among many more.
Before launching the company, Mansfield spent three years in Los Angeles as CEO of Zodiak USA. Previously, as Managing Director of RDF and, before that, Director of Programmes at Granada TV, Mansfield was the creative lead for two of the UK’s most successful production companies, producing shows as diverse as I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Coronation Street, Cold Feet, Ladette to Lady and Secret Millionaire.
Grant Mansfield was also one of one of eleven recipients of Honorary Degrees awarded by UWE Bristol in July 2022.
saintnicks have promoted Finance Director Chris Price to company co-director, alongside Fraser Bradshaw and Steve Davies, as the company approaches its 10-year anniversary.
CEO, Fraser Bradshaw, said that “Chris will continue to oversee all company finance but also moves into a broader commercial role, including corporate governance and partnerships, as we expand the business.”
The move comes following a successful period for the company; with new business wins including Admiral, Akkodis and Ascot, and 9 new hires across all areas of the business.
Bradshaw added “Chris has been integral to our success over the last 4 years, always acting in the best interest of the agency, and joining us in making some of the more progressive decisions along the way. His experience and desire to grow the commercial side of the business will be invaluable moving forward”.
saintnicks is a brand agency with a strong reputation for its integrated strategy and creative campaigns, with offices in Bristol and London. The agency prides itself on being as commercial as they are creative, for their client partners. With a leadership team from client side and network agencies, the agency delivers huge expertise from an expert team. Recognised as a UK Great Place to Work this year and with B-Corp pending, the business believes in being a force for good.
Price, who has been at the agency for 4 years, has previously held the position of Group Financial Controller at Jones Knowles Ritchie, as well as spending 5 years across the WPP group finances with MEC and Grey.
Speaking about the new role, Price said “I’m delighted to join Steve and Fraser as a co-director of saintnicks. I‘ve felt a close connection to the guys since joining in 2018, and have seen a lot of changes in that time. We’ve got an incredibly strong team and brilliant clients; I’m very excited to continue working alongside them to help us go further”.
Find out more about Chris and his role at saintnicks here.
We asked Bristol Creative Industries members to tell us what they think culture secretary Michelle Donelan should do to support creative businesses.
Joanna Randall, managing director, Purplefish (see the Purplefish BCI profile here):
“The creative industries in the UK have the potential to be at the forefront of the new government’s push and focus for economic growth. Populated by ambitious entrepreneurs who thrive on commercial success, the industry is the powerhouse which fuels so many other sectors to flourish.
“However, while there is sustained and significant support for some parts of the creative sector – notably gaming technology, AI and the film industry – the wider creative sector businesses do not get access to this and have been left to weather the rollercoaster of the last three years coping with the pandemic, Brexit and inconsistent government leadership. The wider creative sector has not had the benefit of the same support offered to hospitality and retail.
“Indeed, creative agencies including marketing, design, advertising, digital and communications continue to increase in number in the UK but support in the form of tax credits, grants and targeted investment does not match what our colleagues in the technology and film sectors experience.
“The other area where our industry is facing an enormous challenge is in skills and staff. There are estimated to be 40% more marketing jobs in the UK compared to 2021 (source: Association of Professional Staffing Companies and Vacancysoft). We are facing a skills shortage like never before and without investment in talent programmes and awareness raising of opportunities and career paths into creative careers our future industry growth will be significantly thwarted.
“Tangible and accessible support is now vital for our sector and by extension, the wider UK economy; without the pervasive services our industry provides to every UK business sector new government economic growth targets will not be achieved.”
Matthew Pink, brand director, BASE (see BASE’s BCI profile here):
“Bristol and the South West are often rightly considered a hub for tech entrepreneurialism and innovation. However, an overlooked aspect of the region is that it is also a hub for brands and businesses who blend competencies across the culture secretary’s exact remit (digital, culture, media and sport) to promote healthy and active lifestyles.
“The UK has a mental health crisis and obesity crisis putting huge pressure on an already buckling NHS. Contemporary and forward-thinking media brands in the adventure and outdoors activity space like us at BASE, Global Cycling Network and brands like Bike Radar at Immediate Media, use smart creativity, digital media and sport culture insight to drive participation and deeper awareness of the benefits of an active lifestyle in the outdoors.
“The problems the government faces are intertwined and interrelated across its different departments. I would urge the new culture secretary to support businesses which harness the elements of her department’s remit to support positive societal change, not just profit.”
