who are you?

What an existential conundrum to try to solve on a website about page. Who are YOU? Eh?

I’m Claire Brown, a proud Gen X generalist, who has honed her skill an all round operational whizzkid over many decades of working for companies of all shapes and sizes. So maybe not so much of a kid, but definitely a WHIZZ.

where are you based?

I work with businesses, sole traders, limited companies and partnerships all over the world but I’m based just outside Glasgow, in Paisley. I’m happy to travel across the west of Scotland and Central Belt (including Edinburgh) to meet clients and provide in-person support by arrangement.

I’m also happy to travel further afield (love a Premier Inn stay), so don’t let geographical location put you off. There’s also a great little tool called the internet for communicating, let’s chat!

What’s your background?

You can read more about my professional experience and business owner pedigree on the why work with me page.

For comedy purposes, here’s a list of all the jobs I’ve ever had - each one of them I’ve learned something from that’s made me the highly-skilled operational and creative mastermind I am today!

  • assistant in veterinary surgery (aged 13!)

  • leisure centre gift shop assistant

  • vintage clothes shop assistant

  • fanzine writer, publisher and distributor

  • barmaid at various pubs and clubs in Glasgow

  • avid blogger and founder member of the anti bullshit league

  • warner brothers Christmas store assistant

  • pizza maker - one shift only

  • dishwasher in a restaurant

  • flyerer

  • craft market proprietor

  • music and culture journalist

  • waitress - silver service and normal at a fancy hotel

  • tickets sales booth at Glasgow’s secc

  • office temp in dozens of offices around Greater Glasgow

  • mystery shopper

  • directory enquiries operator

  • 999 operator

  • general assistant in a restaurant in Guernsey

  • MOD Civilian comms operator

  • police records office administrator

  • hostmaster for ISP

  • complaints team manager

  • ambassador to thailand/technical support

  • indie business owner

  • co-founder of a very successful kawaii blog

  • TV subtitler

  • operations manager

  • ecommerce manager

  • chocolatier’s assistant

  • office manager

  • country park visitor centre manager

  • hr manager

  • supermarket checkout operator

  • head of people, culture and ops

  • studio manager

  • head of operations

  • head of studio

  • post office counter assistant

Some of these roles I held simultaneously (my record is 3 at a time!). What a life.

what are your values?

I like a drama-free, straightforward and relaxed approach to business and only work with people and organisations I share common values with. The five values I try to uphold and hope you do too are:

  • Empathy

  • Transparency & Fairness

  • Trust & Accountability

  • Empowerment

  • Respect

I won’t work with businesses or people who discriminate or exclude minorities or who don’t treat humans fairly. I never knowingly use AI in my writing or in my work - that’s a Claire Brown Guarantee. Give no bullshit, take no bullshit - that’s my motto.

what are your qualifications?

I hold the following qualifications and certifications:

  • HNC Music Business Administration

  • HND Music Industry Management + Marketing

  • Mental Health First Aider

  • NCFE Digital Marketing for Business Certificate

  • Institute of Leadership + Management Level 3 Diploma Supervisory Skills

  • Strathclyde University Help To Grow: Business Mini MBA Graduate

  • Open University Coaching Skills Certificate

  • West College Counselling Skills Certificate (in progress)

I’m also currently learning to speak Spanish (despacio) and can speak, read and write basic French.

I hold a full, clean UK driving licence.

Tell me about your software skills

I’m a quick learner as a Gen X-er - I grew up pre-, during and post-dawn of the internet, so I’ve had a lot to keep up with. As a result, I find it pretty easy to pick up new softwares, processes and apps both on desktops and mobile devices.

  • Google suite

  • Microsoft Office Suite

  • Basic HTML

  • Most Social media platforms

  • WordPress

  • Slack + Teams

  • Canva

  • Dext

  • Shopify

  • Mailchimp

  • Squarespace

  • Xero

  • Trello

  • Float

  • BambooHR

And many more resource management, scheduling, budgeting and project management tools!

What do you do for fun?

When I’m not doing all of these good works, you’ll find me walking my dog, Larry, ideally on the beach. I’m also a lifelong crafter - working with your hands is an excellent nervous system reset. I love to embroider, make miniature pottery and dabble with new crafts often.

I also love to travel, cook, try new restaurants and ideally combine all of these things in a oner! I’m a real social history geek and love to read historical non-fiction and learn about the past. I’m also really into psychology and why we as humans do the things we do - which comes in handy working with creative people as well as the general public!