Note: This article was last updated on August 7, 2018 and may contain outdated information.
The blog post reflects on Mutual’s two-year anniversary since Andrew and the author opened the agency after being made redundant from their previous employer. They acquired remaining assets and built the company from there.
Team Growth
The agency expanded from two founders to five team members, welcoming Harry, Meg, and Rachel. Notable client work includes projects for “NBC Universal, Transparency International, CIB, McBains, and The Carey Group.”
Key Achievements
Strong Support: The team responds to most support tickets within ten minutes and resolves them within a day, earning positive feedback from client partners.
Quality Craft: Craft CMS remains their primary choice, with the team co-sponsoring the official conference and developing proprietary tools for enhanced client experiences.
Intentional Growth: The founders deliberately maintain a lean team, prioritizing quality over expansion. They recognize that scaling beyond their current size would shift focus from project management to people management—misaligned with their values.
Challenges
Talent Acquisition: Finding skilled web developers matching their attention to detail has been difficult, requiring them to decline projects beyond current capacity.
Project Management: Managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders presented initial challenges, though embracing agile methodologies and stricter discipline improved outcomes. The team absorbed cost overruns rather than passing expenses to clients.
Future Direction
Priorities include hiring one or two additional positions, maintaining project management discipline, and exploring new team opportunities.