Swindon PR expert Fiona Scott publishes memoir about her experiences of starting a business

Media consultant and journalist Fiona Scott has published her first book The Hard Yards - an autobiographical memoir covering her first ten years of running her own micro business.

Fiona, who lives in Swindon with her family, is sharing the many and multiple mistakes she’s made along the way of running a tiny business as a freelancer.

She said: “This book has been rolling around my head for five years. It was only when I started putting pen to paper that I realised my experiences could really help others who happen to find themselves starting a business, like I did.”

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This memoir covers the realities of starting a business after Fiona was made redundant from her dream job in television in 2009. Losing that job was one of the worst moments of Fiona’s professional life.

“I became my own boss, which is extremely challenging when you have zero experience or knowledge. I just had to throw myself in and hope things would work out.”

This book is not just about how Fiona was successful in business, but it also takes readers on her journey of what it means to start your own business, the impact on family, and the lessons learnt and mistakes made.

“I tackle the realities of what it was like for me and some experiences are hard to recount. It was challenging but deeply cathartic to write this, I was able to truly convey how my family and my passion were deeply connected to being a small business owner.”

It is through her first 10 years of business that she understood how to harness the vast power of social media, the development of the modern media and the joys of working with ethical and interesting business owners – and consequences of working with business owners who are less than ethical.

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She pulls no punches when it comes to the challenges of being a journalist who does PR. From being asked to work for free, being physically threatened by business owners and even to being sexually assaulted.

“The book wouldn’t have happened without local author Lis McDermott's support for her guidance through my writing process. Plus, I would like to say a big thank you to my publishing partner Asha Thornton-Clearwater from Turquoise Tiger Press for helping to bring my book to life,” said Fiona.

The Hard Yards is available via Fiona's website or through Amazon.