Catherine Frankpitt, director, Strike Communications (see Strike Communications’ BCI profile here):
“As the recent Bristol Creative Industries Creative Force report shows, the creative industries include many freelancers, sole traders and micro businesses, who collectively make an enormous contribution to the UK’s creative output and achievements. Yet we are often overlooked when it comes to government support and recognition of the value we bring.
“As we saw during the pandemic, many of us were excluded from schemes such as furlough, and so far, there is very little mention of specific help during this cost of living crisis. We would like to work with the government to find solutions that are tailored to work for us.”
Tom Vaughton, founder and manging director, Varn (see Varn’s BCI profile here):
“We would love to see Michelle Donelan focus on building awareness and championing the South West as a hub of creativity and excellence across digital marketing, as well as promoting our area as a destination of outstanding creative employment opportunities.
“We want future leaders in our industry to look outside of London and be excited by the prospect of working in outstanding creative businesses in our area, as well as the joy of living in beautiful places to enhance their wellbeing and quality of life.”
If you’re a Bristol Creative Industries member and you’d like to add a comment, email Dan.
How can creative businesses deal with rising costs?
A creative force to be reckoned with: Unleashing the power of Bristol’s creative industries
What does the government’s ‘Build Back Better’ plan mean for the creative industries?
Creative industries can be ‘a catalyst for post-pandemic recovery’
Your brand – you’ve spent years getting it to the exact place you want it to be in and now it’s there, in that perfect position in your market. Your audience can now make an informed, rational decision on your brand. Everything’s perfect.
Except, it isn’t perfect. And your audience won’t make a rational decision.
Let’s take a step back for a minute. It has become increasingly accepted that your brand is no longer simply your logo, or visual identity, but is more about the experience or environment linked to your business, product or service. Your brand can no longer be considered a vehicle through which to facilitate a desired transaction, from business to consumer. It shouldn’t even be considered the sole property of the business it is associated with.
Your brand is shaped by the relationships formed in that space in-between business and people, and importantly between people themselves. It is in this acknowledgement of brand being about relationships that we must appreciate two key points:
no relationship remains the same – relationships always evolve
no-one wants to be in a relationship with someone perfect
In order to have healthy relationships you need to appreciate that people will not seek to understand your brand intellectually. Decisions are very often not made intellectually but intuitively. What is important isn’t what people know about a brand, but what they feel about a brand.
Evolution
Consider a personal relationship that may well be close to your heart – you and your mum. In one way your relationship with your mum will always remain the same, she is your mum and you are her child. That will never change. However, is that really your relationship, or is that simply a label?
Let’s consider the actual relationship you have with your mum over a lifetime. If we think about the relationship rather than the label we can see how our roles and expectations are constantly evolving. At birth we are totally dependent on our mum, without her we would die. As we grow into childhood we are nurtured by mum, but we are becoming less dependent. As older children / young adults we challenge mum, pushing for independence. Entering adulthood we become friends and equals with mum, still getting support and guidance but being able to share some of our own guidance. As mum ages we find that the dependency role switches, with mum becoming reliant on us and relying on our support. Throughout our life we remain mum and child, but the relationship is constantly evolving.
When considering your brand be aware that your relationship with people will evolve. Be open to changing roles and expectations.
Perfection
So what about perfection? Well, how would you like to be in a relationship with someone who is perfect? Someone who never does anything wrong, is always right, always the best, infallible. Sounds pretty awful right? Of course it does because we know that no-one is perfect, we all make mistakes and bad decisions. That’s not a bad thing though, it is what makes us likeable. It’s what builds relationships as everyone is fallible, we are all prone to mistakes. ‘To err is human’.
So if you are hoping to build a relationship with people through brand then forget about trying to seem perfect. We are all fallible and prone to mistakes, but what that gives is the opportunity to show growth, improvement, self-awareness. Perfection leaves no room for improvement – it is a dead state. Forget perfection.
The Space In-Between
When considering your brand, consider it the ‘space in-between’. Your brand is the space in-between numerous contributing factors, such as your business, staff, product, visual identity, customers, detractors, the current environment.
