Passionate about helping you create an awesome brand, get more productive and achieve a better work/life balance…
I love branding. I really do love everything about it. I love helping business owners understand what it means for them and how they can communicate their passion to their clients and grow their businesses in a way that supports their life goals.
I do this through 121 sessions, training workshops, online courses and you’ll even catching me public speaking at events and colleges from time to time.
My aims are:
- To educate, motivate and support people in their business journey
- To inspire people to take action and reach for their dreams
- To be positive and proactive
- To lead by example
Values that are important for me:
- Authenticity
- Honesty
- Positivity
- Connection
- Imagination
- Fun
If you resonate with these values and want to chat through how we could work together then book a call time that suits you and let’s talk 🙂
Sophie
x
A little history…
I started out in business in 2001 making handmade greeting cards and wedding stationery. This then progressed over the next few years into more graphics based work and a new business was born, media8, in October 2003.
I was the founder member of the Fakenham Chapter of BNI (Business Network International) which launched on 9th June 2004 and was an active member for 7 years and undertook most roles within the group.
From 2009-2012 I ran Guided Media with business partner Len Casey. Over the years Guided Media published a number of publications and town guides including an annual one for Holt and the show Programme for The Wayland Show. We also created, developed and later sold one of the main parts of the business, EatoutNorfolk, an online directory of places to eat in Norfolk. I did all the design and print work for this business including website, business stationery, promotional literature and banners, online graphics, adverts etc.
In September 2011 I qualified as an NLP Practitioner. It was an amazing training course that has been quite life-changing both personally and for business and has given me a plethora of tools to help the businesses and business owners that I work with.
In January 2012 I launched The Holistic Directory. My vision is to grow a business hub and a community. A place for businesses to grow and in turn help educate and support the website visitors who are on their own holistic journeys. Myself and my team are on hand to help support businesses with marketing and general business support and we are also passionate about education.
In May 2013 I was awarded the Future 50 Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year for 2013 for my work with The Holistic Directory. The Future 50 Awards, part of the Future 100 programme organised by Striding Out CIC, puts the spotlight on young entrepreneurs aged 20-35 who are demonstrating entrepreneurial flair and innovation in running a responsible business venture; one which demonstrates a balance between economic, environmental and social goals to achieve ultimate business success. The Future 50 awards encourage and rewards extraordinary vision, ethical business practice and social responsibility. They aim to showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social problems. The Future 50 Awards is part of the Future 100 programme organized by Striding Out CIC www.stridingout.co.uk, a national social enterprise which is committed to supporting the development and growth of young and ethical entrepreneurs.
In 2013 I realised that there were so many businesses that were in need of more than just a print or design service. With the sheer amount of ways to promote businesses now on offer, many businesses’ brands are suffering from inconsistency. I’ve learned a LOT over the years in starting and growing online and offline businesses, designing, launching and managing websites, helping businesses with their design and print, working with clients with my coaching hat on and not to mention all the other training courses and workshops I’ve attended, or even run myself, for social media, online marketing and more. All of this skill, knowledge and experience added to my analytical way of thinking (I love a bit of structure!) resulted in deciding to take action and offer a service that would help businesses. So I started the consulting and coaching side of the business.
Many people are a little unsure of what a brand is and how it is important to a business. They also do not realise that there are many things that can be done cheaply, or even for free, that can just bring the whole brand together and get the business looking and functioning so much better. With so many different ways you can promote your business, it’s easy to get lost along the way and before you know it you have a different look and feel across your adverts, printed literature, social media, website and more. Where I come in is to asses what you have now, find the inconsistencies, work with you to find out how you want it to be and then create a strategy to get there. I can also help you along the way.
This includes all aspects of the branding side of the business; marketing, design, print, websites, social media, emails, blogs etc – my job is to help you make sure that your brand and your message is consistent across the board, and if it’s not, help you make the changes you need to make to get your business looking and feeling how you want. Confidence and consistency breeds trust and trust breeds increased profits.
In 2015 I won the award for Top 50 Business Advisers in the UK with the Enterprise Nation campaign to support UK businesses.