• Money is No Object: What I Learnt From Marketing in Small Businesses

    As I sat there drawing up a FAQ document, I couldn’t help but wonder: what would 2019 me say if she could see me now? Back then I was working 9 to 5 as a Customer Care consultant but on the side I was doing Marketing for a small business, Fast forward a few years and it has been a crazy ride. From corporate to startup to freelance and back to corporate.

    Back then I was working in small businesses where time and money were always tight. No budget meant no team of ten. You were the team of ten.

    You wrote the copy, scheduled the campaigns, answered the emails, fixed the problem, and then figured out how to report on it afterwards.

    It turns out that experience makes you wildly versatile. When you’ve had to touch almost every part of marketing, you start seeing the whole picture instead of just one piece of it.

    You don’t just think outside the box.

    Half the time you’re building the box.
    And if there’s no time for that… you just get on with it without the box.

    And that changes how you work forever.

    Because once you’ve had to do it all, you stop waiting for ideal conditions.

    You start working with what you have.

    And you make it work anyway.

  • When Being a Team Player Starts to Feel like the Full-Time Job You Never Signed Up For

    Being a team player is a wonderfully noble thing. It’s helpful. It builds relationships. It makes you that person everyone relies on in a crisis.

    Until one day you realise… you’re not just being a team player anymore.

    You’re quietly absorbing work that has nothing to do with your actual job description while smiling through WhatsApp messages like “happy to help”.

    Somewhere along the way, “collaboration” turned into:
    “Hey, you’re good with computers right? Can you just quickly fix this code thing?”

    Quickly.

    Right.

    Because nothing says “quick” like being roped into debugging something you didn’t build, don’t own AND were never trained for.

    It rarely starts dramatically.

    It’s usually something small like:

    • “Can you just take a look at this?”
    • “You’re so good at figuring things out”
    • “It’ll only take a minute”

    And because you’re competent and helpful, you say yes.

    Then suddenly you’re:

    • Balancing your own workload
    • Managing deadlines that were never yours
    • Trying to decode systems you were not introduced to
    • And somewhere in there… accidentally becoming unofficial IT support

    Not your job. Not your department.

    But somehow, here you are.

    There’s a big difference between:

    • “I can help you with this once”
      and
    • “This is now also your responsibility”

    And when that line disappears, your actual work doesn’t shrink.

    It just… waits for you.

    Patiently.

    Judging you.

    There’s nothing wrong with being helpful.

    But there’s a difference between being a team player…

    And becoming the unofficial solution to everything that breaks, glitches or confuses someone else.

    One builds a career.

    The other builds burnout with a smile.

    And if you’ve ever found yourself coding something that was absolutely not in your job description while thinking “how did I get here?”…

    Yeah.

    You’re not alone.

  • The Importance of Psychological Safety in the Workplace

    Before asking why your team isn’t performing, ask whether they feel safe enough to perform.

    Psychological safety isn’t about being “nice.”

    It’s about creating an environment where people can:

    • Ask questions without feeling incompetent
    • Raise concerns without fear
    • Clarify expectations without being labelled difficult
    • Make mistakes without being shamed

    When psychological safety is missing, you don’t always see dramatic conflict.

    You see:

    • Delayed questions
    • Silent confusion
    • Overworking to avoid criticism
    • Talent shrinking instead of stretching

    High performance doesn’t come from pressure alone.
    It comes from clarity + consistency + trust.

    If people are constantly bracing for feedback instead of growing from it, something in the system needs attention.

    Leadership isn’t about having all the answers.
    It’s about creating the conditions where others can do their best work.

    And that starts with safety.

  • Let’s Talk About Small Wins

    It’s a Saturday morning and while I would LOVE to be playing Pokopia, I am hunched over my laptop working on something I do not get paid for.

    My neck hurts. My back hurts. But I am so pleased with myself because this is something that has been on my list for a while and it is FINALLY DONE!

    This made me think of the importance of showing up for yourself. IDK about you but I fall into the habit of putting aside my wants and needs. I can be there for family and friends but when I need to do something for me, I always seem to have an excuse as to why I can’t do it or why I’ll do it later.

    It feels good to show up for myself. I made me a promise. I drew me a list of things to do today and the list is finally done.

    (It didn’t even take that long so I’m kinda disappointed in myself for procrastinating).

