MAKING IT HAPPEN with CELIA

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Persistence is Key!

What 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!

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.

Do you have any daily habits that you think have contributed to your success?

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.”

Celia Sawyer is businesswoman, Interior designer, Mail Online contributor and on Channel 4’s Four Rooms

What top three things do you believe have been most important to helping you get to where you are today?

CS: Persistence, and not giving up. Knowing t could just be a phone call but if you know your outcome, you will speak very differently than If you don’t . The belief that you can do anything if you want it enough, if you work hard enough; nothing is impossible.

How do you push through when things get tough?

CS: I look for solutions as opposed to being negative. I also like to talk to other business men and women I know and respect in order to get a real gauge on something if things get tough. I may not take their advice but often it helps me to make up my mind on how best to tackle something.

How important do you think networking is for business and do you have any tips?

CS: I find that events that offer networking can be a bit of a waste of time. I have been to a few where the room is full of strangers, and each time it seems that everyone is trying to “get work” as opposed to offering any! If you network with the right people, over a long period of time it seems to be more effective as a lot of business is based on trust, which takes time, not just meeting someone for a few hours.

Who do you consider to be an exceptional business person and why?

CS: Richard Branson, he is versatile and doesn’t let failure stop him reinventing himself. It will be interesting to see how he copes with this awful situation at the moment.

What is your definition of success?

CS: Being happy with what you have done at that moment in time. It is very easy to always want more, but success is also about enjoying the moment and what you have achieved so far.

What’s next for Celia Sawyer in the future?

CS: I am developing an “interiors” App at the moment which I am aiming to be ready in August, which is exciting. I am also designing the interior of a yacht, which is something new for me and working with an Award winning exterior yacht designer. So I am enjoying both of these journeys and I am taking more shows on TV, which I enjoy as it is great fun and makes a change from my day job. I should have been already designing some houses in Barbados, but this will now happen when we are eventually allowed to travel again, so I hope not too far away.