How Middlesex helped me launch my digital marketing agency

Chasing a London dream

For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of two things: living in London and building a business of my own.

The second runs in my family.

My father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all entrepreneurs and I always knew I would follow in their footsteps.

Both dreams eventually led me to Middlesex University London.

Before starting my master’s, I studied Media and Communications at Birmingham City University and worked in PR, social media and events alongside my degree.

The more experience I gained in the industry, the more I wanted to understand digital marketing in greater depth.

So, when it was time to take the next step, I wasn’t just looking for a degree. I was looking for a place where both dreams could come true.

Middlesex’s MSc Digital Marketing included entrepreneurship modules that spoke directly to my ambition, and I saw graduates who had gone on to run successful agencies. If they could do it, so could I.

Where my future started taking shape

From the very first weeks, the MSc Digital Marketing felt less like a classroom and more like a rehearsal for the life I wanted.

In the Digital Marketing Strategy module, I built a strategy for Gail’s Bakery and presented it exactly as I would in a client meeting. I still use what I learned in that module today.

Branding in the Digital Age inspired me so much that branding became one of my agency’s services. Recently, I worked on my first rebranding project and applied everything I had learned in that module.

And then there was my favourite assignment: the business plan for Entrepreneurship in the Digital Era. I wrote it as coursework, never imagining it would become the skeleton of my company.

Last year, we went beyond the goals I had set in that business plan.

That module also introduced me to Dr Donohoe, who later mentored me through my dissertation. A year after I graduated, he invited me back as a guest speaker.

Standing there, I realised how far I had come. And that was just the beginning.

The city that made me feel alive

I lived in Writtle House, where I met my best friend Katerina, from Greece. My time in London wouldn’t have been half as good without her.

London made me feel alive and completely myself.

I ran through Hyde Park, fed squirrels from a park bench and cycled to Tower Bridge whenever the sun came out.

I loved heading into the city for a little matcha and writing my assignments by the window, watching people in sharp suits rush in every direction. In those moments, I felt my dreams coming true.

Leaving London for Croatia was my biggest heartbreak. But I took the city with me.

I still feel like a Londoner, and those years shaped the person I am today.

Turning a dream into Marketer Agency

Coming home meant trading London for a small coastal town where few businesses saw marketing as a priority.

At first, I felt lost. But my dissertation on experiential marketing in tourism had taught me to look closely. When I did, I saw a huge gap in the market: almost no one in the region offered these kinds of services. It felt like a green light.

Still, I doubted myself. I felt I wasn’t ready.

Then my first client said yes, and suddenly all those late nights finally made sense.

All the marketing jobs and freelancing I had juggled alongside my studies, sometimes three at once, had been preparing me for that moment.

In early 2025, I founded Marketer Agency. Today, we are a team of four, working with clients across Croatia in tourism and hospitality, the public sector, beauty and retail.

Seeing our campaigns create meaningful moments for real people is still the most rewarding part of what I do. Behind every one of them are the research, analytics and strategy skills I built at Middlesex.

To every student reading this

If I could sit down with every new Middlesex student, this is what I would tell them.

Choose a dissertation topic that connects to your future ambitions. You will spend months working on it, so let it keep working for you long after graduation.

Mine showed me where to build my business. Spend your time wisely! 

Don’t spend your time in London in your dorm room. Sit in coffee shops, talk to the people next to you, go out, try different classes, rent a bike and explore.

There is something here for everyone, and the only thing you will regret is the London you never got to know.

And don’t wait until you feel ready. I didn’t feel ready either.

Middlesex gave me the tools, the confidence and the memories I will carry forever.

The rest was up to me, and it will be up to you too. Enjoy the journey!

About the author

Lorena is founder and CEO of Marketer Agency, a digital marketing agency based in Croatia. She graduated with an MSc in Digital Marketing in 2025, after studying Media and Communications at Birmingham City University.

Her agency works with brands and destinations across Croatia, specialising in social media, content creation, experiential marketing and paid social.