I know what you’re thinking. You’re looking at the title, and you’re shaking your head in disbelief, and you’re thinking to yourself, “not.even.remotely.possible”, because;
- Multi-award winning.
- Just won 3 awards in 1 week.
- Never done talking about awards.
It doesn’t seem possible, right?
Wrong.
The truth is that these awards are all for my mum. She is and always will be my pillar of strength. My inspiration. My number one. She sadly passed away [far too soon at the young age of 65] 2.5 years ago just as I had started Digital 24. I was 5 months in business and loved having her as my go-to. Then she was so cruelly taken away from us. [I previously wrote about her here]
Anyone who has lost a parent will know how incredibly hard it is. I loved and worshipped her and I really, really needed her to be around to tell me that ‘everything would be okay’ and that ‘I was doing fine’ and ‘how proud she was of me’.
But she wasn’t around. And I couldn’t make her proud.
And so I had to go alone – well not alone as I have my hugely supportive family, my rock of a husband, and the amazing Kirsty who has been with me on this start-up journey – not to mention my loyal friends. And I have some amazing industry peers who are always rooting for me [you guys know who you are]. But in reality – I just really wanted my mum. I wanted to show her that I could make a go of Digital 24 and I wanted to make her the proudest mum in the world.
I decided that in my journey from small business digital marketing agency start-up, I would set aside time to prove to myself that I was doing alright. And in the process, enter some awards in memory of her.
So much adrenalin. Ambition. Rose-coloured glasses. 2am finishes. 5am starts. Not even remotely tired, because I am driven.
…
I don’t think I have worked less than 60+ hours per week since I started, bringing this dream to life.
Week in, week out, sheer adrenalin keeping it all feeling like this is completely do-able for the rest of my life.
I work VERY hard. And the truth is. I am totally deserving of these awards. So – here’s to my mum. You have made me that hard-working, dedicated, determined human that I am today. In return I am making you proud of all my achievements. Each. And. Every. Award. Is. For. You.
DANI – Best Social Media Campaign 2018
Digital DNA – Best Digital Marketing Campaign 2018
Belfast Telegraph Awards – Best Digital Marketing Initiative 2018
Belfast Chamber Of Commerce Awards – Best Small Business Mentor Of The Year 2018
