Double figures. Ten years.
It feels strange to write that, because for most of that time, I’ve been focused on what’s next rather than what’s already been done. But with our ten-year anniversary coming up on 18th July, it feels like the right moment to pause, properly, and reflect on what this journey has actually been.
Because it hasn’t been straightforward. And it certainly hasn’t been easy.
If I go right back, the seed for all of this was planted much earlier in my career. I remember watching my old Office Manager, Jackie, at ING. She was always on the move, solving problems, managing people, making things happen. There was an energy to the role that just clicked with me. I remember thinking, I love the look of that job. That’s me.
Twenty years later, that instinct has shaped everything.
But the actual starting point of The Office Management Group came much later, and it started with an idea that sat with me for about five years before I did anything about it.
I’d mentioned it here and there to colleagues over time, even back in my RBS days, including Clare – the internal lawyer at City Index, who actually went on to write my first contract and terms templates. I remember talking about it at my leaving lunch before moving to Berenberg, saying I wanted to start a consultancy for Office Managers. Clare and others just said, “OMG, you have to do it.”
But I wasn’t ready. The timing wasn’t right, and the confidence and risk didn’t quite line up.
Eventually, just over a year into my role at Berenberg, something shifted. Truthfully, I’d had enough. The politics, the red tape, the over-promising and under-delivering. And alongside that, this constant thought of going it alone just wouldn’t go away.
There were consultants for HR, IT, compliance, legal, finance – but nothing for the office and workplace profession in the same way.
So, one day, and somewhat rapidly if I’m honest, I quit. No plan. No registered company. Just a decision.
Three things happened by around midday that day – mostly political, one just straight-up annoying – and that was it. I was done.
Thankfully, I had a paid notice period behind me, which gave me a bit of breathing space. And instead of rushing into something else – which I was very tempted to do, especially with calls from companies like Klarna and others inviting me to interview – I resisted it and gave myself the time to actually try and build something.
With that time off, and a need for some sun and relaxation before jumping two feet into this idea, I went away with my sister, who worked in marketing and research, which, looking back, was incredibly useful timing.
While I was away, I read Personal Branding for Brits by Jennifer Holloway and started thinking about how I might position whatever this was going to become. We played around with ideas, names, directions.
But nothing quite stuck.
Then one day, towards the end of our holiday, completely randomly, my sister looked at me and said, “You’re wearing your brand.” I was in a black and white bikini. That was it.
Black & White Office Consultancy was born, or BWOC as we called it back then.
It felt simple. It felt clear. And it gave me something to build from. My surname is Gray, (mix black and white together sort of pun as I saw it) but also, I wanted to provide straightforward, no-nonsense services – especially around Health and Safety – and it just worked. It became something of my tagline, I make everything black and white for businesses.
What I didn’t fully appreciate at that point was just how much I was stepping into the unknown.
Back home, reality kicked in quickly.
I was sitting at my IKEA circular glass dining table – which, from a DSE perspective, was absolutely not ideal – with no proper desk, cold-calling Office Managers from a list someone had kindly “donated” to me (slightly questionable, but at the time it felt like an opportunity).
I was trying to explain what I was building, and if I’m honest, I don’t think I fully knew myself at that stage. Some people were kind. Some were busy. Some were short. Some just hung up.
It was uncomfortable. And at times, it felt like I was trying to create something that people didn’t yet see the need for.
But there were a few who said yes. A few who met me for coffee. And I’m still in touch with some of them now, like Francisc Kozijn. The first believers in what I was trying to build.
Around that time, contacts from my career encouraged me to join BNI. I’d never heard of it before, but it seemed like a good opportunity to network – a word that filled me with dread, if I’m honest.
I remember standing up to do my first 60-second introduction, absolutely terrified, trying to explain a business that didn’t fully exist yet to a room full of people who all seemed far more certain in what they were doing.
But I kept showing up. And slowly, things started to move.
I had my first “pity” client, as I call them – Giles, and a mobile phone contract project. The aim was to save them money, get them a better deal using my contacts – and it worked. £250 made. It felt like a big moment at the time.
