Four years ago today (16 March 2026), I resigned from a role I loved without a plan or any job waiting for me.
There wasn’t a single reason for my decision. I just knew deep down after a full-on couple of years leading a team through lockdown that I needed to try something else. I was frazzled and unable to see what the future looked like.
So, after meeting colleagues in Manchester the previous day, I decided to press the button on paid employment. I remember posting this on LinkedIn, sitting alone in a booth in the Engine Shed in Bristol, before taking a breath and returning to the shipping container where my team worked to get on with the day.
In the following weeks, I wrestled with conflicting emotions while my resignation stayed firmly in the background. Every meeting with clients and conversation with colleagues made me realise how much I loved my work and what we’d built.
I remember being at a consultation event we’d organised on a project a couple of days afterwards. We’d supported them through lockdown (and still support them today). Looking across the hall, I thought: “Damn. What have I done?!” I didn’t want to leave the connections behind, but I knew I had to look after myself.
There was another way. After stress testing the numbers over Easter and a couple of conversations, I agreed in mid-April to buy the part of the business I led. I registered Distinctive Communications on 22 April, signed the deal with Social on 18 May and started trading on 1 June.
Same team, same clients, totally different path. It was a huge move that happened quickly, and felt right. I’ve learned since that Distinctive’s story is quite unusual. It isn’t the traditional kitchen table start-up tale. It comes from a place of confusion, not clarity. We had clients, a team and bills to pay from day one, so bootstrapping wasn’t an option. The stakes were high. I felt that burden intensely, but excitement drove me through the early weeks.
I remember pulling 16-hour shifts keeping existing clients happy while setting up Distinctive in the background. Legals, IT, and finance to get us through the first few months all needed sorting before 1 June. Things like phone contracts and file transfers seriously tested my sense of humour.
Looking back, I had no idea at the time how much I didn’t know about running a business and the responsibilities that come with it.
But I knew we could do great things given half a chance. This year feels like the work is starting to pay off.
Growing in challenging times
Four Prime Ministers and multiple economic dramas later, we’ve come a long way since that bleary morning.
Today we are a hybrid team, working mainly from locations spanning from Cornwall to Stroud. I think we’ll hire another colleague before the summer is out, taking the headcount to seven.
Since last summer, we’ve hired two people and cleared our debts. Our work is turning heads towards us and making a positive impact – creating homes, unlocking investment and supporting growth. Below is some headline highlights from last year in numbers.
We’re a smart team, supporting purposeful clients who believe in us. Those qualities provide a platform for us to push on.
Lessons from four years
I posted a year ago about what I’d learned on this journey so far. The lessons keep coming since then.
The main one is that we can take confidence from challenges we’ve already bounced back from. Yes, the economy is sluggish and volatile. But it’s not lockdown, which we survived and grew through. And it’s nowhere near as crazy as the 2022 crash following the Truss and Kwarteng budget that could have killed our fledgling venture.
I’ve also learned not to look across the line at others in our sector. Stressing about what they are doing and saying sends you down rabbit holes. Focusing on what we need to do is a better use of time and energy.
And although work remains full on, I’ve remembered to look after myself most of the time. I make time to think, because that’s where ideas and growth come from. Writing more often for myself here is part of that. Stepping off X helps more than I thought it would.
I exercise more regularly at 50 than I did at 40 and feel fitter and sharper for it. I’m well up for the challenges ahead.
Navigating uncertainty together
As LinkedIn hustlers almost gleefully predict PR’s death at the hands of AI, I take a different view. I think organisations need smart, switched on, socially aware comms advisers more today than ever.
Advisers who know their clients, understand their stakeholders and can help them make sense of uncertainty. People who do what they say they’ll do, when they say they’ll do it.
While organisations increasingly put up barriers between themselves and the public, our team provides human connection. In an age of slop and sameness, they help original voices stand out. While others wrestle with bots, we just get the job done. It’s why clients love us.
With the talent and track record, we’re planning for the next four years with confidence and ambition.
If you’re a client or past or present colleague, huge thanks for your help in getting us to today. I’ll always be grateful. Big thanks too to Social to for approaching the discussions about breaking away with integrity and trust. Although it wasn’t an outcome that either side planned for, I’m very proud of how we did it.
If you’re thinking of setting up your own venture, I wouldn’t recommend doing it like I did. Have a plan first! But don’t let doubt get in your way. Start somewhere, savour those early days, and keep going. I’d be happy to meet for a coffee and a chat with anyone who’s thinking about making the jump.
The future will be messy. But I’ve learned we can embrace it with hard work, a strong team and willingness to back each other.