This ‘space in-between’ must be a space of vitality, of evolution, of imperfection, if you want people to relate to the brand and the brand to remain relevant. This ‘space in-between’ is not static or stagnant, it is always in-process. It should be considered temporally rather than spacially. It will most often be appreciated and experienced intuitively not intellectually. When considering your brand – the ‘space in-between’ – it’s not rational, it’s emotional.
Contributed by Paul Bailey Strategy Director Halo
For over 20 years, I’ve been working in or running my own branding agency. First design side, and then moving strategy side, I’ve learned a thing or two in my time. However, there is one thing which I seem to learn but then need to relearn again and again, and that is the need for and the role of transparency.
Now, what has led me to relearning the need for transparency you might ask? Well, in my current role I am Brand Strategy Director. This means I’m not only responsible for the brand strategy work with clients, nor does it mean I’m only responsible for the rest of our strategy team. No, what I take this role to mean is that I am responsible for the understanding and application of brand strategy from the whole of the agency.
As a full-service agency, we have people doing all sorts of roles, from design, to development, to client partnerships. Everyone will, at some point, work with the strategy team on projects, and so I believe that the more they can understand strategy the better and more effective our agency’s work will be. Now, of course, in meetings people get a little window into what we do in strategy, but I realized that in order to really make the strategy teams work transparent I needed to find ways to open up our working. So, I decided that I would decorate the walls with some of the models and frameworks that we might use in a project. (See above)
Models and frameworks seem to be either loved or loathed by strategists, but the use of a good one can create much needed focus at a critical point in a project.
The thing about them is, they’re not intended to give you an answer. In fact, even the best use of the smartest model only ever gives you an approximation of the answer. But for me, that is fine, because in strategy there is never really an answer, there’s just one of a number of answers.
So, I looked through the models I’ve used over the years, printed out some of the best and most used ones, and stuck them on the wall. This immediately led to some great feedback and some very interested people passing our strategy area. Conversations about models, their uses and application, and what they would be useful for, flowed freely. You see, once you put your ways of working out there, people are invested and interested.
In a project, models should be used as your hidden secret. We use them to create focus from a wide range of inputs, but we rarely show them to clients. They’re not really the best way to present work, so we use them as a tool for focusing our work, not presenting it. Good models should be used to cut, to hone, to give you less and not more.
Now there are many models I no longer use, they no longer meet my standards and have been dropped. As I said previously, I’ve spent over 20 years doing this, and one of the things I have learned is what models work, and which ones don’t. So, here’s a short list of a few of the models I still use, and what I use them for.
1. PESTLE
This model is old, and many people knock it, but I still use it. Why I use it is I find it a simple and helpful structure to work through one of the aspects of the context within which our brand exists – market forces. The six areas the PESTLE name stands for (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) are still a good way to break down the market forces at play on a business and its associated brand. I find that they help me focus, but also they give an indication as to the areas in which a business has more to think about.
2. SWOT
Yet again, another old model that doesn’t get much love these days. Well, I still love it. When we are researching a brand project there are two key areas we need to find out about – the context (market forces, audience, competition) but also the business itself. The SWOT gives us a very simple model to learn something of what the business is good and bad at, and where they see opportunities and threats. Now, the slight variation in my model is that I use a grid which sets out the strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats on the outer edges, but on the inside where they cross over there are four panels where you can start to set out strategies for improvement (S-O, S-T, W-O, W-T).
3. Brand Pyramid
Now I don’t think I’ve ever shown this as a pyramid to a client. The reason I find the pyramid useful is that it mirrors the process I go through mentally to try and reach a core brand proposition. At the base of the pyramid is the context within which the brand exists (market forces, audience, competitors). The wider this base is (the more research we can do at this stage) then the more stable the pyramid will be. Diagnosis of the context of a brand is the foundation of a good brand proposition. At the other end of the pyramid is the point, the tip, the core proposition that encapsulates the core value of the brand to its audience. You might manage to get this down to only a few words, or at most a sentence or two, because this should be the distillation of all of your work so far.
4. Evolutionary Brand Cycle
There are many models like this, but this is the one I use. It is a simple breakdown of a never ending process of evolution which every brand should constantly go through. Because, although we’ve just written a distillation of the brand, in reality the brand is always changing and shifting to a point. A brand is a dynamic entity which evolves over time. So, this model has four stages; Understanding, Clarifying, Communication, and Evolution. Understanding is your research phase. Clarifying is your distillation phase. Communication is your communicating phase. And Evolution is your listening phase. Keep doing these phases, over time, and your brand can shift and move at the right place and the right times.
