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Have you ever bootstrapped? I have. It can be painful, but it also teaches resilience, humility, and creativity. Successes feel exponentially more satisfying, and speaking for myself, the failures are painful but feel less like defeat and more like challenges. I work with many bootstrapped businesses or those that have plateaued in their growth. Money, or lack of it, is a common topic.

For those who are not from a sales and marketing background, planning growth can be very challenging. The 'quick win’ route–networking and carrying out basic prospecting and marketing–has been limited and failed them. I have met many businesses that have been chasing 'quick wins' for 15-25 years. For startups, this is a horrifying view of their possible future. Working with startups and SMEs, Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy and execution is an early discussion point.

In Kendo the opponent is approximately 2.5-2.6 metres (approx 8.5 feet) away when a bout begins with the sword tips touching. To a beginner, that distance can feel like an impossible chasm to cross, and watching an experienced Kendo practitioner practically teleport in front of them to cover them in a flurry of sword hits is more than a little disorientating.

This post is about the origins of Word Ferret, our copywriting business. I met Gina when she was 17 and I was 18. It was love at first sight and this year marks our 38th anniversary together. Gina’s absolute passion for words, languages, books, writing, and research has been the centre of our world.