Deborah Benson, creative genius and small business enthusiast
Size is a matter of perspective. Small business? You’ll be more agile than your competitors. Relatively inexperienced? Congratulations – you’ll be a breath of fresh air in your industry.
When Deborah started her Brighton-based design and marketing consultancy, catchily named Tell Me Something Good, she deliberately went after smaller clients – the ones neglected by traditional agencies.
In her mind, being small implies a long list of superior qualities.
“It’s the humanity of a small organisation,” says Deborah. “The impact you can make on a small client on their branding, marketing and communications – within six months you’ll be able to see a tangible difference, right down to their bottom line.”
Everyone has a story. I really enjoy getting to the heart of what small businesses are trying to say
Her service helps clients to find the right message for their audience and shows them how to use digital channels to broadcast it.
“Everyone has a story. I really enjoy getting to the heart of what small businesses are trying to say – who they’re trying to say it to, and what they want to achieve.”
She’s evangelical about the merits of being small, such as the ability to pivot the business if needed. “Your business plan will change in the first year, so don’t get too attached to it.”
Being small doesn’t mean you’ll be outgunned, presses Deborah. Far from it. There are guerilla tactics to deploy, such as building alliances. For example, Deborah manages a network of technical experts in Brighton who can leap in when needed: “I have a pool of talent around me – good friends and associates who are graphic designers, web developers, and copywriters, so I can contract out support when needed.”
Size is part of the reason she picked Tide. “I felt too small for big banks – the services they offered, and the charges they levy. What I like about Tide was that it felt really affordable and really pro small businesses. It felt like a better fit than a big corporate high-street bank.”
By using Tide, Deborah can stay nimble, keeping her admin and overheads to a minimum. “I still don’t have an accountant. The support and functionality that I get from Tide – alongside my own kind of spreadsheet geekiness – means that I don’t really need an accountant at this point.”
I’ll always want to work with interesting businesses, who I share values with
The best thing of all of about working with small businesses? The friendships. Deborah radiates joy when talking about her clients, who are clearly so much more than commercial partners.
“I’ve become very good mates with my first client. It’s super fulfilling to watch her grow her business and bottom line. She’s so happy with the work we’ve done, and I love the fact that we’re still working together a year later when it started off as just needing a website!”
Her philosophy is a recipe for a happy, profitable, and always amusing worklife.
“I’ll always want to work with interesting businesses, who I share values with,” Deborah says. “It’s never been ‘I’ll do it for the money’. I want to work with businesses I believe in, and people I connect with.”
Visit Tell Me Something Good’s website and learn more about their services: tmsgcreative.com