Hi and thanks for visiting my personal page – I am truly delighted.
You probably want to find out more about online marketing strategies for business and personal online brands. Well, the key to both is to build great relationships.
So I’ll start by sharing my story. Where shall we start? At the beginning seems natural, although as Einstein told us, there’s no such thing as time.
My name Sophia, means wisdom in Greek. It’s pronounced the British way – Sophia, not Sopheea. (Think of fire, not fear). You may know me as Sophie, as most called me for some years, for reasons now lost in the mists…
Snapshot
Legal Life… Litigation…
After reading law at Cardiff University and solicitors finals at the College of Law, I started my career as a lawyer in London, specialising in Commercial litigation; analysing and interpreting business contracts, exploring the art of advocacy.
At city firm Linklaters, one senior partner talked about the reality of litigation – the time, the costs, the stress, the unpredictable outcomes. His words are etched deep in my memory: If you end up in court, you’ve failed.
He was so right – litigation always represents a breakdown in trust – in communication and in relationships. Of course, there are times when you need to be assertive, but I’ve always given priority to negotiating, mediating solutions.
Ma’at, the Egyptian goddess of Justice, weighed the souls of the dead with her feather of truth
Bristol Fashion
I moved to vibrant Bristol and specialised deeper, in professional negligence. It’s a complex area, with interesting legal concepts and even the most dedicated professionals make mistakes. Often it’s simply poor communication.
Along with over 10 years at leading commercial law firms, I spent 5 years in-house and as a consultant for Bristol & West Building Society / Bank of Ireland.
I’d always been interested in business strategy and management, so I took an MBA at Bath University at the same time; multi-tasking is fun but hard work!
Managing Quality & Risk, Marketing & Client Care
Next I became Director of Risk Management and Quality at law firm Bevan Brittan. Managing every kind of business risk – financial, economic, people, clients, reputation. Managing risk is quite different to avoiding risks.
My roles included Head of Marketing and Client Care – in professional services, quality and expertise are a given – client care is the key to marketing success.
So the primary focus is always on building deep connections and strong relationships, based on trust. Advertising, sponsorships and gifts, along with logos, fonts and colour schemes, are minor elements and often a distraction.
The Dance of Venus – the goddess of attraction, relationships and value creates a perfect rose in the sky
Projects and Ethics
Over 10 years, I was a member of both Executive and Partnership Boards and became Partnership Secretary. Projects included opening new offices, demerger and transfer to LLP; working with teams across the business and externally.
I was responsible for professional conduct and ethics issues, dealing with the most sensitive and confidential situations, internally and externally – and contributed to Legal Professional Ethics journals.
Vitality …
I decided it was time for a change. Law firms have their own unique challenges – there’s a joke that managing professional partnerships is like “herding cats”.
I switched industry, setting up a new business, a gym and wellbeing centre.
I’ve always been interested in holistic health and fitness; the connections between mind, body and spirit; physical, psychological and universal energies.
I qualified as a fitness instructor, in nutrition and in reiki, as well as NLP, hypnosis and coaching, all connecting to provide a deeper approach to wellbeing.
Of course, an understanding of psychology and effective tools and techniques to influence are the keys to successful marketing and sales campaigns too.
The sun represents vitality in all cultures – Greek Apollo drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day and is also the god of healing and divination
Entrepreneurial challenges
Growing a new business is exciting! Delivering great value and great service are so rewarding, marketing and sales are such a pleasure, when you love what you do.
Our customers loved us – and we loved them.
Of course, we had all the challenges of building a new business from scratch – finance, marketing, sales, systems, premises, along with endless red tape, rules and regulations. I support collaboration, but EU bureaucracy is a joke.
Then the credit crunch bit. We were still growing, but not so fast. It wasn’t an easy decision, but my business partner and I knew it was time for new horizons.
Hercules’ 12 Labours included slaying the Hydra, a monstrous serpent whose nine heads regrew and multiplied
The Power of the Internet … Internet Power
With Nigel, my husband and business partner, we have created a business we love – specialist online marketing for business and professionals.
At Internet Power we combine powerful marketing principles with the latest online tools and platforms, for effective strategies generating clear ROI.
Today I draw on all the skills I have developed over the years, to help owners harness the power of the internet for marketing, to grow their businesses.
Supporting Local Business
The internet gives every business the opportunity to connect and communicate, right across the world – the opportunities today are amazing.
It levels the playing field for independent and local businesses – and I’m passionate about making sure every single one has access to the latest, powerful, online marketing tools and the knowhow to use them effectively.
As part of that commitment, I became chair of the marketing group of our local business group in Exmoor, starting network meetings, business training and creating a successful annual local business Showcase.
The Laws of Marketing – Value and Values
Marketing is often seen as fluff and spin – but you need to look deeper.
It’s about the power of language… and images, but much more than that, successful marketing is all about being authentic. Identifying and communicating your true differentiators – your core values and the value you add.
- About trust and integrity, creating loyal and deep relationships
- About caring and serving – where customers come first
- About the experience, as well as the promise
Fundamentally it’s about appreciating the role that energy plays in attracting contacts and customers consistent with your values and your value.
Roman Mercury is the messenger of the gods, ruling commerce as well as communication – his caduceus represents balanced exchange
Meet my Horse – Stowaway
Horses are my great passion. My favourite sport is Eventing, it’s multi-skilled, with 3 elements. Cross country is fast, dangerous and exciting. It takes years of training and total trust to create a true partnership with a horse.
Equestrian events are the only Olympic sports where men and women compete equally – and I’ve competed successfully against Olympic and World champions. They’ve been some of the most rewarding moments of my life.
