From Trials to Triumphs: Celebrating Resilience, Progress and New Beginnings
I was going to start this blog with ‘its been an amazing year, we delivered x,y,z and we won awards etc’ but it doesn’t feel right.
True to my promise, I want to be able to stand over my musings and be authentic. I promised you this, and I intend to deliver.
When reflecting on 2024, our outputs have been impressive, but they didn’t come with ‘ease, flow and joy’ - it's been tricky. In fact, it has been probably one of the most challenging years in RNN’s journey that I can recall. Grit and persistence seem to be my Words of the Year for 2024.
Steady Q1, challenging Q2 and Q3, finishing strong. But why… it's been a culmination of things which is why it's been so tough. That said, I showed up, the team showed up, and we delivered, again and again and again!
From team moves to recruitment challenges, changes with our clients and pressures on budgets (and the recent UK budget hasn’t helped) not to mention rising costs within our own business, it was one thing after another. I had to dig deep, lean on my network and work long hours to guarantee no interruption in delivery for clients and to continue with excellent client service… and for months.
The result: I was tired and a little burnt out, but I am very proud, that as a team, we always showed up. No ‘flow state’ but we got the job done time and time again.
Sure we won awards, attended events, delivered new ideas and bagged new clients, all whilst paddling furiously under the surface.
It’s funny that when you’re tired, other emotions take over. Combine this with fierce ambition and a growth mindset, and it leads to frustration, impatience and lots of questioning.
But… thankfully over many years, I have built up a super network. Key to this are the smart, wise members of SOAR NI who provided wisdom and encouragement throughout… even though at times, the Group’s gentle prodding has been deeply uncomfortable.
I always operate on a ‘glass half full’ basis - which helps… A LOT! I also constantly remind myself of what we HAVE achieved, that this IS agency life, how GRATEFUL we are to love what we do and that business journeys are rarely linear. This is normal, and it’s when your resilience and determination are tested that you really grow.
So, now that I’ve been totally honest, I’ll get to the good stuff. It has been a year of many highs too.
For clients, we don’t just deliver campaigns, we continually provide new ideas, look for commonalities to win our other clients, build networks and support our clients’ businesses by ensuring they’re our company of choice in their sector.
We continually over-deliver (which leads to its own issues) but this generates real and tangible results. So far, this year has seen us:
Personally, I have:
SO, IT HAS been a good year! It’s been a year of growth for the team and I. We implemented changes, looked for solutions, and have new structures…and I’m excited. I feel energised and am raring to go as we enter into RNN 2.0.
Most recently, I was reminded of how much I love the cut and thrust of PR. From an idea just three weeks ago to the delivery of a two-page feature in a national newspaper and oodles of regional coverage, all turned around at breakneck speed - this makes me happy. I’m a little old school but nothing hits quite like opening a national newspaper to see an idea come to life.
I love the hustle of agency, and can hand-on-heart say that I’m a PR person through and through. I love to work with growth-centred and open-minded clients with whom we can make a difference to their businesses.
As we finish up for 2024, I’m so grateful to our clients who trust us with their brands and go with our ideas, for our clients who say ‘thank you’, and I’m grateful that we have a strong team as we move into 2025. I am determined that we will continue to deliver exceptional work for clients who work in partnership with us.
And to our suppliers, our network of associates and our agency friends: thank you so much for your support, and helping us to do what we do - we are very grateful to have you within our wider network at RNN.
Lastly to the team… without you, I’m just a consultant, but together, we’re a fiercely ambitious and brilliant agency that’s delivering bold and brave campaigns for clients across Ireland. I thrive on team energy and I’m so excited to see what Team RNN 2.0 can collectively achieve in 2025. Jill, Sarah, Tara, Sinead and Heather, thank you for your commitment this year and for the contribution you each make to RNN... it’s so appreciated,
Here’s to new beginnings in 2025.
Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year,
With optimism and gratitude,
Riki
