Authenticity is everything. Welcome to Honor Code.
We are -- genuinely -- glad you're here. And we're here for you!
A little over seven years ago, I was approaching 50, and I was frustrated at work.
The politics of workplaces felt exhausting, and like a waste of time. Bringing ideas forward meant navigating so much red tape. What ad agencies delivered often couldn’t be used in real life, and for some reason, there was weird tension when there should be collaboration. (And when I was on the agency side, there was so much inefficiency, wasting clients’ time and money!) But I was also surrounded by inspiring entrepreneurism. I’d had lots of requests to freelance and consult, and I just thought: I can do this. I can start a brand grounded in truth telling. There is a better way to great creative and marketing.
Things got going quickly. I knew I wanted a partner, and I immediately thought of Susanne, my old friend from Rue La La, a longtime veteran of big agencies, the left brain to my right.
I’m so grateful for what we’ve built together. About 95 freelancers. Incredible clients across retail, nonprofit, business and more. We’ve also had challenges. Shed tears. Gritted our teeth (and ok, shopped) through frustrating moments. Faced fears.
Above all we keep coming back to what we’re passionate about in this stage of our lives. Being good. And real. In the work, with each other, with everyone who works for and with us. We want to be helpful. And useful. Especially right now.
1. Why this, why now
We’ve always “blogged” lightly. But now we want to build community — specifically with the thought that we’ve learned things at this point. Though so many workplaces, partners and clients. About finding ourselves at work. Weathering storms. We want to share the things we’ve figured out with a purpose: to be supportive in any way we can.
2. About this space
Welcome! This won’t be about sharing the work itself (though we may, if we feel you’ll find it useful). It’s about sharing ideas and tips and support. Of course we’ll have a simple honor code in place here: Be kind.
3. What to expect
We’ll post when we have something to say that we would want to read, that we would find helpful or useful in our workplace lives, past or present.
4. Ask us anything
We’ll address it. Honestly.
5. And can we just say this? You’re not alone.
You may have arrived here because you’re wrestling with something. Something’s happening at work and you can’t get a handle on it. You’re working with someone troubling. Or you’re a leader and the agency is letting you down and stressing you out, because you’re accountable for the results. Or you’re not sure where you want to go next. You’re not sure you’re happy where you are. We’ve been in all of these situations. None of them is forever. And we’re here!
Sincerely (and we mean that),
Rachel — & Susanne