Being a Kurt-sultant at Fulcrum and Purple

I always heard about these okes, these consultant people or whatever you want to call them. They sounded intense, they sounded powerful and they sounded like they made a business tick, as if they were the superheroes for businesses. 

Recently I became one of them – except perhaps for the “intense and powerful” part. I would place myself, my partners and company somewhere in the mechanics of the “business clock” that assists in making a business tick.

What is the difference between being employed by a company and having the company employ your business? Well, to start off with, it’s daunting, bru! It’s bladdy exciting and it’s a whole lot of extra work that is done behind the scenes to make sure you are not just a consultant.

That cliché of  finding yourself is apparent as I still live and breathe each client’s brand daily. Sure it’s a crazy balance, and there is lots of room to improve for me personally. But I do honestly believe in the brands and people I work with.

Because of the vibe that surrounds the word consultant, I have decided to personalise it a little and call myself a Kurt-sultant.

My first big client as a Kurt-sultant was was the Fulcrum Group, which I joined at the end of 2013. Fulcrum is a financial services company primarily focusing on the insurance market, offering various products and services from premium finance and collections to specialised lending and capital funding. Did I know anything about any of these things? Nope!

What I did know was what was needed in the business from a brand and internal communications perspective – well the important stuff at least! I worked hard at that, took on a new personal challenge to run with the overall brand from internal communications to the external brand strategy, sponsorships, events etc.

We did A LOT of stuff within a short space of time, mainly focused on getting the Fulcrum entrenched in the market, making sure the right people and companies were talking about the brand and ensuring the people INSIDE the business were all singing off the same hymn sheet and remembered why they loved working there and what the brand stood for. At CN&CO we are passionate about building brands from the inside out. It’s the people who make the brand, not the marketing budget or annual financials.

I could write pages and pages on my experience at Fulcrum, the fantastic people, the incredible business and the many interesting and fun things we did, both internally and externally. But I’ll keep it brief for the sake of this blog.

I spent just under two years at Fulcrum, where I learnt a lot, both personally and professionally. Using minimal resources and a lot of relationships to make things happen and I am proud of what we accomplished. As always, that’s only the beginning and of course there is still lots to do! Luckily for Fulcrum, they acquired a friend and someone who I rate highly as their new head of marketing and brand, Clodagh da Paixao who will be taking Fulcrum on the next phase of its brand journey. We wish her and her people and brand colleague Liebie Du Plessis all the best! CN&CO remains a partner of Fulcrum with myself, Gabbi, Carel and others continuing to work with this exciting team.

So now my new journey starts, at a company that excites me tremendously – an energetic company, a pioneering company, a bunch of likeminded people who want to challenge the status quo and make magic: Purple Group. Purple is a JSE-listed company with four exciting brands to its name: EasyEquities, Emperor Asset Management, GT247.com and GT Private Broking.

When my friends ask what I do, I always look like a pancake trying to explain. I cannot really explain what I do as I (we) do things VERY differently. I’ve learnt to do things that I think are right and sometimes a little crazy. I strive to make it as exciting as possible – always! – and to be unique at the same time. All of this I learn from my fellow partners and colleagues at CN&CO, and our awesome clients.

If you can’t be happy with your job, what’s the bladdy point? So make it as exciting as you would like it to be, work with people you get on with, people who inspire you, and those who share the same vision as you.

I am in my third week at @PurpleGroupPPE and loving it! The new energy, the new faces, the new challenges and of course the fulfilment in contributing to the growth of the company and brand alike.

My main focus will be the internal stuff, the people, the way we communicate with each other, and the culture that ultimately make up the brand. And I cannot wait to have (more) fun, to make (more of) a difference and to be (even more) inspired. Hopefully I’ll be a little inspiring, too.

Being a Kurt-sultant is all about being myself. Being passionate. Pushing myself every day to bring the most energy I can with me into my client’s space. Being a Kurt-sultant is like being paid to learn, grow and have fun.

Read more about me and my partners and what makes us tick at www.cnandco.com.