Every business
has a story...
Brass Bee Marketing was founded by marketing expert Catherine Hills in March 2019. We know that everyone loves a good origins story, so if you're interested in hearing ours, grab a coffee and settle down for a read...
Est. in 2019
From coffee and commutes in Essex to freelancing by the seaside in Sussex, founder Catherine Hills shares our story:
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Catherine Hills (BA, CIM)
- Brass Bee Owner & Founder.
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Virgo, Stepmum, Exasperated Dog Owner. Loves period dramas, weekend breaks & colourful interiors,
"I approached my boss feeling nervous. I respectfully told him that he would either have to agree to let me work from home, or I'd have to hand in my notice. It was probably the boldest thing I'd ever done at that point. After a week of anxious waiting, he called me into a meeting and told me that regrettably, letting me work from home wasn't going to happen. 'Once I let one person work from home, then I have to let everyone work from home,' he said. (Looking back now, the irony that this was a year before the pandemic is not lost on me!) I was devastated and knew I'd have to give up the job I loved so much.
But then, I heard him say something that would change everything: 'If you wanted to go freelance, we'd be very interested.'​
"It was never my intention to start a business at the age of 29! In fact, I started Brass Bee Marketing by accident. At the time, I was working in my dream job as an Executive Content Creator for a high-end design and build company in Essex.
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My hometown is the seaside town of Hastings in East Sussex, and while I loved the job in Essex, I was driving up to my little bedsit on a Sunday night, and travelling back down to the coast again on a Friday evening. I missed my friends and family and was on the verge of burning out. I drank A LOT of coffee and lived out of my Cath Kidston travel bag. I got to a point where I knew I couldn't keep going, but I wanted to carry on doing the job I loved. I decided my best bet was to ask my employer for a compromise and see if I could work from home."
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Now, I'll be honest - I had absolutely no idea what 'going freelance' really meant. But I agreed, thinking it was too good an opportunity to turn down, and assumed I'd figure the rest out later. I moved back home and simply carried on with my job on a remote basis. Soon, another past employer heard I had gone freelance and asked me if I could also come back and work with them once a week. For the first year of my freelance life, I worked exclusively with two clients and congratulated myself on finding such a great set-up. The money was great, I had a regular income, I could work whenever I wanted, and I knew both clients really well.
After my first year, COVID happened, and oh goodness did my happy bubble burst quickly. Both clients panicked and ended their working relationship with me within days of each other as they put the rest of their staff on furlough. As the lockdown went on, I learned I wasn't entitled to any self-employed support from the government because I hadn't been freelancing for long enough. With the world falling apart around me, I realised had to start promoting myself and find other clients, quickly. And that's when I started having to think like a business owner. 'Baptism by fire' is quite a good way to describe it!"
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Enjoying the swing at the RHS Gold-winning Zoflora & Caudwell Children's Wild Garden during a press visit at RHS Hampton Court.
"I quickly discovered that promoting yourself is a completely different ballgame from promoting a company you work for, which was all I was used to. There are so many more emotions involved when it comes to promoting yourself, and I started to understand how difficult and nerve-wracking it was for smaller business owners to put themselves out there. Imposter syndrome became a familiar and regular mental challenge to overcome, and I felt envious of other people who seemed to promote themselves so damn well. I had to learn how to dedicate time to market my business while also actually running my business too, juggling everything from tax returns and networking to sending out proposals. My determination started to spread a little thin, and I thought about throwing in the towel plenty of times.
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One thing that helped me shift my mindset was realising that if I struggled with my years of experience, other business owners likely felt the same. I stopped viewing my brand as a direct reflection of myself and began to see it as an entity in its own right. I let go of worrying about my follower count on social media and focused instead on creating fun, creative campaigns to help other business owners feel more confident. My perspective shifted from that of an employee to thinking like a business owner. I became more direct, strategic, and objective, and as a result, more and more businesses started reaching out to me for help."
"As the world began to recover from the pandemic, I noticed that many businesses in my local community were still struggling to use social media to promote themselves. To help, I dedicated a few hours each week to run free, supportive social media workshops in Hastings Old Town. I listened to their concerns and learned about their biggest challenges. When they started returning week after week to share their successes, it reminded me that I actually knew what I was talking about. I believe those workshops benefited me just as much as they helped them."
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"As we've continued to grow, Brass Bee Marketing has built a reputation for honest advice, encouraging pep talks, and friendly support. As of April 2024, Brass Bee HQ is based in offices at Freedom Works, in the heart of Hastings Town Centre. We've offered training to over 100 businesses owners, in the form of our 1-2-1 Coaching sessions, workshops and training sessions.