Emma Hart, co-founder and director of PR agency Missive recently left 02 to launch her own agency start up. We recently caught up with her and she seems to be enjoying it...
My day
6.30am: Depending on the agenda of night before, my alarm is set for 6.00am or 6.30am. Today it's 6.30am and the Today Programme is the first thing that gets my attention. I live with a press advisor for a pretty serious government department, so we unpick the headlines and spokesperson blunders over a rather rushed breakfast. I check in on the Missive WhatsApp group to see if I can predict who will be in the feistiest mood in the office today.
7.30am: I love my commute. I always get a seat and revel in the 40 minutes to myself to focus my mind. Today, I'm writing this. Yesterday, I scribbled ideas for a pitch. Tomorrow, I'll be mulling over where we'll take the team for our 2016 Missive weekend offsite.
8.30am: Daily conflab at the WeWork Moorgate coffee machine. Black Americano for me. There are some seriously dedicated and smart people who work here and I love the atmosphere and buzz of this place. A couple of weeks ago Ed Vaizey paid a visit courtesy of our neighbours, TechCity. Shortly after that Paddy Cosgrave took the floor to intro WebSummit. It feels like this is where the action is.
9.00am: Nicola Koronka and I have our weekly partners’ meeting. We are both ridiculously diligent, so this never gets missed. We go through the current workload with every client and talk about pressures and priorities. It’s not revolutionary, but I always feel better after this hour. Top of the agenda is the fintech breakfast we're co-hosting with a high-street bank next week.
10.00am: Nic and I meet with an executive coach. We talk about how roles are evolving and what it takes to identify and celebrate someone's strengths. I'm reminded to go back to my desk and tell a team member that I love his positivity. I've never once heard him complain.
11.00am: Our new fridge is delivered to the office, which evokes usual levels of excitement. It's for salad in the main, but there'll always be a bottle of champagne in there just in case.
11.15am: Head down for me. I'm a writer, but I'm at my best in the morning. Today I'm working on a corporate story for a global digital telecoms operator. It’s an ambitious brief asking for an impactful story that senior execs will tell on the global stages of One Young World, Politico and Davos. It’s a tall order, but not impossible and I revel in the ambition. This is the stuff of dreams for me.
1.00pm: After lunch with the team I’m into pitch prep. New business is difficult for me because I get so involved in it. It becomes personal. My colleague Alex Austin and I work through opportunities to comment on the spending review for a financial services client.
3.30pm: I head to Soho to meet Nicola Green, O2's director of comms, my former boss and now client. I love working with Nicola. Some people you just click with. Regardless of the topic, we always leave feeling like we’ve got a plan to change the world.
5.30pm: Home for the finances. We’re approaching Missive’s year-end so there’s some admin to do. No eye rolling for me, I love process and clarity so this stuff makes me happy. I check back in on the Missive WhatsApp group and then drop Nic a text. She’s got a big day tomorrow and I want her to know I haven’t forgotten. We are both uncompromising about doing good work and loving it in the process.
Article written by Emma Hart, co-founder and director of PR agency Missive
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