Business

August 28th, 2025

My Tenth Business Birthday

Gudrun Lauret Communications is celebrating! Today is my 10th business birthday, a milestone I’m incredibly proud to have reached.

In early 2015 I was working with a marketing company to transition my VA business (which I’d started the year before) into providing copywriting services.

And on the 28th August I stood up at a networking event and told everyone I was a copywriter. Since then I’ve tried to mark it in a big or small way every year.

Reflections on the Past Decade

I haven’t managed to write a blog for every year I’ve been in business, but I have a few. It’s been really interesting seeing how things have changed. But when I read back on the post I published in 2016, what comes across is a mixture of pride and regret.

I spent over a decade working in admin, and when I first decided to become self-employed in 2014 I was exhausted and demoralised from a series of jobs where I was underappreciated and often ignored by colleagues.

What was nice was that in my second year of business, I celebrated 20 years of being a published writer. That also included cake! I’ll have to come up with something fun for my 30th anniversary!

The five-year mark for my business was one of personal and professional challenges, but also a lot of successes. Obviously 2020 was dominated by the covid pandemic, but I was also hospitalised with a particularly aggressive flareup of my ulcerative colitis. It took almost 18 months to recover from that fully.

That year I also launched my first podcast, The Time Pieces History Podcast. I’m so proud of that, and as it’s still out there on Spotify, maybe I should find a way to bring it back. I also completed the project that inspired the podcast, my own version of the history of the world in 100 objects. That was two blogs a week for 52 weeks!

The Evolution of My Offerings

When I read back through those previous business birthday blog posts, I see that what I offer has stayed broadly the same. What HAS changed is how I deliver services and who I work with. I’m still passionate about helping people to make a difference in the world. And I really love writing blogs and articles for people.

In the last year, the big difference is my focus on helping people to get really clear on what they do. My Find Your USP service does exactly what it says on the tin. I work with clients to find what makes them different to their competitors. Then we look at how to bring that into their content.

The Content Campfire sessions serve as a bridge between the USP service and ongoing content support, although they’re also a standalone offer. This is a brainstorming session where we come up with ideas for blogs, newsletters and any other content people want to create.

Things That Have Stayed the Same

The Ghillie Du, Edinburgh

Three major things have stayed the same in my business, and those are conferences, coaching and networking. Some of the events mentioned in my previous blogs have disappeared, but they’ve been replaced with some really good new ones.

This year I flew to Edinburgh for Adventures in Marketing, hosted by Niki Hutchison and Abi Sea, and ferried across to Poole for You Are The Media’s Creator Day. I’ve got tickets for both of these for next year, too.

I was gutted to miss Atomicon in my hometown in June, but it was the same day we signed for the house here, so that was a no-brainer! I’ve got my ticket for 2026. And while I think it’s almost sold out, if you want to come along I can share my affiliate link.

I’m also attending Showtime in London later this year, which is organised by Brand You Magazine. It looks quite glitzy, so I’ll be out of my comfort zone. But that’s a good thing!

This year, I’ve been fortunate to have had support with my marketing from Niki Hutchison, and sales training with Enfys Maloney. I believe that it’s important to invest in your business and find experts to help and guide you.

Most of my networking is online now (unless I’m at an event). I’ve been part of ONLE for just over a year,

Poole Harbour

and it’s such a lovely community. As well as having a home group, I can visit other regions and even overseas. Plus they have a book and film club and all-member sessions.

The Creative Collective is networking for creatives, and since finding the group last year I feel like I found the people who really get me. As well as fortnightly meetings, there’s a WhatsApp group that’s never quiet, and everyone is as weird as I am.

What Now?

The lake in Rohan

Apparently I forgot to mention in my eighth business birthday post that I moved to France that year too! And a couple of months ago we bought a 200-year-old townhouse in Rohan, which needs a LOT of work. So that’s an ongoing project for the next few years!

I became a director of our family limited company, which has no impact on how I work or run my business, but I do have to charge VAT now. The way the company is set up means I can work with UK-based business owners exactly as I always have.

I also started a newsletter, after years of procrastinating! Gud News is a weekly email with writing tips, updates I think are useful, an etymology fact and blogs, both new and from the archive. I’m really proud that I’ve been consistent with sending this over the last eight or nine months. As that gets up to its first anniversary, though, I think it will need a refresh.

This year I also accidentally started a new podcast! The Apple Cart is for disruptive creators, creative disruptors and anyone who wants to do things differently in business. It started off as a way to catch up with friends, and now season four is about to be published! It’s an interview show, so easier than the last podcast.

What Next?

A few weeks ago I got a distinction in my content strategy specialist award, which is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Strategy will be a service I offer in the new year.

As for what’s next, I’d like to find some new retainer clients – people who are fed up of sounding generic online and want some help to stand out. As well as done for you services, I’d like to offer done with you options. I think my idea of weekly blog writing support wasn’t quite right. So perhaps a more casual, ad-hoc service where I act as a sounding board is better? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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