It’s time for a new year. Which means it’s time for a ‘here’s to the year just gone’ and ‘here’s to a year to come’ blog from me. Whoopee. So to the 8 readers we have out there (all of whom, I suspect, work at Razor)…I shall resist the temptation to load up on carb-like clichés about 2010 and just dole out some highlights:
-3 brand new shiny and sharp Razor blades joined us: Lucy Sinclair, Sam Siva and Tom Morgan are our (no longer so new) researchers but we also have the wonderful graphic designer, Maria Stephens of Tigerlilly Designs, with us part-time…she’s the one that makes our debriefs look awesome and a whole host of other clever things besides. She also does a great job at wedding invites…but that’s another story
-We’ve had the pleasure of several interns accompanying us on our rounds: Sylvie, Sharleni, Andrew and Fiene. We like interns. They buy us biscuits.
-Elle was elected vice-chair of the AQR and single-handedly whipped up a batch of stellar entries to the Prosper-Riley Smith Award AND took part in a live debate about online vs offline qual which NONE of the rest of us would have been brave enough to do. And her team won, of course
-Elle and I went to Prague for a jolly…sorry, conference…which was splendid and invigorating and we were honoured to be chosen to present our paper on ‘First Shave’
-Debbie and Sam S bagged the project of the year…in which they moderated with sex toys in their hands and spare batteries in their pockets. Whether or not they kept the stimulus is strictly entre nous.
-Lucy has become thoroughly conversant in all things meat and pastry which makes her only marginally less scary than Sweeney Todd’s wife
-Tom has learnt more about girls and pet food than he thought possible in the space of a month.
-Sam D managed to move us into the new office with her customary organisational prowess…AND created a set of flawless systems that mean everything works… AND changed her hairstyle 5 times…and got several new tattoos (I am so jealous)
-Steve moved about very fast but got everything done. He showed us his abs and we were all a bit awed. And we think he’s just marvelous.
-We’ve getting all numerate and are delighted to have worked with Payam and Sam at Four Eyes Research on several projects. It’s a fabulous reunion. And Payam has great taste in sweet treats.
-We reminded ourselves of our visions and values with the help of my little sister Polly and her MBA BFF, Cheryl
-We’ve worked with wonderful friends and agencies who help us do what we do so seamlessly
-We raised money for Barnado’s by taking over their Marylebone store for a day
-We went to the MRS conference en masse and held our own on the dance floor
-We held our own on the dancefloor because of our constant practice in the karaoke booth after our nights out
And of course, all of it possible because of our fabulous clients who seem to keep commissioning us to work on wonderful projects with them. We love what we do and we hope to do even more of it next year.
And what of next year/this year?
-We hope to keep growing. We may be running out of desk space but there’s room for a few more and hey, perhaps that’s just the excuse I need to find that Manhatten-style loft office with even posher furniture, another napping room and our very own photocopier?
-We’ll work more with our current clients and hopefully add a few more to the mix
-We’ll keep tweaking our approaches and honing our techniques (like Steve and his abs)
-We’ll speak at some conferences and write some articles
-We’ll party. Hopefully, occasionally, without having to sing while we’re doing it. Elle’s wedding in the summer will be a good start…unless Steve’s band gets the gig
And what of me? I keep being astounded that Razor exists, year after year. I work with people who I am astonished by, daily. The company is like a Christmas present that you can’t stop playing with and when the batteries run out, your mum is always there with a new pair. And who can ask for more than that?
Chloe
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