Claire - Flamingo Creative
Claire is the Founder of Flamingo Creative and loves helping small businesses to stand out and achieve success. Prior to starting her own business, she spent the majority of her career working within marketing teams in a range of industries where she gained skills, knowledge and experience, and it is this coupled with her studies in Business, Graphic Design, Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing that help her design and implement successful strategies and outcomes for her clients. Through this, she realised that she has a passion for design, digital marketing, and coming up with out of the box solutions to help take small businesses to the next level.
She also works with women at the beginning of their business journey to establish their brand foundations from the beginning to ensure they have everything they need to build a successful brand and a solid marketing strategy.
What advice would you give to your 15 year old self?
At 15 years old I think I was a bit lost with who I was and wasn’t really sure about where I was heading (as I’d say most 15 years are!). But as an older (and hopefully a little bit wiser) woman I would tell her:
Don’t ever compromised on your own morals and values
Always trust your gut – if it’s saying don’t do something there is generally a reason for it
Nothing is ever as bad as you think it’s going to be, so stop worrying! Life isn’t always smooth sailing, but you will always figure out the right solution for you in the end.
Life is short, so spend time doing what you love and what makes you happy
What makes you proud to be a woman?
Honestly, it is to see so many amazing women out there doing what they love, kicking goals and being successful. My whole journey changed when I started meeting other women who owned their own businesses and actually understood the highs and the lows that go along with that. Some of my greatest friends are actually competitors in business, but there is always plenty of work to go around, so I really resonate with the “community over competition” philosophy, and always try to be a cheerleader for all those brave enough to get out there, find what they love and jump into it!
What has been your biggest challenge in your career so far?
The biggest challenge of my career was probably the decision to leave my corporate job with no real plan about what was next. In hindsight, it was the best decision that I ever made, but at the time it was stressful and I really questioned if I had made the right move. I believe there is always a silver lining and I took a couple of months off to regroup, and then Flamingo Creative was born!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Oh wow, I haven’t actually thought about this forever. At one point I wanted to be an Occupational Therapist to work with disabled children, and I know at another point I wanted to do something in computers (my parents owned their own computing business for as long as I can remember). I’m not sure I really knew that much about what computers were or what they did - little did I know how that would turn out!
Who inspires you most and why?
I have been so lucky in my life to be raised by some of the most amazing women (and men) this planet has ever produced, and they have helped to mould and shape me into the person I am today, and I will always be eternally grateful for them. My Mum is Wonder Woman – she juggles so much and does so much for everyone else and is always there to support and cheer all of us kids (there is 4 of us!) on with everything that we do. Like her, my Nana was one of the greatest human beings who handled every situation with class and grace, and my aunts have always been my biggest cheerleaders. It is these women who inspire me to be the best version of me that I can.
You can follow her here, and check out all her incredible services here, and soak up all her wisdom here!