    And honestly? That feeling of crossing it off my list… priceless. It’s a reminder that showing up for yourself doesn’t have to be dramatic or time-consuming- it just has to happen. So here’s to keeping promises to ourselves, even the small ones. Now… maybe I’ll reward myself with a little Pokopia time.

  • Culture

    Culture Isn’t What You Say in Onboarding

    Culture is not:

    • your values slide

    • your mission statement

    • the branded hoodie

    Culture is what happens when:

    – something breaks

    – someone makes a mistake

    – a deadline is missed

    If people are scared to ask questions, your culture isn’t “high-performance.”

    It’s high-anxiety.

    And no amount of pizza Fridays can fix that.

  • Case Study: Branding & Content Foundation for a UK-Based Business

    My main role as a freelancer is as a content writer. But recently I was approached by a client who needed assistance with their branding. Since this brand was one of the first brands I worked with as a freelancer back in 2022, I agreed to the project.

    The Context

    A UK-based company was ready to show up more professionally online but their messaging was mixed and they lacked the tools to show up as their best self. That was where I came in.

    What I Delivered

    • A branding kit to guide consistent visual identity across digital platforms
    • A mini tone of voice guide to nail down how the brand should sound and feel
    • Defined content pillars to bring structure to their messaging and simplify content planning
    • Streamlined social media operations, helping them stay consistent without burning out

    The Impact

    By setting up these foundational pieces, I helped the brand present itself with more confidence and clarity. With clear pillars, a toolkit and a simplified posting workflow, the team could focus less on “what do we say this week?” and more on engaging their audience.

    Why It Mattered

    Establishing brand consistency isn’t just about aesthetics- it’s about building trust. And when a business starts speaking the same language across every touchpoint? That’s when the magic happens. While this was not my usual type of work, it was definitely very interesting and a project that really challenged me as a Marketer.

  • The OTHER Side of Event Marketing- Being a Creative for an Event Miles Away

    If you know me, you know I absolutely HATE event marketing. It was a recurring part of my role as a Marketing Coordinator and while I loved the after event snacks, everything else was just…well, ALOT.

    When I moved from Marketing Coordinator to Content Writer, I was convinced my days of events were over. But I was recently brought in for a project that took my event experience to a whole new level…I was brought in as a creative. THAT was a whole different game. Especially since I was miles away.

    Communication is Your Superpower

    Not being physically there means you can’t just peek over a shoulder or make a quick chat with the team. Every message counts and over-explaining (my personal fave TBH) can save you hours of back and forth and a lot of headaches.

    Trust, But Verify

    One of the biggest lessons? Trust the on-site team—but back that trust with structure.

    That means having clear guidelines, schedules, and version-controlled files. It also means setting up feedback loops early so you’re not getting a “final” photo from the event with the wrong brand logo on the banner you signed off on a week ago. (Don’t ask me how I know this).

    Tools That Make Distance Work

    Being remote forces you to be tool-savvy. Trello boards became my project bible. Loom videos replaced meetings. Google Docs with comment threads practically ran the show. WhatsApp made an appearance.

    But here’s the kicker: tools only work if everyone uses them. So I made it my mission to keep things simple, centralised and idiot-proof- because when you’re hours away and running on different schedules, clarity is queen.

    The Silver Lining

    There’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing your work come to life at an event you didn’t physically attend. It’s like sending your creative child off into the world and getting back photos of it thriving.

    Plus you build skills that stick: asynchronous collaboration, documentation, planning for the unexpected- all things that make you a better creative, no matter what your industry or where you’re based.

    Final Thoughts

    Event marketing isn’t always glamorous. And doing it remotely? That’s a whole other type of challenge. But with good systems, clear comms and a healthy dose of flexibility, you can make the magic happen- even from miles away.

    So if you’re the remote creative behind an event team, just know: your work matters. I don’t know if you’ve heard it before or not but you are a superstar and Marketing teams everywhere NEED YOU! YOU ARE GOLD!

  • Case Study: Writing From Scratch – Building Copy for a Startup Competition

    As a marketer, you learn to expect the unexpected. Sometimes you get to build something completely new. And sometimes that something is a full suite of copy assets for a campaign that doesn’t even exist yet. This was one of those times.

    The Brief (or lack thereof)

    A startup wanted to launch their first big nationwide competition. And I was more than happy to help. The team had an idea, a deadline and a contagious excitement.

