Spotlight On – Heather Suttie, Founder and Director of Violet

13^th March, 2024

Heather Suttie

Heather Suttie is the Founder and Director of Violet, a boutique agency which supports purpose driven brands, projects and people with creative media and PR to amplify their story.

Press campaigns, content marketing, events, video, photography, and podcast production are in the mix.

Tell us a little bit about your business…

Purpose driven people, projects and brands hire us to tell their story through a mix of mediums. Our clients include social enterprise Ability Today, we produce storytelling videos for The Health Lottery, we manage creative fundraising campaigns for Royal Society for Blind Children. We do PR for change-makers including founders of eco-friendly organisations, tech brands and product developers. We also produce and host a podcast called The Book Alchemist which celebrates the magic of reading and the joy of great books.

How did you get into the industry?

I’ve worked in media all my career, starting in London in music sponsorship working with some of the biggest brands and bands in the world. I then moved into TV and radio presenting aged 25 before moving behind the scenes ten years later to service clients with video production, PR, media campaign management and delivering creative content.

What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?

I see challenges as opportunities, budgets are shrinking, AI is impacting on comms, and so whilst it is a worrying time, I think it’s the time to become more creative, learn new skills and think about how you can evolve and reach new clients. I’m fortunate to be multi-skilled, and believe attitude is crucial for success. I don’t have a cast iron plan but that allows me to be flexible and open to new experiences.

How would you describe your leadership style?

Clients will tell me I’m a very good listener, intuitive, attentive, and assertive. I love surrounding myself with people who are both younger and older than me, who are cleverer, highly experienced, match my values and are experts in their field. When I lead a project for a client I read the room – every part of it, and I think this is an underrated skill.

How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?

Mutual respect, active listening, being super-organised, remaining open to change and treating colleagues and third party partners the way in which I’d like to be treated,

What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?

Being super organised, when you are just one person, you’re responsible for everything, so I lean into my Virgo-ness and try to be very organised and have an eye on what’s coming next in terms of what clients may require and how I can attract new business. Having a bank of trusted freelancers is also key, clients trust me so they will often ask for a recommendation, so having great third-party partners is important.

How has the past 12 months been for you?

It’s been a year of growth, working with new clients including social enterprises such as Blind Ambition and Ability Today. They face funding challenges, so telling their stories and reaching new audiences is top of their agenda. 2023 was also the year I returned to radio broadcasting in Scotland and this has been great fun as well as an opportunity to learn. I have also learned how to produce podcasts and have hosted a series for Glasgow Credit Union and my own, which is called The Book Alchemist. Seeking sponsorship and a brand partner has been so difficult, so this will be one of my main aims for 2024. Being in business yourself is both hard and rewarding.

What will the next 12 months look like for your business?

It’s a challenge, PR is changing, AI is having a massive impact on communications, journalism is shrinking and there are opportunities to be more creative and do more with less. I’m excited to be building on the success of the last 2 years with more events, more podcasting and broadcasting and connecting with more changemakers who inspire me to push the boundaries.

What are the highlights of your career so far?

I’ve had many but like to keep it recent. Last month, I hosted the launch of Lorraine Kelly’s debut novel at Waterstones in Glasgow. 200 fans, and the Queen of TV, it was a privilege to interview her.

The event coupled a love of reading, listening, asking questions, PR and the aspect of selling a product and a person. Every month I am grateful for career highlights, I’m always learning from every experience. I keep an eye on the lowlights too!

What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?

I entered into a partnership with someone who used to be on my team, a junior member of staff. I didn’t listen to my intuition and after 2.5 months I realised I had made an error of judgement. Power and ego can ruin relationships and it was a costly mistake on a number of levels, trusting someone to run a business with. I learned a lot. Actions always speak louder than words.