Name and job title: Caroline Page, director

Company name: Chilli Communication

Length of time in role: 12 months

Number of employees: Three

What was your first job: Waitress, washer-upper and cleaner at a local hotel. I learnt that working in the hotel and restaurant business is hard work, and people are quicker to complain than they are to say something is good. So, whenever I have a good meal I always send a message thanking the chef.

What personal skills do you need in your current role? An understanding of what journalists want and an ability to tell your client’s stories in a compelling and readable way. Dig beneath the surface and almost everything is fascinating – the trick is to bring that out and shout about it to the world.

What is your best business memory? It’s always the firsts that stand out: my first documentary commission for the BBC (I used to be a TV producer), my first major article in a national newspaper paper for a client, and the first time I secured coverage on national Radio and TV.

What is your worst business memory? When I fell off a sailing boat on Lake Windermere and had to be rescued by the Chain Ferry. The press were quick to pick up on this meaning the next day I unintentionally managed to secure more coverage for myself than I did for any of my clients. I did a pretty good job of keeping my identity hidden though.