Marketing and PR consultant Ellie MacDonald is very busy right now.

It’s not just the clients of her Huddersfield-based business MacComms making demands on her time, but a number of friends – who all seem to be getting married!

“I’m a qualified wedding planner,” she explains. “It’s something I did after my own wedding to my husband Jon. I did an online wedding planning course because I loved organising my own wedding. Recently, I’ve been helping out a lot of friends with their weddings.”

She says: “A lot of them are getting married abroad. I’ve just come back from one wedding in Cyprus and there’s one in Sweden in July. Then there’s another one in Cyprus next September. Our holidays are dictated by who’s getting married, when and where!”

“But she adds: “My friends are massively important to me.”

Ellie set up MacComms from home before moving to the prestigious 3M Buckley Innovation Centre at Firth Street last July.

Originally from Leeds, Ellie came to Huddersfield 12 years ago to study psychology at the university.

She says: “I wanted to become a psychologist, but while I enjoyed the theory behind it, I realised that a career in psychology would mean more study – and I wanted to start earning some money.”

Ellie got a job as a receptionist at Daval Furniture in Slaithwaite before landing a job at Yorkshire Energy Services, an organisation promoting energy-efficiency and based at St George’s Quarter, the former railway warehouse behind St George’s Square.

“I am quite passionate about living ‘green’ wherever I can,” says Ellie. “It’s a subject that interests me greatly.”

YES invested in their new recruit.

Starting as an administrative assistant, Ellie gained a diploma in digital marketing and gained qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

She rose to become public relations manager for the Energy Saving Trust.

After more than four years with the company, she joined the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce at Lockwood as marketing manager .

During her two years with the organisation she arranged various events and conferences as well as handling PR and communications.

“It was a great opportunity to make contacts,” she says. “Some chamber members are now my clients.”

After leaving the chamber, Ellie spent nine months at Brighouse-based Faith PR.

“I got some great experience with a high-profile agency,” she says. “I realised that this was definitely what I wanted to do.”

Ellie also realised that she wanted to work for herself – and set up MacComms earlier this year, initially from home.

“It has taken off so much better than I ever expected,” she says.

“Working for yourself, you have to be everything from administrative assistant to managing director – meeting new clients, answering the phone and making the tea!

“I’m working 13 hours a day and it’s hectic.

“I’m working with a number of start-ups but I’m also doing work for the largest paper manufacturer in the world, International Paper, and another business with global reach, Ascensor.”

Ellie is also keen to support young people and students from Huddersfield University have carried out some work experience with her.

Ellie first visited 3M BIC during her days at the chamber of commerce – and was instantly impressed.

She says: “Being at 3M BIC means I have ties with the university. They have been very good an encouraging students to get involved.”

Ellie MacDonald of Maccomms, 3M Innovation Centre.

Meanwhile, MacComms continues to grow.

“I’ve already looked at how I do things,” says Ellie. “I’m working with a business coach to make sure I have a real strategy in place.

“I’m drawing up forecasts on the kind of direction I need to take the business and I keep learning more and more.

“I’ve been to seminars at Leeds Business Week and attended workshops. It has been a huge learning curve.”

Ellie says her clients are typically businesses lacking the resources to employ a PR and marketing person in-house – but recognising how having someone outside the company to fulfil that role can provide a fresh perspective on things.

“Sometimes, you can be too close to things in business to see what’s going on,” she says. “A company may have several newsworthy stories to tell, but they don’t realise it.”

And in today’s social media world, it’s never been easier for companies to shout about what they are doing, Ellie adds.

She makes sure she practises what she preaches – ensuring that MacComms itself has a visible social media presence.

MacComms also collaborates with other providers of business services.

“It’s too short-sighted to view other people as competitors,” says Ellie. “I’ve collaborated with a lot of different agencies already and it has proved massively successful.”

Ellie hints at some really exciting things in the pipeline for MacComms, adding: “Watch this space!”

And she says: “It’s really great to be a Huddersfield business because the Huddersfield business community has been so good to me.

“There’s a real sense of community. It’s an encouraging place to do business.”

Ellie has no regrets about the decision to ditch the psychology textbooks for a career in marketing and PR.

“Setting up in business has not been as daunting as I’d thought,” she says.

“Most of the time, it is 13-hour days. I had a rare night off the other night when I didn’t have my laptop on.

“Jon understands. He’s happy that I’m doing something I love and that I’m happier than ever.”

Ellie and Jon share their Colne Valley home with Pinot, a rescue cat, and enjoy weekend walks along the canal towpath.

Ellie is also a trustee of the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust and brings her PR and marketing skills to bear in helping promote the charity.

“It was lovely to be asked to be a trustee and the work they do is amazing,” she says.

Role: Managing director

Age: 30

Family: Married to Jon

Car: Ford Fiesta

Holidays: We like to see as many places as we can. We have been to New Zealand, Thailand and Australia. I’d love to see as much of the world as possible

First job: Cleaning the rooms at a hotel in Headingley overlooking the cricket ground. I’ve also done bar work and worked at a children’s play centre

Best thing about the job? Being my own boss and taking control of my own destiny. Working with lovely people is also a big part of it

Worst thing about the job? Trying to do everything and be everywhere. During the first few months of running the business my head was spinning!

Business tip: Don’t view other people in your sector as competitors. There are so many opportunities to collaborate. Contacts are everything.

Work: Marketing and public relations

Site: 3M Buckley Innovation Centre,

Firth Street, Huddersfield

Phone: 01484 502207

Email: ellie@MacComms.net

Web: www.MacComms.net