Our next stage...

The older I get, the more I realise life doesn’t follow a straightforward linear path. It’s a number of stages you pass through to get to the next one. A positive evolution, there to be embraced. But progression brings an element of vulnerability.

The last few years have demonstrated ‘change is the only constant in life’. You can’t lock-down, plan or control everything. Sometimes you have to just go with it. Trust everything will be alright. New, uncertain, unknown. A leap of faith.

In business (as in life), taking that leap is easier when you have a brilliant team around you. Like I do at We Are Acuity. The pandemic proved that. Our culture is strong, we are flexible, agile and have well-honed processes. We’ve been working hybrid for over 3 years.

But it was still with some trepidation, that we moved out of Oak Yard, our home for the last 19 years, to start a new stage of our journey in July. It’s been home since 2004, there's lots of history there, but as a company we'd evolved, and our needs had changed too.

The office is a tool. It’s there to serve a purpose. We weren’t using it in the same way anymore. We were now more flexible, more agile, & freer. So, four weeks before our 25th birthday, we moved to a new stage. What helped make that decision feel ‘oh-so-right’? The two amazing individuals who knocked on the door in March, sharing a bag of popcorn.

Nicky Day & Maria Todesco who walked into our lives that day, set up the amazing Cathartic CIC just over 5 years ago. They, like us were evolving having outgrown their premises. The planets had aligned.

A local charity & creative arts organisation, they believe group & individual imaginative art programs have a positive impact on health and wellbeing, opening new perspectives by enriching and enhancing lives.

Their bespoke, dynamic arts workshops strengthen vulnerable individuals to deal with life-threatening illness, physical/neurological conditions, dementia, learning needs, mental health, domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse, bereavement, social isolation, children’s health/development & family breakdown. Their youngest client under one year, the eldest over 100!

Oak Yard and Cathartic CIC was a match made in heaven. Their work needs a physical space just like ours. A truly creative space in central #Watford. As a business that believes in the power of creativity it struck exactly the right chord. We really wanted this to be their new home. It felt oh, so right. The perfect end to this stage and the start of the next one with the bonus of some great new friends! Another local charity we will seek to help where we can, as we both move on to even greater things.

So where’s our new home? Well, wherever we want it to be depending upon on our needs at the time. Spending time together is still vital for us, but for the right reasons, not just ‘because’ we have an office. What you can be sure of is Watford will always be our spiritual home!

National to Local experts We Are Acuity have 25 years experience in effective local marketing for national brands. If you like the idea of joining a team like ours, whether you are from a creative, technical or client service/project management background, or even if you are new to the agency world, then just have a look at our careers page. We are always keen to talk to the right people!

Or if you'd like to read more about Local Marketing have a look at our blog page "Local Thinking': https://www.weareacuity.com/local-thinking-our-blog

#charity #remotework #office #agencylife