Fifteen editions. How did that happen? Time has flown…

And number 16 will soon follow – a special Yorkshire version for our friends and colleagues in Leeds and surrounding areas. It’s currently in the works and will be available in May, which is another very exciting step for both Portfolio North and our Bradley Hall Leeds operation which continues to go from strength to strength since launching two years ago. In all honesty, when I started my role at Bradley Hall four years ago and took over Portfolio as it was then, it didn’t enter my mind that it could become what it is today. 35,000 readers – that’s enough people to fill a stadium three times over.

Over 40,000 people viewing Portfolio and Bradley Hall online every month, millions of views across advertising screens and over 200,000 people per month who see us on organic social media.

Sorry that was one of my ‘pinch me’ moments. I’ll come back down with a bump now that I need to reflect on slightly darker times. One of the difficult impacts of the pandemic was isolation. We were forced to stay home, cutting out family and socialising time, commuting time and the obligations which tend to fill up our evenings and weekends. That gave some of us the time to spend thinking, and doing, things which we wouldn’t have otherwise had time for. I must acknowledge that doesn’t include those who were keeping already established businesses afloat or home-schooling and entertaining children (or both!).

Lockdown allowed me the time to unlearn and learn what it would take to really develop Portfolio North in order to make it stand on its own two feet and to create a platform for North East businesses. Admittedly, I don’t come from an academic or business background – quite the opposite in fact which is something I will always be proud of. I am, however, lucky to have met and to be surrounded by hardworking, intelligent, and commercially minded people who teach me lessons and give me inspiration every day. For those of you who follow me on LinkedIn, you will see how proud I am of my younger sister also owns a business – a national award winning gym which prides itself on providing a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. We’re the only two in our family to have done so.

I recently read an article in The Times by David Milner, Chief Executive Officer at £100m+ turnover a year bakery St Pierre Group, titled ‘When the going gets tough, tough businesses get going’. He said; “But now is not the time to hide or retreat. So, what should we do? We need to be courageous and decisive, not just to overcome the immediate problems confronting businesses, but also to continue making the sort of decisions vital for delivering success in the years ahead. Only then can we hope to survive and prosper.” This is a message which we at Portfolio North and Bradley Hall have been championing for quite some time. Although the uncertainty of Covid has dissipated, there is still a worrying fog which surrounds our potential future economic performance. We must continue to build the foundations of our businesses, ensuring they are earthquake proof against the aftershocks which we are all bracing for.

Not to claim that I know them all, far from it, but from what I do know there are seemingly many elements which create an aseismic structure for a business – and one of those is a strong and sustainable brand. A brand is intangible, something which cant be seen or touched. It’s the perception of your business, it’s the personality, the image, the way a brand makes everyone who comes into contact with it feel. It’s the combination of its values, mission and voice – the stories it tells and the information it shares. With people, it’s not the words you say that your friends, family and acquaintances especially remember, it’s how you make them feel – and that concept it true for business too. This is something which, as a marketer by trade, I am very conscious of. In my position of head of marketing at Bradley Hall, I know the process of acquiring new clients is not an overnight task. With high value items such as property, it can perhaps take months or years for a new client to require our services. But what is important is that they instinctively want to use our expertise to provide a solution to their challenge at the right time. We are at the forefront of their mind and they shall not be convinced otherwise by any inconvenient distractions. It’s creating an attraction instead of the tedious challenge of chasing which makes the process more efficient and successful.

My clients will know what my advice always is. Strategy and consistency are an absolute necessity. One of the first questions I ask those who partner with Portfolio North – what is your marketing and communications strategy? I ask this because I want to know how I can help you – how I can support your plan and how to fully utilise this platform for the business I work with. When the going is tough, we need to make sure we’re making the right steps, using our expertise to support one another and protect our future. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to launch Portfolio North’s Contract Publishing arm. I’ve experienced first hand how Portfolio North has elevated the Bradley Hall brand. We’ve created a look and feel to the publication which has helped to further cement Bradley Hall as a leader in its field and a firm which is best in class. We are also proud to sit alongside other businesses of a similar ilk and reputation, and include articles based on the affinity categories our clients are interested in.

I’ve learnt a lot in the last four years, more than I could ever have imagined – and I want to use this knowledge and experience to support other businesses too. I hope you all enjoy reading the magazine and its variety of property, business and lifestyle features. I feel privileged to have worked with all of the featured businesses, organisations and the people behind them to create another edition of the region’s property, business and lifestyle magazine. Thank you all for your continued support and here’s to the next 15 editions and more.

My sincerest thanks.

Cassie Moyse
Director
Portfolio North