International Women’s Day: a spotlight on Veronica Hannon’s path to success

Veronica is an industry trailblazer. She’s known by clients for her exceptional ability to connect with people and tell their stories in creative, clear and impactful ways. At Transform Comms, we know Ronnie as our fearless leader who guides with empathy, heart and purpose.

In honour of International Women’s Day, we sat down with Ronnie to talk about her journey as a female founder, the challenges she’s overcome along the way and what has driven her success.

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What inspired your career in communications?

I got into communications because I wanted to have interesting conversations with fascinating people.

I’m the child of missionaries who worked for peace and reconciliation in South Africa and Northern Ireland. I was raised with little understanding of business or entrepreneurialism. But I was raised with the ability to talk to people from all backgrounds, my parents hosted kings and queens at their dinner table, as well activists from the shanty towns of Cape Town. Their work gave me the knowledge and confidence to truly understand what people want to achieve, how to move them from their (sometimes fixed) positions, and how to communicate from the heart. This stood me in great stead when I began work as a journalist and then moved to the world of corporate communications.

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What made you want to start your own business?

I’ve been lucky, I’ve worked with some amazing, tough, driven and inspiring women throughout my career – Tracey Walton from Forward Press, Diana Soltmann and Jackie Murphy from Flagship Consulting, and Heather Westgate of TDA. When I looked at them and their achievements, I thought if they can, I can. I just had to get over my fear of betting on myself. And that was scary. Luckily, I’ve got a wonderfully supportive partner and a great group of talented people around me who saw that I could create something quite special. Their confidence in me combined with my rebellious nature gave me the push to launch my own business.

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How did you create awareness for Transform Comms when you started out?

I’d worked in communications at a senior level for 10 years prior to starting my own business, so I was able to leverage a strong personal reputation. But I knew that Transform Comms had to be about so much more than my professional achievements.

I was initially based outside the city, in a small Wiltshire town, so it was important to offer value and insight to my community and involve everyone. I got into communications because I wanted to have interesting conversations with fascinating people, so that’s how I set about building our brand. We set up a series of free public events called Transform Talks, which brought industry experts into our town of 10,000 people. They spoke on a whole array of subjects, from AI, emotional intelligence and internal communications through to how to cope with death and dying (which we held online during COVID). These talks always sold out and gave us a great platform to demonstrate our expertise and client base. This was important as our purpose was to show the power of communication.

Today, we deploy the skills and knowledge of our exceptional creative teams to market ourselves. Client work is, of course, prioritised, but we recognise that building our brand is what builds our business. The work we do building our reputation demonstrates what we can do for our clients.

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How did you grow the business?

I was very keen for Transform Comms to maintain a true independence so we can make our own decisions and rapidly respond to changing conditions. So, we did not seek external funding to scale the business.

But I did recognise that I needed help in terms of business development. After running the numbers and recognising the cost of lost opportunities, I employed Dan O’Connor, initially as Head of Business Development. During COVID, Dan’s position within the organisation grew when we launched our first business together. We knew we needed to innovate. Dan is now a full shareholder in the business, and it is through his help that we have scaled it. In the first five years of working together we 6x the revenue of the business and trebled the number of employees.

As the founder of the business, I had to confront my own limitations and seek support where it was needed. This has been fundamental to our growth – recognising that we can’t do it all ourselves and finding people who are far more talented than us to support the growth and scale of Transform Comms.

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What has been your biggest success?

When it comes to awards, we’ve had some really big successes. We’ve been listed in the top rankings tables. We’ve won Agency of the Year multiple times. However, when I look back at all our work, it’s my clients’ successes that I’m most proud to have been part of.

One company we helped launch sold to Clarkson Evans, the UK’s largest electrical contractor, for a healthy seven figure sum exactly 12 months after starting the business. We’ve also advised numerous companies as they undertook mergers and acquisitions. One of our clients has changed hands so many times, we’re some of the longest serving members of their team.

And then there’s InHouse Inspired Room Design. I first met this wonderful business three decades ago when I was a young journalist, and I’ve built and maintained that relationship over the years. They were one of my earliest clients at Transform Comms. Today, they’re part of the Schüller family – one of the largest kitchen manufacturers in Europe. And we’re still working alongside them. Seeing my client’s dreams and ambitions realised is definitely my greatest success.

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What has been your greatest challenge so far, and how did you overcome it?

COVID took away 85% of our client revenue. While initially it posed a significant challenge, we took it as an opportunity to innovate, launching Transform Digital Marketing in June 2020. Just 4 months later we had a record month and continued to build from there with an average growth rate of 50% per year. Just after COVID we won Small Agency of the Year at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Awards. This was a real vindication in how we rebuilt.

We innovated our offering by launching a digital business. We also placed a real focus on growing and building our team. What’s more, every single customer that put a hold on their programmes with us during COVID came back and spent more. And that’s down to our relationship with our clients.

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What are your top tips for aspiring female founders?

• Surround yourself with mentors who will challenge and support you.

• Have self-belief but know your limitations. Build a great and supportive team around you because you can’t do it all by yourself. This was something I learnt after struggling to build the business while caring for two parents at end of their lives and raising two teenage children.

• Just do it. Everyone can have great ideas. Success is in the execution.

• It doesn’t have to be perfect first time round. Ask for feedback from other people (including your customers) and show that you’re continuously improving.

• Risk what you can. Secure what you need. Set boundaries for what you’re prepared to risk and what you can’t afford to risk. And then push them.

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Which women inspire you, and why?

• My mother because although she wasn't a business person, she had faith and belief, and you really need both as an entrepreneur. Belief in yourself and faith for the trust you will need to place in others.

• The academic and historian, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. I admire her ability to use compelling storytelling to challenge traditional ideas about the role of women in society. She’s also the author of my favourite quote “well-behaved women seldom make history”.

• Jodie Foster because in every part she plays she says she learns more about herself. That’s my approach to business. Every challenge and every difficulty gives me an opportunity to learn more.

Veronica incorporated Transform Comms in 2010, so this year is our 15th anniversary. Today, we’re a full-service integrated marketing and communications agency running out of a converted barn in rural Somerset. We’re an award-winning team of 10 who prove that you don’t need to be in a big city to deliver exceptional work for respected brands. As long as you keep the focus on quality and building great customer relationships, you can be anywhere and do anything.