So my company, RockPaperScissors, just had its last All-Hands meeting for 2024.

Next month, we will be celebrating our one-year anniversary. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this amazing milestone. It was written in the plan.?

But what I forgot to write in that plan was how hard it was going to be, how many sleepless nights would come with it, how many amazing conversations with people would be had, and how rewarding it feels.?

In the past year, I have been able to work on some amazing projects - brand refreshes, business transformations, deep research in GenAI and image engineering, campaign development, creative consulting, business strategy development, and few odds and ends along the way.?

I have worked in a variety of verticals - Pharma, big tech, F&B, FMCG, Gov’t and policy, travel and leisure, conservation and impact. I have worked with CEOs, CMOs, creative directors, film producers, strategists and account directors, as well as social media strategists, copy writers, and creatives. It’s been amazing.?

And the clients that have supported me along the way, well, that requires a post on its own.

So what did we discuss at our last staff meeting of the year?

Naturally we started by looking at the bigger picture, the hard work and effort required to be sustainable in a very interesting year. We went back through the 2024 OKRs, where we hit and where we missed and why. Talking to Finance was difficult. The balance sheet wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but there are now plans in the works to change that in 2025. Biz Dev has some new ideas that should help.?

We talked about the work a lot, and the joy that it brought, led by my curiosity and experimentations with GenAI, everything from image engineering, motion and video, content creation, research, storytelling in a new world of AI, and the way that AI-augmentation across every facet of RockPaperScissors helped create levels of speed and scale and depth that we had not imagined.?

Two things really stood out to me, when we wrapped the meeting. The first was the push into The Epilogue Economy. The amazing reception to this was unexpected, and I will pushing more in working with clients and communities along this thinking in 2025. The second, and I believe the most important, thing was the new relationships that have been created along the way.?

I spent more time in face to face meetings than I have for years. I drank more coffee, and told more stories, than I have ever done in my career I think. I made friends along the way, people that I now meet for catch ups - not selling, simply talking, exploring, listening, and enjoying their company. I have come to realise that these friendships matter so much, helping me through tough times, imposter syndrome challenges, small celebrations, boundary pushing and so many “what if” discussions that have kept me sane and curious.?

At the beginning of the year I had decided to focus on being generous with my time and knowledge, and that I would be optimistic about my future. I think, in both small and large ways, I stayed true to that, and am seeing some benefits, and will continue to live and work, keeping thees tenets in mind.?You can read more about that here.

I do know I need to improve on my work life balance, specifically when it comes to health and fitness. So that will change. It’s difficult to be a high performing anything if your body is not strong, and your mind isn’t rested. But my wife and I are heading off to Japan for the holidays in a week or so, which will be an amazing reset, just us, together in a country and culture we enjoy, celebrating the year we have been through, and recharging. If she wasn’t in my corner every single day, I wouldn’t be here writing about the year that was, about my, our, company and about the progress that we are planning for in 2025.?

I’ll do a proper One Year Wrap in January, but for now, I just wanted to say, on behalf of my family, and the entire staff at RockPaperScissors - thank you to everyone that has made this possible.?Have a Happy Christmas, and I wish you the best in your New Year.