For many years, I’ve watched others navigate the highs and lows of running a business on the open seas, never suspecting there was also an adventurous spirit within me.

I say elsewhere on my website that it isn’t always easy to see opportunities to improve your marketing and communications from within. But I believe it is also true of your ability to see yourself clearly.

Until recently, I felt the only way I wanted to contribute to others through my work, was by working for a charity. I loved my role as Head of Marketing and Communications at the Leukaemia Foundation. In leading a team across Australia for more than six years, I was not only able to support vulnerable families in our community, but also become a stronger marketer, a better communicator and a more capable leader.

The watershed moment is still clear in my mind. I had been quietly testing the idea of consulting and early on, was talking to a school leadership team about ways I could improve their marketing and communications effectiveness. Mindful of their limited resources, I offered a few service options including redeveloping their website and running market research to uncover strong advocates and attributes to emphasise in marketing communications. One replied “Tania, we’re teachers. We don’t know how to do any of this stuff. But we can see it’s important and we want you to do it all.” I realised that as a consultant, I could help many more organisations to be successful by sharing what what I’ve learned across years of experience and professional development.

I’ll admit it… a little piece of me thinks if Donald Trump can find himself leader of the free world, perhaps I can achieve a much smaller goal of running a successful consulting business from Adelaide.

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Over the past six months, I’ve had the opportunity to assist government, education and corporate clients. I’ve met incredible people and it has been rewarding to apply my skills and experience in new ways. And I’ll admit it… a little piece of me thinks if Donald Trump could find himself leader of the free world, perhaps I can achieve a much smaller goal of running a successful consulting business from Adelaide.

As I write this, I don’t yet know if I will make a living from consulting. But there are three qualities I know will give me more than a fighting chance.

1. I can see around corners. Not literally of course. I can connect seemingly unrelated events and observations and weave them together like a tapestry. Many people talk about being able to see the big-picture but I’ve learned that few people can really do it in a way that reaches across different parts of a business.
2. I like to help. This may be as much to do with family heritage as anything else, but I like being able to fix/improve/influence an outcome. I’m the go-to person for family and friends when they need advice and it’s been the same throughout my working life. I’m approachable, care about people, thorough and willing to help however I can to ensure a job is done well.
3. I am persistently curious. I’m known for a particular turn of phrase: “it’s a computer, it must be able to do this”. I built this website. Not because I want to develop websites (although I do offer project management, user experience audits, and copywriting services) but just to see if I could. I believe almost anything is possible, even if it’s not clear or possible yet. Patience and persistence are virtues I value. (I think here of James Cameron needing to wait for technology to catch up before he could produce ‘Avatar’.)

And it will be persistence that will see me through the many furrowed brow moments I will face as I strive to make See Marketing & Communications a business I can be proud of: one that delivers a service clients value and one that challenges and motivates me.

Wish me luck!

Tania

PS – Why ‘See’ I hear you ask? 1. It suits my curious and problem-solving nature. 2. It’s easier to spell than ‘Cavaiuolo’. 3. I’ve been ‘TaniaSee’ on twitter and Skype forever (refer point 2).