I can’t believe it – we’re entering our third year of Capella Synergy! Where did the time go? People often ask, ‘why did you do it?’ (leave a secure, permanent role). The answer is easy… I love making a difference, supporting people and businesses to thrive in what can be noisy marketplaces – helping them stand out from the crowd.
It was scary though, starting out on my own. Although, I was never really on my own as I’ve always had the support of Dave, my business partner (and now fiancé). And thank goodness for that, as I really don’t have a flair for the commercial management of the business- it’s completely Dave who keeps the business ticking over. Get me out there with our clients, sharing ideas and dreams, building marketing strategies, and networking (ideally over a glass of wine or two) to build the Capella name.
More often than not, marketing falls to the bottom of business to-do-lists. It can’t be helped, but priorities change, and as much as you want to focus on marketing, time doesn’t always permit it. Doing more than sending out the odd tweet, or writing a single piece of strategic content, all takes time. It’s time a lot of people and businesses can’t find. I saw this as a gap in the marketplace when working with hotels, venues, and event suppliers in my previous role.
Although there are plenty of marketing and PR agencies out there, what makes us unique is our experience across business travel, meetings, hospitality and the events industry. I’ve taken the relationships that I’ve built up over the years to help us maximise exposure for our clients.
Although we started with a focus on a specific industry sector, Capella Synergy quickly began to grow and branch into different sectors through word of mouth and reputation. I look back on these two years and feel so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve.
Earlier this year, I kept my word – that I would bring Toni Byrne on board. After working together for over five years in our previous roles, I promised that I’d create the perfect role for her as soon as I had the opportunity – and I’m so glad I did. As our Social Media and Content manager, Toni’s knowledge and experience have helped us grow what we do with our existing clients and bring new ones on board too.
As I sit here reflecting, I look at my wall in my living room where I have a memorable photo of Toronto. Last year, we had the amazing opportunity to work in both Vancouver and Toronto delivering social media at events. If you asked me when I set out – “do you see yourself working overseas?” I wouldn’t have dreamt it could happen. That dream came true and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity. It helped me to develop personally and professionally in ways I shared with the team to enhance our collective expertise.
With the dream of Canada coming true, what else have I achieved? Again, that’s an easy one – being asked to represent Capella Synergy at a client’s event, presenting to over 100 people at The May Fair Hotel in London (only the best venues for me)! Being able to demonstrate my social media expertise to such a high calibre of industry professionals was a proud moment.
So, in two years, what have we delivered? For our clients, collectively we’ve…
- Published more than 10,000 social media posts
- Generated more than 3.2 million impressions from social media posts
- Achieved more than 150,000 interactions
On that note, it’s time to get back to the puppies. Yes, that’s right, we decided that running a business and getting engaged wasn’t enough – we wanted our black lab Willow to have puppies as well.
Fellow business owners out there, I’d love to hear why you started, your journey so far, and any top tips for Capella Synergy as we enter year three.