REFLECTIONS ON 2023
It’s a rite of passage, to reflect on the past 12 months as December inches us closer to the veritable New Year. On both a personal and professional note, 2023 has been a year of growth, focus, and realignment. RB Collaborative grew its client roster, with more than half being nonprofit organizations. We completed two website projects, and have two more in the works, collaborated on a record-breaking fundraising gala, and began supporting the launch of a new nonprofit organization. With the majority of clients being located on the East End of Long Island, the months that fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day are certainly the busiest. It was a successful, albeit stressful, time, which prompted the question: What’s next?
First, I must express my gratitude to the incredible organizations and individuals we have had the pleasure of working with. Each has its own unique mission, and being able to support this is something that has always been essential to me in my work. I’ve had the good fortune to be selective of who I work with, and have formed relationships that will last long after the contract ends. And while I remain forever grateful to these groups and people that have trusted me to tell their stories, I began to realize in recent months how much of a toll it began to take on my own story.
Beginning in August, I took the opportunity to take a step back and a deeper look into what RB Collaborative had become. Giving myself the space to evaluate what I wanted out of life and work would not have been at all possible without the support of an incredible colleague to take the helm of many tasks and projects (that’s how you scale a business after all, isn’t it?). Rebecca and I have been working together for two-and-a-half years now, and her commitment, capability, and I have been working together for two-and-a-half years now, and her commitment, capability, and inspired thinking made our recent growth possible. It has also made it possible for me to take the time now to rethink the business and explore different avenues.
Extra time was alarming at first, if I am being honest. But time has given me the opportunity to revamp the RB Collaborative website, reshape our own marketing efforts, work on resale website templates for organizations with smaller budgets, and put more time into the website design side of the business overall. I’ve also been able to travel without my laptop — if you can believe it! — revisit my journalist past [see here and here], take creative writing courses, and even write this blog post!
Clearing my plate has also allowed me to consider what I want in a client. For many years, I have proudly helped launch and advance small businesses and nonprofits, planning and implementing campaigns, designed websites for the less tech savvy, and became part of various teams, rather than just serving as a contractor. I’ve been so hands-on with other businesses that I didn’t always appreciate or put as much time and effort into my own. In 2024, I have plans to allow RB Collaborative to still serve these types of clients, and also expand the website design side of the business further with larger projects. A fresh start in 2024 will be an exciting, eye opening time for sure.
So I will part this rather long blog post with this: I am grateful that each year, no matter how long I’ve worked with a particular client, I’ve been able to learn something new, foster strong relationships, and build a name for RB Collaborative through marketing’s age-old classic — word of mouth. I do hope you’ll be along for this ride as the story continues to unfold.
Sincerely wishing all a happy, healthy New Year.
— RB
