Balance Key to Success
Successful Career, Successful Family life-No Compromises
Award winning digital marketing company activ Marketing Group celebrates International Women’s Day highlighting female career success with no compromise to family success.
Managing Director Katie Bullon has created an environment she believes allows women to thrive in their career but not at a cost to their family life and attributes this insight to being a woman herself and understanding first hand how important balance is.
activ marketing group is the longest running UK digital marketing franchise. The business offers digital marketing expertise, franchise opportunities and strategic marketing services, for businesses of all sizes, Bullon took over the business three years ago and has created a productive environment that allows women to have a successful career not at the detriment to their family life.
MD Katie Bullon began as a franchisee in September 2014 after finishing nine months of maternity leave before buying the business in 202, so she knows first hand how the business works.
“I ran a successful franchise for many years and it worked brilliantly around the family,” said Bullon.
“The opportunity arose for me to acquire the business in 2021 and despite my youngest being only 12 months old, I knew it was a fantastic opportunity and one I could make work.
“As an ambitious career woman, I have always strived for that professional success, however, I knew I always wanted to be a mother and a successful one. I never wanted to compromise on either and running my own business was a way for me to do that, so when I bought the business I was determined that this was going to be the norm for my staff,” she added.
“As women the narrative for too long has been, ‘you can’t do it all’, ‘if you choose to have the career you can’t have the family’ or vice versa, it’s simply not true”, said Bullon.
“Thankfully things are changing but I’m aware that we have to acknowledge the human factor, we’re also not robots and in order to be able to achieve in both areas there has to be balance and most importantly, understanding from employers.
“I work hard to foster a trusting environment at activ, therefore a degree of flexibility which is so important, especially when your employees are parents.
“Life goes beyond the boardroom. I know first hand that as a mother there’s always a curve ball you don’t expect and plans change when a child is ill or there’s the Christmas concert.
“We shouldn’t miss those moments and that flexibility means my team feels- just that- like a team. We work together towards the common goal, to complete tasks but not at the detriment to our family life and in turn productivity goes up”, Bullon enthused.
“Being my own boss means I can be responsible for ensuring that work/life balance is achieved. It’s not easy but it can be done but does require an equal playing field both at work and at home.
“My husband and I divide up parental responsibilities equally. It’s just what we have always done. Some weeks work is heavier for one of us and the juggle gets a little more challenging but equally, we are both able to achieve success in our career without compromising on how each of us wants to parent and the environment we want to create for our family.
“I have two boys and a little girl and I’m determined to show all three of them that this has to be a normal part of their future. Both parents parenting and both parents able to work.
“People say seeing me working is about being a good role-model for my daughter which of course it is but for me it’s as important, if not more so, to show my boys that a woman/mum having a successful career and being a mother is just as normal as seeing their Dad doing the same.
“We want to normalise this as a family and it’s about society accepting that also.
“We’re not there yet unfortunately but we have come a huge way which we must acknowledge”, said Bullon.
Katie fosters that same environment in her company activ Marketing Group, which Marketing Manager and Mum Laura Goode believes is key to more women being able to achieve career success alongside a family,
“Katie understands that women want to continue to fulfil ambitions in their career after becoming a mother and not to the detriment of family life.
“She is unique in knowing first hand what it’s like to juggle the work/family life and ensures there is room and understanding and more importantly trust at activ to get the best from her employees.
“Life is a huge mixing bowl of career, family, social and all the minutia I am so grateful to have an employer that understands that getting the balance right means all arrears thrive,” added Goode.
