“Fun doesn’t make you less professional” with Gina Buckle
Putting the ‘human’ back into business
“The biggest barrier to doing your thing is the mindset that you need to sound like a professional. People don’t want to work with professionals: they want to work with people.”
Gina Buckle is the founder of Hoot Copy, a copywriting and brand voice consultancy specialising in fun, humour, and personality. She works with businesses of all sizes to help them figure out what their authentic definition of fun is, and shows them how they can reflect this consistently across their buyer journey and marketing activity.
She believes that the right brand voice should feel fun, authentic, and easy to sustain, as well as being undeniably magnetic to your audience, and that's exactly what she helps her clients to do.
What happens when you stop doing what you think you should do, and start doing what actually feels fun?
In this episode of Do your thing, I chat with Gina about how she went from saying yes to everything, to building a business that’s intentional, joyful, and full of fun.
From doing everything to doing it your way
Like a lot of freelancers, Gina started out saying yes to any and every project that came her way.
“I was busy, but I was also very generic. I did all types of copy, for everyone, in all styles. And I think that’s a good way to start as a freelancer: try out lots of things, see what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and what the demand is for.”
It worked – for a while. But there came a point when being busy didn’t feel the same as building a business. Gina realised that she didn’t really have a business. “I was just busy and I had work. I thought, ‘I can take control of this and be a lot more intentional about it and build something that I actually want’.”
That moment marked the start of Hoot Copy, and a shift from ‘just getting work’ to building something that felt like her.
Finding the fun
Through that process, Gina discovered her thing. And it was right there in front of her the whole time. Looking back through everything she’d done, the bits of work she had the most fun doing and that felt easiest, was the fun stuff. That moment of realisation was when it all clicked and fell into place.
She realised that bringing humour and playfulness into her work wasn’t just what made her stand out. It was what made her happiest.
Now, she helps businesses do the same: injecting personality into their copy and building brand voices that are human, not cold and corporate.
Starting from scratch (on purpose)
The shift from freelancer to founder wasn’t just about refining services, it was a total mindset change. It’s been a complete transformation. Gina says she “thought going from freelancing to running a business was a step up, but what I actually experienced was starting from scratch again. And that’s been the best thing that could ever happen.”
That change has shaped everything: her approach, her systems, her mindset, even how she defines success: now she’s less focused on how much she’s doing and more focused on what she’s doing, how it makes her feel, and why she’s doing it.
Redefining work and success
When Gina talks about success now, it’s not about hours worked or how ‘productive’ she’s been. It’s about building a business that fits her life.
“I worked 22 hours last week, and my first reaction was, that’s not enough. But then I thought, when I picture my absolute dream business, it’s not one that has me chained to a desk eight hours a day.”
Her version of success? Balance, joy, and plenty of space for fun. As business owners, we’re surrounded by people who glorify the hustle and compromise on every other part of their life for work. “I’ve worked very hard to create this business, but it just looks different now.”
Why fun belongs in your brand
If there’s one message Gina wants people to hear, it’s that fun isn’t unprofessional, it’s powerful.
You can’t add fun to your business if you’re constantly thinking that everything you do could put people off. “Fun doesn’t make you less professional”, she says. “The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Because being fun isn’t about jokes for the sake of it, it’s about being yourself, showing your personality, and attracting the kind of people who get it. A good brand speaks to the right people, but in order to do that, it has to put the wrong people off.
Work, rest, and doing what feels right
Running a fun business doesn’t mean being switched on all the time. Gina’s learned the importance of knowing when to stop.
“I’ve decided I have two modes: I’m either working or I’m resting. If I’m procrastinating, I ask myself: am I being lazy, or do I need to rest? You’ve got to pick one.”
And her favourite piece of advice? Setting an hourly alarm that asks, ‘Is this what higher me would be doing?’ “It’s annoying but it works.”
It’s those small daily check-ins, not grand plans or rigid systems, that help her keep her business in the sweet spot between structure and joy.
Doing your thing
When it comes down to it, Gina’s business is proof that fun and professional can co-exist, and that being yourself is the smartest strategy you’ve got.
“The biggest barrier to doing your thing is the mindset that you need to sound like a professional. People don’t want to work with professionals – they want to work with people.”
It’s about embracing what feels right, doing it your way, and remembering that you can build a business that feels good and still gets results. You just have to find what fun looks like for you and commit to doing it.
You can follow Gina on Instagram, connect with her on Linkedin and find out more about her via her website.
And if you enjoyed this chat, you can listen to the full episode of Do your thing, and subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts.