Eight years… if this was a marriage (and sometimes it feels like it), I’d be getting something bronze at this point. It’s meant to represent ‘strength and longevity’ and I think that sums up some of the fundamentals that have been needed this last year.  

Around this time of year, I always like to look back at how it all started – what a whirlwind. For those that don’t know, we closed down one office (at previous job eight years ago) on the Friday, and Pearl popped up on the next working day as a fully-fledged business, with a few very loyal clients and a handful of people taking the leap too. And here we are eight years on.  

Special shoutout to Nick and Christine who have been there from the very beginning.  

Here are my takeaways from this year:  

• Economic outlook: It’s felt a bit freaky.  

That’s the only way I can describe it. It’s been the hardest year of business so far, but I learned a very valuable lesson in the process. This isn’t to say we haven’t had a good year, we really have, but it could have been absolutely incredible. Let me explain…  

This has honestly been the year of broken promises – new clients saying yes and then having the Board U-turn on decisions, new contracts being pulled last minute, scopes changing, contracts being delayed,  people responsible for our work being let go, budgets being cut, I feel like we’ve had it all this year. The ‘almost’ pot for us sits at about an eye watering £700,000 worth of business, which I can’t dwell on too much, but is a significant figure for independent agency. I can only put this down to the economy. The chopping and changing from the Government has undermined confidence, it’s been hard to keep budgets stable for some of our clients, and it has overwhelmingly meant the ‘almost-s’ have increased and the plucky ‘yes definitely-s’ have been a little less forthcoming. Well, until the last few months at least.  

We feel the pain – sometimes more than most – when our clients are under pressure, but finally we’re seeing the ‘yes’ people return, despite tariffs, rising costs and all the rest.  

We’re extremely positive for the coming year, but I can’t help but think the Government needs to do something drastic to keep the economy competitive, and the effort SMEs put into employing people really worth it.  

• Finance: Improving financial hygiene has been a priority 

This has been my biggest lesson this year. If you feel like your accountant is sh!t, they probably are. When you acquire another business, you can’t expect it to be 100% smooth sailing, but managing accounts, operation and finances across multiple businesses, without your basic accounting running like clockwork, means you’re likely to get yourself in a bit of a mess.  

Ditching my old accountant (let me know if you’d like to know who to avoid), and getting all accounting and financial matters across both businesses up to date has been painful, but absolutely essential. It’s improved our forecasting, our decision making and business intelligence within Pearl Comms, setting us up with all the necessary metrics and markers to springboard into our eighth year.  

It was surprising to see quite how quickly this unravelled with a bit of shoddy attention to detail, and how long it took to get back on track. Thank you, new accountant!  

• Training: Leadership training  

It’s never too late to keep developing, refining skills or learning new ones. Nick and I have worked together for years, which is great, but we both recognise that can also have its drawbacks. We’ve also had the joy of having Gemma join the SLT, so finding space for us all has meant we’ve had to relook at our needs, skills and everything else, and our leadership training has been key to shaping us as individuals, but also where I see the business going too.  

It’s also been confronting – it’s allowed us to identify all the great bits about the way we work, but also provided a safe space for feedback … which is a gift, I keep having to tell myself!  

I have also had some more financial management training to support where we go from here and to keep navigating the economy front and centre to ensure I do the right thing for the business and our dedicated Pearls.  

• People: Returning stars 

Getting the people balance right is always a major headache in agency world. It doesn’t take much for the pendulum to swing from overworked to twiddling thumbs. Quite often we work on projects, and of course they all come at once, and planning for them and the urgent ‘we need this by yesterday’ work is a real challenge.  

In one of my previous annual reflections, I spoke about trying not to take it personally when people move on. This happened at the very start of our last financial year, when longstanding Pearl, Charlotte, was called on to support her family’s business, and sadly decided to leave. Although I didn’t take this personally, she’s a true Pearl, and the loss was heavy. There are some people where I feel a great sense of responsibility, protection (and pride in some ways) over their careers, so seeing Charlotte move on was a tough one.  

But, as I’ve always learned, people forever surprise you and the good ones remain in your life in some ways, and in the case of Charlotte, we’ve welcomed her back with open arms in a way that allows her to support her family business and us too. We couldn’t be happier.  

• Social value: Truly where we add value 

This year we launched The Pearl Comms Academy and it’s been so rewarding, giving us the chance to open our doors to budding talent for a day of workshops spanning media, PR, branding, social media and digital. What started as a little idea from the depths of my brain, is now a reality, led and brought to life by the team.  

It’s been so well received, we’re working on how to cater to more people without it losing its magic. Offering training, completely free of charge to those who need it the most, delivered by my team who live and breathe this world, is something quite special.  

A look forward  

Last year felt like the year of sorting out. This year feels like the year of real growth. At my very core, I feel, and I know, that Pearl Comms is a really special place to be and a company full of fantastic people with big ambitions. There is so much potential within our team and the hunger for driving the business forward is nothing short of admirable. Some days it feels a little scary, but I know will be absolutely worth it.   

I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to lead this business and team into another year.  

I’m excited, and a bit nervous in equal measure.