Gain insights on business growth in our series of bite-size chats with business leaders, which were brought to you by The FD Consultant.
In this edition of Insights Q&A, we welcome Fiona Scott, MD of Scott Media.
Founded by Fiona almost 17 years ago and driven by a passion for elevating extraordinary individuals and organisations, Scott Media helps businesses tell their stories.
Learn about Fiona’s key motivations, challenges and tips for growth based on her own experience.
We hope you enjoy this latest edition of Insights.
Hi Fiona, please tell us about your business.
Scott Media was founded almost 17 years ago after I was made redundant from my full-time job as a series producer for ITV, based out of the studio in Bristol. The company has gone through several iterations, but its core has remained the same—to be a storyteller for business owners, charities, or brands who are committed to being more than transactional.
They often have a mission, a purpose, and a need to create more impact, be more visible, and increase their reach, and they are willing to invest in this. My team can either do this for them, guide them to do it themselves or train them to do it themselves.
Telling stories for Scott Media means working with modern media and preparing a company or individual to be PR ready. Stories can be driven by traditional media or modern media methods such as blogging, podcasting, videos, animations, or social media campaigns. Every organisation and PR mix are different.
For corporates and large companies, Scott Media will train in house marketing and PR teams about how to think like a journalist and engage with the media positively. We also sometimes deal with crisis management situations should they occur.
I’m a working journalist too with a few regular writing gigs mostly in the business press.
What are the key factors which have driven your growth to date?
Many factors sit behind success, and success in business is also relative – one person’s success is not the same as another person’s success.
For me, it was about creating a role for myself aligned to story-telling which initially matched my middle management salary. It has evolved from this to become a growing business with a wider team supporting me. This growth has continued apart from 2020 when we were all hit by the pandemic.
Factors for growth based on my perception of success are:
Hard work – putting in the graft and not moaning.
Showing up often – I can’t tell others to show up and not do so myself.
Outsourcing – surrounding yourself with the right team even if you do not employ them.
Decision-making – not making decisions or facing challenges just causes stagnation, even if your decision does not work out.
Taking opportunities – there has to be a degree of risk-taking, trying things out and being willing to fail in doing so.
Knowing your numbers – I’m good with a budget, I’m not good with planning when it comes to money so my first outsourced partner was an accountant who did the basics for me. I don’t enjoy money but I know it’s vital for success.
Taking action – this for me is the most important thing. Don’t seek perfect, seek imperfect action and learn from it.
Taking opportunities – there has to be a degree of risk-taking, trying things out and being willing to fail in doing so.
What makes you so passionate about what you do?
I’ve always loved story-telling and people fascinate me – I’m basically nosey. I was the kid who would walk down the street peering in people’s windows to see what they had, what their room was like.... The truth is that there are extraordinary people living in every street and every community across the UK and across the globe and most are unsung heroes.
Ever since childhood, I’ve attracted people who will share their stories with me even if I’ve not asked. I believe that to be a gift.
Stories are powerful, words and pictures, video are powerful mediums and used wisely they can elevate a person, brand, business, charity or community project.
Today I ask people to pay me for my skills (unless they fit into one of my journalistic briefs) because I have to make a living and I have to support my freelance team. I serve no one by working for free.
Stories are powerful, words and pictures, video are powerful mediums and used wisely they can elevate a person, brand, business, charity or community project.
What do you view as your greatest achievement in this role to date?
Realising in my late 40s (I was made redundant at the age of 42) that I’m actually a business owner and embracing the mindset that goes with that. This means being good at the discipline of business and being single-minded about it. This must sit alongside anyone’s service or product for success to follow.
In 2025 my business will be 17 years old, even achieving that milestone is for me my greatest achievement.
Only about four per cent of small businesses which start in any given year reach a decade. Being one of the four per cent is pretty amazing.
Only about four per cent of small businesses which start in any given year reach a decade. Being one of the four per cent is pretty amazing.
What are the biggest challenges your business faces?
The fact that sometimes clients will run when they fear an economic downturn and often that is not based in their reality but in the general economic climate nationally or internationally.
I started the business in a downturn in 2008 (and let’s face it that was when I lost my job) and then it happened during the pandemic. I lost 40 per cent of my business overnight.
However educating people about how visibility is increasingly important is something I embraced fully when in that position and in about six months, I regained the ground I lost by offering new training services and ‘project’ work.
sometimes clients will run when they fear an economic downturn and often that is not based in their reality but in the general economic climate
This is a model I’ve since kept and it’s healthier for me and my team. I also don’t charge extortionate fees because there’s a lot of BS in the world of PR and outcomes are often promised which frankly cannot be delivered.
I focus heavily on practical public relations where we work together to be visible and to deliver impact – and, ultimately, growth.
We hope you found Fiona's comments informative and thought provoking.
If you'd like to know more about Fiona and her business, please visit her website here.
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