Hi, I’m Tahnée!
A former journalist turned copywriter & marketing strategist
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What is a marketing strategist?
How did a journalist become one?
And now you’re wondering two things:
my story
my story
Great questions, and it’s a fun story, so let me share.
I’ve always been a storyteller so a journalism degree and career felt like a natural fit for me. And it was, for 5+ years. I LOVED it; living and breathing the news cycle, writing to my heart’s content, the rapid career progression. (At 26 I was the youngest editor of a daily newspaper in Australia.)
But eventually I reached the point where I realised in becoming an editor, I’d lost touch with what I really loved about being a writer; listening to people’s stories, asking the right questions, and finding the best way to share their story with a wider audience.
So I took a break for 12 months.
My husband and I travelled South America and then moved on to Canada for a short stint. Thinking it was only going to be a 6-12 month stay, I went all-in on this “career break” and applied for a job as a florist. I should mention: I knew NOTHING about flowers. Loved them, but had ZERO floristry skills.
But I did have an eye and expertise for all things copywriting and online storytelling, so I used that to my advantage.
I boldly wrote a pitch to the owner of a flower shop I loved and offered to rewrite their website, manage their blog and create a social media strategy in exchange for being taught about floral design.
And it worked! I landed a dream job surrounded by flowers! (Side note: Florists and wedding industry professionals are quite possibly the hardest workers I’ve ever met!)
Little did I know this job would turn out to be my first foray into small business and marketing strategy.
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I’ve always been a storyteller so a journalism degree and career felt like a natural fit for me. And it was, for 5+ years. I LOVED it; living and breathing the news cycle, writing to my heart’s content, the rapid career progression. (At 26 I was the youngest editor of a daily newspaper in Australia.)
But eventually I reached the point where I realised in becoming an editor, I’d lost touch with what I really loved about being a writer; listening to people’s stories, asking the right questions, and finding the best way to share their story with a wider audience.
So I took a break for 12 months.
My husband and I travelled South America and then moved on to Canada for a short stint. Thinking it was only going to be a 6-12 month stay, I went all-in on this “career break” and applied for a job as a florist. I should mention: I knew NOTHING about flowers. Loved them, but had ZERO floristry skills.
But I did have an eye and expertise for all things copywriting and online, so I used that to my advantage.
I boldly wrote a pitch to the owner of a flower shop I loved and offered to rewrite their website, manage their blog and create a social media strategy in exchange for being taught about floral design.
And it worked! I landed a dream job surrounded by flowers! (Side note: Florists and wedding industry professionals are quite possibly the hardest workers I’ve ever met!)
Little did I know this job would turn out to be my first foray into small business and marketing strategy.
Marketing isn't just about plans—it's about people. It's about telling your story and communicating your value in a way that resonates and inspires your audience to take action.
W
While I adored the flowers, my passion was finding ways to bring the big ideas of this little flower shop to life! They had a vision and a story to tell, they just needed help to make it happen. So that’s what I did—through marketing!
We didn’t leave Canada at the end of those 12 months, and I spent the next 6 years working alongside other business owners and creative entrepreneurs, including Once Wed and If I Made, supporting them in reaching their goals.
After welcoming our daughter, Lydia, in 2017, I knew it was time to get serious about launching my own business. I loved this new & unexpected-career I’d created for myself and it was no longer a “passion project”.
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It's my mission to transform chaos into clarity for small businesses
In 2019, I officially founded The Strategy Studio to support small businesses in getting their marketing sorted. Because I know that having a business that supports the life you want to lead IS possible, and clear messaging + effective marketing is the key to helping you get there.
Thanks for being here,
I
Tahnée
I
(Fun Fact: We returned to Australia to live in February 2020, right before COVID hit—a very fortunate coincidence. Our son, Jacob, was born a few months later amidst a lockdown. We are now happily settled in Newcastle, NSW.)
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2006
How did we get here?
Began career as Journalist and went on to become Editor of a daily newspaper in North West Queensland, Australia.
2012
Discovered Celsia Floral and convinced owner, Johanna Siu, to hire me as their social media + marketing manager.
2015
Became content strategist for online learning platform, If I Made, creating digital courses for creative entrepreneurs.
2012
Relocated to Vancouver, Canada, for “just one year”. We loved it and even became permanent residents.
2013
Began working in the wedding industry as a floral designer, planner and marketing consultant.
2019
Decided to go all-in on supporting small business owners and formally launched The Strategy Studio.
2020
Relocated the business and babies back to Australia where we’ve settled on the east coast in beautiful Newcastle.
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