Value Added Partner Spotlight

This month’s County Business Clubs Sussex Value Added Partner spotlight falls on Tim Cobb, Managing Director of Cobb PR.

Tell us about Cobb PR

I had two early dreams when I started working as a journalist. The first was to be good enough to get a job on a quality national newspaper. And the second was to work for myself.

After five years learning my trade on the Eastbourne Herald and The Argus, I managed to get some freelance shifts on The Daily Mail. I would work from 7am – 3pm on The Argus, then jump on a train for an evening shift on the Mail.

While I did not like the newspaper or its political views, it got me noticed in the right places. In 1990, I successfully applied for an overnight reporting job with The Press Association… It’s like Reuters, but covering the UK. I moved from the night shift – you have to start somewhere – to the news desk and eventually was invited to become a news editor (middle management). I stayed there for five years, then decided it was time to pursue my second dream … to work for myself.

I set up on my own, trading as Cobb PR, in 1995, and have never looked back. After several years, I was keeping enough companies happy that I was able to start employing people.

We grew to a team of 10, which was fantastic, but I also knew that I needed to keep an eye on the online communications world, which had grown in popularity.

In 2013, I set up Cobb Digital with James Dempster.  James has been a Tour de Force and has taken the digital side to new heights.

I am looking forward to Cobb PR’s 30th anniversary in 2025. I still love the work and have no plans to retire yet!

What’s been your biggest business challenge?

Looking back, we have had two major challenges to overcome. The first was the economic crash of 2007. Our clients were knocked for six. They did not know what had hit them. As a supplier of marketing and PR, Cobb PR was a very soft budget-heading. Our clients put the brakes on our work and, suddenly, the business world became a dark and scary place.

We cut back, pulled our financial belts in and prayed for calmer waters. It took a while, but we weathered the storm without redundancies.

The second challenge was Covid. Once again, we found ourselves in new territory. Nobody had predicted this global pandemic and nobody could predict how long it would last and if we would still be alive to see the end of it!

After what seemed like an eternity, we opened the shutters, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to support our beloved clients.

What has been your greatest/proudest business achievement?

I have always taken the Biblical view of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In other words, treat people the same way you would like to be treated. I have maintained that throughout my business career.

The people you pass as you ascend the ladder of success will probably be the same people you see as you descend that slippery ladder. So be nice to everybody. Do not make enemies of anybody.

I have tried hard to be a decent person to trade with and I do not think I have made any enemies over my 28 years working in Sussex.

What type of clients do we work with?

The larger the company, the more communication and marketing needs they have. And while many will have their own in-house teams, Cobb PR has a vast resource of skilled people with many years of experience.

In the private sector, we work with Legal & General, Southern Water, South East Water and Jones Laing Laselle. But we also have much smaller professional service companies that we love and look after.

In the public sector, we work for a few local authorities in the south. Typically, we provide an out-sourced comms team or press office that takes the employment burden away from them.

Who are we looking to meet?

More of the same!

Tell us a story about yourself that people might not know

Over the years, I have had three mid-life crises. My wife has been wonderfully understanding about them all.

My first was a desire to get back into leather jackets and ride motorbikes, just like when I was a teenager. So I bought a Harley-Davidson, joined my local “chapter” and spent most summer weekends trundling rather noisily around the roads of Sussex. After a couple of years, I decided that cars were more comfortable and a bit safer.

My second mid-life crisis was of a musical nature. My three sons had all had piano lessons in their youth. They moved on, but they left a piano in my lounge. It was too tempting to ignore, so I decided to have a few lessons. Four years later, I am still having lessons with my long-suffering teacher. The London Philharmonic Orchestra has not come for me, but never say never.

Thirdly, I have started French conversation sessions every week. My French is improving and I no longer murder the language when I ask for a croissant in a French bakery. My aim is to become more fluent, so watch this space.

https://cobbpr.com/