Frances Barrett | The Head Brain
"I never dreamed I’d one day be running my own social media agency. But when I look back, it was inevitable that I’d end up here!"
I set up my Essex-based social media management company back in 2018, but I’ve been involved in social media marketing one way or another for over the past eleven years. I’ve got loads of experience in planning and managing social campaigns for all kinds of clients, from swimming schools to insurance firms, sole-traders to International franchises, and pretty much everything in between.
After studying for a degree in sociology and a Master’s in Business Management in Marketing at the University of Plymouth, I moved back to Essex and got my first, real, ‘this is what I want to do for the rest of my life’ job with a local swimming franchise. I slipped neatly into my role as Customer Services and Marketing Manager, and I picked up some work as a baby swimming teacher for a time, too. Over-exposure to chlorine eventually forced me to leave the company – which was a real shame, as I loved the business and everybody in it! – so I took up another marketing post at a luxury clothing company in the city and set about using my hard-earned skills in a totally different sector.
It was alright, for a little while. But a long commute, coupled with a company culture I couldn’t get on with, led me to reconsider my career choices. I started helping out a few friends with their social media strategies for free in my spare time – and within months, I had quit my job and set myself up as a full-time freelance social media manager. And the rest, as they often say, is history.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me at a gig (in normal times!), catching up with friends, or snuggling up with my partner Dan and my gorgeous baby boy, Jake.