LIZZIE SELBY Managing Director, Peachy Digital
Generally, I wake up at 5am (darn body clock!) and will often do ‘5am club’, in the sense that I catch up on some emails, do some coverage checks and so on with a coffee and enjoy the peace before the rest of the family is up. At least once a week I’ll attend a 6.30am networking event which has been online for the last 18 months so hasn’t necessitated the early morning drive to Darlington! With marketing, no two days are ever the same – one of the reasons I love my job so much – but each day will involve speaking to our clients, monitoring ongoing campaigns, brainstorming ideas for new ones, and speaking to relevant third parties such as the media, event organisers and suppliers. I love speaking with people so I really couldn’t be in a better role! Breakfast is typically granola with Greek yoghurt, or something left over from supper the night before (which people always find very strange). It’s not uncommon for me to have homemade curry for breakfast… I’ll head to the office a couple of hours later which is at the Evolution Business Centre in Northallerton where first order of the day is to get the coffee machine on! It’s a lovely drive through North Yorkshire countryside, only about ten minutes and will be accompanied by listening to my rather eclectic playlist (from Erasure to Blink 182 to Rolling Stones and some Cyndi Lauper for good measure!) 9.30am The other ‘resident Peach’ Lindsay arrives, and we’ll have a good catch up on work for the day ahead, any immediate actions and priorities, and grab a quick brew. We also have Ellen who works part time remotely from Dublin, and Chloe our placement student who is based in York for university but travels in as required as well as working remotely. We’ll have a cracking playlist on in the background as we work away and the office is very much two extremes – I am always too warm so sat with my fan on and bare arms, Lindsay too cold so wrapped up in cardigans and blankets and making sure I don’t sneak the air con on! Lindsay is pretty switched on nutrition-wise and eats all manner of delicious but healthy things, often bringing things for me to try. I never thought I’d enjoy some of them, but I’m a convert! Though I can still be found chomping my way through blocks of cheese at will. 10am I have a call with a chef who supports a CIC we are involved with, Foodie Book Club, and we discuss ongoing PR for the project as well as some creative ideas to widen our reach while supporting their independent projects. I love being involved with this, we work with the director, Lee MajhenTodd on what she calls her ‘proper job’ too (Lee & the Sweet Life), and Foodie Book Club is all about supporting mental health through a love of food and reading. It’s been really helpful for many over the pandemic. 11.30am And it’s a quick catch up with Ellen and Chloe to see how they’re getting on with the projects they are working on, and to update them on other bits we have in the pipeline. 12pm We’ll have a working lunch, nattering while eating and enjoying an obligatory brew – always Yorkshire Tea. Sometimes a walk down the road to town, or just a bimble round the business park to get some fresh air. I’m a big believer in taking a break from your screen and both Lindsay and I often come up with our most creative ideas when we are out of the office. And if nothing else, why wouldn’t you take the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors? 12.30pm I’m generally back at my desk and cracking on. Most days the early afternoon is focused on various Zoom calls or meetings out with clients, the majority of whom are in the North East and North Yorkshire, but also Manchester, Macclesfield and Preston. Today it’s a Teams call with a client and their main supplier for a particular line of products, and we’re pulling together a strategy with the supplier’s marketing team to really drive their relationship forward in the eyes of end users. 2pm It’s an onboarding session with a new client in the food industry, visiting their site and carrying out a deep dive into the history, ethos and objectives of the brand and its products. We’ll use this to pull together a strategic plan that guides both us and them going forward as we deliver their PR and social media. They send us home with tasty treats, too! 4pm Back to emails! Another round of coverage checks and picking up on anything new which has landed while I’ve been away from my desk. Today it’s the great news that we have been given the social media contract for an ethical fashion brand, so I focus on pulling together the assets and information we need to make a strong start on that. I try to finish work at 5pm so that I can spend some time with the children, make supper and so on. Cuddles on the sofa are always a very important part of the day (I’m glad my 12 year old hasn’t reached the stage where she doesn’t want to cuddle me anymore!) and I always make time to chat to the girls about their day. My husband usually gets home around 6pm and sometimes his children are with us during the week, so it can be pretty hectic! I’ll then have a final admin tidy up at around 8/9pm when the children are in bed, just to set myself up for the day ahead tomorrow. It’s usually bed no later than 10pm following a chamomile te
