Cockadoodledoo’s Highland Adventure-MD, Emma Rouse
Four years ago, I embarked on a solo business journey, an adventure many considered crazy.
It was a giant step into the unknown. However, today, I stood on the summit of Ben Nevis with a team that voluntarily chose to spend their Sunday driving to the highlands of Scotland to climb this mountain with me: a mountain and a metaphor for what continues to be a fascinating business journey.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I took voluntary redundancy from a well-paid Head of Marketing role with the largest racing operator in the UK to start a business called Cockadoodledoo…inspired by … you guessed it, hatching chicks! When you say it like that, it does sound a bit cuckoo.
However, our latest recruit told me I need to believe in the value I bring; I did, I do.
With twenty years of house experience of working nationally and internationally, a ream of major events, none more so than the London 2012 Olympic Games. Paris 2024 reminding all too recently of the impact London 2012 had on my career, I had the experience that I knew others would value.
A strong work ethic, energy, and creativity have got me to the fourth anniversary with the help of some excellent team players and amazing clients who have believed in my vision for an alternative marketing agency. An agency model that offers the familiarisation of in-house with the added versatility and experience of an agency.
To the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, Royal Yachting Association, England Golf, Magna Vitae, Amelio Solar Energy, Healthcare Management Trust, British Triathlon, Paddle UK, and many more, I thank you,
I am grateful for each organisation and team member who has taken that leap of faith. None more so than those team members/ intrepid explorers who stand with me today, soaked, weather-beaten, and in serious need of a pint!
You know you have good team players when they climb a 4000ft with you. Not that we set the bar high or anything!
Our journey has not been a walk in the park. It has been fraught with twists and turns, unlit paths, and rocky terrain, much like today’s climb… a climb that very nearly didn’t happen, with a yellow weather warning, thunder, and 50mph winds putting our team’s adventure at serious risk.
However, this team is no fair-weather friend. We didn’t turn back. We continued to Scotland by train and car, with fingers and toes crossed that the skies would clear, despite my wittering the whole way that this would be a long drive for a team BBQ!
As feared this morning, we woke to the sound of torrential rain and wild winds battering the Airbnb windows. The faces of once supportive partners started to look decidedly anxious and undoubtedly unimpressed.
However, with a promise of dry skies this afternoon and settling winds, I mean 25mph 😳, at 11 am this morning, we started our climb for what would be my third peak in three years.
In September 2021, I climbed Mount Snowden through the night to fly the Cockadoodledoo flag at sunrise. Climbing through the dark on an unlit path seemed very fitting for my first year in business. Someone pass the torch!
In September 2022, as we entered our growth phase, I took on the technical climb of Scafell Pike. The smallest of the three peaks, Scafell Pike, is often considered by those on the three-peak challenge to be the hardest, which I could relate to.
As the coop crew, we worked hard to find footing in an established industry, manage resources and demand, and evolve and respond to our clients’ growth trajectories. We hired some great people during this time, people who have become key players in the business journey.
Today, as we near the completion of our fourth year, WE embraced the mighty Ben Nevis, undoubtedly the highest, most complex and coldest, with a chilly 4’c at the summit! However, we’ve trod our path with confidence, conviction, this is no longer a solo climb. This is a team on a mission.
Perhaps the slowest of all three peak challenges. Still, like business, it’s important not to rush these things, as in the wise words of a fellow mountaineer :
“The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.”-Conrad Anker
