Hybrid working, expansion and happiness: The Loud Llama herd reflect on 2021

As the year turns to a close, we thought we’d reflect on how we’ve felt about 2021. Whilst we’re always making noise about our clients, we’re pretty quiet about ourselves. We caught up with the team to hear what they had to say about the year…

The herd continues to grow

Starting out as a one-strong team, Loud Llama has expanded since its inception in 2020.? We’ve got Paris Collingbourne, the OG Loud Llama and boss (although she might hate the term). Then there’s Daisy Nightingale, our Social Media Executive, Anna Rees who recently joined us as Account Executive, and Megan McElligott working hard as an Account Executive whilst completing her Marketing Masters at Cardiff University.

What was it like joining Loud Llama?

Meg: “Before joining Loud Llama, I was at a stage in my life whereby I was leaving an entirely toxic environment in my previous job and I was set on finding employment where I felt valued and supported. It was evident that they were a young team with a progressive vision, which is often hard to come by in the Welsh marketing industry.”

Anna: “I’d pretty much lost all hope that I’d find a job in Wales where I’d be working on such exciting projects like my friends in London. Loud Llama is doing much more than offering exceptional marketing services to its clients, it’s offering exciting opportunities for young marketers in Wales”.?

Loud Llama celebrated its first birthday

Loud Llama celebrated its first of many birthdays this year! Our founder, Paris Collingbourne, left her previous agency role in March 2020 wanting to give self-employed life a shot, but lockdown left her feeling isolated. Paris spent the first month “earning a few hundred quid” and felt she was heading backwards in her career.?

Why did you start Loud Llama?

Paris: “At this point, I realised something had to change, so I embraced the down time, got active and back outdoors and started brainstorming ideas to create a workplace I wanted to work for. Fast forward 4 weeks and Loud Llama was officially a registered company”.?

A year on, Loud Llama got to celebrate its first birthday, and it was a pretty proud moment!

What drew you to Loud Llama?

Daisy: “I was praying for an opportunity where I could be valuable, seen for who I am and what I am capable of. Working in a supportive agency has helped me learn that it’s totally fine to ask for help, and collaborating on projects is often far more productive than twiddling your thumbs and taking a break can all be valuable for productivity”.

The excitement continued!

Across the year we have been a part of so many exciting PR campaigns, from photoshoots to herd parties, and the fun isn’t stopping anytime soon!

Describe your year working at Loud Llama

Daisy: “This year has been filled with variety, something I personally LOVE about working as part of a boutique agency”.

Anna: “I’ve been in luxury cars, been part of a cosmetics photoshoot and had several blogs published. For me, every day as part of the herd is an exciting one”.

Meg: “To be part of a campaign from its birth to seeing the images thrive on social media has been super insightful and rewarding”.?

Paris: “Our agency socials and the herd Christmas party! To be in a position to take my team out on regular trips and treat them makes me really proud. I’ve gone from earning 20K a year to growing a successful, start-up PR agency”.

We got through several lockdowns

Lockdowns were a challenge for any business, but our small-team and supportive network allowed Loud Llama to continue its hard work regardless.

How difficult did Covid-19 make things for Loud Llama??

Daisy: “this year was particularly difficult due to having clients in the hospitality sector. That being said, it has also been extremely rewarding to see them get back on their feet”.?

Anna: “I live an hour and a half away from the office, so commuting five-days a week would be exhausting. Loud Llama’s flexible working allows me to choose when I come into the office and when I work from home, which I think boosts productivity and makes me happier too!”.?

It’s safe to say we’ve learned a lot

If you’re not learning, what are you doing? At Loud Llama, every day is an education and that’s what makes a successful team, right?

What have you learned this year?

Paris: “Time is your most valuable resource as a business owner. It’s easy to say yes to take on too much, or as my Dad put it: ‘to become a busy fool’. It’s about making the hours you have in a working day count, and the sooner you establish a healthy work-life balance, the more your value increases. I have learned to use what others see as a weakness as my strength. I’ve been told I’m too empathetic, but I embrace this characteristic - it’s what enables me to be a great communicator”.?

Anna: “Don’t be scared to reach out to other people in the industry, especially on Linkedin, I wouldn’t have landed this role without doing so”.?

Meg: “I learned that my ideas are good, something I doubted a lot before but I am learning to believe more due to the LL team’s praise”.

Perfection is the enemy of progress

Of course, we still have challenges to face. If you say your business faces no challenges, you’re doing something wrong. One of the things you learn as a business owner is that challenges are part of daily business life, but they’re also what helps your business grow!?

As our founder, Paris, states “perfection is the enemy of progress”, adding that “if I’d waited until I had all the resources in place to launch Loud Llama, I’d have never started. We live in a fast-paced world, if you want to be seen and heard you’ve got to move forward”.

What is Loud Llama’s biggest challenge?

Paris: “Loud Llama’s biggest challenge is that I’m not a ‘natural’ salesperson, I’ve intentionally avoided scaling the business this year. We’re a boutique agency and this will not change, but I realise I have skill gaps to fill, new business development being one of them! We’ve still smashed our sales targets and each client has approached us first (this makes for an easier pitch process)”.

Next year is going to be a good ‘un!

Embarking on a new year is exciting for the herd at Loud Llama, we welcome all the challenges that come our way!

2022 will see Loud Llama making more noise. As we head into our second year, Paris explained, “I’ll be keeping an eye out for new talent to join the herd and a new office premises in a city centre location”.?

“I can now confidently say that we are an established agency with a bright future ahead, we’re working with some really brilliant brands and people”.?

That’s all from us! It’s been one loud year for Loud Llama and we plan to make the next even louder!?Don’t forget to #BeMoreLlama?

Fancy a chat in the New Year? Get in touch with our herd today [email protected]