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The Fingerpost Value Story

26/10/2017

As Fingerpost Consulting enters its 3rd year of business, I can’t help but reflect on how the company has changed in such a small space of time. I started out in 2015 with a laptop at home… and by the end of 2017 we will be a team of 5 with an office in Poynton, Cheshire. The team and I currently support 17 market access consultancies by providing temporary, experienced resource for projects. Sometimes we just step in as a researcher, medical writer or project manager for a few weeks to keep projects moving forward; at other times we might be responsible for a specific deliverable from start to finish.

A lot of the work we do is centered on the value story of a product. But what is the Fingerpost Consulting value story? For me, it’s all about Freedom, Flexibility, Friendship, Fulfilment, Family and Fun. It’s a happy coincidence that Freelance and Fingerpost also begin with F. I appreciate there are other ‘F’ words that might be less appealing, but let’s just focus on the first 6 that popped into my head….

FREEDOM to enjoy time away
from work
Hard work and efficiency during working hours are expected but it’s company policy that contacting anyone ‘out of hours’ is only for emergency situations. I can’t offer myself as a good example for sticking to working hours, but I respect other people’s time and it is a key personal objective for me to learn to switch off once in a while.

FRIENDSHIP is more effective
than formality
I'll admit that I don’t like the traditional, formal, client-customer/employee-employer relationship. I’d much rather have an
honest chat about the support needed and then a quick chat about life in general to get to know who I’m working with. And I stress working WITH, not FOR. The best project outcomes have always come from the relationships where we work as a team and get on like old friends.

FAMILY should always come first
My main motivation (other than much needed house renovations) is to provide a good example for my daughter, whilst also having the chance to appreciate her achievements. It’s very difficult to get the balance right and it requires a lot of support from my husband, friends, and family. And that’s not to mention an endless stream of mentors and silent supporters. I’m aware this isn’t a unique situation and everyone I work with is faced with the same challenges. I haven’t found a suitable way to say thank you yet, but I’m working on it!

FLEXIBILITY to work productively
Everyone has a life outside of work and
it’s not always possible to manage it
outside of the hours of 9-5… I often find
my most productive hours are after
7pm when the emails (and my daughter)
go quiet. Employees of Fingerpost determine when they work, how often they work
and where they work (within reason, and based on project needs). Careful time management and plenty of communication is key here. And that’s also why we need a team
of freelancers who are able to jump in
and save the day when a client (or one of
our team) is having the week from hell.

FULFILMENT is a key success factor
Over time, I’ve realised I get the
most satisfaction from collaborating with experts who are dedicated to their projects, recognise hard work and are genuinely grateful for the support provided.
These are the people I give up my evenings and weekends to support when deadlines are tight or a problem needs to be solved. I never felt this fulfilled or motivated prior to working for myself. I haven’t yet figured out why…perhaps it’s the constant learning, being a lot closer to the delivery end of projects and being in control of my career…or perhaps it’s the damp walls and peeling wallpaper constantly reminding me that I really need to pay for those renovations!

FUN provides a healthy balance
Our office is well placed opposite a decent pub. Of course, it’s now Q4 and we have a number of deadlines that mean the pub may need to wait a bit…but we intend to make the most of it as soon as things start to cool off (I know I’ve been saying that since June…). Within the office, the mood is light-hearted and our doggy mascots provide endless amusement and are always ready for a walk, a play or a cuddle. Kipling and Larkin are our resident pooches, but visiting dogs are always welcome. You can see photos of what they get up to on the Fingerpost instagram profile because, well, the dogs are much more interesting to look at than photos of us typing and taking calls!

I can’t believe you managed to read this through to the end, but if I sparked your interest and you’d like to hear more about how we can support you at Fingerpost Consulting, or about our job opportunities, I’d love to chat to you. Fill out the contact form on the website or send me an email and we can set up a call. To be honest though, I prefer meeting face to face… see you at ISPOR Glasgow?

Chat soon,

Cath Bacon
www.fingerpostconsulting.com
cbacon@fingerpostconsulting.com

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The Fingerpost Value Story

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