The Lilac Creative

Here’s some honesty this hump day…

I spent a long time making my services sound like they’d work for anyone. Flexible enough, vague enough that nobody would scroll past.

It felt hollow.

Because I’m not for everyone. I’m the kind of person who gets properly invested. Who’ll message you because something I saw on my lunch break made me think of your brand. Who genuinely cheers when something lands for you🫶🏻

Some people want that, some people don’t - and that’s fine.

I’ve worked with bookkeepers to mental health charities to wellness retreats and more. Completely different businesses. But the thing that they all had in common was that they truly cared about and loved their business.

Those are my people.

If this sounds like you, I’d love to hear what you’re building☕️

There’s a line in this testimonial I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

It’s not the bit about engagement, or the Instagram launch, or the refreshed pages (as proud as I am of all of those).

It’s “she made it easy for teams to contribute.”

That’s the thing I care about most. Not doing the marketing for people, but helping them feel like they actually can.

Because in my experience, marketing isn’t usually hard because business owners don’t have any ideas. It’s hard because they have so many and they’re already doing everything else. They’re running the day-to-day, managing the team, planning ahead and trying to remember what day it is - and somewhere in between all of that, social media is supposed to happen.

What TG Group needed wasn’t someone to swoop in and take it off their hands. They needed someone to help them make sense of what they already had, get the right people involved, and build something that could actually keep going.

That’s always been my favourite part of this job.
So to Tudor Griffiths Group - thank you for trusting me with your business, and for such generous words.

And if any of this sounds a bit too familiar (whether you’re running one division or six) I’d love to help. A strategy session, a content audit, or just a Lilac Hour to get your thoughts in order. Whatever feels most useful right now. Pop me a DM and let’s chat💜

This photos sum up my every day🤹🏻‍♀️

Trying to reply to messages whilst remembering an idea I had earlier. Carrying around a notebook full of plans, an iPad full of half-finished thoughts and a to-do list that somehow keeps growing faster than I can tick things off…

I think that’s why I enjoy the consulting side of my business so much🫶🏻

Not because I have all the answers, because I absolutely don’t. I’m dealing with the juggle too. Sometimes it takes someone outside of your business to help you untangle everything that’s swirling around in your head.

The conversations I have with business owners are rarely about social media alone. We end up talking about launches, events, confidence, ideas they’ve been sitting on for months, things they’ve convinced themselves are silly, and all the things they know they want to do but haven’t had the time or headspace to figure out.

Sometimes the biggest relief isn’t finding the answer. It’s finally getting everything out of your head and onto the table.

So if your brain feels a bit like these photos at the moment, with lots of moving parts and not enough hours in the day, pop me a message.

We’ll pop the kettle on and figure it out together☕️💜

📸 - MCR Content

A very accurate representation of the tabs currently open on my laptop at any given moment😍

Some of these are obvious creative-business staples. Others are oddly specific things that just make my life easier (I’m looking at you ).

Having tools and systems that work for your brain makes such a difference when you’re running a business. Especially when you’re juggling content, client works admin, ideas, launches, life, laundry, a feral toddler and trying to remember whether you’ve drank enough water today (you probably haven’t).

Which tools/apps/websites could you not run your business without? I’m always nosey about what other people use👀

P.S she’s already been mentioned in the post, but I just have to give an extra shoutout to for her templates! I’ve been batching more, enjoying content more and feeling more like me again when I create. So thank you Lauren for being such a wonderful human🫶🏻

P.P.S I am absolutely open to any brand work should any of you lovely businesses see this post😉

I had a client who was posting on Instagram almost every single day. She hated every second of it.

She’d just started her business and felt like she had to. As if not posting meant she was failing her business (& self). So, she kept going - showing up in a way that didn’t feel like her, saying things she wasn’t sure she believed in, not sure if any of it was really working🤷🏻‍♀️

When she came to me, we went through everything together - audit, strategy, content calendar and mindset. What did she actually want to say? Who was she saying it to? And why does it matter? It wasn’t drastic and it didn’t happen overnight.

She archived everything she’d ever posted and started again.

Not because I told her to. But because for the first time she actually believed in what she was putting out there. She had a plan that felt like her. And someone who’d sat with her long enough to show her how brilliant she really was at what she does✨

That’s the bit that matters most to me. Not just the strategies and the content plans; but the moment someone stops posting out of obligation and starts showing up because they actually want to.