5. Marketing Sales Funnel
The Marketing sales funnel is yet another old and supposedly broken model. Not as far as I am concerned it isn’t. Now, my approach to the marketing sales funnel is quite loose, and we don’t put strict rules on how we use it. What we do find it useful for is assessing what marketing touchpoint should be used for which part of the journey through the funnel. At the top of the funnel we are looking at Awareness, and so touchpoints such as OOH and TVC will feature heavily. At the bottom of our funnel we have Advocacy, so Google Reviews or user reviews may feature here. Really, we find the funnel a helpful tool to give our touchpoints a role and responsibility.
6. Experience Ecosystem
Finally, we move into the Experience ecosystem. What is this you might ask? Well, it is something that we do to give a function to every ‘moment’ a person comes into contact with our brand. A ‘moment’ is an audience-centered view of a touchpoint. Brands are shaped through ‘Associated Memorable Moments’, and every one of these moments in time should be used to encourage a desired action or reaction. Whether that action or reaction is just awareness of your brand, or is a driver to purchase, if you attribute a behavior you would like to encourage from that ‘moment’ you are creating a focus for everything you do. Make sure every moment is clearly identifiable as you, and is remembered for something you would like.
BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model is also useful here – motivation + ability + prompt = behavior.
So, there are six models I use pretty often. Of course, there are many more worth using. From Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism to Keller’s Brand pyramid, Stephen King’s Planning Cycle to Kotler & Armstrong’s 3 Product Levels. But remember, a model is only there to help you cut and refine. It will never give you the answer, and what you get out is only ever as good as the quality of research you put into it. As I said at the beginning, there is a value in and a need for structure.
Contributed by: Paul Bailey, Strategy Director at Halo
Bristol-based direct marketing agency Flourish has been recognised for its email marketing achievements at this year’s national Performance Marketing World Awards.
The awards were held at The Grosvenor Hotel on Park Lane in London and Flourish scooped the Email Marketing award for their work with well-known consumer electronics brand, Samsung. They were one of 22 winners out of more than 90 shortlisted finalists, alongside other award-winning entries including the likes of Asda, Specsavers, Boots, Primark and M&S.
Robin Langford from PMW wrote: “The victors reflect outstanding work across a number of product sectors, alongside awards for the best people, agencies, innovations and teams.”
Flourish also has an office in Dubai and a long-standing relationship with the Samsung Gulf team. They were asked to work on the launch of the Galaxy S22 Series across several regions and in multiple languages. The team assisted with the planning and implementation of a communications strategy that helped Samsung to achieve a high number of pre-orders, and exceeded results from their previous launches of similar devices.
Ian Reeves, Managing Director at Flourish, said: “2022 has been a fantastic year for Flourish, and we are extremely proud to top it off by winning an award that celebrates the game-changing results possible when data, technology and people come together to create customer orientated journeys. This award is credit to the whole team at Flourish and their dedication to pushing boundaries in CRM.”
The campaign has also received recognition by industry body reallygoodemails.com and an internal Samsung marketing award for the campaign with the best use of segmentation.
You can find out more about Flourish via the website.
Sarah Warewinter joins Bristol operation as Associate Director, Strategy
McCann has bolstered its strategy team in Bristol with the appointment of Sarah Warewinter. Sarah joins as Associate Director for Strategy having headed up IMA HOME’s insight and strategy team in Leeds for 11 years.
Prior to her time at IMA HOME, Sarah worked across a diverse range of sectors, with her portfolio including major brands such as Argos, Dr Oetker, Interflora, Jet2 and the NHS.
In her new role, Sarah will build on the strength of the existing team to deliver meaningful work for the agency and its clients. Talking about her appointment, managing director Andy Reid said: “Across the globe, McCann is known for providing our marketers with best-in-class strategic and creative services to help brands play a meaningful role in people’s lives.
“For us at McCann Bristol, Sarah’s appointment is central to delivering this core function, as we continue to proudly create award-winning work for our clients. Sarah comes with an impressive track record, along with a wealth of expertise across a range of sectors and I’m pleased to welcome her to our senior leadership team as we head towards 2023.”
Sarah added: “I’m really excited to join the McCann family. The ambition and direction of the business is really exciting, and I can’t wait to be involved in the next stage of growth for McCann Bristol.”
