When I talk to people about how I set up my business I always state how lucky I feel I have been. A perfect example of this is the first three Creative Content Company clients. While leaving the media company to work with small companies, my main aim was to be part of the companies journey and their growth. Just keep that in mind as you read this blog post and wonder where ‘working with small companies’ comes into this!
So, my first three Creative Content Company clients were an extremely well-known opticians where you “should’ve gone”, a very large insurance company who are known for comparing meerkats and a marketing company, known to me as Lee.
Let’s start with the first client. I wasn’t sure what to name my business when I first thought through what I wanted to do. So, I had a personal blog and decided to run a competition. I invited readers to come up with names for my business. In return, the business name I chose would win a free blog post on the topic of their choice.
A person called Lee suggested Creative Content Company, which I loved. I sent him an email, thanking him for the idea and offering him his free blog post. Lee replied that he would like one for his ‘client’ on bricks. I returned the blog, and he was really pleased with it. He then asked me for my price going forward. I turned out he ran a marketing company in Leeds and needed a content writer for his clients. Within a few months I was writing 12-16 blog posts a month for his business.
I had an eye test booked at a well-known optician. During my appointment I was asked if I often use a computer. In my excited state of being a brand-new business owner I babbled out that I ran a business and what I did. As luck would have it, it was the director of the franchise that was doing my eye test. They needed help with their marketing for a 6-month period and asked if it was something of interest to me. Oddly enough, I jumped at the chance! I was based in their office, marketing for 2 of their local stores.
The third of my first three Creative Content Company clients was a very large and well-established insurance company. I attended numerous networking events when I first started my business. I happened to bump into the same person twice and on our second meeting he asked what I did. At this point I explained my business and he told me who he worked for.
They seemed to be hitting a wall with their social media and needed a pair of fresh eyes. Every 3 months I was invited into their business to meet with a small team of the social media managers to offer recommendations and changes. Each visit we would go over what was discussed at the last meeting and if it has been actioned. Again, it felt like I was part of the team.
So, there you have it. They were the first three Creative Content Company clients. Maybe not the small businesses I was aiming for, but I was certainly part of their journeys. I learnt a lot too!
