One year of Beans: Where will we go next?

January 23, 2023
Posted by
Leroy Soeterboek

2021 was a big year for Beans. Our biggest ever. We worked on some really fun projects, like building our new business, growing our team, introducing clever processes and setting up and moving into our office space. There were also plenty of challenges. 2022 looks to be even more promising. As we look back on 12 months as Beans, we are trying to be heaps adult with a growth-mindset and stuff by thinking about what we’ve learnt and how we can carry these lessons into our second year of business.

LESSON #1

Understand & articulate
Implement
Reap the benefits

This little process mantra was imparted on us by a close friend and mentor, as he reminded us to be patient in how we approached opportunities and innovations as a business. It breaks down anything new, exciting or scary into three simple steps. Giving ourselves time and space to learn, create and refine before expecting success. It’s a basic structure that builds patience into our process. We’re now reaping the benefits of this little tid-bit. Thanks, Rog.

LESSON #2

Lots of ideas is the best way to solve a problem.

In marketing, we are more or less trying to solve a problem – it could be a good problem, or it could be a bad problem. A communication problem, a technical problem. They are all problems.

A wise woman, Susan Pope, once said that the only way to ensure quality in a tight time frame is via sheer quantity, as long as each iteration is a progression. I believe this is true of creative work and many other things in business.

The basis of the idea that quality stems from quantity is about coming up with lots and lots of possible solutions to a problem.

One of our values is abundance, and that’s what it is about.

For us, abundance is about a healthy supply of ideas, with a sensibility of the limits. Abundance is the ebb and flow of productivity, supported by the healthy tension of time, quality and cost. After all, there can be too much of a good thing.

Another way to say this might be: fail fast.

LESSON #3

It’s all about the day-to-day things.

Show up. Do the work. One of the hardest lessons for an ambitious person to learn is that there is no fast way to win. Even if you do get ahead, there will always be a hurdle that will put you back in your place. Or, maybe you will surge ahead in one area only to neglect everything else.

There are so many moving parts in the world of marketing, let alone running a marketing agency. Showing up everyday and chipping away is the tried and tested way to progress.

CONCLUSION?

As we head into our second lap around the sun, we are focused and excited about what is ahead of us. We know there will be many more things to learn and challenges to overcome, and we think that’s one of the best parts of having a business – the journey. Thank you to our team and our clients for making our business possible. We’re looking at you, 2022.

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