Today marks one whole year since KB Creative was established 🙌🏼
I'm so excited to be sharing this today! Mainly because when I decided to do this, I honestly had no idea if we would even make it to six months, let alone a year.
KB Creative was born in one of those moments where I felt a door had closed, but really, it was the start of one of the best chapters of my life...
Fast forward a year, and honestly, I pinch myself every day that I get to be on this journey. I get to work with the best people, in the best industry, doing what I love every day.
Reflecting on the journey, twelve months ago, I never would have dreamed I'd be sharing a list like this today, and I am so full of gratitude to be able to do so.
In the last year we have:
Worked with 24 different clients in 4 different countries.
Connected with agencies in 4 states across Australia.
Completed 41 individual projects.
We work with a suite of incredible continual care agencies.
Hired a Marketing Assistant after just 10 months.
And, the one that blows my mind the most: I’ve still never done any business development.
Reflections:
Although it seems there are not very many ex-recruiters turned recruitment marketing, I have never thought of my career path as particularly 'different'. To be honest, my experience has always more been a hindrance if anything, as it’s made it very difficult to find roles!
Although starting KB Creative has shown me my experience is actually a pretty unique selling point! Understanding how recruitment works day-to-day has been one of the main reasons clients have said they’d like to work with us.
Having been in recruitment for fifteen years, working across Agency, MSP, RPO and Rec2Rec, I've got a quite deep understanding of the industry.
When I moved into recruitment marketing in 2016, I don’t think there were many, if any, others doing this in Australia. I had been working as a Rec2Rec when I moved into the role of marketing for them, so this view stems from the exposure I had to agencies who were asking about it!
The not so glam side:
While I feel incredibly grateful to be celebrating today, it’s certainly not been an easy journey.
I’ve had a lot of tough days; I’ve had friends (and clients!) call me out on how much I have been working - I worked 32 days straight at one point. I go to bed thinking about work and wake up thinking of it too. I feel guilty about not doing enough all the time, whether that’s for my clients or for the business. I constantly feel like I have a list as long as Pitt Street to get through… and as recently as Wednesday I suffered a devastating data loss thanks to an Office 365 transfer (cheers GoDaddy & Microsoft!)
So, what I have learned?
I often say running a business sometimes feels like I’ve thrown myself out of a plane and I'm trying to make a parachute out of my t-shirt 😅
BUT I cannot even begin to explain how much I have learnt, grown, and changed on this journey; I honestly think I was a completely different person twelve months ago. This has hands down been one of the most valuable journeys so far.
So, while I certainly don’t think I am the person to be dishing advice out on running a business, I wanted to write down some of the lessons I would pass on (this is as condensed as I could manage 🤣)
Don’t underestimate the amount of work you’ll be doing outside of your day-to-day job.
Things don’t always have to be perfect; everything is a work in progress.
Get a business coach, NSW Business Connect offers you 10 free sessions per calendar year! They also have free co-working hubs in Sydney.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, great insights, ideas, and opinions are right in front of you.
Do the right thing by your clients no matter what, and ALWAYS do what you say you are going to do.
Make a list every day of things that will keep your clients happy and in turn, generate revenue, and focus on those first. It’s surprising how easy it is to work for 14 hours and not get anything done.
Process and organisation are CRUCIAL, don’t cut corners.
Always try to think five steps ahead. What could you encounter and how can you prevent those things from causing you headaches?
Don’t be greedy, only take on what you can manage. Not only will it prevent burnout, but people will respect you more too.
You can’t do it all – don’t try.
Missing one hour of sleep = 10% less executive function the next day… Rest.
Self-care is more important than it ever has been. If you can’t look after yourself, you definitely can’t look after your business.
Set up everything as if you were a bigger organisation, this way you can scale with minimal disruption.
Invest in good software from day one, moving platforms is a pain in the arse.
Find a great support system with other business owners; ultimately, no one understands unless they have been there.
Some friends will understand your new responsibilities, others won’t – it can be tough... try not to take it personally.
You can’t be the nice guy all the time. Doing more than you quoted or agreed on “to be nice”, guarantees burn out.
Be clear from the start about what people can expect and your processes. Ambiguity comes back to bite you in the arse.
Don’t think about how you have always done things, consciously force yourself to think about things in a different light, every day.
Work life flexibility is a myth in the first year.
Your whole life will change in ways you won't consider. I eat dinner later, my exercise schedule has changed, I go to bed later, and sleep less!
A separate, neutral place to work and a great ergonomic set up are essential.
So is a good accountant.
Finally, (and most critically for me!) Do not set up your email with GoDaddy. You have no administration rights, or 365 access, and I lost everything when I migrated to Microsoft... It's not worth the risk!
My Summary:
If you’re thinking about starting up on your own, DO IT. It is the most rewarding, exciting, and fulfilling journey. It's true it isn't easy, but nothing worth having ever is!
Most importantly, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has trusted, and encouraged me over the last twelve months. I am so beyond grateful to be here - a milestone I wasn't sure I would ever reach a year ago!
I could not be more excited to be entering year TWO of KB Creative, starting off with our one year celebration with our clients on Thursday...
Bring. It. On 🙌🏼
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