Cheshire


<p>If anyone knows what it means to start over, it&#8217;s <a href="https://www.yourajency.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anna Jones</a>. Over the past two decades, she&#8217;s packed up her life and begun again more than once – first in India, then in the Cotswolds, later in Chicago and, finally, right here in good ole Cheshire. Along the way she&#8217;s left behind a dream career, raised two children overseas, built thriving communities from scratch and reinvented herself every time life took an unexpected turn.</p>



<p>Today, the Altrincham-based founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yourajency.com/get-seen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Your AJency&nbsp;</a>helps established female founders uncover what makes them different and build brands people genuinely connect with. We sat down with Anna to talk about embracing the unexpected and why your story is often the most powerful thing your business has.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="699" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3888-1024x699.jpg" alt="Anna Jones" class="wp-image-9386" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3888-1024x699.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3888-300x205.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3888-768x524.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3888-1536x1048.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3888-2048x1397.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-day-i-came-back-from-my-honeymoon-my-husband-was-offered-a-job-in-india">&#8220;<strong>The day I came back from my honeymoon, my husband was offered a job in India</strong>&#8230;</h2>



<p>I&#8217;d just landed what felt like my dream job with Topshop and suddenly we were faced with this huge life decision. On paper, staying put probably made more sense, but I&#8217;d always imagined living abroad at some point, so I remember thinking, why not?</p>



<p>We moved just outside Delhi and absolutely loved it. India is one of those places people either adore or really struggle with, but for me it was fascinating. It&#8217;s probably the most entrepreneurial country I&#8217;ve ever experienced. People create businesses from absolutely anything &#8211; there&#8217;s this incredible resilience and creativity swirling about the place. </p>



<p>Of course, the reality wasn&#8217;t always easy. Overnight I went from having a career I loved to becoming what people call the &#8216;trailing spouse&#8217;. I couldn&#8217;t even open a bank account myself and when I looked for work, I quickly realised there wasn&#8217;t a role that came close to what I&#8217;d left behind.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="717" height="960" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_0651.jpeg" alt="Anna living in India" class="wp-image-9424" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_0651.jpeg 717w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_0651-224x300.jpeg 224w" sizes="(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anna and her husband in India. </figcaption></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-i-m-not-very-good-at-sitting-still-so-rather-than-waiting-for-something-to-happen-another-american-expat-and-i-decided-to-create-something-ourselves">I&#8217;m not very good at sitting still, so rather than waiting for something to happen, another American expat and I decided to create something ourselves.</h2>



<p>At first it was coffee mornings because everyone was trying to find their feet. Then it grew into something much bigger. We organised pop-up markets, partnered with local restaurants, supported small businesses and created a real community. There were about 15 of us when we started and within two years we&#8217;d grown to more than 2,000 members. </p>



<p>And then we had our son and moved back to the UK &#8211; and life changed again. I suddenly felt as though I&#8217;d left a huge part of my identity behind. I&#8217;d been building communities in India and managing flagship retail stores (Topshops and M&amp;S) before that, and now I was trying to work out what this next chapter looked like.</p>



<p>When we later moved to Cirencester, I found myself searching for brilliant independent cafés, shops and beautiful places to visit. I started sharing them online simply because I loved discovering them. Gradually, local businesses started asking if I could help with their marketing and social media. That slowly evolved into an agency.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-just-as-life-felt-settled-we-packed-up-again-and-moved-to-chicago">Just as life felt settled, we packed up again and moved to Chicago.</h2>



<p>Looking back, I laugh because every time I felt I&#8217;d figured life out, something happened that meant starting again. By then we&#8217;d had our daughter and life felt comfortable. My husband was offered another opportunity, this time in Chicago, and at first I wasn&#8217;t convinced. But we thought, if we&#8217;re ever going to do this, now is the time. We arrived in 2018 and then Covid happened. We couldn&#8217;t leave the state and didn&#8217;t see our families for almost four years.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="735" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_7860-735x1024.jpeg" alt="Anna Jones" class="wp-image-9425" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_7860-735x1024.jpeg 735w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_7860-215x300.jpeg 215w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_7860-768x1069.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_7860-1103x1536.jpeg 1103w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/IMG_7860.jpeg 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-people-often-assume-moving-to-america-must-have-been-easier-than-india-but-i-actually-found-it-harder">People often assume moving to America must have been easier than India, but I actually found it harder. </h2>



