BUSINESS DIGEST AUGUST 2020
M AKING IT H APPEN Persistence is Key!
W
hat was life like before you became successful? CS: I started off working as a dental
nurse, until I realized that I really wanted to have my own business. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but always had a creative flair and so I decided to start my own photography company, getting photographer’s work in advertising agencies. I had 2 other jobs to make ends meet. One as a receptionist at a Chiropractor’s clinic and another cleaning houses with the hope that one day the photography agency would do well enough that I could just concentrate on that. I spent 6 months seeing agencies, filled my diary so full as I thought it made sense to see as many people in a day as possible. It was at the stage of 6 months without one phone call, that I considered giving up. I was renting a room in a house, and had a separate phone line set up (before unlimited mobile phones) and kept picking the phone up to see if it was still working! A turn of fate, it rang one day and it was Saatchi and Saatchi on the phone with a really big advertising campaign. That really was the start of a successful business for me, and gave me the insight to know that persistence is key and that I could do anything if I persevered!
CS: Getting up really early, going for a run before the day starts for most people, as this clears my head and helps me to think positively, I can also get a lot of work finished before the phone starts ringing, which means I can manage the time efficiently!
“Success
is also about enjoying the moment and what you have achieved so far.”
You were a columnist for the Mail Online, Hello! Magazine and The Huffington Post, How has this helped you get to where you are now? CS: I still write for the Mail online which is great, I generally write about luxury property, or give tips on interior design It is great to work with them as it is a very popular online newspaper, and of course the PR does help along the way. I often get sent products which are for the home, and I enjoy advertising them for the companies who send them. This is great for their business too as a lot of these who send items, are start ups.
Celia Sawyer is businesswoman, Interior designer, Mail Online contributor and on Channel 4’s Four Rooms
Do you have any daily habits that you think have contributed to your success? 6
