Andi Jarvis is the Founder and Strategy Director of Eximo Marketing, a strategy consultancy based in Belfast that works with clients across the U.K. and Ireland.
Andi is going to take us through an average day in his life running a marketing consultancy.
“For roughly half my time, Eximo Marketing is just me. I manage the business development, admin and run a number of the projects on my own. The other half of the time, I build teams with other consultants or freelancers to scale up for bigger projects.
This approach helps me put exactly the right people on each project, which helps get the best results for our clients. Sometimes that means finding the right partner for social content, SEO, ads or something entirely different.
Building project teams also helps to avoid me cabin fever – a constant threat when you work alone for too long!”
How did you get in to marketing?
“I studied Sport Management at Northumbria University many, many years ago and was attracted to the marketing side of the course. I’d originally wanted to become a sports teacher, but I soon ditched that ambition.
My first real marketing job was a year out of uni when I worked at Durham County Cricket Club. That job set me up for life. The team of people I worked with helped and supported me through my early days, invested in me and stood by me when I made mistakes – I couldn’t have had a better place to learn.
From there I’ve worked in education, media and pensions before moving into working for marketing agencies in 2011. I went back to uni part time and graduated with a MSc in Marketing in 2015, before launching Eximo Marketing in 2017.”
What does a typical day in your role look like?
“I work from home mostly, so my day starts with an eight second commute across the landing to my office.
Continuous learning is something I’m a huge fan of. There are a few blogs and emails I like to check regularly to help me stay in touch with the industry and what’s changing in digital and I’ll usually do that before breakfast. I typically use that time to load up my social channels too.
From there it’s exercise, breakfast and a shower before getting stuck in to the real work.
The biggest challenge I have every day is juggling the time I spend on business development and delivering for clients. I’m usually at my best in the morning, so if I can stay in the office and work on something for a client, that’s what I’ll do. That could be research, figuring out a strategic problem (which is often helped by a walk outside!) or writing up the recommendations.
I try and plan meetings in the afternoons – although it never quite works out that way – and spend that time drinking coffee and talking to people. I think I spend about an hour a day on the phone too, so I don’t leave the house unless I’ve got my hands free kit with me – my elbow complains too much if I just hold the phone to my ear in the traditional way.
I’d love to say that I clock off at 5 and relax in the evenings, but it’s never really the case. Admin often gets pushed to the evenings, so clients often get invoices around half time of Premier League games! I also try and blog regularly, and these posts are often drafted first on my phone while laid on the sofa.
It’s not all work from the moment I wake up. A couple of days a week I pick my daughter up from school and we hang out on parks, bake and bounce on a trampoline – to be honest, these are the best afternoons.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
“My speciality is marketing strategy, which takes me into different industries.
My favourite bit is digging into what happens in each business and working out what issues they have. I also like to see how different industries tackle problems. It’s amazing how the same problems crop up time and again but are tackled in very different ways depending on the sector.
I also get to speak at loads of events and I love it. I know many speakers hate the prep for the events, but I love that bit. Researching and developing something new, then seeing it land really well with the audience is a pretty special feeling.
What would your advice be to anyone considering a role like this?
“Consultancy isn’t for everyone and, realistically, you need some good experience to be able to lean on before you can start out.
I’d recommend getting stuck into a broad marketing role that allows you the chance to find what part interests you. Specialising is important, but so is being commercially aware, so take every chance you can to work with senior people in your organisation.
And keep learning. Some elements of marketing still hold true from the 1950s, such as the pillars of strategy that are essential to learn. But tactics move incredibly quickly and you’ll need to stay on top of that too.”
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