Date: June 2017

Being a marketing consultant is truly insane. Trying to explain what you do on a daily basis, is like talking another language to most people that are not in the industry - and for reason. We all work at different levels and few of us really talk to each other about marketing because everyone wants to be the top marketing expert that clients go to for advice.

When you are a successful woman, you are expected to be a whole heap of things, even if some of them you are 'faking it until you make it'.

I know first hand how much I have to perform. I have to hold a room in a meeting, and ensure that I am articulate, on point and relevant. In the office, I have to look like a leader and inspire my team to be high performers. At lunch with clients, I am on a stage. I have to entertain, say things worthwhile, make them laugh and show them that there is a real person under this business persona. At a staff Christmas party, I have to show my team that I am one of them, but I can't drink too much (not that I want to), and I am completely responsible for every persons behaviour and safety.

I was reading an article about people's individual beliefs and it had me thinking...

I'm so opinionated on some topics, but not on others - and I really don't know why. When I grew up, I wasn't entitled to an opinion, and it wasn't part of our household to share our opinions on any topic. In fact, quite the opposite. In many ways, children should be seen and not heard.

Instead, I spent my time listening. Not talking. Not contributing. Just listening. I think that started a foundation where I sway from not saying too much to going over the top and participating too much. Then to now, where I think I have a healthy balance, but tend to say a little more than I would normally, usually under the guise of being a content writer. 

A huge wake up call happened to many people I know last night, and it was a shocking reality. When someone needs you, they need you. They may not come outwardly in saying what is the exact problem or what they are going through, and that is something we all need to be reminded of.

A first world problem for sure, but it is one I see regularly as an entrepreneur and one who travels widely around the world.

We all work hard. I don't have children, but I see a lot. I have opinions, just like most, but there is some substance in my opinions because I have been around for a long time.

Parents work hard to build their businesses and wealth. They do so because mostly, they didn't grow up with the wealth that they would have liked, or perhaps they just want to live a better life. 

They accumulate wealth, with that comes big houses, flash cars, holidays in the South of France and skiing in Aspen, and so on. 

I don't know about you, but if you have been a marketer in the same company or maybe only with one or two companies, for the past 5 years, you may just be thinking "what's next?"

Having a career in marketing is exciting. It is something that I have chosen for the past 25 years, and every day I love going to work. It's my passion. I am completely in love with the people who work for me. They are rockstars and every day they get better and better. Right now, we have a team of people who are winners. They have the right self-starting attitude and are competent. We are not second guessing anything they do, and their relationships with clients are second to none.

It is my belief that every business should have some sort of exit strategy. That may mean selling your business in the future, or it may mean handing it over to the next generation. The reality of business, is no-one lives forever and it's always good to go into business with a plan in mind, and that includes covering such things as ill health, death, a sale of the business, or passing it on to the next generation. Perhaps you want to list your company on the stock exchange or expand it overseas and sell off areas that don't make sense long term.

I've long realised that I can fill in the questions for any psyche profiling to obtain the answers I want them to finish with - although this is counter productive in every way.

If you run a marketing team, you will realise a few things; firstly that no marketing team can be all the same, and secondly, a mixture of personalities and skills is required for optimum performance. When choosing a team, it's best to steer away from selecting people just like you, or like another person who you rate as being a good marketer on your team. The reason is simple; a strong, competent, successful marketing team has to have a mixture of personalities that collaborate, support, encourage, nurture and push each other to reach their full potential both individually and as a team.

While this may seem idealistic, it's a reality for any competent marketing manager who has the 'balls' to think outside the box when they are putting together a team of people to take a company to the next level.