The Secret of my Success

Caraline Brown, Managing Director, Midnight Communications

What does your business do and what is your role?

Midnight Communications is currently enjoying its 22nd year. We are one of the leading PR and events companies in the south east of England, working with a range of clients both local and national, including Coffin Mew, Knill James, Arundel Castle, Crown Worldwide, the Sealife Centre and Red7.

Readers will probably know us best for our regional awards including the Sussex Business Awards, the Brighton and Hove Business Awards and the Lewes District Business Awards.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I love the wheeling and dealing that comes with running a business and juggling a spreadsheet. I still get a real buzz from seeing an idea that I have had come to fruition. But, of course, it is the people that make a business and I think Midnight employs some of the best and nicest people in Brighton – which is why we are still here after 22 years!

What was your biggest break / best decision?

Our biggest break was undoubtedly twenty two years ago when an ex-client asked me to handle the launch of a new national internet service provider. We became the very first PR company in the UK to specialise in the internet. We went on to double turnover each year for five years and then I sold up. I bought it back again three years later, as you may have noticed, but not before I had the opportunity to become CEO of the company which bought us!

How do you manage the work/life balance? What interests do you have outside work?

The more I do this job, the more my work becomes my life and it can be hard to separate the two. Recently I have tried to do exactly that and give more attention to non-work stuff. I started a creative writing class last year and I am now a good way into the first novel. I also enjoy football, the gym, the cinema and going to live gigs. I tend to get very excited when there is a Morrissey tour ahead.

What are your personal and business ambitions?

On a business level I would like to pass on the Midnight legacy and watch a new team grow what I have started and take it to an even greater level. Personally I want to get that novel finished and published, become a famous actress, come up with an idea for a million dollar selling app, become an antiques dealer, travel the world, find a cure for world hunger and bring peace to the Middle East.