Writer Bio
A bit about Clive Wilson
From school dunce to Mission Impossible and beyond
It didn’t start well…
School and I didn’t get on very well. At all.
I failed all my exams and left with little more than a passion for electronics and an inquiring mind, always needing to understand how things worked (or mostly how things came apart and didn’t quite go back together again), but an inquiring mind can take any person a long way in life.
It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.
My obsession with electronics and technology came in very handy when a friend of my parents arranged for me to have a job interview with a senior techy friend of his.
This friend just happened to be head of Operations & Technical Support for the Metropolitan Police in London (UK). I went along for an interview; demonstrated that I knew a bit about electronics and I was in with a cohort of 11 others, all proud to be called ‘Wireless Mechanics’.
Mission Impossible, and a steep learning curve
For the next half-dozen years I learned at 100mph and was rewarded by working in covert communications, security and surveillance. It felt like I was on the set of a film that was somewhere between James Bond and Mission Impossible. I’d love to tell you more, but I’d have to kill you.
Suffice it to say I was involved with the Iranian Embassy siege in London, and I was also present, albeit on the roof of a building, at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, providing video feedback support for Command & Control at Scotland Yard.
Changing direction
Like all good films, there was a love interest that changed the course of my life and forced me to make a decision that snapped me straight back to normality to begin a new career in the print industry. But it was good as the experience triggered a deep interest in typography, design, page layout, graphics, and lithographic (and later, digital) printing. More fast learning.
By the mid-90s, it was becoming clear that the future would be online, and as early adopters of the technology, we quickly got to grips with modems blasting data up and down the phone lines at a blistering 28kbps, rising to the supersonic speed of 128kbps within 18 months. Many of you are now wondering what the hell I’m talking about, whilst others are chuckling knowingly to themselves, rocking back in their chair and nodding that, “Yeah, I was there…” nod.
By 2006, I’d been building websites for about eight years. I decided it was time to go it alone and left to set up a web-technology company based in Surrey (UK). Over its ten year life, with nine staff and clients in the UK, Australia, Norway, Canada, Seychelles, Barbados, North America, Iraq and Thailand, we provided graphic design, web development, marketing, training and support services to a wide range of clients from startups to established nationals. However, nothing lasts forever.
When opportunity knocks
Marketing had become my passion, as had working with clients to help develop their businesses, so my role became far more consultative. Early in 2016, a conversation with a national property security company led to my accepting a full-time position as Head of UK Marketing.
The company’s client base is 95% B2B in a niche sector. The service is very much a need-based, grudge purchase for a low-cost/long-term rental product. It was a tall order to create and execute a marketing strategy that would positively impact the company’s bottom line. But I like a challenge, and by September 2021, despite the global pandemic’s attempt to scupper everyone’s plans, marketing-related revenue over my five-year tenure exceeded £5m, including £1m+ in new business.
However, the desire to get back to working with and supporting my own clients was too strong to ignore, so November 2021 saw the birth of Clive Wilson Marketing, which later became The Marketing Alliance.
Writing for pleasure
I’ve been writing web content, blogs, newsletters, and other marketing collateral for twenty years, but I’ve never written content that allowed me to share my thoughts and insights.
I joined Medium in October 2018 to do just that but actually did very little with it until January 2021, when I decided to take writing more seriously.
Finding one’s voice is quite hard, to begin with, but I quickly found an incredibly supportive community at ILLUMINATION, with Terry L. Cooper, Tree Langdon and Dr Mehmet Yildiz providing help, guidance, and encouragement way beyond my expectations.
It felt like I’d been released (think balloon, prison, runaway train, dog off its lead...), and the freedom was both liberating and exciting.
I love the quote I found on Melody Campbell’s bio page, from Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man:
“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”
It began to happen, one day at a time, one new relationship at a time, one expressive article at a time.
Giving something back
I’ve noticed how some new writers struggle with the basics of language and layout. I saw this as a great opportunity to impart some of my knowledge to help them, and I set about writing a quick, simple tips and advice article.
It’s fair to say that it didn’t go quite according to plan. The more I wrote, the more I wrote. And wrote. I’m sure you’ve been there. My quick article grew into a seven-part series of around 11,500 words.
So much to write about, so little time
I use Trello to organise my thoughts and notes on everything, not just writing. It’s bursting at the seams with new ideas across a dozen or more categories, from technology, business development and marketing, to personal growth and life lessons.
Almost daily, I add more ideas, finding inspiration in random conversations, news broadcasts, TV programs and adverts, plus my own thoughts and ideas around many of life’s many imponderables, often triggered by; “I wonder why…”, or “Is that really the way it is…?”. There is so much to write about.
I particularly enjoy writing about business development and marketing, recently creating articles such as:
and:
and:
and:
However, as many of us experienced changes brought on by the global pandemic, I felt compelled to share my thoughts and feelings as we, in the UK, were living through our third national lockdown, with a deep freeze winter upon us:
I quickly followed that with my take on the thought-provoking life lessons we could learn from, of all things, Game of Thrones:
On more personal matters, I’m not sure I’m quite ready to bare my soul yet, but exploring the ‘who am I?’ and mental health-type questions that emerge from my navel-gazing moments is creating some interesting possibilities. Watch this space.
Don’t be a stranger
I’m thoroughly enjoying writing for Medium, and I like to make new connections, so I’d be delighted to connect with you here on Medium, on LinkedIn, or on Instagram — whatever takes your fancy.
Become a Medium Member
Whether or not you’re a writer, the sheer volume of content and range of topics from incredible writers is well worth the $5 per month on its own.
https://clive-wilson.medium.com/membership.
