How work at Aberfield will help me grow my business

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting Bea Haddow of Yorkie Rose for work experience. Bea, co-founder of reversible clothing and swimwear brand Yorkie Rose, joined team Aberfield for the week, taking on tasks such as content creation and blogs.

At the end of the week, Bea shared how her work experience will shape her approach to her business, including creating stories that matter, planning and writing for different audiences.

The blog Bea wrote is a pleasure to read and we’re glad to have supported her– even if for a short while – on her business journey. We’ve no doubt it will go from strength to strength.

Here’s what Bea had to say…

Hi, I’m Bea. I’m 17 and I run a small clothing business called Yorkie Rose, where we create affordable reversible clothing and swimwear for teens and adults.

As someone who’s still learning how to grow a brand, spending a week at Aberfield Communications has been such an eye-opening experience. It’s given me loads of ideas, practical skills and confidence that I’ll definitely be taking back to Yorkie Rose.

Before coming to Aberfield, I thought marketing and PR was mostly about posting on social media and making everything look good. While that’s definitely part of it, I’ve realised there’s so much more going on behind the scenes. It’s about understanding people, telling stories that matter, creating content with purpose and making sure everything connects with the right audience.

One of the first things I got involved in was sitting in on a meeting for York Biotech Campus. It was really interesting to see how ideas are developed as a team and just how much planning goes into a campaign before anything is written or posted. Afterwards, I came up with a list of blog ideas, which really made me think about what would actually make people stop scrolling, click and keep reading.

I also had the chance to write several LinkedIn posts for The Compleat Food Group. I’d never really used LinkedIn before, so it was great to learn how different platforms need completely different styles of writing. The posts needed to sound professional while still being engaging and easy to read. It’s definitely something I’ll take into my own business, whether I’m writing about a new collection or sharing behind-the-scenes content.

Another task I really enjoyed was researching influencers and publications for the Experience Wakefield campaign. The aim was to find the right people and platforms to showcase Wakefield as an exciting and growing city. It made me realise how valuable the right partnerships can be and how important it is to work with people who genuinely fit your brand.

I also wrote a blog about Wellington Place in Leeds and all the events happening there this summer. It completely changed my view of blogs, they don’t have to be long or overly formal. They can be useful, fun and still get across everything people need to know. It’s inspired me to think about creating blog-style content for Yorkie Rose too, whether that’s styling ideas, new collections or behind-the-scenes from photoshoots.

One of my favourite parts of the week was creating content at Aire Park in Leeds. It definitely helped that the weather was amazing! As Yorkie Rose is predominantly an  online business, social media content is such an important way of connecting with customers, so it was brilliant to get hands-on experience and come away with loads of ideas for future Reels and content.

Alongside the client work, I also picked up practical skills that I’ll use all the time, including Canva, which will be useful for creating graphics, posters and promotional content. I also learnt more about calls to action, something I’d never really thought about before, and how a small change in wording can encourage people to engage with a post.

What really made the week, though, was the team. Everyone at Aberfield was so welcoming, supportive and genuinely fun to work with (even if there were some questionable jokes from Ben along the way…) Nonetheless, it was great to experience office life, see how everyone bounces ideas off each other and understand how much collaboration goes into producing great work.

Overall, my time at Aberfield has shown me that building a successful brand isn’t just about having a great product. It’s about how you tell your story, how you communicate with people and how you make them feel connected to what you’re doing.

I’m leaving with plenty of new skills, lots of fresh ideas and even more excitement for what’s next with Yorkie Rose. I can’t wait to put everything I’ve learnt into practice.

Thanks, Aberfield 🫆⏳🥣🍤🔑

(Editor’s Note: Bea has educated us on correct use of emoji combos! Coming to a social strategy near you…)