After a year of behind the scenes planning, we founded Huddle on the 5th January 2015.
I was freelancing at the time, and won a project that was realistically too big to deliver in my spare time – this ultimately served as the catalyst to start Huddle – with a paying client from day one!
It wasn’t long before we decided it was unsustainable to work from Harry’s spare room – while his house was being renovated no less – and we moved into our first coworking space that summer. In hindsight, this was the moment things really kicked off for us.
Over the years we’ve grown and downsized, welcomed and parted ways with clients, made and lost money, and achieved some amazing things as a team. It’s been quite the adventure, so rather than rehashing all of our previous annual recap posts, I decided to reflect on some key things we’ve learned in the last 10 years at Huddle.
Most of these are relevant to any working professional, but naturally with a freelancer / entrepreneur / business owner bias.
What we’ve learned
9 life lessons from a decade of running a UK web agency.
1.
It took me a good few years of Huddle before I started calling myself a leader. I guess it’s imposter syndrome that prevented me from embracing that label – to refer to myself as a leader would imply I thought I knew where I was going..!
But, if there are people around you who look up to you, who follow your lead, or ask your advice, then you are a leader. Even if you don’t actually have a clear idea of where you’re going – leadership through uncertainty is one of the most important kinds.
The question isn’t whether or not you are a leader, but how you are going to use that position of influence and responsibility.
2.
Time is made up
Time will pass regardless. Your inbox will keep filling up. The better you get at doing stuff, the more stuff you will end up with to do, and clearing the decks will always result in more getting piled on.
It took me YEARS to fully accept this, and I feel like my lizard brain still falls into this trap regularly.
I’m here to tell you that always having more to do is actually a good thing – it means you’re still in business, still adding value. Do you actually want to reach ‘the end’? What would that mean? No business owner wants to see empty to do lists.
It doesn’t mean you actually have to DO all of those things, and certainly not by COP Friday or else.
By pouring energy into simply ticking off tasks you’ll find your days barrel along like a high speed train, always looking ahead. But I’ve realised I can slow down time, a little, simply by bookending my day with two small exercises.
At the end of the day, I reflect:
What am I most proud of today?
Who am I grateful for today?
What will I do first tomorrow?
Then, the next day, after doing that first thing first, I then set two intentions:
What’s the most impactful thing I can do today?
What’s one thing I can do to live my values?
I can honestly say since I’ve been doing this I’ve got to the end of the week being more aware of what I’ve actually done, how I’ve contributed to the bigger picture, and I avoid getting to the weekend only by the skin of my teeth.
3.
We realised pretty quickly we can’t control the culture at Huddle. It’s no use forcing people to act a certain way, want the things we want, or be happy about specific outcomes.
Our team culture emerged from the people we chose to work with – who they are and what they value. That’s across team hires, freelance partners, clients, and other Huddle friends. The only way to cultivate a culture intentionally is to welcome the people who are already living those values, and support them to continue to do so.
Hire on personality, passion, and drive – you can teach the rest.
4.
Structure your work,
and be consistent
As much as possible, systemise everything you do.
Create checklists, templates, standard procedures, policies, “productised” services. Even if you consider yourself having a bespoke approach, there will be ways you can streamline and avoid repetition.
This will seem totally redundant in the early days, but the moment where this becomes necessary will completely pass you by, and there will never be a definitive point in time where you become “big enough” to need to care about this. Instead, you’ll come in one Monday and realise how much of an inconsistent mess everything is and wonder how you let it get like this.
Avoid this by putting plans and process in place as if you’re 1-2 years further down the road than you are.
5.
Even with the most strategic planning and calculated foresight, sometimes you just can’t see where your next game-changing opportunity is going to come from.
You might think that Huddle’s biggest catalysts have been signing a certain client contract, getting a referral, winning an award… but it’s been the more nuanced changes that have paved the way for our biggest successes.
Meeting that person at that tiny event, who got back in touch with an amazing opportunity years later. Taking on an apprentice to help with admin work, who stayed with us for 8 years and became a pivotal part of our growth. Saying farewell to that client that was no longer working for us, which opened the door for a bigger and better contract.
The point is – sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can’t see what the next big thing will be for your business – but often, you don’t have to. Stay curious, stay open-minded, and keep showing up.
6.
You can sack clients
No really, you can!
Sometimes, you will find that 80% of your resource is used up by 20% of your clients (or perhaps just one very demanding client).
Or, you might step back one day and realise you have a client that shares few to none of your values, and it’s hard for your team to invest in what they’re doing.
Or maybe a third party comes into the mix and points out an unreasonable client attitude or expectation that you had just grown accustomed to.
All three of these have happened to us, and if you are in position to do so, saying goodbye to specific clients can be the best move you could make. If a specific client comes to mind as you’re reading this, it might be time to listen to your gut and do it.
You only have a finite amount of energy to give, what could you be missing out on by giving it to the wrong client?
7.
90% of the time clients don’t care about what you do, at least not in the way you do.
However they do care about how what you do can benefit them. It’s a means to an end.
It’ll take you a long way if you can care about what they do, what they want to be doing, and get invested in their goals. This will set you apart from the vast majority of competitors, and show clients that you are more than just a supplier – you’re a key part of their business growth.
8.
Get a therapist
(if you can)
If you’re an overthinker, and you can afford it, consider professional support. Don’t underestimate how much of a beating your mental health will take as a result of your work.
If you knew a professional pie-eater, you’d probably advise that they invest in a gym membership to offset all those calories, before asking how you can get any leftover pie delivered to you.
Same with running a business – it will inevitably take a toll on your wellbeing, and you should be serious about investing in support, whatever that looks like for you.
9.
Any business owner will know that you pay yourself last, and over Huddle’s tenure to date we have taken home varying amounts year on year based on the business performance.
Foregoing the typical annual pay rise model has taught me that while the lucrative years were certainly nice, true fulfilment comes from being proud of the work I do, living my values, and taking care of myself. Those are the things that stay with me, and keep me showing up every day.
Looking ahead
We’re so proud of how far we’ve come in the last 10 years, and are so grateful to our team, clients, partners, friends and family for all of their support.
2024 has been challenging in the sector for many agencies, and we’re no exception. Despite this, we’ve delivered projects we are proud of, welcomed new clients, and continued to support our long term partners.
2025 holds great promise, and we have some exciting things in the pipeline. We’re looking forward to coming back in January with renewed motivation and inspiration.
For now, we wish all of our clients, partners and friends a warm Christmas and wonderful New Year!
