Interviews

Red flags and the toxic topless boss

I'm scared because of what the people in these stories might say and what you might think of me. But putting it out there feels cathartic and unburdening.

Burning through cash for zero output

On a personal front, I felt cheated, hurt, and maybe also lost a bit of faith in humanity because I really thought they’d offer to stay till there were results.

Samuel L. Jackson didn’t make it big until his forties

They convinced me I could do drama school after my university education, and I reluctantly allowed my combusting desire to be dampened.

All the names above the door were creatives

Before long, we were having secret chats about what a creative agency for the new millennium might look like.

Please don’t reach out

I understand the need to talk the same language as your audience but does it really have to come at the cost of our beautiful language?

The bitterness and cynicism of the untalented

The ones with zero self-awareness and who offer only disparaging critique of the latest creative work.

Give it a year and you’ll be advising the United Nations

Juiced up on my own self-importance, I had an air of invincibility. I was untouchable. 

Good ideas are worthless until you make them real

It’s also a reminder to keep the “what if…?” spirit alive that tends to come more naturally in our youth.

Fighting the ‘prove branding works’ brigade

The thing that angers me as a planner is having to spend so much of my time justifying why people should invest money in their brand.

Spending too much time in burnout city

I've always worked in startups, and the "we're a family with a higher mission" attitude often leads to a lack of personal life and a complete lack of balance.

Marketing managers who can’t use Excel

My advice for anyone who is employed would be to remember it’s not your business. You shouldn’t be expected to care as much as the person who owns it.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it

We need to learn how to respond, rather than react to other people online.

The mother of all mistakes

There’s no other single thing that’s had as significant and negative an impact on my career as having children.

Surviving the 9-5, being different, and buzzkill frameworks

The fact that I am built like complete professional nonsense has made me the worst hire possible. It’s a miracle I’m employed at the moment.

CEOs called Elizabeth, risky strategies, and how to get lucky

Luck plays such a significant role in so many successes, yet it seems somehow disingenuous or deceitful, so we look for rational reasons instead.

A lesson in being humble, presenteeism, and writers networks

The 9-5 mindset is so outdated. Measuring someone’s performance based on how many hours they’ve been in the office, will get you nowhere.

The marketing industry’s no barrier to entry and why you should be choosy with clients

The sheer amount of blagging and bullshit in the digital marketing world has been pissing me off on a daily basis for nearly 20 years.

Climbing the ranks, and how long it takes to become successful

I was managing 9 staff and 250 rental cars with next to no experience, and I was shit at it. I was working ridiculous hours, running myself into the ground and hating life.

Losing your life savings and where it can lead you

Immediately after my MBA at Manchester Business School, I joined a tech startup as an investor employee, investing £50k into the business.

A death-threat-inducing fuck up, and adlands obsession with ‘why’

Biggest fuck up? Over the last 15 years, there’s been plenty of moments that – at the time – looked like Mr Fuck Up had...
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It took me 10 years to recover my confidence

Interviews 6
That job, getting fired, and eighteen months of failing to overcome mediocre work set me and my career back.

Please don’t reach out

Interviews 4
I understand the need to talk the same language as your audience but does it really have to come at the cost of our beautiful language?

Fuck milk

Interviews 3
This was our first project for a huge household brand. I saw our hard work closing the deal, and my financial projections disappear in front of my eyes.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it

Interviews 3
We need to learn how to respond, rather than react to other people online.

The reality of a terrible job move

Interviews 2
The business values were a world away from mine. A quick chat with a recruiter would have warned me off.
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