    What I Delivered

    I wrote:

    • Landing page copy to introduce the competition, build trust and drive sign-ups
    • Page notification copy for when users interacted with the competition platform
    • SMS copy to encourage entries and remind participants about deadlines and prizes
    • Email copy to promote the competition
    • Blog posts to build awareness of the competition

    Each piece was aligned with the brand’s tone, tailored to the target audience and created to meet people where they were- whether that was on their phone (i.e short, snappy content) , in their inbox, or scrolling through blog content (longer content that I could play with).

    What I Learned

    • You don’t always need all the answers at the start- you just need to ask the right questions.
    • Good campaign copy needs to flex across formats, but stay rooted in a strong, clear core message.
    • Even small touchpoints (like page notifications!) matter when you’re building trust.

    Final Thoughts

    I can’t show the assets or mention the brand (NDA life!) but this was a great reminder that impactful marketing doesn’t need a big budget- it just needs the right words in the right places.

    Want help bringing your next campaign to life from scratch? Let’s talk.

  • PSA: Life Isn’t Just About YOU!

    This week tested me in ways I didn’t see coming.

    I started the week full of excitement and fresh energy
    Twenty-four hours later, it hit me-I had seriously overbooked myself.

    I hadn’t accounted for personal obligations when I stacked my professional calendar.

    Cue: 12 straight hours in front of a screen, wondering how I could’ve been so reckless. My head hurt. I was nauseous. Were the words DANCING in front of me???

    But somewhere in the chaos, a spark.

    A little while back, I met a friend for lunch- mostly because I needed to get out of the house. He mentioned a business idea, and just for fun, we started throwing around names. One hour later: a brand, brand kit, and tagline. (I can’t help it-I love Canva.)

    At the time, it felt like a fun creative distraction.

    Today, he messaged me to say he’d wrapped up his first week in business. And he thanked me for the help.

    Seeing the brand we dreamed up displayed so proudly? That warmed my heart.

    This week reminded me:
    Sometimes it’s not about you. It’s about showing up for someone else.

    (Also I will now be booking everything in my calendar).

  • 8 Lessons I Learnt in the Last 8 Months of Freelancing

    Can you believe I’ve been freelancing for EIGHT months straight? It’s wild to me that something that was meant to keep my skills sharp while I find my next role, has kinda turned into a career of its own.

    So, in celebration, here are 8 lessons I’ve learnt in the last 8 months:

    I should have been nicer to my Math teachers

    I was an absolute nightmare in Math class. It never made sense to me- and things only got worse when they added the alphabet in high school. No, I don’t want to solve that equation. I used to tell anyone who’d listen that I was going to be a journalist and didn’t need Math.
    Now look at me, trying to calculate long-term budgets and runway like I’m running a fintech startup (which incidentally was my last formal job).

    Time is a social construct

    This was my teenage excuse for staying out too late. Now? It’s a core business value.
    Some weeks I work 10 hours. Other weeks I’m glued to my laptop/tablet/pen-and-paper doing research.
    (It’s called “balance.”)

    Some days I feel like I can actually do this! Other days I want to give it up to go work at Starbucks or McDonalds

    Let’s blame this on nostalgia- both brands were vital to me when I worked in an office.
    Also… I really want to learn how to use a commercial coffee machine.

    Resting is a valuable part of working

    You cannot run yourself ragged especially if your business depends on YOU! Burnout is no one’s friend. No matter how often it tries to pop in uninvited.

    I do not have everything figured out

    There is ALOT of learning on the go when you freelance. You may not know everything but you will learn. The important thing is to keep showing up and be willing to learn.

    Working in pj’s is great…until it isn’t

    At some point you start to feel ick and miss dressing up. Feel free to dress up to fetch your deliveries or even just to sit at your laptop. There are no rules.

    Every invoice paid brings me joy

    I’m not sure if this is just me but I get really excited every time an invoice is paid. I think this stems from my background in corporate where freelancers would usually yell at me because their invoices were unpaid (I mean I get that they were unhappy about late payments and as a freelancer, I got it but as a former Customer Care consultant, I never understood why people got so mean when things never went their way).

    “Let’s hop on a quick call” is never actually quick

    Block out atleast an hour and ensure you have snacks and water.

    What are some freelance lessons you’ve learnt along the way? I’d love to know below!