Passionate Northampton business owner proudly celebrates a decade and says team is her proudest achievement
A passionate business owner from Northampton is proudly celebrating a decade and says building a strong team is her proudest achievement of the past 10 years.
Emma Speirs launched Ballyhoo PR in May 2016, having left her former role working for an agency after she went from full-time to part-time hours to accommodate family life.
Having still had to hire a nanny for a short period as her husband worked evening shifts at the time, as well as feeling like she was not learning much from her role, Emma knew there had to be a better alternative.
As Emma knew a lot of businesses from an earlier role at the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, she had confidence in her business contacts, handed in her notice and went freelance.
However, Emma soon realised she needed somewhere to signpost interested people to and along came the development of the name, logo and her accidental business Ballyhoo PR.
Having graduated in 2002 and began training in PR in 2004, Emma had 12 years of experience in the industry when she took the leap.
“A big difference is the fact we support mainly small and medium-sized businesses, who might think PR is out of reach or only for big firms,” Emma told the Chronicle & Echo. “We are bespoke and affordable.
“What I learnt at the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce is that many local, smaller businesses had no means of promoting themselves. We provide support and visibility to get small and medium-sized businesses the recognition they deserve.”
When asked how it feels that Ballyhoo PR will reach its impressive decade milestone on Saturday (May 23), Emma said: “I didn’t see it as a business, let alone one that employs people and helps different companies in different industries.
“We had Covid smack bang in the middle so it’s been a business of two halves. To have got through that and come out stronger and bigger is impressive.”
Ballyhoo PR is now situated within Vulcan Works, which is actually one of their clients, and they have been located there for around a year after moving from their former office in Lamport.
Ballyhoo PR has clients across Northamptonshire and beyond, who praise the bespoke service they receive with measurable activity and reports on the effectiveness of what they are investing in.
Emma is proud that they take into account the goals and aspirations of clients, and this allows Ballyhoo’s personable team of four to become an extension of each of the teams they support. She is joined by Laura Smith, Linda McKeown and Daisie-Belle Downer.
When asked her proudest achievement of the past 10 years, Emma said: “Building a great time with a breadth of experience across broadcast journalism, newspapers, magazine editing – we’ve got a raft of skills between us.
“Some of the stories we’ve been involved in have allowed us to amplify voices and bring about change. By raising the profile of Wheelchair Alliance, it helped get a consultation to have one of the laws changed around wheelchair users.”
On the flip side, the biggest challenge that Ballyhoo PR has faced is the pandemic. “It was challenging on a personal note as well as a business note,” said Emma. “I had two young boys to homeschool as well as keep the business going and jobs for the team. It was a lot of responsibility with less hours.”Energy bills have also been a particular challenge, which led to Ballyhoo PR swapping their Lamport office for Vulcan Works in 2025.
“We hope to do more of the same while evolving and adapting with the market,” Emma concluded. “We’re not standing still. There is a real need for what we can offer and bring to businesses to shout about their successes.
“With the rise of AI, we’re at risk of losing tone of voice and personality. We see a lot of the same words and language, so it’s more important than ever to stand out – and get your personality and knowledge out there.”