There’s no denying that our fonder and boss lady Chrissy is a busy lady. I recently found some time to sit down with her to find out what trends she predicts for 2023, plus a chance to pick her brain on a few other things too. If there’s anyone’s brain you should want to pick, it’s definitely Chrissy’s. Have a read and see what’s happening in her world and what’s on her radar.
Of the many hats you wear, could you give us a brief rundown of your main roles at CLS and beyond?
I literally wear all of the hats all the time. My role is incredibly varied and very hands-on. I look at everything from new business to ongoing partnerships. I still create copy for socials and write articles for blogs. I do a lot of email newsletters and my job is to oversee all the moving pieces here at CLS to ensure we’re on top of everything and that ideas, creativity and concepts going to clients are the best they can possibly be.
What qualifications do you have/did you need to start in your industry?
So I have a degree in journalism, public relations and marketing. I’ve a Diploma in Proofreading and Editing and I’ve undertaken a tonne of short courses to ensure that my skillet and knowledge are up to date. I also have a degree in International Hotel Management in Food and beverage which I did in the USA. I worked my way up through bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels and ended up in the marketing department where email marketing and social media were just becoming a thing. Being an early adopter and lover of tech I was thrown in and embraced it and then fast forward I started my own business because at the time few people were offering the services we provide to be outsourced, so the timing could not have been better.
What advice do you have for young people interested in marketing/business management?
Find an amazing mentor and learn and listen as much as you can from them. Intern in different facets of media and communication, so you can see what each one offers and how these different platforms / mediums all work and how you can incorporate them into your plan. Go and intern at as many places that will have you to be sure what parts of the industry / business you like.
Also, look at General Assembly online, they offer lots of free and short courses. I highly rate these and YouTube is a fantastic FREE learning resource.
What’s one thing you wish people would do more of or listen to you about in their businesses?
Ask for help or have someone with a fresh perspective look into your business. Some people know their business has stagnated but they don’t want to put the effort in to spruce things up. It blows my mind when I see brick and mortar businesses that aren’t online and everyone should be selling digital gift vouchers.
What trends are you expecting for 2023?
- Email, email, email. I know I harp on about it all the time but for good reason. I think we’re going to see a lot more automation in place, hyper-personalisation and segmentation.
- AI as we’re starting to dip our toes into the water a little but I think it has a wee way to go
- Micro influencer use and more user-generated content to help businesses and brands appear more authentic.
What are the three things you could not function at work without?
For me, I always need a coffee and more coffee,I also LOVE music. I tend to pick a set that I want to listen to like rave or Disney and then play it on all day, and of course candles. I have to smell something nice. It’s almost like a bit of a daily ritual. I light a candle when I sit at my desk and close my day out when I extinguish it.
But work wise it would be a list, always have a list of all the tasks that you want to do for the day and also I absolutely love post-it notes, if you see my desk and wall, it is full of them, and it helps with keeping me accountable and organised.
If you would like to have a one-on-one chat with Chrissy who took out last years International Stevie Bronze Award for Women of the Year, get in touch with Chrissy at chrissy@creativelittlesoul.com.au.