Then, thanks to Kobi at BNI, I secured my first proper client – Work Life. Health and Safety audits that led to much more work further down the line. That’s when I knew I’d found the fit.
By the end of my first year, Laura from Sheffield Haworth got in touch about Health and Safety support and an office refurbishment – my first (BOWC-related) project to manage as a consultant. We’re still in touch now, and I’m glad to say, really good friends. And Sheffield Haworth? Still clients. Something I’m very proud of.
But building this hasn’t been a smooth journey.
There have been moments where I’ve questioned it completely. I’ve applied for permanent roles again at times. I’ve thought about walking away. There have been sleepless nights, anxiety, pressure, and a level of stress that people don’t always see from the outside.
I’ve had clients ghost after conversations that felt promising. People say they’re going ahead, you start planning, you start factoring in the income, and then nothing.
I’ve had people not turn up to courses they’ve paid for. You really do see it all.
I’ve had situations where boundaries have been tested, including one where a client attempted to bribe me – which I walked away from, while others around him didn’t.
I’ve had people patronise me, tell me what I “should” be doing, what I “must” do, without really understanding what I was already building or trying to achieve – and without me asking for the advice. Experiences like that make you stop and think. They make you question what you’re doing and whether it’s worth continuing.
And if I’m honest, those challenges haven’t completely disappeared over time. They’ve just changed shape. But alongside all of that, there have been incredible opportunities.
I’ve travelled to places I would never have gone to otherwise. I’ve met people across the profession, from all over the world, who have become genuine friends. We’ve built communities – real tribes – where Office and Workplace Managers can share, learn and support each other in ways that simply didn’t exist when I started.
One of the biggest early milestones was my first event in October 2017 to launch The Office Management Portal. Around 70 people in the room. Some I knew, many I didn’t. I was nervous, unwell, full of cold, and questioning whether I could actually pull it off.
But I did.
And that event led into one of the most exposing moments of the journey. At the start of 2018, I launched The Portal. Putting something like that out into the world, knowing people would use it, rely on it, and judge it, was a big step.
But it was also the moment things started to feel more structured. More real. Then in November 2019, everything shifted again.
My son Noah had been born a few months earlier, and I felt this overwhelming desire to do more. The Portal community was growing. People were asking for group training, for more connection, for something bigger.
I was seeing exhibitions and shows, but nothing specifically for Office Managers. There were awards, but nothing that truly recognised the profession.
So, I decided to build it. At around 2am, while feeding Noah, making notes on my phone about everything.
And that’s when The Office Management Group was born.
I had to rebrand to bring everything together, and with it came everything that now exists under that umbrella – The Show, The Conference, The Awards, The Events, The Portal, The Courses.
If you’d told me at the start that I’d be creating large-scale events, awards, and a global community for Office Managers, I wouldn’t have believed you.
It’s just not what I imagined. Or planned for.
And even now, I don’t often stop and acknowledge that.
It’s much easier to move on to the next thing, to focus on what still needs to be done, or what could be improved. But when I do pause, like now, there’s a real sense of gratitude.
Not just for what’s been built, but for the people who have been part of it along the way.
Because none of this happens in isolation.
Over the last ten years, the role of the Office Manager has evolved massively. It’s become more strategic, more visible, and more complex. But many of the core challenges are still the same. Lack of clarity, pressure to do everything, and the need for better support and structure.
That’s what continues to drive everything we do.
As part of our ten-year milestone, we’ll be bringing people together again on 16th July, with one of our longest and strongest collaboration partners, The Clermont Group, to celebrate the profession and everything it’s become.
But for me, this moment is also about reflection. And there have been a lot of lessons.
You don’t need everything mapped out to start.
Consistency matters more than intensity.
Not everything will go your way.
Community is everything.
And perhaps the hardest one – it’s okay to recognise what you’ve built.
Because when I look back to that totally unsuitable IKEA glass table, those early calls, and the uncertainty of where this would go, I wouldn’t have imagined this.
And I’m really glad I didn’t stop when it felt hard.
