Creating work that reflects the life I want to live

How my personal values are seeping into my work and the business I'm creating...

This week, I was chatting to my therapist about my new business, and when she asked more about it, I found myself gravitating to how I want more symmetry between my working life and my personal life.

I’ve been working in marketing since I graduated from university back in 2014. I’ve worked my way up from an unpaid intern to a marketing manager in a marketing agency, and I’ve seen the rapid development of marketing over the last 12 years.

I’ve also seen how it has shifted from thinking of creative ways to connect with audiences to just churning out as much content as physically possible.

Developing algorithms and Google updates have meant that a marketer needs to be constantly on their toes and ready to pivot at any moment. The problem with that, though, is that it means your nervous system is constantly in high alert.

When I decided I needed to build a business to support and work around my growing chronic health struggles, I analysed what skills I had to offer.

No surprise that marketing strategy and guidance were top of the list.

My main hesitation, however, was that I was already completely burned out from my marketing job. I’d lost any passion for marketing and the creativity that was once part of my work process.

The thought of building a marketing business - at first - didn’t appeal to me in the slightest.

Then, I started thinking about all the things I hated about marketing. What I hated about my job and why I’d lost the motivation I once had for it.

I realised it wasn’t marketing that I’d fallen out of love with, it was the pace at which, as marketers, we’re expected to perform.

When I drilled down into the work I’d once loved, what I missed was the time and space to really immerse myself in it. I missed having time to think. I missed having the freedom to try new things, experiment and get creative, even if it didn’t work.

Now, corporate clients want results, positive results, immediately. They expect you to know some secret that is hidden from everyone else. They expect you to be able to cheat the system, and when you suggest experimenting to see what happens, it’s like you’ve just told them you’re going to burn their money in front of them.

So, when it came to planning out The Slow Marketing Club - that’s the official name of my new business, I’ve bought the domain now and everything, so there’s no going back - I knew I wanted to create something that shows people how to have more fun with marketing.

I want to show people that marketing doesn’t have to be about overnight success or viral moments. It can be a slow, intentional and organic process.

I want to give small, soul-led and creative business owners permission to experiment and explore what works and what doesn’t. I want them to know they can go at a pace that feels good for them and they don’t have to be constantly chasing more followers, more website traffic, more sales, more more more.

I want to help people who want to create a beautiful, intentional life find a way to market their offerings in a way that mirrors the lifestyle they want to create for themselves.

When I was talking to my therapist, that is what I wanted to get across. That I want to create a business that not only matches the pace of life I want to live, but that also shows others that they have permission to do the same.

I’ll let you know when the new website is up. I’ve been working on it, and I love how simple and easy to use it is. I just have a few things left to do, and then it’s all systems go.

I can’t wait to finally get the wheels in motion and share it all with you in more detail!

Cat x