I’ve been thinking a lot about this milestone. It’s been a tougher summer than I anticipated. We had a monster 2023 and came out of the gate with a ton of energy but limped through Q1 of 2024. All self-inflicted wounds, but challenging nonetheless.
This spring, we tried to pivot and rally, something we’ve done repeatedly here at Recess. It’s really a part of our agency's DNA. Our ability to learn, adapt, grow, and get better has been part of the process since day one, and we’ve continued to do so every week.
I was recently asked how I felt about the agency turning 15. It’s a pretty big milestone. I don’t really think of it in terms of years but rather in terms of the agency's “phases" - but for Maggie's sake, we'll call them "eras."
The Startup Era (2009-2011)
Some argue the most important and defining years of a company are the early days. In the very beginning, it was an idea that turned into a side hustle. Then I jumped. I had no idea what I was doing. Just trying to scrap for anything I could get. I still tell stories about the early days when I had recently quit my full-time job to teach at Tri-C and get the agency going. I had made a pact with my wife, Maura, that if I couldn’t figure it out during the school year, I would pack it in and go back to work for another agency or go client-side.
I’d scour the internet for leads, search Craigslist for opportunities, and blind email anyone potentially looking for a logo or a website. I did 90% of this from my office on campus or in between classes in the computer lab. One win led to another and we pulled in our first employee, working from my dingy (sometimes flooded) basement with a newborn baby Will upstairs. The next big win, we brought on our first partner in full-time, snagged our first office, packed a truck full of Ikea furniture, and acquired an inflatable shark named Bruce. A/C would have been nice.
Rapid Growth / What the Fuck are we Doing Era (2012-2015)
Wild times are how I define the next few years. Learning every day on the fly, undercutting the competition, winning awards, and putting everything we had into the work. We blew up from the first 4 or 5 of us to nearly 12 Recessians over the course of a year. We added some amazing people during this era.
There were so many things that we did wrong in those years, but they were a hell of a lot of fun. With more people came more ideas, better work, more processes, and more opportunities.
The Great Plateau Era (2016-2019)
I feel like I’ve read so many articles and listened to dozens of podcasts that all describe the typical plateau in businesses coming out of the early years. We had won a lot in those early years, got smarter about our work, hired better help, but still couldn’t figure out how to get over “the hump.” 2017 was weird. 2018 was a grind. 2019 was even harder. But, it was a pivotal point in the history of the agency where we need to adapt and change, or die.
I set out to take the agency solo in Q4 of 2019. I proposed buyouts to the other partners and went all-in on Recess and our team. It was time to break away from the plateau. Time for a new vision, a new plan, and new energy.
I thought a lot about giving up. It was just so damn hard. But nothing truly great is easy. So I leaned back in and refocused our energy.
20/20 Vision Era (2020)
We hit the ground running in the beginning of 2020. New energy, new year. We had begun the process of rebranding and reimagining Recess in late 2019 and had a string of great wins that carried us into the beginning of 2020. This was going to be our year.
The world got sick. Then we went home for 2 weeks. Everything shut down… It was brutal.
Our lease was up in May and we moved out to become a fully-remote agency. Again, wild times.
We launched our new brand and website, had a lot of beers over Zooms, but we persevered.
I didn’t know if we’d make it, but I knew the group we had was special. We all rallied together, won a few key pieces of business, and finished stronger and more focused in 2020 than in years past.
Redefined Focus Era (2021-2024)
In the beginning, “Post Pandemic” agency life was weird. There were days and weeks where we only saw eachother digitally. Long nights spent in an at-home office doing everything we could to succeed. But, the world continued to open back up, we started meeting at coffee shops or meeting our partners at their offices.
In late 2022 we got serious about a return to work. It would be totally different, but we knew the best thing about Recess was the people. Being together was so much better.
In early 2023 we came back downtown. A hybrid approach where we would spent 2-3 days a week in the office and bookend the week remotely. It’s not for everyone, but it works for us. Bagel Friday and TGI4 are now on Thursdays, homeroom still happens every day but IRL three days a week.
What the next 15 years brings is a mystery. So much changes in our industry, in technology, social media, and in campaign work. But, a good idea is a good idea. So we’ll keep pushing for the best creative, most innovative approaches, and best partnerships we can provide.
And in the end, if it’s fun, it’s not work.