Emma Speirs
A new feature in which business people discuss their motivation, ambition, experience - and themselves. First up is Emma Speirs, founder and managing director of public relations firm Ballyhoo PR.
What was your first job?
Aside from a Herald & Post paper round every Thursday when I was 14, my first job was working as a junior in a hairdressers at 16.
I worked every Friday after school and every Saturday until about 2pm. I would wash and sweep up hair, make tea and wash and tumble dry the towels. I was painfully shy and found making small talk with the old dears really tough.
It was a good learning curve though and I liked spending my wages after work on a Saturday by getting the bus into town and straight into Our Price to buy new CDs.
Why did you choose your particular career?
I’ve always loved English and writing and reading stories. I was an avid reader from a young age and loved the idea of words on a page having the power to take me off to this imaginary world.
I knew I wanted to write for a living and decided to go into journalism. I studied English and Media at university and then went into various editorial roles at different magazines before studying PR in 2004. Since then I’ve been working in PR and as a freelance writer/editor of magazines.
I started Ballyhoo PR in 2016 and still get to do both as we have clients who produce their own magazines and outsource them to us. We also write regular magazine articles about our clients after successfully pitching the ideas to their editors. The best of both worlds.
What’s the best advice you’ve received in business?
This is a tough question. I’ve been given a few nuggets of wisdom over the years.
One thing I heard recently that I keep repeating to myself is ‘Don’t compare and despair’. It is fine to compare your journey to yourself. For example, ‘Where am I now compared to a year ago or five years ago?’ but don’t compare yourself to people who set up at the same time as you or who are in the same industry.
As long as what you are doing is progress for you, the business is financially viable and your clients and loved ones are happy, that is enough. Looking at what the competition is doing can keep you on your toes and helps you to move with the times but to feel like you’re never good enough or don’t measure up no matter how hard you work can be incredibly demotivating and prevent you from celebrating any successes you do have – and it is important to do that.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Moving into our office in Lamport last year. The setting is just beautiful and after the struggles of running a business through Covid and us all working remotely for so long, it really felt like an achievement to all be together and working alongside each other in this gorgeous space.
Not only were we still around as a business but we also had a larger team and the type of office I had always wanted and saw for the business. It was like a visualisation or mood board coming to life.
…and the low point?
Covid definitely was tough for me personally. I really struggled. As businesses closed their doors not knowing when they would reopen again, we were getting calls pretty much every day that first week from clients either cancelling things with us or reducing their spend. I completely understood and tried to be as accommodating and sympathetic as possible but it was a worrying time.
To also have two small children at home who needed home schooling, to find new clients to replace the ones we were losing and to still be there for our clients who were struggling and needed our support to get their messages out there was hard.
I had less time and capacity than ever but was busier than ever getting urgent comms out and redoing work and plans we’d already done and trying to market the business to win new clients as well as be Mum and teacher. I also had to look out for my team and make sure I was doing everything I could to show my support for them and keep on top of the Covid rules and legislation as an employer.
I look back now and don’t know how we all managed for so long. With every news announcement or lockdown, the calls would start coming again and as time went on, I just didn’t have the same energy levels to carry on. I found resilience I never knew I had and I know that, compared to others in the events, retail and travel sectors, I had it relatively easy.
Business owners have been through so much and the next challenge will be rising costs – energy, fuel, National Insurance etc. It seems relentless right now.
Who in business do you respect the most?
There are a few people I respect in business for different reasons. Jacqueline Gold for taking a business (Ann Summers) that was aimed at what men wanted women to be and wear and turning it around and appealing to the women directly and making them feel empowered. It was a real risk but totally paid off and took the company to a whole other level.
Also, Steven Bartlett of Social Chain and now a dragon on BBC’s Dragon’s Den. I love listening to his podcast and think it’s great that he talks so openly about emotional intelligence and how this can affect the way you run a business. Quite often we hold ourselves back from achieving our true potential.
What annoys you the most in business?
Expectations. It can be really hard to set boundaries in business. We live in a world that is so immediate and everything is available 24/7 and often at the touch of a button as consumers. This makes people impatient and unrealistic in their expectations when dealing with businesses, particularly small businesses.
It is easy to work incredibly long hours and still not be getting back to everyone quickly enough. Years ago people didn’t expect a response outside of the 9am-5pm hours. Now it feels almost expected and it can be hard to keep up.
What’s your career ambition?
To grow Ballyhoo PR to a point that we are the ‘go to’ PR and copywriting agency for SMEs in the UK.
…and your life ambition?
To finally get that work/life balance nailed.
How do you relax?
I’ve only recently discovered baths. I always saw them as an inconvenience and a shower was a better use of time. Now I quite like having a soak and listening to meditation music or reading or listening to a book.
I also love binge watching a Harlan Coben series to totally escape my own thoughts and nagging to do list.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
See my favourite music (above).
What’s your most treasured possession?
My Gran’s wedding ring. Not only because it was my Gran’s but because when my Gran passed away, my Grandad would wear it as a pinky ring. It means a lot that it was given to me when he passed away too.
Tell us something you regret.
Not travelling more before I had children.
Tell us a secret about yourself.
I used to have a massive fear of swimming / drowning. It took me years to get over it. Even just the smell of chlorine would make my heart start pounding.
What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Go to Australia.
Go to Glastonbury.
Buy a house by the sea.