This Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of setting up my consultancy business, Creative Communicators Ltd. So, it seemed like a good opportunity to reflect and share some nuggets which may be helpful to someone out there.
by Darren Caveney
10 year’s a consultant. Wow. Less for murder, as they say.
Here are my top 10 lessons and reflections…
1. Don’t work with d*cks
No, I don’t mean ducks – think of another word!
This genuinely isn’t a click bait headline – it’s the most important work thing I have learned in all my years on the planet.
I mean, it’s stating the obvious I know but this is an important life lesson which comes to most of us at some point.
And, of course, this doesn’t only apply to consultants, it’s perhaps even truer for in-house comms pros. D*cks – and there are plenty of them – can make your life a misery.
My lesson: Is really simple: If you have the ability and opportunity to move away from d*cks get out as quickly as possible. I took control of a relationship I was in as a consultant several years ago and it really was one of the best things I ever did.
2. Do work with cool, clever people
As a consultant it can be easy to be a bit insular and plough a lone furrow. But a.) that can be a tad lonely, and b.) none of us are good at everything or have all of the ideas.
I have always collaborated with people and have done so with so many talented people. When Covid and lockdown one hit I had almost all of my work cancelled overnight. One of the best things I did was create a consultants group, who met on Zoom pretty much every Monday for a year. We still chat on Whatsapp most days. It’s a lovely group - helpful, fun and chatty. You might think it wouldn’t work as we might be in competition with one another. But the people in the group all fall into point two rather than point one of the above. So we help and support one another, and many of us collaborate on projects. There are 35 of us on the group now and there’s a tonne of experience there – so if there is a question about tax, business insurance or dealing with bad payers there is help at hand.
My lesson: By collaborating with good people it means you can work on things you’re not an expert on, learn on the job, and develop a wider skillset. And hopefully the people you collaborate with benefit too on areas where you are skilled.
3. Know what you’re good at, admit what you’re bang average at
This is important. And, again, applies to anyone either in-house or consultancy.
There are plenty of things I am OK at. But, acknowledging that either someone else can do them better is important. There are also things I don’t enjoy doing and admitting this is both helpful and empowering. Yes, I could upskill, learn and improve in these areas. But equally I have found it more beneficial to release myself to do the things I am best at and enjoy most. Sometimes we pressurise ourselves into trying to be brilliant at everything, well at least I used to. But no longer.
My lesson: Yes, I could offer media training – I am asked about it quite regularly - but the truth is there are better people out there and so I always refer the enquiries on. In turn then other people recommend me for other areas of training and consultancy. It’s a karma thing.
4. Working for yourself is a dream BUT isn’t for everyone
I was really ready to set up my own company. In fact I had wanted to do for a long time, but put it off for over two years due to a large mortgage and kids to feed. We all know that life really is too short. But finances – and financial risk – is a real thing for many of us and mean that it can be easier said than done to take a freelance or limited company punt.
If you’re considering going solo I would say this – do it! I have loved it and haven’t regretted it for a single second.
It isn’t without its own hassles, of course. You will get some projects pulled and you will experience slow or bad payers. Both of which can be a massive problem to most of us, unless you’re sat on a lottery win or big inheritance. Having to sort your own tax affairs and navigating HMRC can be scary too. All of this can put people off working for themselves.
My lesson: Taking a chance on a business without that pay cheque landing each month can put off many a potential comms consultant. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It genuinely isn’t for everyone. But I would say this – No job, however permanent the contract states it is, is ever 100% permanent and guaranteed. You only have to look at the public sector comms jobs landscape right now to see the challenges colleagues are having. I just really wanted my own business and backed myself to make it work. As a former director and head of comms in-house, I often felt like I had a big red flashing ‘savings target’ on my back. I’d rather be in charge of my own destiny rather than rely on a (sometimes bad) line manager to hold my future in their (sometimes uncertain) hands.
5. Want to go it alone? There’s an 8-point plan to help
I have chatted to quite a few people deliberating on this over the years – and most of them went on to take the plunge with consultancy life. I think all have stuck with it, made a success of it, and definitely look like they enjoy it.
My lesson/advice: To aid those potential consultant chats, I pulled together a simple 8-point plan of tips to help, along with some key issues to consider. Consultant, Dee Cowburn, wrote all about it here after a chat we had. So, if this is something you’re thinking about I thoroughly recommend having a read HERE.
6. The best bits?
There are so many. I’ll limit myself to three:
Being your own boss. I love being able to shape my own direction and plan my own days - work til midnight one day, have a slack day the next. It’s very empowering to be able to answer to just yourself on how and where you work. I don’t always get this balance right, and consultancy work will have inevitable peaks and troughs. Being too busy isn’t good for anyone’s mental health. Equally, worrying about work going a bit quiet doesn’t help. And, if the boss (you) is getting on your nerves you can just ignore them.
