INSIGHT Magazine - Issue 1

18
Guest Writer Lisa
Palompo Dixon,
Founder of Palompo
PR, Tells Us How To
Go It Alone
WORDS
Lisa Palompo Dixon,
Palompo PR
IMAGE OF LISA
Julie Vance
Photography
When it comes to moving to a new village and running your
business from home it seems as if you might just be a bit out
on a limb, but that worry couldn’t be further from the truth. We
moved to Bridge of Weir almost three years ago; I immediately
fell in love with the village but was worried that perhaps working
from home in a village might get a bit lonely…I was wrong!
There are so many other small, burgeoning brands in the area,
people who are working from home and building their business
from their kitchen table too.
Four years ago I decided to set up my own PR business,
Palompo PR, offering PR for companies of all shapes and sizes,
which I now run from my home in the village. My background
in PR started with my degree in Corporate Communication; I
worked in corporate PR before starting a family, and I now have
fifteen years of PR expertise under my belt. I have worked with
many clients from the local villages and beyond, including Three
Sisters Bake, Lorraine Wood Flowers, Craig & Rose paints and
Sterling Furniture.
Why did I go solo is the number one question I am asked, and
how big a risk was it usually follows up second. There was
no specific push to go it alone, but rather an accumulation of
events and feelings over a number of years. Working around
the kids when they were very young was a factor; now it’s about
being part of a client’s business and running my own agency.
What would I say to others who are thinking of doing what I
did? Yes, it’s scary, it’s definitely a challenge, and things will
not always go the way you think they will. Be prepared to face
the challenges head on. Be flexible, be willing to change your
ideals, and be prepared for disappointment along the way.
It’s not easy, but I can honestly say the good outweighs the
struggles.
Here are my top tips for anyone thinking of going it alone.
• Something has to give. What will your compromise be? Mine
is to do the majority of my copywriting work and client planning
in the evenings and early mornings so I can still do the school
run and after school activity juggle between 3-6pm.
• There is no off switch. I’m fortunate that I spend 75% of my
working week working from my home office. But that also
means I spent most of my life at work. Finding the balance is
key.
• Reach out. Don’t be lonely at home staring at a wall hoping
for some sort of epiphany. I wrote an Instagram post a few
years ago asking for ‘virtual’ village colleagues, looking for
those who work from home in and around the villages, asking
for coffee mates for brainstorming sessions and business
moans… (we are now regulars at Three Sisters Bake in
Quarriers Village and Cairn in Kilmacolm to do just that – feel
free to come and join us!)
• Don’t pretend you know everything. I am not a qualified
accountant, photographer or programmer. Don’t waste your
time on the parts of your business you aren’t the very best at. I
outsource the bits I know I won’t ever to able to do.
Good luck!
Lisa x
“
Why did I go solo
is the number
one question I am
asked, and how
big a risk was it
usually follows up
second
”