Without a marketing mentor, I felt my marketing development was limited - and this is when I moved into my first formal marketing role.  I began working as marketing assistant and later marketing project manager for a small full-service marketing agency in Newark.  We looked after small, start up, medium sized and some global businesses - both in the B2B and B2C markets.  Being mentored by a Chartered Marketer, and Fellow  of the CIM ensured I learned from the best - which really helped my studies.  We won awards, our clients won awards; we produced newsletters, managed PR, events, research projecs and numerous design and print projects - it was an excellent career choice.

When the marketing agency relocated to Cheltenham, it was time for me to find a new career direction - and that is when I moved into advertising.  For more than two years I took the A46 from Newark to Leicester, to work for a leading Advertising and PR Agency in the East Midlands.  Covering the whole of the UK, principally looking after the advertising and print requirements for a number of house-builders - at any one time over-seeing in excess of 40 housing developments. Each site needed an identity which suited the target audience; each needed marketing collateral, a launch plan and an ongoing advertising programme in the local press (these were the days before the dominance of RightMove). 

I'll be honest - the A46 South West became hard work - the journey to Leicester was tough and I felt I needed a new direction.  I found the opportunity in a totally different direction.... Lincoln (A46 North East!)  The opportunity which presented itself was a niche, market-leading business which needed someone to head up the in-house design function, including producing brochures, leaflets, advertising, design. Over the decade my role developed, to include heading up the entire marketing function. I operated at Executive level; and under my leadership we developed and implemented the group-wide marketing strategy; created and launched a leading property index; generated sales campaigns; built a transactional website which saw improvements on all of the key metrics for online sales - site visibility, traffic, on-page optimisation and conversion rates.  However, after ten years I felt my work there was done - and it was time for the next challenge...   

Being a senior manager and a functional leader is hugely rewarding - being responsible for overseeing and steering hugely successful projects and initiatives is immensely satisfying.  However, I needed to get back to the coal-face of business almost replicating my very early career - but with in excess of a decade more experience under my belt.  And so here starts the next stage of my journey....   

Working with small and medium sized businesses -  those which don't have a marketing director, or a head of marketing of their own - they simply don't need someone full-time and they don't want to appoint a solution-focused agency.  What I bring is over 20 years of hands-on, forward-thinking, action oriented strategic marketing expertise.  I help form strategy and navigate a new route for business success. 

Read some case study examples of successfully implemented projects which Molly has worked on here