How lockdown led to the creation of creative digital marketing agency Seaglow Media

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Why did you start your own business?

When we went into lockdown, I was in an employed role that I wasn’t happy with. I’d just had two children and wasn’t able to work as flexibly as I needed. I also believed that I might be made redundant, so I had to find a different path.

While I had the chance to be at home, I took the opportunity to start freelancing and broadening my skillset. I worked with a few businesses on freelance digital marketing projects. In November 2021, I started a limited company because I’d won some contracts that required more of an agency set-up, and Seaglow Media was born. I was still working part-time but I slowly reduced my hours and eventually focused fully on the business.

How big is the firm now?

We’re now a team of four. We have a specialist designer, a web developer/SEO specialist, and a digital marketer, and then I take on more of a strategic role. We have an office based at the train station in Bognor Regis, in a co-working space called The Track.

How have you found the process of starting up and growing?

It’s been a learning curve but one that has enabled me to have that flexible lifestyle with my children that I wanted. I don’t work any less than the average full-time employee but I work the hours I choose. I was fortunate in the timing of starting a business because there was a lot of support out there, and I was able to receive a grant from the local council to help me get all the copywriting done for the website.

What obstacles have you faced along the way?

There were many! There’s legislation which you would never need to know in an employed role, around employing people and how to process data. When you start up, you have to be a specialist in what you do but you also have to be an accountant, HR person and everything else that comes with running a business.

How has Dell Technologies helped you with that?

I was contacted by Dell about the challenges of starting a business, including the technical aspect. I joined a forum they had with other start-up business owners, and we talked about the challenges we’d had. They then enabled their team to solve some of those for other start-ups. It was also a great networking opportunity. I’m going to be speaking at an event for one of the businesses I met there soon.

What are you most proud of, and why?

I’m probably most proud to have built a stable and steady business that has enabled me to continue my career and be a working mum, which is a very big challenge for a lot of people.

We also started a small networking group for local business owners to learn about social media and digital marketing. It was free to attend and we had a good turnout. I was proud of that because we watched 10 to 15 businesses flourish.

What are your plans for the future of the business?

Our plan is to scale our business quite drastically. This year was all about setting the foundations for that growth. We intend in the next five years to be 10 times as big as we are now.