For a long time, the communications industry celebrated loud growth: more clients, bigger teams, faster scale. But after our first year in business, I’ve come to believe something different. Growth isn’t always loud. Sometimes growth looks like restraint.
Cheryl Reddy, founder of Comms Reddy shares valuable lessons after the launch of the agency (Image supplied)
Sometimes it’s choosing depth over scale, people over pace, and long-term impact over short-term wins.
That insight didn’t come from theory. It came from building a full-service communications agency in one of the most crowded, competitive markets I’ve ever worked in and deliberately choosing not to follow the traditional playbook.
4 lessons learnt
Here are some of the lessons we learnt.
- More is always better (not)
In our first year, Comms Reddy encountered many “firsts” from first clients, first hires, to first financial realities. Like many new (and old) agencies, we could have chased volume.
Instead, we slowed down. We invested time in defining a purpose-driven foundation: a clear brand identity, a communications philosophy, and values that would actually guide decision-making when things got uncomfortable.
We focused on building credibility through deep client partnerships rather than stacking logos.
That choice ran counter to what many young agencies feel pressured to do. But it shaped everything that followed.
- Rethinking the agency model
We didn’t adopt a traditional communications agency structure. Instead, two team members stepped into fractional marketing lead roles for two client brands, supported by a broader agency team and trusted partner agencies.
This approach created a deeper impact for clients and forced us to be accountable not just for outputs, but for business outcomes.
It also revealed something important: many brands don’t need more agencies; they need fewer partners who understand their business as well as they do. In a market saturated with choice, proximity and accountability have become competitive advantages.
- The uncomfortable truths about cash flow
There’s a romanticism around entrepreneurship that doesn’t talk enough about cash flow.
In reality, cash is oxygen. Understanding when money comes in and goes out is not a finance function; it’s a survival skill.
For agencies funding client projects upfront, absorbing production costs, and operating on 30-day payment terms, cash reserves aren’t optional.
They’re strategic. Financial discipline gave our team the freedom to focus on outcomes, not invoices.
It gave clients confidence that delivery wouldn’t stall. And it reinforced a lesson many founders learn too late: sustainability is built long before scale.
- The evergreen contract that changed our thinking
One of the most significant moments in our first year was signing an evergreen contract, which is rare in an industry built on short-term engagements.
That agreement didn’t just provide stability; it changed our mindset. Instead of chasing new business in 2025, we deliberately decided not to.
We invested in strengthening our retainer brands and building the operational backbone needed for long-term growth.
In an environment obsessed with constant acquisition, choosing focus felt radical, but it proved invaluable.
The communications industry is crowded, and it always will be. From solo consultants to legacy agencies, there is no shortage of options.
But I don’t believe that means there’s no room to grow. There is enough sunshine for all.
Differentiation isn’t always about pricing models or promises of efficiency; those refrains are everywhere. Sometimes it’s about doing work you care deeply about, consistently, over time.
That mindset has allowed me to maintain client relationships that span more than a decade, long before Comms Reddy existed.
Measuring the right kind of growth
As we move into our second year, growth is absolutely on the agenda, but not at any cost.
Our focus is on measurable returns: driving growth for our clients, strengthening our team and agency, and expanding our order book without compromising what we’ve built.
If the first year taught us anything, it’s that sustainable businesses aren’t built by moving fastest, but by moving with intention.
Quiet growth doesn’t make headlines easily. But over time, it’s the kind that lasts.
