The Ride of My Life: My Roller Coaster Journey as CEO
BY Anamaria Suescun-Fast, CEO and Owner
BUCKLE UP
Who doesn’t love a good roller coaster ride, right?
You buckle in and feel the press of the safety bar; a reminder that there’s no turning back. As the coaster ascends the first hill, the slow climb fills you with a heightened sense of suspense. Your heart pounds in your chest; the clinking of the chain pulls you upward. You reach the crest of the hill.
Then, you plummet.
The drop is both terrifying and thrilling, with more sharp turns, loops, and sudden drops. By the end of the ride, you’re filled with a mix of triumph, relief, and a lingering rush of adrenaline. Just as you might step off a roller coaster with a mix of exhaustion and euphoria, running a small business leaves you with a profound appreciation for the journey, the lessons learned and the thrill of having navigated the ride.
Thrills at Every Turn
July marks my two-year anniversary as a CEO and business owner. These have been the most exhilarating and exhausting years of my 35-year career, with each new challenge testing my courage and my leadership and coping skills.
Some of my best, and yes, hardest-learned take-aways are:
There is never the perfect internal process.
If all is going well, your internal processes are being challenged every…single…day! This just means the organization is growing and evolving. I had to be ok with this during the past two years. Without fail, every time we thought we had it figured out, it immediately changed. Being nimble – and resilient – is paramount. Once you feel like you’ve nailed it, just know, it will change. Each pivot is another step toward evolving, learning and growing.
Hybrid still works wonders.
We continue to be in the office one day a week, and have a dedicated space for anyone who needs it throughout the week. We found a great modern space that offers the team a dedicated open office environment that includes three private huddle spaces for team and client meetings. What I really love is how the team finds new ways to utilize our communication tools to further build camaraderie and culture when we’re working from home. We have a share a smile slack channel where we share daily shoutouts and team kudos, a virtual water cooler channel where fun questions of the day are posted and a talk of the town channel to share interesting tidbits, places to see and things to do. A huge shout out to a team that values culture and takes it upon themselves to consistently find fun ways to engage and find fun whether in the office or virtually. Making hybrid work as the team grows takes continued focus and attention. Everyone is committed to being responsible, accountable and available when remote, which is critical in making hybrid work.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT NEVER STOPS.
We have high expectations of our team members. Our clients are demanding, and we’re weaving and bobbing every day. Our agency model is unique, and our business is never static, so we are committed to continuous team development. We recently adjusted our weekly account scrum to the first half of the meeting being focused on day-to-day needs and deadlines for the week, with the second half focused on a team development exercise. The goal is to help strengthen team collaboration, learn strategies to be smarter team communicators, learn to be intentional listeners and level up our industry knowledge. This same “never stop learning” approach is why we are committed to re-implementing periodic lunch and learns covering an ever-growing list of industry innovations, practices, and department deep dives.
Keep an eye on growth.
Growth is necessary, but fast growth challenges you in many ways. In two short years, we have more than doubled our team, while we have grown our incredible roster of clients. We have built a strong methodology—grounded in strategy and integrated execution—that has allowed us to really flourish in the agency-of-record, full-service, space. We have grown our in-house digital, paid media and analytics services, as well as event management. And, we have further strengthened and elevated our creative strategy prowess. Most importantly, we never stop talking about and thinking about what’s next.
Staying out of the way is difficult.
Being a CEO is extremely rewarding. And what I’ve learned these past two years is that it’s really hard for me to walk away from the work. I love being a hands on jefa. I love being in the middle of the action with the team, being part of the process that brings all the strategy and creativity and subject matter expertise to life. I love being in meetings with our clients. I love finding solutions to all the challenges. Yet I’ve learned, there is a balance. I’ve created a culture where it’s ok for the team to “remind” me (respectfully, of course) to let them manage the day-to-day. I trust this team implicitly. I also appreciate their patience when I play the CEO card and get back into the action – because I truly do love what we do and never want to stop doing it.
Get Back In Line and Do It Again
Finally, I am forever grateful.
With every challenge, I will be forever grateful to my partners alongside me on this crazy ride – Laura Hotten and Kristine Smith. No matter how stressful things get, we always (always) find a way to laugh or break into song. I am thankful for our amazing clients who have entrusted us with their campaigns and to the dedicated and passionate talkStrategy team members who bring their A-game – and authentic selves – to work each and every day.
Owning a business and being a CEO comes with numerous challenges, worries and tough decisions, but it also brings many celebrations, moments of amazement and daily opportunities to keep learning and achieving. The days when I sit back in meetings, watching the team interact and strategize with clients, fill me with immense pride at seeing them really own their craft.
Am I exhausted? Sure am.
Am I still having fun? You betcha.
Am I ready for our team’s next roller coaster ride? Let’s go.
