A long overdue update on agency life. The truth is that Impress is an ever-changing entity that inspires some and infuriates others. It is the same for many a small business striving to be a real 'player' and learning the harsh lessons of business reality on the fly. One just keeps hearing the same story: staff problems, cashflow, client demands and a host of other frustrations that drive the entrepreneur to distraction.

A commonality exists among many lead clients and, as their agency, I can empathise and offer advice, but I have the same issues too. This is why Impress is what it is. We are on a journey together and some days it can be fabulous, other days it can drive you to distraction. As ever, today has been a mixture, but one client totally thrills me for their endeavour, passion, commitment and sheer belief in what they are doing. That client is Big Bang Events (www.bigbangevents.co.uk) and I had a long meeting with their managing director, Alison Welsh, this morning.

Impress have been working with BBE for around a year, building their websites, developing an online strategy, negotiating media deals and extolling the wisdom of the 'brand thing' as Ali memorably described it. Now, this 'brand thing' is actually really starting to work for the business, even if I say it myself. Web traffic on both company sites is growing week by week, Google loves the SEO, PR articles are appearing in the trade press, enquires are pinging in from listings on various online directories and the magazine ads have been unified and now look genuinely cool.

The timing is spot on as it is prime time for BBE. The company has an exclusive on a fabulous London venue, Cannon Bridge Roof Garden (www.cannonbridgeroofgarden.com) which is exactly as it says: an outdoor garden with a marquee perfect for summer parties. We are currently promoting an open day at the venue on the 19th April across all media channels. The facilities are wonderful and the views absolutely stunning. Sipping champagne, marvelling at the capital's skyline, whilst being waited on hand and foot... just imagine, it's that good.

And so together we are slowly but surely building a brand: the values, the principles, the corporate ID, the tone of voice, the structure, the culture, the communication. Brand is never easy, but the Big Bang girls have collectively bought into the concept inspired by Ali and the constant witterings of their marketing agency!

Out of all my clients, and there are many, Big Bang Events has the best chance of truly establishing a brand identity - as the passion, the will and the belief stems from the head of the company. Now we go a step further and I have agreed to become, in effect, BBE's Marketing Director working out of their offices for five days a month. I have done this for one reason and one reason only: not for money, not for a cushy life, not for the trips to the smoke, not because every company employee is female, but because the company embraces the big picture and is prepared to go through the pain, the disciplines and the processes of brand building. It's about ambition, values, trust, integrity and vision.

The omens are good, and three things have happened today that convince me this is the right thing to do. Firstly, an email came into BBE today from a potential client, part of which read: "I spotted your ad in several magazines and your venue on the search engines and was incredibly intrigued. Then I saw an advert for the open day; if this is available to the public, please can I attend with a colleague?" Think about it: the ad, the strategy, the search engine optimisation, the event - all integrated and working in harmony. Wonderfully, this email was sent by a representative of a leading PR agency operating in the event sector.

Secondly, for months I have been trying to facilitate a contract between BBE and the influential London Launch website. It has been tricky. Numerous promises from commission-hungry account managers, email tennis, standing my ground, convincing Ali that it is a few quid well spent. Twitchy. Nervy. Understandable. And then tonight, the weekly London Launch Enewsletter is broadcast to the industry and there we are, sitting almost at the top of emailer under the headline "Start the season with a bigger bang"... logo prominent, copy strong, the right picture, timing perfect. Strategy, strategy, strategy....

And finally a defining moment during our meeting, and this was the deal-maker. Readers of this blog and those who know me will be aware of my admiration for Lovemarks (www.lovemarks.com), the brainchild of Saatchi & Saatchi CEO, Kevin Roberts. I have a personal profile on the Lovemarks site and once in a blue moon, I add one of my own Lovemarks. The other night I posted a Lovemark about Babington House on the site. I soon forgot about it. It's my online world that I thought no-one ever took any notice of. (Perhaps I am an avatar after all!)

And then, towards the end of our meeting, Ali says, "I read your Babington House thing on Lovemarks last night". I was amazed. She has added her own profile too. Somehow, my witterings have sunk in. Lovemarks inspires and Lovemarks is inspiration. That was it for me. We have to take it all further. We have to take it to the max. "Loyalty beyond reason", "life beyond the brand", "winning the consumer revolution" and all that...

We even got onto Richard Edleman at one point, but that really is another story....

One step at a time!!!