In 2009 I went to work one morning and resigned. I was dreading it. I had to tell my boss, someone who I liked and respected that I was moving on. My boss was Tara, my co-founder of Oyster. When I eventually left, I said to her “one day, you and I must do something together again”. That was 10 years ago. I was leaving Jupiter Asset Management to join Alliance Trust. I can honestly say that both during my time at Jupiter and after, Tara has been one of the most important influencers on my career to date. She taught me the abc’s of marketing and has become a great friend. A friendship that developed over time spent attempting to land a salmon on the River Helmsdale. On the most recent of those bonny Scottish holidays our plans started to bear fruit.
Today, it really is a case of carpe diem – we are finally doing something together again – and we couldn’t be more excited. This month we formally launch Oyster Marketing and Communications. Both of us have worked with or for agencies throughout our career and both of us have held senior in house roles. We know what works and what doesn’t and our vision is to use this insight to build a business with a difference. We get it; we understand how businesses tick, their challenges, goals and visions - and we listen. This means whatever we recommend will be based on a genuine belief that it will make a real difference. We won’t stop at a recommendation though. We will roll up our sleeves, apply some grit and get the job done.
We want to build our business with a team of senior marketing resource where we can offer marketing and communication support on demand. We plan on building a network of individuals, some who will work side by side with us as a team and others who we can pull in on a flexible basis. Our vision is to build a modern type of agency where no-one will be expected to work 9-5, Monday to Friday (if they don’t want to) – our main focus is to work with the best people and get the most from them for the benefit of our clients. We have learnt through the years that people like to work differently so if that means they work at best at midnight on a Saturday rather than 9am on a Monday then so be it. Our focus is for our clients to get the best solutions and for our team to enjoy the work they do.
Setting up a business in 2019 when our country is in political turmoil might seem incongruous to some. However, we believe that the famous British entrepreneurial spirit will continue and with that the demand for outsourced solutions. Our ability to scale up and down, efficiently and responsibly should serve us well.
The wonderful news is that we are starting our business with a significant brand on board. Julius Baer, my previous employer, has been fantastically supportive. To start a business like ours with a client already signed up gives us a huge advantage and I’ll always be grateful to the team in London and Zurich for their support. We are looking forward to a few more brands joining the ranks and are excited about what the future looks like for Oyster. Our ambitions are big, our enthusiasm high and excitement palpable.
Carpe Diem,
Ella
P.s. if any potential clients are keen to try the fish of the day at their favourite restaurant then do let us know!
