I love writing, I always have. My command of the English language is not the best, my grammar is questionable, and my vocabulary is not as broad as I would like. In primary school, I was tested for dyslexia. Every test has a predefined score, a line so to speak that above denotes a pass and below a failure. I wasn’t certified (if that is the right term) as dyslexic. I scored slightly above the defined "dyslexic" line. I, however, consider myself "borderline" dyslexic.
Irrespective of my abilities or failures in understanding and applying the English language, I enjoy writing. I have an aspiration to write a book. Couple the paralysis of self-doubt with indecisiveness (whether to write fact or fiction) has resulted in a novel with zero word count, to date).
Just over a year ago, I leaped, put trust in myself and my ability as an experienced/seasoned marketer, and decided to launch my own business. Sparkz Marketing was conceptualised in 2018, incorporated in June 2021, and became my primary focus in January 2022. I had an idea, then procrastinated, and finally committed when fate nudged me.
I am not going to lie; it has not been easy. I have doubted myself countless times, I have considered throwing in the 'preverbal' towel and seeking full-time employment on several occasions; most recently last week. What stops me each time, is both my stubbornness to succeed and my desire (even luxury) to control my life and how I manage my time.
I am a massive (maybe slightly obsessive) Steven Bartlett fan. Steven related time to gambling chips in one of the early episodes of The Diary of A CEO. “If every hour of your day was a chip, how would you allocate your time to give you the best chance of success?” (or something along those lines, you get the sentiment). Another of his sayings (albeit he may have swiped it from others) is “what seed will you plant today that will help you get to where you want to be tomorrow?”, wise words inspiring deep consideration. During moments of hesitation, I revisit the reasons I chose to start my own business and the value I know I can deliver to my "target" client.
“What does the aforementioned have to do with starting to blog?”, I hear you ask. Add together a love of writing, 20+years’ experience working in marketing, being an entrepreneur (ok, maybe just a business founder/owner), a passion for collaboration, and a desire to help develop others; starting a blog intuitively feels like the best route of expression.
Embarking on this blog journey I seek freedom of expression (selfish fulfillment). I also aspire to provoke, inspire and offer advice to others (selfless fulfillment).
I aim to be able to catalogue blogs into one of four distinctive categories (topics per se).
1. Marketing fundamentals – functional content. Here I will share my perspective on core or topical marketing principles; best practices, advice, hints, considerations, and practical application
2. Leadership lessons – stories and learnings relating to “how” to operate (not mutually exclusive to marketing, but applicable to various disciplines).
3. Business ownership – warts and all of setting up and owning your own business; what I have learned, what I may or may not do differently (if I had the opportunity), council I'd give to others
4. Personal tales – Honest is one of the core values of Sparkz. In personal tales, I will openly share, warts and all my experiences and/or perspectives on various topics.
These categories will keep me, and hopefully, you inspired and engaged.
So, buckle up, here we go. The Sparkz Marketing blog has officially launched.