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
As Elon Musk, Twitter’s new owner slashes thousands of intelligent, hard-working, committed and highly-rewarded employees from its payroll in order to save losses reported to be $4 million per day, now might be a sensible time to ask yourself what you would do if something similar happened at your organisation? In reality, most employees don’t have a Plan B.
From his book Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception” Daniel Goleman writes: “..people seem to anaesthetise themselves as though the danger was too vast to arouse concern.”
With a global recession looming, what is currently happening at Twitter, is perhaps an early warning sign that we can (or even ‘should’) expect far more mass redundancies in 2023 and beyond.
UPDATE: Just a few days after this article was first published on LinkedIn, BBC BREAKING NEWS: “Facebook-owner Meta to cut 13% of its workforce… In total 11,000 employees are to be laid off from its worldwide headcount of 87,000 people.
Yes. Dust off your CV. Give it a polish. But in a global downturn, what if decent jobs simply don’t exist for a while? And as we’ve all discovered from the pandemic, if you can work from home – so can every other highly-educated and equally experienced applicant. In whatever country they live in.
Setting up your own business, or running a ‘side-hustle’ alongside your existing job is an option worth considering. And so is ‘freelancing’. That’s the area in which I have most experience.
I’ve been a full-time freelancer since 1978 – my entire working life (except for a 4 year period when I was under contract to the BBC as an announcer – but even then, I had my own ‘side-hustle’ as a voice-over and corporate video presenter). I’ve been self-employed through two recessions. To describe those times as ‘challenging’ would be a gross under-statement.
In the mid-90s a freelance journalist wrote an article in the Sunday Times about a seminar I delivered to help freelancers generate more business.
As a direct result of that article, I received more than 3,000 letters (it was before email) from struggling freelancers asking for help. Since then, the ‘gig’ economy has exploded. And it’s highly likely to expand even further. After delivering countless freelancer seminars, way back in 1998, I commissioned some detailed research about freelancing – this was part of the introduction to the report:
“The majority continue to dismiss or under-estimate the impact the changing employment market is having and will have. Self-employment, and freelance self-employment is likely to play an increasing role in the new employment landscape. For a society dominated by the employee mind-set, this raises profound questions, and a deal of apprehension. When the freelance experience is viewed through corporate eyes and with an employee mind-set, a different picture emerges from the one which unfolded during the survey.”
You can download the original report here.
At 90+ pages, you might not want to read every page – but even from light skimming, you’ll see that some aspects of freelancing could have been written last week, not 24 years ago.
Because it was the first research of its type, it was referenced in the House of Commons at that time. No government action was taken. However, I was invited to submit a proposal to provide up-to-date, practical training for freelancers to be offered by a government agency. I presented what I thought was a strong business case; freelancers can be well paid, so if you help them generate more business, they earn more and ultimately contribute more tax. This would therefore self-fund the government supported training. Sadly nothing came of it. I was later informed by someone within government procurement, that you have to be a company, not ‘just’ a freelancer to be accepted as a supplier to UK government. Oh, the irony!
As someone who has since trained thousands of freelancers face-to-face and online, they learn how to structure their businesses in such a way that they can have MORE job security than a mere employee – who, if you think about it in this way, have only one ‘client’. The most savvy, forward-thinking b2b freelancers consciously decide to work with a variety of clients in different industry sectors which operate at different stages in the economic cycle. Developing this type of ‘work-portfolio’ is not fool proof. But it beats crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
I’m holding a free evening seminar for Bristol freelancers at the Square Club on 15th November – for pre-registered attendees only. Register here.
Successful freelancers know that you dig a well BEFORE you’re thirsty.
Now is the time for employees and the self-employed alike to pick up a shovel and start digging for new clients and opportunities.
Design a work future that gives you more options. Only you can do that. Don’t expect your employer or your government to bail you out. They will have bigger problems to deal with.
And if one morning you discover, as happened to those thousands of unfortunate workers at Twitter that you’ve been locked out of your laptop or your pass key doesn’t work anymore, please don’t say “This came out of nowhere. We had no idea.”
Every worker (employed or self-employed) really does need a Plan B.
I’m a semi-retired veteran freelancer who produces and presents professional online TV shows and facilitates/emcees large-scale international congresses. I’m also the founder of the FreelancerSupport.Online community.