Meet the founder of Amy Merrywest Consulting
I am the founder of Amy Merrywest Consulting and I teach entrepreneurial mums how to do their own PR. I started out my career as a temp in a small PR firm and then moved into London to further my career with a big brand agency. I looked after the PR for a large retail company and it was then that I really fell in love with PR. There’s nothing quite like opening a copy of Grazia or Cosmopolitan and seeing a piece of coverage you have pitched!
What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?
Firstly, I know how much a great piece of coverage is worth to a brand - it can make a small, unseen company into a household name and this ultimately leads to sell-out success.
Secondly, I know how achievable good coverage is. Hiring a PR agency is great - of course, but that’s expensive and in reality, we all have the ability to do our own PR. As a brand owner, you have the passion and understanding of the brand - that’s the important stuff. The rest can be learnt - this is why I teach.
If you could be in a room with 3 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?
Firstly I would choose Lisa Johnson - she is a great, no-nonsense business coach and she really tells it straight. I’d trust her to tell me the truth.
Secondly, I would like to spend time with Ariana Huffington - I just think she seems like she’s got it all worked out and is really living her best life. I think she’d have a lot to teach.
Jay Shetty would also be someone I’d like to meet - I like people who strive for a good work-life balance and who look after their wellbeing as well as their business.
What are your thoughts on failure?
Failure is just part of the process. There is always failure on any journey to success - it just depends if you’ve got the gumption to get up and try again. Those are the people that succeed!
What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?
Planning and mindset it everything. I teach entrepreneurs to plan well, make sure their plan fits into their life schedule and work hard to keep a positive mindset.
If you don’t plan, you end up spreading yourself too thinly and not focussing enough attention on each item on your list. When it comes to mindset, you need to keep positive and focussed - doing this will ensure you’re able to level up and push harder.
What plans do you have for Amy Merrywest Consulting over the next two years?
I’ve just finished my latest six-week course and the ladies I’ve been training have had amazing results and are really enjoying the brand-changing coverage they are getting.
Next, I plan to make a hybrid version of the course for the second half of this year which means I can take people at the beginning of their PR and social media journey and help them turn their strategy into a well-oiled machine that gives them authority, credibility and sales - focussing on even more elements!
What’s the most important question entrepreneurs should be asking themselves?
They should all know the answer to this question: “Have I dealt with all of my self-doubts?”
I’ve seen entrepreneurs take themselves to the brink of success and then run for the hills. This is because they have roadblocks. Things like:
“Will having more money change me?”
“Will this big coverage expose me as a fraud?”
Of course, they are not a fraud - they are experiencing imposter syndrome. Many, many entrepreneurs experience this and it is something that we need to learn to manage or else it will manage us.
How do you believe the evolution of tech will affect your industry over the next 10 years?
Apart from the obvious - the worrying decline of the paper publications
I think that we can expect improvement in the way we connect virtually and how we follow public trends.
PR is all about building good relationships with our audience and understanding their needs and wants. Aside from making the logistics easier for us, technology cannot replace a great personality and trust.
What would be your top marketing tip, to grow a business that is so niche, yet incredibly timeless?
Being niche is such an advantage in business. By fitting into such a specific corner of the market a company can offer a highly tailored service and be confident that the customer is getting exactly what they need and want.
My best advice would be to share your knowledge and expertise by guest posting and contributing. There is an audience for every business and if you have the advice to share, this is a great way of getting your voice heard.
Were you nervous at the outset?
Yes, I was nervous but also really excited. I’ve been self-employed for a long time now so I was quite used to relying on my own efforts.
I had a great coach who helped me work out how I wanted to progress and she gave me the confidence to realise that I’m great at what I do and I can help other entrepreneurial mums make a success of their brand and get outstanding coverage!
Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?
At times, yes. My PR coaching business is not my only brand so sometimes I feel that I might be pushing myself but I have learnt from some of the best and I am good at managing my time.
Believe it or not, I only work school hours so I do the school run and all the other things that I don’t want to miss.
Good planning is key and that’s what I help others to do - they are mums too so it’s important that they are able to earn great money from their businesses and get great results but still have plenty of time to enjoy their family.
Tell us about your courses?
I teach entrepreneurial mums everything they need to do their own PR and get amazing coverage! The reason I focus on working mums is that running your own business alongside parenting brings about its own set of challenges - more obstacles and time restrictions.
I take my entrepreneurs through every step of the process so that they can nail their PR and build a strategic plan that they can manage part-time.
Ultimately we want two things: a successful business that earns great money and time left over to spend with our family.
