In the spotlight with Marc Rhodes

Tell me about you and your business.

I’m a Marketing Consultant that specialises in eCommerce and marketing strategy. I founded my business in February 2018 as a side project before going full-time in August 2019. 

Following a COVID-enforced hiatus from late 2020, I relaunched the business in July last year. I launched my new brand and website this January which I’m really proud of.

I work with businesses to help them create and execute a plan for growth by optimising their eCommerce or marketing activity. 

I also work with a number of agencies to provide expertise on projects for their clients, whether that be strategy, email marketing, UX consultancy or customer journey mapping. 

Why did you join Mosaic?

I turned my home office into my daughter’s nursery in the summer of 2021 so I was looking for somewhere in the centre of Lincoln where I could reconnect with clients and friends in the industry. 

I also felt having an office space would lend a feeling of legitimacy to the business, in my own mind at least, more so than working from a desk in the corner of our guest bedroom! Working in an office environment where there’s lots of positive energy keeps me more focused and motivated than sitting at home by myself. 

Living in a village outside of Lincoln, having a space in the city centre also gives me a great balance between work and home. 

What do you find beneficial about working in Mosaic?

It’s great to be amongst like-minded people, some of whom work in the same industry, so there’s always someone to run ideas by or use as a sounding board. I had a few friends already working here and I’ve made many new ones over the last year. 

Where do you see yourself and your business in the next 5 years?

I hope to continue on the growth trend I’ve been on since restarting the business full-time in the Summer. I’m ahead of schedule in terms of where I’d planned (or hoped!) to be by the start of 2023. 

Ultimately, if I’m still doing what I enjoy, working with great people, and spending some extra time with my daughter I’ll be delighted. 

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Having only been self-employed full-time for 6 months before the first COVID lockdown, I didn’t qualify for any support after having lost most of my work within weeks of the pandemic starting. The majority of my clients at the time were in the sport, leisure, tourism and hospitality sectors so were all rightly cutting their cloth accordingly. 

I was able to keep going for six months or so before taking a job at an eCommerce agency. I was very fortunate to find a role that I really enjoyed, and worked with a great team before deciding to return to my own business last Summer.

Starting again from scratch was definitely a challenge but one I’ve really enjoyed. 

Tell me about your biggest success so far.

A huge moment for me last year was travelling to IFA, Europe’s largest tech expo, in Berlin to work alongside one of the world’s most well-known brands on their event operations. It really felt like after a challenging couple of years in business I was back doing what I should be doing. 

More widely, having the opportunity to work with a variety of clients whose businesses I genuinely care about, and balancing that with spending time with my wife and daughter was the goal when I decided to return to working for myself. To have achieved that feels like success to me. 

Contact: marc@marcrhodes.co.uk

Website: marcrhodes.co.uk