Founder@ Interview
Interview with Jessica Wicks
“Go for it! You have nothing to lose and you won’t know if you can do it unless you try. If you don’t, you will always look back and regret that you didn’t at least have a go at it. Follow your dreams, ignite your passion and success will follow..” – Jessica Wicks
Today we feature Jessica Wicks, the founder at Jessica Ross. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.
Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
My name is Jessica Wicks (soon to be Jessica Ross) and I’m based just outside of Bournemouth on the sunny Dorset coast. I have a flair for writing edgy content that can make your business stand out against the competition in a way that is both relatable and engages people. I specialise in SEO & copywriting, marketing strategy, social media audits, community management, campaign planning and marketing consultancy.
A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?
I spent the last three years as a recruitment marketer, however, I was furloughed in May and then made redundant in July. This spurred me on to make the leap and become self-employed with my own business. I celebrated my 30th birthday on 27th October this year – a socially-distanced 30th wasn’t quite what I had in mind. As someone who has always championed small businesses, a lot of these clients naturally gravitate towards me. It’s this passion and the love of what I do that keeps me going!
Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?
My business is based in Poole, Dorset in the, however, I have clients based all over the UK. I support companies with their digital marketing, social media strategies, copywriting, SEO, design, PR and promotions.
What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?
I have struggled with anxiety and depression for most of my life, and last year I was diagnosed with an eating disorder which led to me hitting rock bottom. The support I received from the people closest to me helped build my confidence and self-esteem back up to a point where I feel capable of standing on my own. If I hadn’t had this support I don’t think I would have been able to launch my own business.
It’s crucial that when you decide to go it alone, you have people you can lean on and learn from. My partner basically became my PA, Accountant and dedicated coffee-maker. It’s all about trusting your instincts though, and I had so many people believe in me and telling me that I could do it – that I felt now was the right time.
There are definitely times that I wonder if starting a business during a global pandemic was the worst idea ever. But it felt like a moment, an opportunity, and I seized it with both hands!
Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?
Early on I had the unfortunate situation of a client backing out of a contract without wanting to give any notice or pay the cancellation fees. There were two really important things I learned from this situation.
Firstly, I’d made sure my contract had all the appropriate legal clauses in which covered me. Many people will overlook things like this and take people’s word on good faith but you have to protect yourself. Secondly, build up a support network of people doing a similar job to you that you can call on for advice.
When it first happened I wasn’t sure what I needed to do, so I picked up the phone to a friend in the same industry as me and asked for their advice. They talked me through the whole process of submitting a small claims court action and were amazing when I kept emailing them afterwards to ask for further advice.
Set up a business bank account as soon as you get started. I used my personal one, to begin with, then switched to one I was using for savings – it was a nightmare. My accountant is also going to have a much harder job when it comes to sorting my self-assessment out next year.
If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Honestly, I would have told myself to go for it years ago! I was never built for the Monday to Friday standard nine to five job. I wasn’t built to be an employee either which my previous managers would probably attest to. It’s not that I was a bad employee or a troublemaker, I was just made to have my own business and be my own boss.
The flexibility I have in my life now is amazing. I don’t have to spend pointless hours commuting, I can pick and choose when I work and where from. My whole quality of life is just so much better now and I wish I’d done it many years ago.
We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?
My three tools are Trello, Whatsapp, and Wave.
My whole life basically sits in Trello. It’s a project management app that allows you to add cards for different days, clients, or projects. You can organise them, move them around, give them labels and even add checklists. If I didn’t have Trello my day would simply fall apart. With multiple clients to manage, it’s important to be able to categorise and reprioritise work when needed.
Whatsapp is not something I ever thought I would use for business. But with the changes in the world due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so many more people are on board with the idea of using WhatsApp to communicate. Most of the time my clients will send me a Whatsapp message, instead of having to go back and forth with a huge email chain. It’s just really convenient for everyone. I’m also part of a few different industry Whatsapp groups, filled with people ready to give you advice or support. These groups were an absolute godsend to me when I was first setting up my business.
Wave is online accounting software that allows you to create and send branded invoices so easily and you can also receive payments through them too. For someone just starting out this was so helpful as I had no idea what information needed to be on an invoice.
What do you know now that you wished you had known before?
Set up a business bank account as soon as you get started. I used my personal one, to begin with, then switched to one I was using for savings – it was a nightmare. My accountant is also going to have a much harder job when it comes to sorting my self-assessment out next year.
What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?
Being featured on The Recruitment Marketing Podcast was a real highlight for me. I’d followed the work of Victoria Rush for a long time already, so when she asked me to be a guest on the show and share my knowledge and advice with others I felt really honoured.
What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?
A big focus for me at the moment is my upcoming wedding, which may or may not happen depending on the situation with COVID-19. Apart from getting to wear a beautiful dress for the day, it’s important that I get my new surname signed on the dotted line, it was the reason I chose Jessica Ross for my business as that will be my new married name. I have big ambitions for my business.
I want to expand into new industries and take some time to learn new skills. Most importantly though, I want to be able to work flexibly enough that I have balance when we start a family.
To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?
Go for it! You have nothing to lose and you won’t know if you can do it unless you try. If you don’t, you will always look back and regret that you didn’t at least have a go at it. Follow your dreams, ignite your passion and success will follow.
“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and Jessica Ross”
To learn more about Jessica Ross Visit www.jessicaross.co.uk
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