My first radio experience was an interview on Ian Leigh’s drive time show at Phoenix 98 FM in July 2019 https://www.phoenixfm.com/ . It all came about as part of a sponsorship package, for the 2019 Brentwood Business Awards.
Experiencing the studio and what goes on before, during and after was extremely insightful. Experiencing it for the first time was both nerve-wracking and exciting.
The Category
Talking about the reasons for sponsoring the category, of Start up of the Year, was very important for me. Supporting local businesses is the whole reason behind not seeking another corporate role, after 36 years in banking. My own story is as unique as many of those that start up their own businesses. I have been astounded by those who’s hobbies become more compelling than their work and the passion they invoke enables the transition to becoming a business.
I am sure that this first will not be my last appearance on radio . If you would like to listen to the whole interview, the link to it is below. Or, if your prefer, carry on reading….
Sponsoring the Brentwood Business Awards is the largest single investment in marketing, at the time this blog was created. It has, however, proved to be a most rewarding and inspiring experience.
The Interviews
All of the six businesses I interviewed, along with my co-sponsor Sandy Brown of Legal Mediation, were absolutely fantastic. There was such a diversity in approaches, experience and industry. It would have been extremely hard to choose the finalists without the process provided by the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce. Sponsoring the awards opened my eyes to the variety of businesses operating in and around Brentwood. It was very pleasing to find more creative businesses, in both type and number, that I had experienced so far. All of those interviewed had an unrivalled passion for what they were doing and that striving to be the best, or to provide a service that is second to none in their field, was inspirational in itself.
The whole experience of sponsoring the awards for the first time was nerve-wracking and rewarding in equal measure. Being on the radio, undertaking interviews of selected companies and attending and presenting the awards were all new and exciting experiences.
Thanks again to the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce (https://brentwoodchamber.co.uk/), and especially to the team who arrange the awards process, for such a fantastic experience.
Hopefully the 2019 Brentwood Business awards will not be the last awards we will sponsor a category for.
Keep up the great work and delivering in the group!