14th November 2023
Fiona Scott, PR expert and media consultant, tells her story of walking the hard yards in her anticipated debut memoir.
Media consultant and journalist Fiona Scott has published her first book: ‘The Hard Yards’. It’s an autobiographical memoir covering her first ten years of running her own micro business.
Fiona, who lives in Swindon with her family, is sharing the many and varied mistakes she’s made along the way of running a tiny business as a freelancer.
She said: ‘This book has been rolling around my head for five years. It was only when I started putting pen to paper that I realised my experiences could help others. Those who happen to find themselves starting a business, like I did.’
The nitty-gritty
This memoir covers the realities of starting a business after Fiona was made redundant from her dream job in television in 2009. Losing that job was one of the worst moments of Fiona’s professional life.
‘I became my own boss. And that’s most challenging when you have zero experience or knowledge. So I had to throw myself in and hope things would work out.’
This book is not just about how Fiona was successful in business. It also takes readers on her journey of what it means to start your own business. It chronicles the impact on family, the lessons learnt and mistakes made.
‘I tackle the realities of what it was like for me and some experiences are hard to recount. It was challenging yes. But deeply cathartic to, too write this. I was able to convey how my family and my passion have a deep connection to being a small business owner.’
It’s through her first ten years of business that she understood how to harness the vast power of social media, the development of the modern media and the joys of working with ethical and interesting business owners. And the consequences of working with business owners who are less than ethical.
No punches pulled
She pulls no punches when it comes to the challenges of being a journalist who does PR. From being asked to work for free, being on the receiving end of physical threats by business owners and even experiencing sexual assault.
‘The book wouldn’t have happened without local author Lis McDermott’s support and guidance through my writing process. Plus, I would like to say a big thank you to my publishing partner Asha Thornton-Clearwater from Turquoise Tiger Press for helping to bring my book to life.’
‘The Hard Yards’ is available via Fiona Scott’s website https://scottmedia.uk/fionas-first-book/ or through Amazon here – https://bit.ly/40CY3xn
