PR chief’s tales of the unexpected
The weekend interview Katie Mallinson’s company Scriba PR helps clients across the globe. She tells Deputy Business Editor Greg Wright about how her firm has grown and the challenges she has faced.
IF YOU fancy running your own a business, you have to take potentially catastrophic events in your stride.
Katie Mallinson, the managing director of Huddersfield-based Scriba PR, knows that life can throw down challenges without warning.
She endured a life threatening blood clot when her business was less than a year old and a broken back three years later.
“My approach to planning and risks is to try and think of as many possible scenarios so you feel prepared. If you’re comfortable with the risks, go for it,” she said.
“But be agile enough for the unexpected. You can’t always know what’s going to be around the corner, which is why I concentrate more on shortmedium term planning, rather than long-term stuff. Covid taught us the importance of this. You can’t plan for everything, so my approach is to be comfortable in what you can anticipate.”
Today, as the founder of a business-to-business communications agency, she helps improve her clients’ reputations across the globe. But she is still proud of Scriba’s Yorkshire roots.
As a former voluntary tutor for students with learning difficulties, Ms Mallinson is passionate about giving something back. She said: “We still give every employee one day off every month to do voluntary work. It’s very easy to get sucked into a bubble at work, but you must always realise that your skills can be used for good causes.
“A lot of the focus is on monetary donations for charity, but giving your time is really valuable as well.”
A prize-winning business management student at Huddersfield University, she had a natural affinity with the world of public relations.
She recalled: “I really enjoyed business and all things linked to communication. I was really good at maths, and I gained a placement at a children’s play gym where I learned a lot about managing time and people.”
She gained her first job in PR at Leeds-based Litmus because bosses spotted her potential without a formal interview.
“I applied for the job at Litmus because I had enjoyed the PR element of my course,” she said. “In the end I couldn’t attend the interview due to a family bereavement but they still decided to take a chance with me.
“That taught me a lot about hiring the person first, rather than the experience on the CV, and also realising that sometimes life doesn’t go to plan. PR proved to be the perfect blend of everything I had been studying.
“I also saw how organisations could grow as a result of PR. I worked with start-ups and much bigger brands. I got used to being the middleman between the client and the journalist, and all the demands that go with this role.
“We describe ourselves as a ‘critical friend’ to our clients. Just because something is of interest to a client, it might not necessarily be of interest to a journalist. I enjoyed working with all the niche clients at Litmus and was thinking about setting up my own business.”
After deciding it was “now or never” she made the decision to set up Scriba on the toss of a coin.
“It came down tails and I decided to branch out on my own,” she said. “I’ve always been very risk conscious. But the biggest risk at the time was the dent to my pride if it didn’t work out. I could deal with that and that approach to risk
management has stuck with me throughout Scriba’s journey.”
Her contacts proved vital in Scriba’s early days.
“I was quite comfortable doing freelance copy writing, then a journalist contact highlighted work with other potential clients and it took off from there.
“I’m good at acknowledging my weaknesses; the best use of my skills is probably not focused on just doing the books or designing, for example.
“My first hire, Louise, had worked at a solicitors’ firm which reflected my flexible approach
to recruitment. Another of my staff, Ellie, joined from a London agency, because she was a bit disillusioned with the agency scene in the capital.
“Now she is going travelling the world while writing content for us. A few years ago that would have been simply impossible.
“We offered flexible working way before Covid,” Ms Mallinson said.
“But people rarely took us up on it. That said, even we would have probably never considered this type of arrangement before. However everyone – including
clients – are now more open minded.”
Today, Scriba has 16 staff and is, to quote Ms Mallinson, on a mission to make sense of complex businesses with intricate messages. She is keen to be seen as an extension of a client’s team and Scriba says it won’t be beaten by complex briefs, challenging topics, or difficult journalists.
“When you’re a business owner, you soon realise there are not enough hours in the day,” said Ms Mallinson. “I think a lot about the type of environment I
want to create for staff and I am more at peace with the need to switch off but it’s still a work in progress.”
She believes nothing beats a reputation for integrity, which has been earned through grit and enterprise.
“I have always stayed true to my values. I don’t see growth in terms of headcount but more in terms of reputation. I went to an event in Munich last week and I met people from all over the globe. A lot of the people there had heard of us and that really meant a lot.”
You can’t plan for everything, so my approach is to be comfortable in what you can anticipate.