After eight years as business editor of the Yorkshire Post, Bernard Ginns took a leap into the unknown when he left the paper in 2016 to create his own PR and communications consultancy. “I had been in newspapers for 17 years,” says Ginns, who has also worked at the Mail on Sunday and edited the startup, Kent on Sunday. “But I have always enjoyed meeting entrepreneurs. I was fascinated by what drove them and made them successful, and I knew I wanted to do it myself one day.”
He created Branksome Partners 16 months ago and admits that going it alone was a culture shock at first. “But when I left, I already had an anchor client, which helped,” he says. “That gave me the confidence to leave the steady salary with holiday and sick pay. I realised that my whole career had been a succession of calculated risks and this was the next one I had to make. But with a mortgage and young children, it felt like the biggest leap.”
Ginns works primarily with entrepreneurs, helping with reputation promotion and protection, but also has larger corporations and government organisations on his books. “People tend to know who I am because the Yorkshire Post has a strong following, particularly for its business journalism,” he says. “I always tried to be fair with my reporting, so even when I’ve written stories that got people’s backs up, there was never any comeback. They knew my articles were balanced.”
Potential clients might expect front-page coverage and endless column inches because of Ginns’ background. “You can’t guarantee media coverage,” he says. “But I’ve found that there’s a demand for advice, experience and the ability to produce sharp and well-informed, accurate copy quickly. There’s a lot of flannel and guff out there.”
According to Ginns, three things have helped him make the transition from editor to entrepreneur. “I had some good advice from a lawyer I met years ago, who helped me draw up a contract,” he says. “I also bought some insurance and got a decent bank account. These things really helped me to overcome the feeling of being alone.”
Ginns admits that sending over an eight-page contract can feel uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of doing business. “You agree something over a handshake and then you have to follow up with paperwork, which is never nice,” he says. “But it’s there to protect me against the worst-case scenario. The worst will rarely happen, but when your mortgage depends on you getting paid, it’s crucial to have a decent contract.”
“Professional indemnity insurance can help provide peace of mind,” says Jade Giltrap from Hiscox, the specialist insurance provider. “We cover all kinds of marketing, media, advertising and communications professionals because they are particularly vulnerable to claims such as unintended breach of contract or negligence.”
Ginns has only faced one tough situation so far. “I had a personality clash with one client,” he says. “We called a meeting to discuss how to proceed and I think we were both nervous. But it all turned out okay. Sometimes you just need a meeting face-to-face to resolve issues. Emails can so easily be misinterpreted.”
Email communication can be a steep learning curve, when you’re moving from being a journalist in a busy newsroom to the owner of a small consultancy. “The best tool you have is the drafts folder in your email,” Ginns says, laughing. “You can write a message, get it all out, then sleep on it and come back fresh in the morning and edit out the things you may regret.
“When you’re business editor of the Yorkshire Post, it doesn’t matter if an email is a little terse. Now, it’s important to respect the niceties.”
Ginns has no regrets about leaving his former career to go it alone. “I’m very happy with the decision and really enjoying what I’m doing,” he says. “There are always challenges, but overall it’s been completely liberating to be my own master. Every day is varied and interesting.”
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Hiscox, sponsor of the Adventures in Business hub on the Guardian Small Business Network.
