Like many people, I always turn decade years, whether they are birthdays or other anniversaries, into massive causes for celebration. Really they are just random moments in time. No more significant in our lives than yesterday was or tomorrow might be. 19 years doesn't quite have the same ring as 20. But I'm celebrating anyway. Today is the anniversary of me taking redundancy from my marketing job at Diageo and becoming, quite accidentally, a self-employed copywriter. I'm celebrating because I still wake up every morning thinking, "great, I'm going to spend my day writing." What's even more amazing is that a few weeks on from that day, someone will actually pop some money into my bank account for doing it.
I loved my job at Diageo - the buzz, the people, the work, the onsite bar. But the brand I'd worked on - Smirnoff - was moving to the US. I had to decide whether to stay or go. After much stress and agonising, I decided not to apply for another role internally. Instead, I waltzed out the door (rather the worse for sauvignon blanc) on the 30th November 2000, with a large cheque. I'd just turned 40.
I started looking for a new marketing jobs. Nothing seemed to inspire me. "Do you still want to be a marketing manager in 25 years time, Cathy?" asked an ex-colleague. "God no." "Well why are you applying for jobs in marketing now then?" "It's what I'm qualified for. It's the only way of earning a good salary. And anyway, what else would I do?".
A few weeks later I found out. While all the job application nonsense was going on, I was doing a bit of writing for someone who needed his website populated with articles. He offered me a monthly retainer. And it dawned on me that the bit of marketing I liked the most was not working glam TV ads, sponsorships or film product placements. It wasn't commissioning baseball caps and sweatshirts. Or even project managing the building of websites. It was writing.
So I become WordsWork. The first five years were really tough. I didn't have enough work. I didn't have much money. I had serious confidence issues. I felt alone in what I was doing - back then I didn't know anyone who was self-employed. I had many sleepless nights. But I wouldn't have given it up for anything. The next 10 years saw many ups and downs but I'd got a regular income, started to believe I was a good writer and I was working for some amazing clients. The last 5 years have been a real pleasure. I have spent a lot of the time writing online learning courses and internal communications for IKEA. The work is exciting and fascinating. The people make you feel like part of the family. It's the 19th anniversary of the birth of WordsWork
And, every day, I feel excited about what's ahead.
