Something to root for.
You don’t just want to create a business. You want to create something that does genuine good and really matters.
You don’t just want to say “buy from me”. You want to say something meaningful and stand-up for what you believe in.
And you don’t just want people to passively buy from you. You want them to really engage with your work.
You want to root for something, and you want people to root for you.
Going against the grain is hard.
Doing things differently is never easy. Bucking conventions and challenging the status-quo takes energy and resilience. The well-worn furrows of how things are done are easy to fall back into. Big, bold ideas can feel messy and unwieldy. Thoughts of self-doubt can creep in. “Am I doing this right? How do I actually get where I want to go?”
And then on top of this is the challenge of communicating something new and different to people who are used to things being a certain way. “But what do you actually do? Why should I care?” They don’t seem to get it. And when you are creating something that is probably a little more expensive, maybe a little less convenient, and definitely a little unusual, people need to really understand what you are trying to do.
Which is where I come in.
Seed-sower and pattern-spotter.
I’m an outside eye that can help you to see the wood for the trees, spot patterns and find gaps. I have a knack for identifying the nuggets of gold - the stories and ideas that will connect and inspire - and weaving them into a cohesive narrative. I sow seeds of what is possible. I translate big, messy ideas into clear structures and language.
I’ve been working with small businesses for over five years now, helping them to build and grow in a way that works for them. After starting off just offering copywriting, I quickly realised that words need to built on something. That you need to know what you want to say before you start saying it. As such I started to delve deeper into the businesses I was working with, getting to the central core of who they are and why they do it, and then building out from there.
Helping purpose-led small businesses and social enterprises create clarity - inside and out.
Roots, trunks and branches.
I describe what I do as offering structure, strategy and storytelling. Yet I’m aware these might seem rather abstract ideas. “But what do you actually do?”
So as I believe our business and enterprises are living, growing things, I like to think of them, and what I do, as a tree! The roots, trunk and branches all fulfil different needs, but they are all vital, and all work together.
The roots: inspiration and nourishment
Roots are a mass of unseen capillaries, reaching deep into the ground. They are unseen from the outside, but without them the tree wouldn’t survive. The roots are your structure and clarity of purpose. They are knowing who you are and what you stand for, and allow you to draw in inspiration, nourishment and resolve.
The trunk: strength and direction
Trunks are the core of the tree and its source of strength and stability. They hold trees upright and help them to grow towards the light. Trunks are your strategy and direction of travel. They are how you will get to where you want to go. They are knowing what you do and how you do it, and help you to grow with purpose.
The branches: energy and community
Branches reach up and outwards, growing leaves that generate energy for the whole tree. They provide a canopy for others to shelter under, and when the leaves fall to the ground they fertilise the soil, and help new seeds to grow. Branches are storytelling. They are building a community and creating energy and momentum.
Creating and growing - together.
My commitment to doing things differently extends to how I work with my clients. To give you an idea of my approach, here are the three values it is based upon.
Consistently collaborative
I believe the best ideas come out of conversation, and that you are the expert in your own business or enterprise. As such I work with my clients to co-create strategies, and share website copy as I go to make sure we are always on the same page.
Creative and disruptive
I was the child who asked “why?” constantly! I don’t believe in accepting things just as they are, and am always questioning and looking for a better way. I believe my role is to find what works for you, and will happily get creative in order to do so.
Stubbornly value led
I won’t compromise my values, and don’t expect you to either. I believe deeply in diversity and inclusivity, and environmental and social justice. I want to work with people who feel the same, and want to build a business or enterprise with these values at the very core.
Kind words from a couple of my brilliant clients:
“Fiona has an amazing ability to pull things together from our ideas.
Be that helping with our online courses development, our brand strategy, or piecing the jigsaw puzzle of our website. As with our visuals and films, Fiona paints a picture with her words by telling stories and getting to the heart of it all.
She has brought clarity to our business and it really feels like she has become a part of the team!”
"I have found working with Fiona both inspirational and very grounding.
Fiona works collaboratively and puts down all the notes in real time so that you have a comprehensive plan for your project and record of the meeting. Her no-nonsense yet creatively challenging manner of coaching has been extremely helpful for my projects.
I'd highly recommend her to anyone looking for focus, course planning and creative business marketing support."
What I actually do:
CREATIVE CONSULTANCY
The foundation of all of my work is conversation - either just with one person or a whole team.
Over the course of a series of meetings, in-person or over zoom, we will dig in to your business or enterprise, getting to the real core of what you do, and then build out from there. Our meetings will be a combination of working through exercises I think are helpful, advice from my own expertise and experience, and generally just talking and thinking things through. You’ll leave each session with a list of practical things you can do to move your business, enterprise and brand forward.
Retainers of either three or six months are the starting point of working with me - and you can then choose to take away what we discuss and action it yourself, or ask me to draw-up strategies and write website copy for you as well.
They include two, one-hour meetings a month, plus access to my brain and feedback on anything you wish to send via Voxer (a voice-note messaging app) and email in between.
THREE MONTHS
£350 a month or £1050 in total.
SIX MONTHS
£300 a month or £1800 in total.
STRATEGY CREATION
No more winging it. A carefully thought-out and fully researched strategic direction for your business, brand or marketing.
I don’t just fill in a template of generic headings like mission and vision (to be honest I’m not really sure what either of those actually is!). Instead I tailor design the whole thing just for you so it is the most useful and valuable document I can crate. Depending on what you need I can look at tag lines, key messages, headline copy, values, KPIs, and positioning, along with other things.
From £500 per strategy
WEBSITE COPYWRITING
The right words to describe what you do and how you do it. I specialise in clean, clear copy that really connects and tells a story.
Our websites are an important part of our online identity, and we need to feel at home in them and proud of them. As such I work closely with you to make sure that your website sounds like you, and really says what you want it to say! I lean in to what makes you and your business different, and think of each page as a short story to create a sense of flow, and character.
From £350 per page
Prices are a guide and a starting point.
I offer discounts to non-profits and Frome-based businesses and enterprises.
CLARITY IN AN HOUR (and a half):
A one-off Strategy Session either in-person or over Zoom.
£225
If you are interested in working together, let’s have a coffee and a chat.
If you are trying to create change and think I can help then please do get in touch. We can chat about any of the above offers, or even something completely left-field (I’m always open to new ideas)!
You can book a free, no commitment discovery call over Zoom with me via the link below. If the times don’t work for you, then please just send me an email via contact and I’ll get back to you with some alternatives.