By Monty Hagler
The phrase “seven year itch” is commonly used to refer to the decline of happiness in a marriage, but it also applies to the desire to either revamp other aspects of your life or move on to perceived greener pastures. As RLF Communications celebrates its seventh anniversary on April 1, I’m experiencing the complete opposite effect. We’re just getting started on what we set out to accomplish.
I’ve spent the past few days reflecting on our first seven years and the things that I would do differently if given the opportunity. I recognize that I cannot, as the Greek philosopher Heraclites observed, “step into the same river twice.” Nor do I want to. But I have better learned how to identify the stepping stones that provide safe passage and spot the deep pools that could plunge us to the bottom.
The world has shifted and changed more than I ever imagined when we launched RLF, and as a result, the fundamental purpose for starting our agency has never been more urgent. Our mission is to help clients tell their stories in clear, consistent and compelling ways to the audiences who matter most to them. We work as a partner, taking pride in every success and feeling the sting of every setback. And while we know that tangible results need to be generated every day, we measure our progress against long-term metrics and outcomes.
I have never seen clients working harder than they are right now. Opportunities abound in virtually every industry sector, but communications and marketing professionals are doing more with less – dwindling staff, fewer resources, tighter budgets, compressed time. It makes the role of an external partner such as RLF even more critical.
Looking ahead to the next seven years we will continue to expand the scope of our work on national and international campaigns with clients who are, or aspire to be, leaders in their respective industries. Living up to that goal will require continued discipline and focus. It will require us to strengthen our expertise and depth in areas such as digital and mobile communication platforms, and necessitate the hiring of individuals who can expertly manage technologies and applications that didn’t even exist seven years ago!
From the clients who have been with RLF since the very beginning to the new clients that brought us on board in the first quarter of 2014, thank you for the trust you have placed in our team and our abilities to help you achieve your objectives. I hope you will continue to support our journey by recommending and referring us to companies that need a strong agency partner to achieve their aspirations. I look forward to the opportunities ahead.
Photo courtesy of Santa’s Village Family Entertainment Park.
