2021 at a Glance: Launching

Launching Copy & Co at the start of this year felt like a leap of faith—exciting and terrifying, as there were no guarantees. But as 2021 unfolded, that leap proved to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. The demand for ‘quality copy delivered quickly’ was stronger than I ever could have imagined, and looking back, I’m so grateful for the energy and opportunities that came my way.

The year didn’t start as planned, though. What was meant to be a three-week holiday home to Hong Kong for Christmas turned into a four-month stay due to pandemic travel restrictions. While unexpected, it gave me the chance to spend long, interrupted time with my family—something I’m incredibly grateful for. The flexibility of running my own business meant I could continue working, no matter where I was, and the magic of that wasn’t lost on me.

Hiking in Hong Kong

Q1: Opening the Doors

2021 kicked off with a bang as I dove into ongoing projects with specialist PR firm Ecology Media and coding bootcamp Makers. Creating press releases and articles for Ecology Media’s clients, and helping Makers refine their case studies and blog posts, set the stage for the year ahead.

I also had the pleasure of working with a few inspiring female founders, helping them redo their bios—a reminder that having an outsider work on your profile can help you see things you can’t see yourself.

March was a whirlwind! I partnered with edtech startup Founders Academy to develop educational content that shapes tomorrow’s leaders, and teamed up with TechTee, a London-based software house, to create blog posts that showcased their cutting-edge expertise. 

Q2: Going Global

This quarter, Copy & Co went international! I welcomed new clients from across the globe—Pelago, a New York-based virtual clinic offering personalised substance use care, and Rainmaking, a Singapore-based corporate innovation and venture development firm. Helping them create blog posts made me realise that while the industries might be different, the essence of strong storytelling remains the same.

I also produced email marketing content for clients in the UK, including finance community Vestpod and executive search firm Founders Keepers, while also supporting consulting practice Commerce Thinking with copywriting for a product marketing project.

A short-lived experiment with video content

Q3: A Summer in London

Having spent a big chunk of the year in Hong Kong, I was happy to spend the summer in the UK. I continued my work with Ecology Media and also for Makers, which included helping them with Women in Software.

I also took on an exciting new project for Koru Kids, a London-based childcare service truly changing the game. Creating email content that helped them expand their offerings was really exciting as I love what they are doing for working parents.

This quarter also brought more international collaborations, including partnerships with YouTuber Marko Ayling and author Allison Baum Gates. Helping them refine their long-term writing projects reminded me that as a writer, you can only really improve through feedback — while writing is a solitary pursuit, editing is an incredibly collaborative process (and the edits are where the growth happens).

Q4: Finishing Strong 

Even though we spent part of October in Madeira (and loved it so much that we extended our holiday by another week), the work didn’t slow down. There was a new wave of clients, including data reliability platform Synq, marketing agency Faben Digital, and workspace platform Hubble.

I also had the opportunity to create content for the London Wellness Clinic and funding provider Uncapped.

Then, while in Hong Kong hotel quarantine (round two!) for Christmas, I did my first pro bono project through Copy & Co and helped Daisy Ilchovska with her first book.

Beautiful Madeira

What a year! I wrote a more reflective piece here, but all in all, the 30 clients I’ve gotten to work with have been so inspiring, and I’ve loved the variety and scope of the work.

Despite the very different industries they all serve, one thing remains the same: they might not be in a position to hire full-time marketing help, but they still have pressing content needs. Being able to jump in as an experienced content marketer and make an immediate impact has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m very excited for what next year holds.