The Freelancer Life: Meet Sally Chuku
Meet Sally, a freelance Brand Strategist with 20 years experience who describes her superpower as getting to killer truths that are game-changers for brands and businesses.
Sally thrives on meeting new people and enjoys baking, upcycling furniture and upholstery and travelling in her spare time. We talk to Sally about her work with both agencies and businesses and her love of people and working in art galleries.
“Collaboration is everything. Without it creativity, growth, innovation and change stops. ”
Hello, welcome!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you have been doing it for?
I am a strategist, I work with agencies to deliver brand and advertising strategy support and with businesses to help them align their brand and business strategy for growth. I focus on getting the right thinking in play to maximise the impact of every communication.
I have a unique way of working which focuses on the power of collective thinking; this is not about a decision by a committee but about ensuring everyone who should be consulted is. This is to ensure businesses avoid blind spots, which means looking at deep truths across the business, consumer and culture.
I get teams aligned and simplify business and brand thinking to deliver meaningful difference and growth. I have 20 years experience, having started at WPP in London. In my time I have delivered a new global retail strategy for HTC, delivered differentiation for Argos F.S, repositioned Dr Oetker baking to drive growth, built a vending brand to rival the UK number 1 and turned around the fortune of FSB with an ambitious proposition.
Why did you first become a freelancer?
I have freelanced on and off for the last 15 years. Starting in account management across London agencies then working in the north in strategy and planning. Eventually setting up my own strategy consultancy.
Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home and why?
I love being in the midst of it in a client workshop or observing people. Art galleries are great places to work as there is so much inspiration and loads of cultural and human forms of creativity to inspire.
Share your struggles - what do you find hardest about working for yourself and why? How have you found ways to combat these parts of working for yourself?
The hardest thing for me is the PR side of things, I am an outgoing person, but not one to blow my own trumpet. So getting out there to sell myself is a challenge. Also, when you are working the focus is on the work, not yourself.
Share your perks - what do you enjoy most about working for yourself and why?
I feel privileged to work with amazing people and to choose the types of work I deliver and who I work with and when. I love change and thrive on meeting new people and solving problems. There is never a dull day when you work for yourself as you can follow challenges and try new ways of working with new people.
“Art galleries are great places to work as there is so much inspiration and loads of cultural and human forms of creativity to inspire.”
What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?
Have a plan
Research your market
Be organised
Use your network
Sell yourself
Remember there will be peaks and troughs
Get to know accounts and HMRC requirements
Join groups of fellow freelancers
Don't give up
Enjoy it!
What are your top 3 recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, sources of inspiration etc. and why?:
Sorry... that's 5 and I could go on...
What role does collaboration play for you?
Collaboration is everything. Without it creativity, growth, innovation and change stops. Collaboration is the lifeblood of my work.
What do you love to do? What makes you tick and what do you simply love doing?
Solve problems - I love thinking of new ways to solve challenges in my work, and ensuring we are solving the right problem from the start.
Understand people and culture - I can't get enough of people... I find them amazing, the things we do, what we say, how we live... I adore this part of being a brand strategist.
Make things - I enjoy baking, upcycling furniture and upholstery, I find it really relaxing to make stuff then enjoy my hard work.
Experience new places - I love travel and experiencing cultures other than my own, it really helps put things in perspective.
What are you really good at? What’s your marketing superpower? Take this as your opportunity to plug yourself and everything you’re great at!
Getting to really killer truths that are game-changers for brands and businesses - giving them real clarity that grows and elevates, not just marketing campaigns, but a businesses position in the market.
Aligning senior teams, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and considered, and making it simple for teams to agree and to sell ideas into their business to ensure a project sticks and works.
Understanding consumers and culture and helping businesses to ensure we are identifying and pulling out blind spots that are holding a business or an idea back, and reframing the challenge to allow brands to really deliver culturally and commercially.
What is the best project you’ve worked on since going freelance?
Such a difficult one to answer. I am very proud of the work I did with ForViva. ForViva is a social housing provider that needed a new brand house positioning developed for its 3 brands. What followed was a 6-month project, including workshops, research, framework development. The output was 3 brands each with a strong distinct proposition but a unified purpose of improved live. Each business had a distinct mission and roadmap for how each brand within the business would play its part and a clear internal and external strategy for delivery.
What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?
I was working with Dr Oetker and repositioning their baking brand in the UK. Developing a brand position to unify all bakers behind a cry of "Get that baking feeling".
“I have learnt that not all people are comfortable with change and some people find ideas a threat. ”
Want to know more about Sally? Visit her website www.thinkcollectiv.co.uk or send her a connection on LinkedIn @sallychuku.
If you have a brand or business challenge Sally would love to help. Quote ‘The Doers’ and get a free 2-hour discovery session!