8 years ago today, Happy opened its doors to the world of marketing and creativity. It was a very proud day for me. This Burnley girl and proud Lancastrian had joined the entrepreneurial world.
Unusually it felt natural to take such a huge leap. I think this is rooted in losing my mum to cancer when I was just 23. It gave me an appreciation of how precious life is and a determination to make the most of it. I’d been a career marketer all my working life, and whilst I never held any ambition to start my own business, as I approached my 40th birthday everything fell into place and the time felt right. I’d been in the industry for almost 20 years at that point and witnessed some strange business decisions made by others. I knew that I could create something special. Something with my stamp on it, something that reflected me and my values. And that excited me. Massively.
As an entrepreneur you live outside comfort zones; constantly pushing and stretching yourself. It is however a great life experience; and one I would not change. In truth I have never looked back; and I’ve seen myself grow both personally and in the skills I have developed.
Running your own business is not for everyone and it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. It takes a lot of guts to go it alone; you have to be brave. Tough decisions are a regular occurrence; so your courage is tested frequently in one shape or another.
It is tough, but the pride you feel every day outweighs everything. It does for me anyway. I feel a great sense of pride every day. It’s great to take time out and appreciate what you have. I don’t think we do this often enough so busy are we in our hectic lives. I feel fortunate to have created a respected, successful brand. We are Happy by name and by nature; and that didn’t happen overnight. It’s as a result of lot of hard work, sleepless nights and an irrepressible desire to be the best we can. Ultimately it’s a focus and a desire to live by what we believe in.
Eight years in and I still feel humbled when this is recognised and respected by my team, our clients and my fellow business peers. My takeaway here is to stick to what you believe in. Because when you do you deliver it consistently.
This may sound like a cliché but my number one mantra is to be yourself. Before creating Happy I had little exposure to running a business; I haven’t been surrounded by entrepreneurial role models and I’d worked only for global companies. I remember when I first started that I felt that I should become all serious and formal because this was how I thought I should act. But I thought .. “be true to yourself Karen”. It didn’t feel right to let my personality be hidden and to be something that I wasn’t, so I chose my own unique way.
Emotionally there are more ups and downs than a Blackpool Pleasure Beach rollercoaster. Exhilaration. Pride. Frustration. Courage. Exhaustion. Excitement. Happiness. What’s stood me in good stead is keeping a level head and a belief in myself and our brand and our unique way of doing business. It’s a philosophy that echoes a lot of my personal beliefs which is why it feels natural, and right for me.
With a business our size it’s a constant balancing act. In the early days when there were just three of us (there are now 10), I did everything (other than the design). I ran the marketing, the business development, the cashflow, the accounts, the invoicing, the wages, the processes and I lead the vision. It was incredibly busy and incredibly rewarding. I was prepared to roll my sleeves up and take myself out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad I did.
The good days certainly outweigh the bad. And that also comes from a positive mindset. I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by good people (and that’s a choice I’ve made). People who believe. Believe in me. Believe in themselves. Believe in Happy. My team of Happies are a positive, energetic and determined bunch and truth be told, a tiny bit crazy too. And my business friends are full of great experiences, similar challenges, a positive outlook and a desire to succeed.
I’ve met a lot of my business friends through The Academy of Chief Executives, where I’ve been a member for almost 4 years. The support from my peers here has been invaluable. I am surrounded by good people, successful people, people who push and challenge, who have a great line in awkward questions and possess excellent coaching skills. As part of this I’ve had the privilege of listening to some fantastic motivational speakers, speakers such as Phil Jones from Brother UK, Helen Varey, Roy Jones and Humphrey Walters who coached the England Rugby team. It’s an opportunity each month to step outside of the business so that you can focus more on the business.
I sometimes think that I’ve seen it all, but deep down I know there will be other challenges and emotions to experience and conquer in the coming years. Not least of which because I am now embarking on a parallel entrepreneurial journey – one that will bring a different set of tests. Rugs & Kisses launched in August and is an e-tailer of beautiful, quality rugs.
I think it must be something in the Burnley water. A couple of my business inspirations, Brendan Flood and Dave Fishwick are fellow Burnley-ites. Burnley, our wonderful northern town has just been awarded the Most Enterprising Area in the UK. A great accolade and an appreciation of all the good things my home town has to offer.
I hope my story goes some way to inspiring other entrepreneurs to join this great world of business.
Happy Creative has been spreading happiness for eight years, and this year we are on a mission to spread happiness further and wider than ever before. Happy Birthday Happy 🙂
Karen Lambert is a creative thinker, an experienced strategic marketer and founder and Managing Director of Happy Creative, a strategic marketing and branding agency based in Lancashire, North West England. To learn more please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
