Rachel Vigers, a seasoned business consultant specializing in SME business and brand strategy implores business owners to “Be More Rock” ! She uses a refreshingly simple foundations-led approach designed to support businesses to “start strong, grow strong or exit strong”. With over 25 years of experience spanning diverse sectors and multiple countries, Rachel’s journey is as unconventional as it is inspiring.
Reflecting on her formative years, Rachel fondly recalls her father’s influence: “My dad was my hero. He challenged me early on by teaching me to build a car engine at age 8, proving that no job was beyond my capabilities. His six-month challenge for me to get on the property ladder was an exercise in strategic thinking & hard graft.”
She went on to study Classics, and then Management at Uni, but – randomly – it was in Real Estate where Rachel’s career began. Working across sales, marketing & R&D, Rachel discovered the commercial power of strategic branding, a revelation that prompted her pivot to consultancy. “I hustled my way into the field,” she recounts. “I had a heap of qualifications and a fair breadth of experience but not the depth of experience to be taken seriously by C-suites so it took some time to work my way up”
Thankfully, the hustle and hard work paid off. Her career took her to Asia, where she immersed herself in diverse cultures, expanded her business horizons and first launched her own ventures… “Asia is a haven for entrepeneurs,” Rachel reflects. “In Hong Kong, I was able to set up & run my own events company, co-found a marine conservation charity and be a freelance Brand Strategist alongside juggling a dual role as both a Consultancy Director and member of the management team in an international branding agency – exhausting but so much fun!”
Rachel’s expat years brought so many highlights – working with corporate brands from Singapore to Sri Lanka, hosting Asia’s biggest boat party (a sell-out every year & a regular “Event of the Season” in HK’s Time Out magasine) & featuring in a viral video for HK Shark Foundation that garnered 1.6 million views. “My experiences taught me how to leverage the power of strategic focus & storytelling to grow audiences and drive impact – even without big budgets,” she remembers. “They also shaped my approach to how I support clients today”
Returning to England, Rachel faced the dual challenge of running her role as an independent strategist, while raising neurodivergent children and caring for her elderly mother. “The juggle is real. Decision making, time management, resilience, adaptability – these are all things that small business owners commonly struggle with” she shares. “Within your business, strategic frameworks really do help you to manage multiple priorities.”
Eventually, having worked for 10 years under her own name, the evolution of Rachel’s consultancy to Rock.Partners was 100% intentional. “Rock primarily stands for strength, i.e. building your business on rock-solid foundations. But we’re also the rock you can rely on because we don’t just drop a strategy & run – instead, we stick around to find the right delivery partners to build on those foundations, not just creatively, but commercially & culturally too. It’s a simple, joined up approach that is very different to conventional strategic consultancy – like a mini management consultancy for SMEs – so you could say there’s a bit of Rock’n’Roll attitude in there too!”
Despite her successes, Rachel acknowledges many moments of self-doubt. “I’ve got used to feeling like I don’t fit in – in fact, now I embrace it. It turns out that my distinctive mix of commercial & creative, strategy & implementation, real & ideal, taskmaster & cheerleader – is why clients come to me. For many SMEs, change isn’t a comfortable space to be in so embracing discomfort and working with it is a really useful skill”
As our conversation draws to a close, Rachel offers a poignant reflection: “Embrace your uniqueness and let it shape your brand – both personal and business. Your journey, no matter how unconventional, defines your path and has value of its own accord.” Her journey from humble beginnings to international recognition underscores the transformative power of perseverance and strategic vision in the realm of business.
For more information on Rock Partners check out https://www.rock.partners/
Or connect directly with Rachel Vigers on LinkedIn here
With over 90 attendees, Smiley Happy People continues to be a standout networking event in Altrincham, bringing together inspiring speakers like Rachel Vigers who share their real-world insights and practical advice. A big thank you to Rachel for her engaging talk, and to all the attendees who make these events so impactful!
Follow On Eventbrite here
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alex-mccann-18007752018
