From In-House To The Collective: The Journey That Led Me To TMC
Hi, I'm Isobel, the new Social and Content Lead here at TMC.
A Short Backstory & Where I've Come From
I graduated back in 2017 with a Fashion Marketing degree and quickly moved to London… convinced that a shiny fashion career was calling my name. It didn’t take long to realise this wasn’t my calling! I loved London, but living there was so different to visiting, and I found myself missing my family and a sense of grounding.
There’s a lot of pressure in marketing – especially for graduates – to believe that London is the only place to grow your career. Moving back to the Midlands felt huge for me at the time, so I’m really proud to be joining a company that champions grassroots careers in Birmingham.
Since graduating all those years ago, I’ve worked across a range of brands, from juice and protein drinks to travel and attractions marketing. Each role taught me something new. Some chapters had me part of a UK-wide team, while others involved just three of us huddled around a table in Soho House, building a brand from the ground up. Both ends of the spectrum shaped my ‘marketing lens’, strengthened my understanding of customer insight, and gave me a deeper appreciation for how a brand’s DNA influences everything from a marketing campaign to day-to-day content creation.
After these chapters, I began to wonder what my next step looked like… and that’s when I came across The Mind Collective.
The Stigma Behind Moving Away From In-House Marketing
I’ve often questioned whether I wanted to stay in-house and what the next step in my marketing career should be. With so many options within the marketing ecosystem... agencies, freelance, in-house, big corporate, small companies... it can feel overwhelming. There’s often pressure to have your career path figured out from day one, but I genuinely believe you have to test lots of things to figure out where you’ll thrive.
As an extrovert and natural connector, I love building relationships - personal, professional, or through networking. Working with a variety of clients felt like the perfect way to bring this energy into my day-to-day work, particularly within areas like social media marketing, lead generation and SEO services, so I decided to take the leap.
I know many people hesitate to move away from in-house roles because of the perceived juggle of managing multiple clients. I’ve often heard people outside the in-house community say, “You think this is difficult? Try agency side.” For me, though, that ‘juggle’ is actually the part I enjoy most. I thrive on organisation, processes, and having my finger in many pies! With a structure that allows me to switch between clients efficiently, the variety becomes exciting rather than overwhelming.
How The Mind Collective Differs From Your Typical Agency-Client Model
The Mind Collective operates a modern marketing model designed around the needs of SMEs, challenger brands and start-ups. In simple terms, we help brands grow, build meaningful brand awareness, punch above their weight and get real results.
No one size fits all, no bullsh!t, no fluff and no smoke and mirrors.
As a Collective, we’re a group of passionate marketers who bring our own expertise to the table. We listen to businesses, understand their challenges, and provide solutions collaboratively - whether that’s through a paid media push, organic content creation, a refreshed SEO strategy or a deeper dive into customer insight.
There are a lot of marketing disciplines, skills and specialities, as well as constant marketing change. One size, or person, does not fit all. We tailor the resource to suit what each business actually needs, so your marketing “team” is made up of the right mix of individuals and skills for the job at hand. From project management to PPC campaigns, performance marketing and content marketing, the Collective has a huge offering. I also love the fact that we are cost-effective, transparent, flexible… and completely committed to a no-nonsense, no-fluff approach.
What Excites Me About Joining TMC & Moving Forward
Beyond the structure of the collective itself, what really drew me to TMC was the culture and purpose behind it. I wanted to work for a marketing team with meaning - where people are genuinely valued. TMC is exactly that: a female-led company investing in grassroots careers, proudly based in Birmingham. I also get the opportunity to report into Letty Edwards-Ellis as part of the senior team, helping her shape and grow the business as it enters its eleventh year.
Leading the social media team here allows me to combine marketing strategy, creativity and collaboration in a role that is both challenging and rewarding. Whether it’s crafting a multi-channel marketing campaign, building out long-term content plans, or supporting clients in scaling their brand awareness, I’m excited to be contributing to a collective that’s shaping the future of digital marketing right here in Birmingham (although we work with clients worldwide!)
If you want to hear more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at hello@themindcollective.co.uk.