Clever Counsel #31 - Interview With Dr. Stuart Thomson
I'm interviewing a handful of senior consultants I admire to capture their experiences and perspectives on the consulting journey.
For my second interview in the series, I want to spotlight Dr. Stuart Thomson, A UK-based consultant with more than 25 years of experience in public affairs and communications. You'll find his insights below.
What made you say, “Screw it, I’m going out on my own”?
Being honest, the decision was initially taken for me when I was made redundant. But from that point, I was able to take a look at the type of work I wanted to do and the kinds of organisations I wanted to work for. I was attracted by the flexibility that working for myself facilitated, and I’ve been able to work with some fantastic teams. Those opportunities wouldn’t have been there for me otherwise.
How did you land your first high-paying client?
Word-of-mouth. Most of my work comes through being recommended. I’ve been fortunate to build a profile in public affairs through work, networking, voluntary activity, writing books and blogs, and having a podcast. Taken together, people are kind enough to put me forward for work, and I can prove that I deliver results. The training I deliver also means I’m constantly expanding my network — and that certainly helps.
What’s one thing you did that changed the game for your growth?
Just being more professional in how I presented myself to the outside world — a proper email address, logo, website, and the look and feel of invoices. It made me look more like a professional business, which further added to the level of confidence people had in me.
What’s a piece of conventional consulting advice you flat-out ignore?
Well, when it comes to my podcast, I know you’re meant to stick to a format so listeners know what to expect. But actually, Public Affairs in Practice takes a number of different formats — short micro-pods, interviews, etc. I do what I think people want to hear and what they might be interested in. That’s not quite the conventional advice given.
When have you felt like going back to working for someone else — and why didn’t you?
I haven’t really, since I started working for myself. Of course, I keep an eye on the job market in case the perfect role becomes available, but nothing really appeals. I like the work I do, the variety, and the clients — I don’t want to restrict myself!
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Dr Stuart Thomson runs his own public affairs and communications constancy, CWE Communications. You can read Stuart's latest book, The Company and the Activist: Going Beyond PR, listen to his podcast, Public Affairs in Practice, and connect with Stuart on LinkedIn.
Stuart is also a valued member at CommsConsultants.com, and I want to sincerely thank him for sharing his insights for this edition of Clever Counsel.
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