Anna Moss is a director at FireCask.
She founded the digital marketing, NFT marketing and web development agency in 2013 alongside her fellow director and partner, Alex Moss.
Here, he shares all his pearls of wisdom and lessons he’s learnt.
How did you first get into your industry?
I worked as a commercial property solicitor after graduating from uni. I started at the peak of the market and then a few years later, the recession in 2008, hit and my working hours got decreased and I had to choose between riding it out or retraining into a new field.
I had friends and my other half already in the SEO industry and so I thought I could put my writing skills to good use and become a copywriter. I got a job at an agency in Manchester and started as a junior copywriter and learnt the basics there.
What do you love about your job?
I love the variety of clients we get to work with. You have the opportunity to learn about so many different industries and meet so many interesting people and find out about how they started their companies.
I love being in a position to be able to give back. We provide free marketing and web builds to a number of small to medium sized charities in and around Manchester who cannot afford to do this.
I also have to mention our team! Everyone works so hard but we get to have a lot of fun together in the office and on our social events – we are like a little family.
Who – or what – has inspired you in your career?
I’d have to say my dad. He started a law firm, with a business partner, when he was in his late 20s and grew it to a position where they had over 120 employees. He grew it from nothing, kept it going through the ups and downs of the industry and just really grafted, has always inspired me.
What are the biggest challenges about your job?
I think uncertainty. When working in an agency there are so many ups and downs of client wins and losses. We do our best to keep everyone happy however sometimes clients leave because they can no longer afford an external team or they are taking things in-house or they are winding the company up.
What skills have been the most crucial to you succeeding in your career so far?
Being able to adapt to industry changes, understanding and managing people and being resilient!
What was your first salary and what could someone getting into the industry expect to earn nowadays?
My first agency salary was £17,000 and I would say someone getting into the industry can expect anything from £20,000 upwards.
What education or training would be most useful for someone looking to follow your career path?
Coming from a legal background I would say that you can have any education or training and still be a part of this industry. I think keeping up with trends and so on, once you are in SEO/digital marketing is important. We have hired people who worked in bars but had their own blog/social media accounts, people who did an accounting degree and decided it wasn’t for them so as long as you can show you are keen I, personally, wouldn’t say there is any specific education or training for getting in to the industry, depending on the role of course.
What advice would you have for someone looking to follow your path?
It is competitive out there so you have to stay on your toes, adapt, always be willing to learn and just work hard!
