We had the pleasure of catching up recently with Patrick Murphy of Branding Sport.
Patrick tells us about Branding Sport and how he creates compelling brand identities for sports organisations and works with rights holders to deliver success in sponsorship.
So tell us about yourself and what led you to set up in business ?
About 10 years ago, I was approached by two friends who were running a successful advertising agency, who wanted to set up a specialist sports division. They had leads into a couple of really interesting projects with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, and they were looking for someone who could run that division of the business for them. I had previously worked in marketing at Paddy Power, I had advertising experience, and was running the Irish office of a digital media agency at the time. Luckily for me, they asked me if I would come on board and see if I could help them grow the business. There was a covid shuffle in the business in 2020 and I ended up taking ownership of the sport division and setting it up as a standalone agency, brandingsport.com
What are the types of services that you you provide and what problems that you solve for your customers?
We only do two things – We create brand identities for sports organisations or sports businesses and we work with rights holders to deliver success in sponsorship. The latter part is a really interesting and emerging space, where we apply creativity to the task of selling and managing sponsor relationships in sport.Separate to Branding Sport, I am also a Co-Founder and Partner at Impact3Zero.com – where we advise sports organisations on sustainability, and whynudge.com – a consumer content and marketing agency.
What is the most challenging aspect of running a business / working freelance?
Easy question. Time management…. making sure you spend the most time on the most important tasks is an ongoing challenge. Running a small business, there are always long lists of small tasks – finance, invoicing, tax, social media, supplier management, client management and on and on!!! Prioritising and complete the most important tasks is something I have to really focus on.
How do you stay inspired and motivated to run your business / work freelance?
I really, really value the autonomy of being my own boss. It’s the most important thing to me at this stage of my career. I just have to remind myself of that every now and again. It helps that I enjoy my work and get on well with the vast majority of my clients and colleagues.
What one piece of advice would you share with other members on how to overcome business setbacks?
Step away from the laptop! Walk, run, cycle, swim, hike, play the guitar. Get some perspective. Keep going.
Share your hidden gem about Dublin
Frank Ryan’s Pub in Smithfield. Thank me later.
How can our members get in touch with you?
Please feel free to reach out on Linkedin
