Our 5 Biggest Lessons from 2023
As the end of the year approaches, we’ve taken some time to reflect on some of the lessons we’ve learned in 2023. It was an incredible year of growth, not just for stats and analytics, but in the development of our team. In 2023, we learned a lot, mainly about reacquainting ourselves with the values that make The Small Social Company who we are and how we want to run our agency.
Here are the top
5 lessons we’ll be taking into
2024 with us:
It’s important to make decisions based on values and not financials
When you’re growing a business, financial growth is important. But we learned a hard lesson this year. Sometimes a client isn’t a good fit for the type of culture and relationships we want to form. We’re prioritizing making lasting connections to ensure both our team and our clients feel good about the business relationship.
Saying “thank you” and showing appreciation goes further than you think
Not every day is going to be a good day. But there are countless opportunities to say thank you and show appreciation for your team and co-workers. We’ve always believed in having an environment where people feel valued, but it’s especially important when difficult situations arise, it’s been a hectic week, or someone just needs a little pep talk.
Internal mentorship is just as important as external mentorship
Mentorship is important for professional development and growth. We’ve noticed a big emphasis on external mentorship in the digital marketing industry. This year, there was a lot of interest from our team to learn and improve their skills and we recognized that there were endless things our team could teach each other. Our leadership also scheduled mentorship calls, leadership training, and more frequent touch points to ensure our team was receiving the opportunities they needed to thrive. We’ll be creating more internal programs for mentorship in 2024.
Don’t lose sight of a work/life balance
One of the things we LOVE about our workplace is the work/life balance. This year, we’ve seen amazing growth with some exciting clients. We’re grateful for that, but sometimes that leads to tight deadlines and occasionally, long hours. It’s easy to get wrapped up in work and lose track of time, or jump back online after dinner to complete “one task” and then the evening is gone. We want our team to have a life and encourage everyone to work during the work day. That way they can avoid burnout and spend their personal time away from their computers, winding down, enjoying life, and maintaining their wellbeing.
It’s better to grow the team based on culture instead of simply filling a spot
We’re a small, but mighty team. We work closely together and are highly collaborative. When positions become available, which they have this past year, we of course want to fill the role to make sure our staff and clients are supported in the best way possible. But we took a step back to reorient our goals and take stock of our workplace environment. The big lesson: a culture fit will always be more important than hiring someone who checks off every skill in the job description. We’ll be expanding our team in the new year, and when we do, we’ll be sure they fit with the incredible people who make up The Small Social Company. That’s how we help clients succeed.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have had so many wins this past year and all the opportunities to learn. Growth isn’t always linear, but we can confidently say that this year was our most successful yet. We couldn’t do it without our amazing team, the clients who put their trust in us, and our community of committed supporters cheering us on every day.
We’re looking forward to another successful year in 2024.
