This time last year, the world was a very different place… we enjoyed the bustle of Christmas shopping, the frivolousness of the office Christmas party, and we didn’t think twice about hugging our friends.
A year ago I juggled the work-life balance… I worked weekends, and evenings, I was the mum who raced home for bath time and cashed in lieu time for the school nativity.
A year on… and like many others, I no longer have an office Christmas party or an office for that matter, and as for the schools’ nativity, I can now download it on demand.
There’s that saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’.. whereas the truth of the matter is I don’t think any of us thought our lives would change so radically.
In September 2020; with looming redundancy; I decided to set up my own business, I could have waited for the inevitable redundancy but I needed to take control of the situation, and activate Plan B.
Taking voluntary redundancy in a global pandemic may have appeared foolish, and I know it surprised a few people. However my role no longer existed, redundancy was inevitable, and if my years of experience in marketing has taught me anything, it’s to know your competition, and the importance of timing.
Has consultancy always been my end goal, absolutely not; I’m not a natural business person and my blunt admission may shock people. Most business people dream of having their own business, I did not, for me having my own consultancy was always Plan B.
Plan A was to lead a team, a team that would create great experiences, and develop campaigns and creatives that made a positive, and measurable difference. I feel fortunate to have developed nearly 20 years of experience in doing just that.
So whilst I am not a natural business person, I am a natural marketeer, and a good marketeer always has a strategy, and as 2020 took hold I was grateful to have had the foresight to have a Plan B.
The decision to set up Cockadoodledoo Communications was the right decision at the time, and as we near the end of what has been a testing year, I am pleased to report the business will be going into 2021 with its 10th client.
For those that know me, you know I love my sport and am proud to start 2021 as a supplier to Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, marketing consultant to LeisureSK, and official marketing partner to Finish Line Racing, a new Elite Women’s Cycling Team.
What am I most excited for next year; seeing a chicken emblem on a team car in the national tour series of course!
Is Plan B the New Plan A? Who knows, 2020 has taught us to adapt to the changing situation, we may see a return to Plan A, there may even be a Plan C, in these changing times, we just don’t know what the future holds.
What I do know is Cockadooodledoo Communications is gaining a reputation, but as all marketers know, marketing is a marathon and not a sprint, and whilst I may have clocked a PB for the first 100m, there’s still a long way to go.
So I will bid you farewell for 2020, but before I do I will take a reflective moment to thank those fantastic businesses I have worked with this year, for their support and most of all their belief.
Merry Christmas