Variety is the spice of life. I don’t know who first coined that phrase but I agree with it. Every single week for me is different – from comms reviews to tailored training workshops, team mentoring to placing interim talent, it’s always fascinating and - importantly – fun. My last two in-house jobs before consultancy life weren’t that for me, sadly. But I was ready for the switch. Plus, I have worked in so many towns and cities all across the UK, and even in the Middle East, Brussels and the Isle of Man. How cool is that. I also have the space to run passion projects like the UnAwards. This wouldn’t be practical with an in-house job.
Helping good people. I’ve been a lucky person, and certainly lucky in my career. So, wherever possible, I like to be able to pay some of that forward and help other people. That might be why I enjoy mentoring so much – I was reflecting that I have now mentored over 30 people. It’s been a great experience. Some of the mentees have become good friends. And I always learn and benefit from mentoring too so it’s a double whammy. But the help you can give as a consultant is wider than this. Because you can have greater flexibility with your time and chat through issues with a comms colleagues, and sometimes you may have the knowledge to help or suggest a solution.
7. The worst bits?
The best bits overwhelmingly out-weigh the worst bits. By like a 1,000 to one. But, of course, no job is perfect and there are some elements of being a comms consultant which range from being a pain to being a real worry.
Here are the top (or bottom) three:
Late and bad payers. This is almost always down to an error, slow processes or sometimes just a little bit of thoughtlessness. It’s the bane of the self employed, freelancers and consultants. And it can cause real problems because whilst your incomings vary every week and every month, your outgoings and living costs never do. Chasing the comms person who commissioned the work can sometimes be awkward, it’s almost never their fault. But try getting a response back from a finance or payments team. Forget it, you’ll have more chance of spotting the Pope in your local petrol station
Tax and VAT. Yuk. I don’t mind paying my taxes, of course. Well, I wish it was spent more wisely sometimes, but let’s not go there! But VAT is the Devil’s work. Essentially if you are VAT registered you are an unpaid tax collector for the Government. Payable every quarter it’s always a painful process which, in fact, costs me money as I pay my accountant to calculate it for me - it’s easy stuff to get wrong. So, I am financially worse off for doing it too. Great!
Ghosting. We do need to talk about ghosting. Because it’s not just in the online dating world where it happens. It’s a common talking point on the consultants group. This is a kindly meant little plea: If you ask one of us for a proposal, some costs, or just some ideas and we take the time to talk and send you a plan, a proposal, and some costs, please reply. Ghosting is real and it isn’t nice. If our ideas are crappy, you think we’re too expensive, or plans your end just change it’s absolutely fine. These things happen. Just let us know, we won’t mind and it’s better than just being left wondering what we did wrong. There, I’ve said it.
8. Observations of the comms team landscape
I’ve worked with well over 200 comms teams in my 10 years. I say this honestly – teams are doing better work than we did when I was in-house. Targeting is more sophisticated, campaigns more creative, insights better used to inform, planning is smarter and more varied. But, there are also problems. Austerity has seen many public sector teams chopped. Current NHS planned cuts are seeing colleagues in comms with uncertain futures – and with very poor detail and transparency over what is happening and when.
Workloads and demand have never been greater either. So too have expectations. So for many it’s a very tricky space to be in, and why the jobs market is very active.
My lessons: I’ve always felt that you could add another 25-30% extra staffing on top of every public sector comms teams and there would still be too much work for them to do to deliver effectively. Scaling back demand and having a laser focus on what really matters to residents, patients, customers and stakeholders is key. But the truth is not all organisations are good at doing this. Therefore, the challenge is for comms teams to keep on pointing this out and have frank conversations with leaders. Easier said than done but in an industry with already high levels of mental health and wellbeing issues it’s a must. I’ve seen this first hand too many times and I worry about it.
9. No more Sunday nights
I had the Sunday nights in my last two in-house roles. This can impact your home life too so the effects are very real. Again, if this is you, and you can do something about it e.g. move roles, do it. Of course, life isn’t always that simple but taking control and at least trying to turn around an unhappy situation can in itself be empowering and shift your focus.
My lesson: I have never once had the Sunday nights in my 10 years as a consultant, and for that I’m both lucky and grateful. But there are still worries. Like will that late payer come good this week because my mortgage payment comes out soon. Consultancy life isn’t removed from pressures and stresses. No job is perfect. But no longer having the Sunday nights is a benefit which makes it all worthwhile, for me at least.
10. Would I recommend becoming a comms consultant?
It’s a big fat yes from me.
If any of these musings have chimed with you then it could be something to look into more deeply. From the life flexibility to the work variation there are so many ticks in the box for consultancy life.
If you’re confident to give it a bash, look for your own work, sort out your own taxes, forego sick leave, holiday pay and a company pension, then why not. If you do there are good people out there who will help you along the way. And you could join our fun little consultant’s WhatsApp chat too. Although that might be enough to put you off!
Darren Caveney is creator and owner of comms2point0 and creative communicators ltd and organiser of the UnAwards.
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