It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 1 year since I re-branded my business to Maybury Marketing and what a year it has been !! It does not feel like a year, it feels like a whirlwind high speed trip around the world without ever leaving my home.
So, although Maybury Marketing is 1 year old, people may not realise I’ve been in business for 16 years. The work that I do is varied and covers a number of sectors, from hospitality to retail and lots more in between. Up to last year, I had been trading under 2 different business names and it was getting a little confusing, so when Covid hit and my business, quite literally took a hammering, it gave me the perfect opportunity to re-brand, something I had in my mind for a while and Maybury Marketing was launched.
It would be near impossible to sum up the past 12 months in justa few pages as it really does feel like such a lot has happened. I was fortunate that the down time for my business was short, after launching Maybury Marketing in June 2020, it really didn’t take long to re-build and that is thanks to the amazing support that Ireceived. I was blown away by the number of businesses locally who came to me asking for my help to grow their business.
I also received fantastic invitations and opportunities to promote Maybury Marketing. After the craziness of 2020, I set myself a challenge at the start of 2021 to make the most of every opportunity and I hope I’m living up to that challenge.
Just some of the highlights ….
· Featured on the Everything Entrepreneurial podcast
· Finalist in the Businesswoman of the Year Awards
· Mentoring business owners and managers all across Ireland
· Embracing zoom and connecting with people near and far
· And I’ve collaborated with like minded business people on some fantastic projects
…..I’m 100% sure that collaboration is the way forward for me.
When it comes to putting myself in front of a camera, I find things like this very much out of my comfort zone and I know so many people won’t bat an eyelid at posting videos or photos but it was only this week that I finally plucked up the courage to post my first video. I often question if my followers on some social media platforms are actually my customers and what they must think of my posts but then I get enquiries from local businesses, right on my doorstep, so I guess it must be working.
I’ve grown the team over the last year, taking on a marketing graduate on placement and another girl, who works part time and they’ve been fantastic additions to the business and I get great pride in seeing them grow in confidence and learn.
I was accepted onto 2 mentoring panels, typical impostor syndrome, I questioned my ability to mentor other people on how they should run their business but as it turned out, I love mentoring and from the feedback I’ve got from clients, I’m good at it. That is because I am a solutions person, I’m the person people call on when they need an answer, mostly to a business question but I’m also the solutions person in my peer groups, “Ask Sandra, she’s know what to do”, is what I often hear.
In the past year I’ve tendered for work I would never have considered myself suitable for before but again I was stepping up to the challenge. When submitting a tender, I felt my educational background was thin. Although I had success in my career, other than my initial college course and numerous short courses, I had rarely embarked on any learning journey that led to recognised accreditations. So, recently, I started a Diploma in Coaching, so far so good, I’m loving the challenge of juggling life, work and learning !!
With every milestone, be it entering an awards process, tendering for a job or posting a video on social media, which completely pushed the boundaries of what I’m comfortable with…. I thank my tribe, my network and networking !! I am a member of Network Ireland West Cork and through this network I’ve connected with amazing women in business, who inspire me and push me every day and because of them and the support of my family and friends, I’ve grown in confidence and constantly challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone.
So, here we are full circle, what felt like starting from scratch and picking up the pieces after Covid hit, last March 2020, has now resulted in a thriving business. I am busier than I was pre-covid, doing work I love. I am grateful every day for my clients who trusts me to help them to grow their business to its full potential.