Getting ready from the scrum down...

Blimey, it’s been a busy week and hopefully next week even busier! With the Six Nations Rugby tournament kicking off tomorrow, it feels like I’m getting nearer to that try line to secure that first elusive signed contract.

Kicked off the week with my speed dating networking event. Imagine the most random business people in one room and you have two and a half minutes to talk to them about your business and they then do the same. After an hour and a half of this, I was shattered – seriously, there are only so many times you can say ‘Hi! I’m Penny from Zzing Marketing etc etc etc’ whilst keeping a fixed smile on your face before you get lock jaw. Still, it was a good event and I have spoken to several of the contacts I met, some for possible supplier work and one which may come to fruition for some work – fingers crossed.

Also went to the ‘Meet, Greet and Prosper’ networking event – hmmmmmmm. Not as useful as the other networking event, the seminar was more like a TV American Preacher (“let’s give each other a big round of applause...”) but still, you have to try these things.

Had an interesting day in London with Steve Garratt of the Giggle Group on Wednesday – Steve is a great guy, (fantastic animation work from the Giggle Group – take a look at their Giggle Spots www.thegigglegroup.com) and he very kindly has got me compiling some proposals for some projects he’s working on so have been busy working on them. Lovin’ Steve’s work!

Next week I’m off to the 3Market event with my mate Vicki from Tiger Ink Print. It’s a social enterprise /trading exhibition and event for community enterprises and groups – a different world from the normal corporate clients I work with but one of my other contacts who has been really helpful in passing on leads for potential work, Linda Bratcher of Total Coverage Design, www.totalcoverage.co.uk is exhibiting there. As I’m learning very quickly, different markets and sectors work so differently and demand and expect different ways of working, but once you get in, you’re in. Fingers crossed and here’s to the next box of business cards being used.

The week hasn’t all been sweetness and light – Tuesday was rubbish, got knocked back on three tenders within the space of an afternoon, all a bit depressing and made me wonder what I had got myself into with this world of freelance marketing but then Wednesday with Steve reaffirmed why I started off on this crazy journey. The buzz and challenge of working on several projects in totally different market sectors is what floats my boat.

And with that, I’ve got to go! Most Friday’s have been a wind down to the weekend so writing this weekly newsletter has been a bit of a labour of love each week, but with the proposal work and research list ever increasing, I’ve got stuff to do before clocking off!

Enjoy the rugby this weekend if you are watching – I’ll be catching up with one of my business guru’s, Sylvain Boutellier of the venue finding company Nexus Venue www.nexusvenue.co.uk next week. Not only does Sylvain kindly check in with me each week to see how I’m getting on in business and provides me with brilliant words of wisdom and advice, but he is also a huge French Rugby fan, so we’ll be dissecting the games results early next week! (Nexus Venue is also on Twitter too now so follow them to keep up to date on the latest news and offers in the venue industry). England vs Wales is the big match for me though, for those of you not into rugby and can’t quite understand what the fuss is all about, here is a quote from Elizabeth Taylor who is obviously a classy lady.

"I prefer rugby to soccer. I enjoy the violence in rugby, except when they start biting each other's ears off." - Elizabeth Taylor (1972)