Before she graduated from university, Vicki Olton knew that she would one day be involved in marketing. The desire to get into this particular field was strong and although it took her a while, she is right where she wants to be.
The managing director of Effective Marketing Solutions said it was in 2008 that she registered the business even though she was working with a company at that time.
“I always had leadership qualities in me so I always had the desire to have my own business and do my own thing because I felt that I had that in me. I love marketing, marketing is in me doing new projects, working with different brands is always in me. At that time of my life [2008] I wasn’t mature enough or, it wasn’t my season for going full-time,” she said.
The businesswoman noted that she has a post graduate certificate in technical translation and working with a company in a Spanish-speaking country is not difficult.
So while she is looking to increase the number of clients, she is not limiting herself or the company to Barbados or even this region.
“Under Effective Marketing Solutions, I offer translation, marketing and language services. So even if there’s a client from South America or anywhere that speaks Spanish, I could work with them as well,” Olton said.
“It is a global marketing consultancy and I offer marketing plans and strategies, branding services, communication, research, cultural analysis. I don’t stick to working in Barbados. I am also a marketing associate for an Indian company.
“There are only so many marketing companies that can operate in this sphere. I find when I approach people overseas, they are more welcoming to what I can give. They are impressed by the different projects I’ve worked on and the different companies I’ve worked with,” she added. She assists the Indian company with sales in the region.
So what led to her taking that leap of faith?
“I think there always comes a time in your life where you have to walk in your divine purpose. That purpose doesn’t always include the rigid 9 to 5 structure.
“You come to a point working for a company where you’ve done enough, you’ve done everything that you can do and the culture is changing. So God speaks to you and says: ‘It’s time to go’, because it doesn’t really line up with your purpose anymore,” Olton said.
Like several other small business owners, particularly those now starting, things are not easy. She said she has pursued clients who “show great interest”, but for one reason or another, they do not close the deal. She is not daunted and with the support of her family, and having “something to get through” keeps her going.
“For me. it’s been difficult. But I would say to other entrepreneurs that if you know you’re not going to have the faith, or you’re not going to trust God or believe in yourself, then you’re not going to make it.
“In the beginning, there will be times when even before you establish contracts or agreements, you will have nothing. Or you will have nothing and will have to get by and still maintain the same standard and quality of work,” she said.
“There are times you will have to sacrifice your services or your ability and do things just to prove who you are. It pays off in the end, but there’s always a lull. That’s for building, branding and marketing yourself and understanding that you’ve got to go for it full speed. If you’re in it, you’ve to stay in it and not run away. There will be ups and downs.”
As the business develops, Vicki “is in the process of getting help”. She wants to hire an intern – someone to help with the administration of the business and undertake research that would determine if she should bid on specific projects. That will free her to pursue more business.
“As a one-man show, I can’t pursue more business” she asserted.
Vicki is also passionate about event planning and her other company, Divine Events By Vicki, ties in with her marketing.
For now, she intends to develop her skills, fuel her passion and be happy. (GBM)
