Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather West. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Heather, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?
Fairly early in my career, I was recruited to lead the marketing/communications department for a greenfield health and safety association representing over 62,000 businesses in the service sector. I had never led a department, and I hadn’t worked in health and safety. The CEO who recruited me was confident that I was the right fit and invested in networking and learning opportunities to help me bridge the gaps in my experience. She was the first leader who supported me this way and was committed to investing in my professional growth.
That stayed with me. Since I launched Fresh Communications, I’ve made sure to invest in myself and my business.
I worked with a branding coach as I transitioned into becoming a solopreneur. I joined a group coaching program with other freelancers in Canada and the US. I continued my membership with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and became a member of the Toronto chapter’s Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) group. I volunteered with PIC as co-lead of programming and a regular contributor to the newsletter. For the last couple of years, I’ve volunteered as a judge of IABC’s Ovation Awards and, in 2022, became a member of the IABC’s Senior Communicators Circle. I regularly attend conferences and seminars, and last year, completed the University of Toronto’s Digital Marketing and Communications Management Certificate.
Investing time and money in these activities helps me grow my business and keeps me engaged in critical conversations about best practices and the future of the industry. It is also an important part of my well-being and motivation. I like connecting and collaborating with others. I don’t like to go too long working in isolation. And it adds value to my client relationships. I’ve brought subject matter experts I’ve met into my work with clients on several occasions.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I have been in public relations, corporate communications, and marketing for over 25 years. Before launching Fresh, I worked at consumer and business-to-business agencies and trade and health and safety associations. I’d been in my last job for over 12 years and had been considering an entrepreneurial venture for some time. I made the leap in 2012. My employer became my first client and is still a client today.
On top of the desire to build a business of my own, I was craving change. I wanted to work with different organizations on a variety of projects. I’ve certainly managed to fulfill that desire. I’ve provided strategic communications planning and writing services to provincial, national and global clients across many sectors, including health and safety and trade associations, technology companies, financial advisors, a standards and barcode association, marketing agencies, and mental health experts. In 2017-2018, I filled a one-year contract as Executive Director of a national spa association while continuing to serve Fresh Communications clients.
I have enjoyed deep and enduring client relationships. In most cases, I have established multi-year contracts supporting CEOs and senior leaders, board members, and various teams in each organization.
I am proud that I consistently garner a level of trust that enables me to support leaders and teams in various ways, including when they feel vulnerable. Establishing this type of relationship can be hard when you work in the same organization, let alone as a vendor. I am also proud that clients trust that they can connect me with valued stakeholders, and they know I will act as a brand ambassador and represent them professionally.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As Michael E. Gerber, author of the E-Myth says, “The problem is that everybody who goes into business is actually three-people-in-one: The Entrepreneur, The Manager and The Technician.” Sometimes it is lonely and daunting playing all of these roles.
At times, there is so much to manage that you feel you are being swallowed whole by your work, but far worse than that are the quiet times. I am challenged the most by those lulls. In the early years, I wondered if I would make it. Other freelancers told me that the tide turned for them after five years. I wasn’t sure that would hold true for me, but thankfully it did.
There have certainly been slumps since, but I’ve learned to do a few things that help me ride them out. I dive deeper into professional development and volunteering. I reach out to clients I haven’t spoken to in a while, and I make time for self-care. It may seem counter-intuitive to step away from my desk when I need more work, but if I don’t, I know I will pay the price and the negative narrative in my mind will get too loud.
For the last five years, a lot of my consulting work has been focused on mental health and mindfulness in the workplace. As managing editor of the Trusted Leader Blog, I spend a significant chunk of my time collaborating with mental health experts to create content that helps leaders promote mental health and prevent mental harms in the workplace. I believe wholeheartedly in the practices we espouse, and I believe they apply in all workplaces – even one-person operations like Fresh Communications.
I talk to people if I’m feeling unsure or anxious. If I need professional advice, I reach out to my network. I book massages, make time for exercise, meditate and read to inject positive energy into my day.
As a solopreneur, I know I must take responsibility for my health and well-being or I will burn out, and my business and client relationships will suffer.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
A couple of months after I launched Fresh, a friend connected me with one of her clients – an executive director who needed writing support. It came to me as a simple writing assignment but when I consulted with the ED, I discovered there was more to the request.
She was feeling vulnerable because she’d written a funding request that the board didn’t feel confident taking forward. She was counting on me to revise the submission and she needed it done in just a few days.
This was the first leader I’d worked with since leaving my job and I’d never written a funding submission before.
I rewrote the submission, and it was accepted by the board. She was so pleased with my rewrite, that she asked if I would help her with her presentation to the government ministry.
She was nervous. She would be in a room with several Ministry representatives and others vying for funding support. I created the presentation and coached her on delivery. I asked if she would be comfortable kicking it off with a story. I felt it would be a powerful way to capture attention and she agreed. Afterward she contacted me to say that the presentation had gone exceptionally well. The Minister seemed a little distracted with the presentations before hers, but when she started her story, he lifted his head and listened intently. The association not only received the funding, but the Minister called her directly to tell her how impressed he was.
It was a massive victory for both of us. I was thrilled to help the organization get the funding it needed. I also loved that the ED felt comfortable being vulnerable and trusted me to help her over a significant hurdle. That early win gave me confidence and affirmed I was on the right track in my approach to building client relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://freshcomms.ca/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westheather/
- Twitter: @WestatFresh
Image Credits
Amara Studios
Courtesy of the CEO Health + Safety Leadership Network
Courtesy of the CEO Health + Safety Leadership Network
Courtesy of CEO Health + Safety Leadership Network
Courtesy of Spa Inc. Magazine
Courtesy of Jacqui DeBique