2023 wrapped | The Littlebigbox edition

It’s been another exciting year for Littlebigbox with enormous periods of change and some serious opportunities for growth. Read on for our 2023 wrapped.

It’s a staple of the LBB calendar that as we shift (*cough* tumble at full speed) towards the end of the year, we sit down with our boss – Creative Director April Hodge – to get the lowdown on the past 12 months. We love looking back and recognising how far we’ve come; how different the business is to the one that stepped into the new year with a slightly foggy head and a sofa full of Quality Street wrappers.

We’re immensely proud to say that this has been a huge year for us. And, as always, that’s been made up of the good, the bad and the occasionally ugly.

So, without further ado, let’s jump right in.

Hey April – well, it’s been a biggun for #TeamLBB, hasn’t it? What’s been the most major change for the business in 2023?

It really has! I think it would have to be going VAT registered. It wasn’t a decision that we rushed into, but it got to the point where it was something that had to happen. It’s a sign of how much the business has grown and something that I think we should be super proud of!

Of course, the ripple effect is that we have had to start adding VAT to our proposals, but (so far!) everyone has been super understanding of it. I mean, if you’d have told me 13 years ago that I would own a VAT registered business I’d have probably laughed… It’s crazy how life turns out!

It is, but also it didn’t just turn out like this for you – you’ve made this happen! Looking at this year in particular, what activities did you focus on to grow the business?

Good question; there’s been a few things, but I could probably whittle it down to three. I started networking this year again – something I’ve avoided since the pandemic. I was very nervous about it, hence leaning away from it as a business growth tool. But I’m so happy to be attending networking events again. I’m being intentional about which ones I go to, and am getting way more out of them as a result.

I also took some training on the latest website trends and page builders (among other things!). It doesn’t matter how many years you are in the industry, I think it’s crucial to keep your training topped up. Graham also did additional SEO Yoast Training, all which which has amped up our service offering and our clients are chuffed about it.?

Finally, I’ve handed social media over to Kate, our VA. The relief of not having to worry about it anymore! It’s a great feeling knowing my social media marketing is in safe hands.?

A nice mixture! When you look back at projects from 2023, what was your favourite?

Well, OF COURSE I love them all… But, if I HAD to choose one, it would be the Skill Portal.

We’ve worked with Skill Scaffolding for a loooong time, through different iterations of their website, and they’re an OG favourite of ours. When they came to us and said they needed a bespoke employee portal, we were super excited (and slightly terrified!).

It was easily one of the biggest jobs we’ve ever done – and we loved it. Skill are big on staff wellbeing, and to take this to the next level they wanted to maximise their staff development and wellbeing strategy with – you guessed it – the Skill Portal. This was to be a fully integrated, branded and user friendly platform to fulfil all employee needs.?

It’s been up and running since March and – from what we’ve heard – has gone down a treat with the entire team. We’re all kinds of grateful that they trusted us on such a mega job!

No one better for the job, in our opinion. Did you work on any collaborative pieces this year?

We did! We actually collaborate a lot on projects, but the one that stood out was with Kayleigh from Studio Campbell. Kayleigh is a fantastic brand designer and we joined forces for a website called Latitude17. It was a really enjoyable project – you know when it just feels seamless. Yeah, that! Kayleigh’s work ethic and energy was a huge testament to that.

Challenges?

Oof, buckle up! There’s always challenges when you work for yourself and/or own a business. If I am completely honest, our biggest challenge came when we launched a second business earlier this year – Savvy Startups.

The challenge wasn’t the business itself, the concept or anything like that. I still stand by this being a fantastic business idea and we had created an epic brand identity for it – I just wasn’t ready. I vastly underestimated how much it would take to launch the business properly and give it the attention and energy it needed. Eventually, I accepted that it wasn’t the right time. I made the decision to pull the business back, for now, until I could pour everything into it in order to make it the success it deserved to be.

That was a hard pill to swallow. You feel like you’ve failed, when the reality is that failure only comes from not listening to your body and mind.

We could not agree more. Would you say that’s turned into a lesson for you?

Absolutely. I’ve really tried to slow things down so that I don’t push myself over the edge. Burnout as a business owner is very common, and I’m becoming more aware of the warning signs.?

Ultimately, you need to look after yourself first and foremost. It’s the message I keep coming back to.?

H2: Yep, yep and yep again! So, what about 2024? What’s coming up?

Well, I don’t like to give too much away… BUT, as we step into our 13th (!!) year, we’ll be launching a new service specifically tailored for early days business owners and are putting a lot of focus on growing the SEO arm of the business. I also REALLY want to be on a podcast and will, ofc course, keep serving our current clients and the ones we are still yet to meet!

And finally, as we always ask, how would you sum up 2023 in one word?

Okay, I’m going to go totally rogue here and use an emoji instead of a word (I know, how 2023 of me!). So, my emoji of this year is ??

That’s because this year has been amazing in so many ways, but also incredibly intense, crazy and… well, a lot! It truly has been a good year but it’s flown by in the blink of an eye and has brought with it a fair old chunk of stress, work and lessons. And I’m not sure how to sum that up in a word – so an emoji it is!

Thank you April! And to everyone who has been a part of our 2023, we also want to thank you. It’s thanks to you that our business has grown in such a beautiful way this year. Now, as Christmas gets closer and closer, we encourage you to put your feet up, take a few moments for YOU and reflect on what you have achieved in 2023. We’ll see you on the other side..!