<p>India is so obviously different that you expect everything to feel unfamiliar. Chicago looked more familiar, but we still had to build a completely new life. Although once we were given the green light from Covid restrictions, we started to tick off all those bucket list experiences, from skiing in Aspen to exploring Hawaii.</p>



<p>Thankfully the children&#8217;s international school was incredibly welcoming. They organised breakfasts for new parents and one of those mornings I met Gillian, who became one of my closest friends. She also became my first client.</p>



<p>Helping her business gain visibility led to another introduction, then another, and before I knew it I was working with female founders across the US.</p>



<p>One of the things I realised is that I&#8217;m good at spotting opportunities people can&#8217;t always see for themselves. Someone might think they own a photography studio, but I can see an events business. Someone else has an amazing wellness practice but hasn&#8217;t yet found the words to explain why they&#8217;re different. That&#8217;s the bit I love.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3309-1024x683.jpg" alt="Anna Jones" class="wp-image-9387" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3309-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3309-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3309-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3309-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/07/V_H_3309-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-america-changed-my-outlook"><strong>America changed my outlook</strong>&#8230;</h2>



<p>Americans have no problem talking about what they do well. At first I found that quite intimidating, but once you get to know people you realise they have exactly the same worries and insecurities as everyone else. But the difference is they show up anyway.</p>



<p>I think British women often hold themselves back because they don&#8217;t want to appear boastful &#8211; we worry far too much about talking about ourselves. That was probably my biggest takeaway from living there. Confidence isn&#8217;t about being the loudest person in the room. It&#8217;s about allowing yourself to be seen.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-five-small-shifts-that-can-transform-your-brand">Five small shifts that can transform your brand</h2>



<p>1. <strong>Show up as yourself, not the person you think you should be.</strong><br>&#8220;People connect with people, not polished corporate versions of them. Imagine you&#8217;re talking to a friend rather than broadcasting to strangers. That&#8217;s where the magic happens.&#8221;</p>



<p>2. <strong>Tell stories, not just sales messages.</strong><br>&#8220;When you&#8217;re competing with bigger brands, your story is your superpower. No one else has your journey, your perspective or your reasons for doing what you do. Whether it&#8217;s on Instagram, your About page or in your newsletter, bring your story to life.&#8221;</p>



<p>3. <strong>Create a feeling, not just a following.</strong><br>&#8220;People don&#8217;t sign up to a newsletter or buy a product because of a list of features. They&#8217;re buying into how you make them feel. The strongest brands build an emotional connection long before they make a sale.&#8221;</p>



<p>4. <strong>Invest in yourself sooner than you think.</strong><br>&#8220;You&#8217;re already the expert in what you do, so don&#8217;t wait until everything is perfect before investing in your business. Professional photography, videography or bringing in someone with expertise can accelerate your growth far faster than trying to do everything yourself.&#8221;</p>



<p>5. <strong>Borrow someone else&#8217;s perspective.</strong><br>&#8220;One of my favourite questions to ask clients is, &#8216;How would you describe me to a friend?&#8217; Their answers often reveal your biggest strengths because other people see your value more clearly than you do.&#8221; The answers are often incredibly revealing because other people usually see your strengths long before you do.</p>



<p>Every week Anna shares a behind-the-scenes Pep Talk email — part agency reality, part straight-talking advice for founders who want to grow without the noise. Sign up at&nbsp;<a href="https://kmxf0x.subscribepage.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://kmxf0x.subscribepage.io</a></p>


The art of reinventing yourself

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