Besparkle is five years old this month, and we’re celebrating with a completely new look. What do you think? I love the new website design and logo created by the fab team at Flourish Studios in Guildford, who I think have really captured Besparkle’s personality. And I’m really pleased with my new musghots by the lovely Matt Pereira - the shoot was a real giggle. Thank you all!

When I launched the company in 2005 after a career as a business journalist (my last ‘proper job’ was as features editor of PRWeek) and then a freelancer, I knew I had a great proposition: a journalist-turned-copywriter who really got PR and would be a valuable asset to agency and in-house teams.

I had a solid (even award-winning!) background at Haymarket Publishing, breeding ground of some of the best non-newspaper hacks in the business. I’ve also always respected and liked working with PR professionals, unlike some journalists who still have the rather chippy idea that journalism is somehow nobler than PR, when actually the two professions are mutually dependent.

Five years on (and two kiddies later!) I’ve established Besparkle as a successful business. I work not only for PR teams around the world, but also for SMEs who need website and brochure copy that’s totally free of jargon and bull, sounds like them, and effectively communicates their messages to the people they really want to reach.

I’ve established a bit of a niche as the go-to copywriter for PR teams wanting to enter the numerous awards schemes for public relations work around the world, and I’m very proud to have drafted hundreds of shortlisted and award-winning entries that tell the compelling stories of some amazing PR campaigns every year.

So I’d like to thank all my clients over the past five years, from the world’s biggest PR consultancies to local business coaches. It’s often been a rollercoaster, sometimes frantic as deadlines approach, but always fun. Here’s to the next five years!

Business copywriting company Besparkle Ltd has become an official affiliate of brand strategy and marketing consultancy Grove Partners Ltd.

Besparkle founder and director Maja Pawinska Sims, a former features editor of PRWeek, said: ‘Finding the right words to communicate your business proposition and brand philosophy can be difficult. It’s also time-consuming and isn’t everyone’s area of expertise. I’ve worked with many business owners who have invested in stunning website and marketing collateral design, who are about to launch and still have pages of ‘lorem ipsum’ filler text and no idea how or what to write. Sophia and I have worked brilliantly together for many years and I’m really excited that we’re now partners. I’m looking forward to bringing our clients’ brand stories to life through stunning marketing copy.’

Grove Partners marketing strategist and managing partner Sophia Ahrel added: ‘We believe that an engaging and clearly defined brand is the cornerstone of a successful business. Yet it’s a subject seldom understood or covered by start-up business manuals or advisors. We also realise that the story behind each brand is just as important as the visual brand identity, so we are delighted that Besparkle has joined us as a Grove Partners associate.’

Grove Partners Ltd, founded in 2003, is an independent market strategy consultancy, supporting the growth of clients in the professional services, media, marketing and technology sectors. Grove Partners helps SMEs and start‐ups in the UK and around Europe to develop, expand and grow their business and raise the profile of their brands. Swedish‐born managing partner Sophia Ahrel developed her international marketing and management expertise in executive roles as Director of New Business & Marketing for award winning global communications agency Weber Shandwick and as European Sales & Marketing Director at i‐Play, where she raised $50m in venture capital. Sophia has held European executive sales and marketing roles with global blue chip software. She is a Specialist Business Mentor of The Prince’s Trust, a “pitch‐for‐funding” coach and runs Intelligent Events for high growth businesses. Sophia has a BA in Economics, speaks six languages and lives with her family and ponies in Buckinghamshire.