Member Spotlight: Rachel Chesters, Founder and Managing Director, Start Communication.

Introduce yourself:

I’m Rachel Chesters, Founder and Managing Director of Start Communication – a Manchester-based marketing consultancy working with clients across the UK and internationally.

Since 2016, we’ve supported organisations of all shapes and sizes, from start-ups and SMEs to large corporates, higher education institutions, non-profits and publicly funded bodies, helping them to plan, deliver and scale their marketing with clarity and confidence.

Our services include strategic marketing planning, fractional marketing leadership, interim marcomms support and end-to-end campaign management. We’re also known for our ‘curated creatives’ model – perfect for when you need tactical delivery. We assemble bespoke teams of independent specialists from our handpicked network of experts, across copywriting, design, digital and more, tailored to each client’s needs and budget.

At Start, we believe in a healthy marketing ecosystem where freelancers, fractionals and independents play a vital role alongside in-house teams and traditional agencies. We’re proud to be part of that, helping our clients tap into the right resource at the right time.

Career highlight:

Running a business, whilst raising tiny humans

Name three words that describe your personality:

Confident, qualified, caffeinated!

What’s the best thing about pro-manchester?

The people and the never-ending opportunities to network and get out and about, IRL

What are your priorities for 2025?

I’m laser-focused on helping more organisations in Greater Manchester and beyond to take a more flexible (and cost-effective) approach to marketing and comms, by harnessing the power of freelance and independent talent

Are their any particular types of businesses that you would like to meet?

Charities and non-profits, organisations in the tech and healthcare sectors, and professional services businesses