hi gorgeous! i’m kayleigh!
I'm a mid-30's (not shy about my age but this covers me in case I forget to update my website every July) Mum of 2, who loves Harry Potter, reading, travelling, and building businesses.
At work, I help overwhelmed new VAs to get crystal clear on their business offering, build their confidence around ideal clients, packages & pricing, and map their entrepreneurial journey to positivity and profitability.
I also work with experienced VAs who want to upskill in PR, and with PR professionals who want tailored VA support.
Outside of work, I window-shop holidays, real-life shop at TK Maxx, read - in the bath, the car, in bed, during tea-breaks, wherever I can - play games with my children (current favourites 21 and Fortnite!), and drink copious cans of Diet Coke.
my story
I have always loved words. I read from a really young age, which meant that I was attempting Jilly Coopers by the time I was 11 - luckily my level of understanding was still that of an 11-year-old!
Funnily enough, I was rubbish at English in school, until I had a few lessons with a private teacher and suddenly something clicked. From then on, I was either reading or writing, and loved doing it. I studied English Literature at A-Level, and have fond memories of my parents reading one of my critical essays and claiming it would get a D (or worse!) as they couldn’t understand it. Reader, that essay got full marks.
While I was studying for my MA in English Literature (Hons), I tried my hand at journalism - I really liked it but the style of writing wasn’t quite ‘me’. It was when I started volunteering for the events team at the British Red Cross - writing press releases, creating event collateral - that I found the writing niche for me. That was the start of my journey into the PR world.
On completing my degree I joined a graduate scheme, giving me a brilliant grounding in all aspects of business strategy and development before I went on to work in retail management. Retail was not for me. I was working 75-hour weeks, eating utter rubbish, and eventually suffered from burnout.
It was after I started my family that I realised I couldn’t return to such an overwhelmingly negative environment, handed in my notice, and returned to the PR industry.
I spent five years working in PR, specialising in travel and tourism and securing amazing coverage, before COVID hit and decimated the entire travel industry.
In March 2020, just as lockdown hit, I lost my job. COZ PR was born a day later.
I spent a weekend building a website, designing my logo (which I still have today!), and working out my pricing and services etc. The name COZ is an acronym for my husband and children's first names - sentimental to me, easy to remember, and a fantastic reminder of one of the main reasons I started this business - to be there for my family.
Initially, I offered general VA services to anyone, and got crickets back. Then I niched into working with PR pros and was fully booked before I knew it. I found that I was constantly giving advice to other VAs who wanted to learn about PR and offer it to their clients, as well as new VAs who were just starting out and needing some support. That was the start of the coaching side of COZ PR.
Now I spend my time working with incredible female entrepreneurs, teaching them how they can get their clients - and themselves - in the press, and mentoring them to grow successful, profitable businesses that they love.
When I’m not doing that, you’ll find me chatting with journalists, creating new reels for the ‘gram or getting a Victory Royale in Fortnite with my 8-year old - and always with a Diet Coke in hand!