Most of us know that Nike was the Greek goddess of victory; some of us know that a Reebok is an African gazelle; and a few of us know that Adidas was founded by Adi Dassler. Each of these company names has a story behind it, and so does beSPEAK. I believe that a company name should. It prompts people to ask the question “Why?” And the answer allows for some company philosophy to emerge. beSPEAK is the present tense of ‘bespoke’, which means a high degree of customization. Something that’s bespoke represents the very best in personal service – with quality and perfect fit being the end goal. When I was in Paris recently, I made a pilgrimage to Rue Cambon, home to one of the world’s most famous bespoke couturiers – Chanel. It got me philosophizing about how you can have a ‘bespoke’ job made to measure like a hand-tailored, Chanel suit.

Was there ever a gorgeous orgy of bespoke tailoring such as the Royal Wedding? Not since the last one, anyway. From Posh Spice’s fascinator ensemble in regal, royal blue to the hilarious hats of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, off-the-rack was roundly rejected. And why not? There’s nothing quite like something made to order to the customer’s specifications. So, why not something like a job? Whether you’re an employer or an employee, beSPEAK rejects the one-size-fits-all approach to jobs in favour of customizing them to a particular need, personality and style.

It’s likely that your workstyle is not the same as the person’s next to you. Different people work differently. Some people work best at 6 in the morning. Some at 11 at night. Some people like working on Sundays and not on Mondays. Some people like working with the radio on. Some like working in between trips to the schoolyard.

What if the employment decision could take where you work… and when… out of the equation, and just focus on ability and suitability? How many super-talented people are being passed over, because they don’t fit the narrow confines of a particular job description?

All good questions – and Genevieve Brown and I are running a business where we’re determined to answer them. AtbeSPEAK – in the PR & Communications space, we’re trying to get the right people together with the right clients to do the right assignments – with quality and perfect fit being the end goal. The only goal.

Custom-made? BeSPEAK? It’s absolutely possible to wear the assignment that fits.