If you’ve for questions about what working together could look like for you, drop them in the comments or pop me a DM.

Already know this is what you need? Come chat in the DM’s and let’s get started🫶🏻

May wasn't the month I planned...

If I'm being completely honest, parts of it felt quite hard💔

The Lilac Creative had its first month without a proper client project since I relaunched, which definitely knocked my confidence more than I'd like to admit. When you care deeply about something you've built, it's difficult not to take those quieter periods personally.

But somewhere amongst the overthinking, the spreadsheets, the voice notes to myself and the slightly dramatic "maybe I should just get a normal job" moments, I found my way back to why I started all of this in the first place.

Not to build the biggest agency or chase impressive numbers. I started because I genuinely love supporting good people doing good things. I love helping business owners untangle their ideas, find their confidence and share more of what makes them brilliant.

Coffee With Cerys reminded me of that too. Despite not showing up as consistently as I'd have liked, it's still my favourite little corner of the internet. A place for cosy chats, honest conversations and the kind of community I would have loved to find years ago🥰

Away from work, I spent more time appreciating the life I'm building all of this for. Family days, anniversary celebrations, exciting plans for the months ahead and quiet evenings where I actually allowed myself to switch off for a bit.

So whilst May wasn't perfect, it gave me something I probably needed - perspective.

It's easy to believe that progress only counts when everything is moving quickly. Sometimes progress looks like refining your message, reconnecting with your purpose, meeting lovely people who reignite your spark and continuing to show up, even when things feel uncertain.

June, I'm ready for you☕️💜

And if you're a business owner looking for a creative right-hand to help with strategy, content, launches or simply getting all those ideas out of your head and into action, I'd love to chat.

Or, if you're a brand that aligns with Coffee With Cerys and would like to explore partnerships, collaborations or campaigns, my inbox is always open too🫶

Half the time I look like I’m deep in thought about strategy or planning something important for a client… when really my brain is doing this:

☕️ iced coffee
📚 what book I’m reading next
🐾 whether the cats have finally stopped wreaking havoc downstairs (they haven’t)
📺 what crime drama is next on my list
🧀 and whether an M&S dip counts as a proper meal if you add bread (it’s girl dinner…of course it does)

Being a business owner is very glamorous obviously😂

But genuinely, I think this is why I love working with heart-led businesses so much. Most of us are just normal people trying to build something lovely whilst also remembering to reply to emails, drink enough water and work out what to have for tea.

And, I wouldn’t want my business to feel overly polished anyway. I want people to work with me and feel like they can turn up exactly as they are. Brain full of ideas, slightly overwhelmed, voice-noting me while walking around Tesco… all welcome here💜

📸 -

I was chatting to another business owner recently and we both said the same thing: running the business is one job and talking about the business online is another😂

And I think that’s why so many people get stuck with marketing.

Not because they “don’t care enough” or “aren’t consistent enough”… but because they’re already busy actually doing the thing their business exists for.

A florist is preparing flowers, a cafe owner is on their feet all day, a therapist is listening to their clients, a builder is hands-on on site…

Then they get home and suddenly feel like they should also become a full-time content creator, video editor and social media manager and wish they’d ‘taken more content’ today🙃

I love marketing, obviously. But I also think business owners deserve a bit more grace around it all sometimes.

Anyway. That’s today’s cuppa & natter☕️

How’s everyone feeling about social media lately? Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in the middle? I would absolutely LOVE to know your thoughts!!

📸 -

I don’t think I realised at the time how much those 5 years would shape the way I run my business now🫶🏻

Working for a children’s charity meant every day looked different. One minute I’d be chatting with young people, the next helping volunteers, supporting the reception desk, organising projects or jumping into campaign support because an extra pair of hands was needed.

You learn very quickly how to communicate with people properly in environments like that.

You learn that confidence looks different on everyone. That some people need structure, some need reassurance and some just need someone to sit beside them and say “right, let’s figure this out together.”

That’s probably why I work the way I do now✨

Yes, I love strategy and content planning. But my favourite part of this business will always be supporting the person behind it all.

The voice notes.
The coffee shop chats.
The “I have 700 ideas and no clue where to start” moments.

Because business owners don’t need someone barking marketing jargon at them. They need support that actually fits around real life and a real business.

And truthfully, I think that’s what makes me good at what I do.

If you’ve been looking for a creative right-hand who’ll genuinely care about your business, my DM’s are always open💜