This week’s interviewee isĀ Fiona Scott, a journalist and media consultant with 30 years’ experience helping business owners and SMEs be more visible. Also, a working journalist in Wiltshire and a producer-director of corporate films, as well as a guest director on the BBC daytime show, Flog It!
1. Biggest Mistake of your career & how you fixed it?
I’ve made loads of mistakes – I really believe your biggest mistake is not to learn from your mistakes. I recently spoke to someone who has had a successful corporate career who said “I don’t do failure’ – that’s wanky bollocks. What that actually means is ‘I don’t acknowledge failure and I blame everyone else’.
One of my first big mistakes as a micro business was to pay out Ā£2k for a website when I didn’t know what I wanted, what I was looking to achieve and it was a glorious waste of money. Did I blame the web guy? No. I blamed myself for not being savvier. I then paid someone to create a Ā£300 blog and it flew. Now I have a website, it cost more, but I’m very clear on it and its future development. If you don’t learn and accept responsibility the mistake is YOU.
2. A lightbulb moment
After losing my job, setting up a small business and setting a modest goal of getting three months’ work in the first year. I got six months’ work.
When that happened I suddenly realised, I could do this – and I could succeed. The fact I was a middle-aged woman in the world of media which tends to write you off when you are female and over 40 was something I then chose to ignore. I looked at those accounts (and I hate finances) and I thought ‘you got this girl’.
3. Tip for tomorrow
My tip for tomorrow is to write a list – not too long – which includes five work tasks, one fun task and time off for doing something you love to do – and ensure the list is completed by bedtime. I work best in the morning so I work hard all morning and tend to go out and about in the afternoon. I need human contact, I’ve learned this about myself and that keeps me happy.