Features / If I Knew Then
If I Knew Then: Rin Hamburgh
After starting her career in journalism, Rin Hamburgh moved into copywriting. She now runs a Bristol-based agency with an in-house team of five, plus a growing pool of freelance writers.
Rin is a single parent to three-year-old twin girls and is passionate about creating a flexible working environment that allows people to have a proper work life balance.
How did you start out in business?
In April 2015, two things happened. First, I realised that I had barely had a day off all year. And second, I found out I was pregnant. I decided to find junior writers who could increase my capacity and help balance the load once the babies arrived, and gradually that idea grew into an agency.
If you knew then what you know now, what mistakes might you have avoided?
Trying to handle my finances on a homemade spreadsheet.
I’m not naturally a numbers person so always avoided that side of things as a freelancer. Getting proper accounting software and being more ‘on it’ with things like turnover targets, profit margins and so on is something I should have been doing from the beginning.
What advice would you have given yourself when starting out?
You can’t do it all by yourself. It’s only as I’ve hired people with skills beyond my own that I’ve seen the business really take off.
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
I know that success is less about getting it right and more about being resilient. Things often don’t go the way you expect them to, so you have to be willing to get knocked down, then stand up, brush yourself off and keep going.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?
Whatever issues you have in your personal life will show up tenfold in your business life.
I read that in a business planner in 2017 and as a result decided to invest in personal therapy to make sure I was in the best place to grow my business.
Rin and her team were finalists in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2018
What is your business highlight?
Being finalists in the Best Team category of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in November 2018. It was a proud moment seeing my amazing team recognised.
What is your business low point?
When I was freelancing I lost two clients in one week due to budget cuts. They were worth around two thirds of my income at the time. But I just took a deep breath, got on with it and somehow that year was still my best in terms of turnover up to that point.
What keeps you awake?
My children. Seriously, I don’t tend to worry about work. I honestly think that if you have talent and you work hard and you’re willing to keep changing to serve your market as best you can, then things will always work out in the end.
What’s changed from when you started out?
I’m much more confident than I used to be, probably because I’ve learned so much about myself in recent years. When you’re living authentically it gives you a natural, quiet confidence in everything you do.
What’s still on your to-do list?
This year, I’m excited about how we can give back a bit. We already sponsor a local networking group called Freelance Mum, and in January we sponsored a local school trip. We’re also talking to a literacy charity about doing some fundraising and pro bono work, and I’m hoping to volunteer as a mentor with university students.
What’s next for you in business and personally?
Hopefully more of the same. I feel very fortunate to love my job and I want to continue to see it flourish, not just for me but for my team.
Read more: If I Knew Then: Ian Townsend
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