Introducing Rosie Wareham from Baobab Digital
I live in beautiful Somerset with my husband, two boys aged 7 and 4, and our cat and two guinea pigs! I graduated from UWE with a 1st class Hons degree in Business and Economics but never had a set career path I wanted to follow. I worked for 10 years in Local Government in Strategy, Planning and Performance which I really enjoyed but while on maternity leave after my second child, my Dad very suddenly passed away. This changed everything and I started to feel that I couldn’t simply go back to my old job. My sister Rhiannon was already working freelance in digital marketing and was starting to get more and more enquiries about work – she suggested that we start working together. Building a business and being able to work together felt like a hugely positive step at a particularly difficult personal time for us both.
We have now been running the business together for almost 4 years and have learned so much! From starting with one large monthly client, we now have 5 clients on monthly retainers plus a large number of projects including website development, strategy development, training programmes and more! Our clients are both local and beyond, small businesses and large – there is always variety!
How we work together is very flexible, on some projects we collaborate and work together but we are also free to take on our own projects. It very much depends on the project, what skills it requires and our own commitments!
I think my core skills are being able to take a vision/idea and turn it into a clear and actionable plan and then support clients with putting this plan into action. Whether they want to focus on social media, develop a new website or run a PPC campaign, I can help clients make sure that their marketing campaigns are effective and support overall business objectives. I’m super flexible and really invest in my clients – I care very much about helping them achieve their business goals.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in business and how did you overcome them?
Honestly, for me the biggest challenge will always be balancing the demands of running a business with raising two children – I think this is true for all working mums. Also building a business at the same time as going through some very difficult personal times has been very hard – but I see the business as a hugely positive thing to focus on.
Another challenge I have found is learning that you don’t have to say ‘yes’ to all the projects that come your way, but this can be very hard to do in practice especially with a new business. You have to develop a real understanding of your skillset, how you work and who this is suited to – then have the confidence to apply it and choose the right clients. You also have to learn to not take setbacks personally – but continue to work hard, keep going and take some ‘learning’ from all the negative experiences which help you to develop going forward.
What are the main benefits for you and your business of being a member of the Club?
Running a business can be lonely but being part of the Women’s Business Club means you have support and advice from other like-minded women in business. No matter what you need advice on, somebody will have been in that situation before you! It’s a very supportive group and there are also so many resources available.
It’s a really great place for networking too – a recent client found me through the network and it’s been a great match for us both as we work in very similar ways! This client has recently started her own events management business after years of experience in the industry and wanted professional support in developing a digital marketing strategy as well as setting up and running a marketing campaign. It was so important to them to have someone really invested in the business, and as someone who has also set up a new business, I can really understand this!
“I struggled to choose a company to assist with my marketing, as I felt the market is super overcrowded. Finding someone which is right for my business is the most important thing to me, and from the get-go Rosie took a strong interest in how the business works.
Rosie walked me through the strategy process, helping me to define my goals, target audience, and messaging. She questioned elements I hadn’t previously thought of and advised on areas I had no knowledge of. She then gave me a clear, formalised plan on steps moving forward, some of which I saw results from within the first two days. Rosie has been a complete wealth of knowledge; nothing has been too much trouble.” – Rebecca Brennan-Brown, January 2019
I’d certainly use the Women’s Business Club to find support for my own business in the future! I want to work with other like-minded women and feel a real sense of achievement in being able to support others in their business.
What difference has it made to your business?
I feel inspired by other women who are further along in their business ‘journey’ than me and very lucky to have access to resources and advice from them! Being part of the club and active on their Facebook group makes me feel supported and part of something wider than my own business! I’m really hoping to make it along to some networking events in 2020.
What are your key visionary words for success for 2020?
Invest – Invest in yourself and your clients. I really do like to learn all about my clients and go the extra mile for clients and it gives me a real sense of achievement when I can support them in growing and developing their businesses. It’s so interesting learning about other businesses!
Truth – Be true to yourself and your clients. This is a big one for me in 2020 – being completely honest about how I work and what I offer to make sure I attract the ‘right’ clients. It’s best all round! Not everybody is the right fit and that’s okay!
Hard work – Nothing comes from nothing – don’t be afraid to work really hard. It’s worth it!
Flexibility – The digital landscape is always changing and so is business! My core skills remain the same but I always want to be building on them and developing so that I can grow the business further.
Find out more about Rosie and connect with her at: