Two For One - Agency Lessons and Raising Twins
WRITTEN by: Erin Rogers |
categories:
Business Growth
From the moment I found out I was having twins (okay, a little while after the tears of panic dried up), I started approaching this life-changing event like my job… as a project manager. Deep down I figured I was probably kidding myself, but a little part of me was hoping that some of the things I’d learned along the way in agency life—all of the planning, brief moments of creativity and ongoing client management—might miraculously come in handy. Looking back at my first year of multiples motherhood, I wasn’t entirely wrong.
While appearing very similar on the surface, smaller clients have very different ways of telling me what they want, when I’m getting it right and how they feel when I’m way off the mark. As we’ve gotten to know each other, I’ve picked up on those queues. If they could talk, I know which one would prefer a phone call vs. an email.
There are some very important agency life lessons that I apply with my two little girls every day. Here are just a few.
Don’t underestimate what you can accomplish in 15 minutes.
Work requires that I think of my entire day in 15-minute increments and billable or non-billable hours. While this shackle can sometimes be REALLY annoying, I’ll admit it’s sometimes helpful in keeping me focused and more productive.
When all the mommy duties are doubled, schedules are your only hope for survival. This 15-minute mindset can come in handy, and it is all it takes to get two kids in the tub, scrubbed, myself brushed and mascara-ed while they splash around a little (hey, we have some fun here!), toweled, dressed and back to playing. This didn’t happen overnight, mind you, but here we are.
So yes, if I have 15 minutes before my next client meeting, I WILL go ahead and proof that brochure, comment on those latest video edits and update that budgeting spreadsheet.
Sometimes 15 minutes takes two hours. Plan for the unexpected.
I don’t care how well-thought-out my timelines are or how many promises I’ve made to clients that we’ll “have that to you by end of business,” life with twins has reminded me, when possible, to give myself some cushion. Sometimes someone poops in the tub. One time they both did. Sometimes what should be a 15 minute design revision takes two hours because a computer crashes. If I anticipate that it COULD happen, I’m not as frazzled if it DOES happen.
When you have multiple “clients,” don’t be surprised that one can’t wait to run while the other would be happy crawling forever.
One of my girls has always been in a hurry. She’s probably the reason they surprised us 9 weeks early. The other has always been much more laid back – approaching each new stage cautiously and thoughtfully. And that’s okay. My job is to be encouraging, not pushy. Provide options. Some clients will be ready to take risks, while others would prefer a tried-and-true route. Respect that. Understand why. There are times when running isn’t the smartest route.
In a bottle or a sippy cup, milk is still milk. I just need to get them to drink it.
One of the things you let go of quickly in surviving twins is the desire, in your quest for efficiency, to have everyone doing the same thing at the same time in the same way. I shouldn’t have been surprised when one baby grabbed the first sippy cup ever presented to her and carried on without missing a beat. On the other hand, the other looked at me like I’d grown three heads and had killed her best friend. Basically, she refused to drink out of it for more than a month. While I didn’t want a counter full of bottles AND sippy cups, I was reminded that presentation matters.
When showing creative work to clients, consider their personality and how they prefer to work. One can be perfectly happy making decisions off of a 8.5×11 printout, while others need a grand unveiling. The work we’re showing is the same. But, how we package it or explain it can determine whether or not they buy.
It’s easier to do with a team.
There is no way I’d have survived this first year without my husband. Parents of singletons… you know how when your baby wakes up, you feed them, change them, get them back to sleep and then go back to bed? Having twins is a lot like that. Only you don’t go back to bed. Because there is another one that now needs those EXACT. SAME. THINGS. Done with the second baby? The other is ready to start all over again.
We tried shifts, so while one worked their butt off, the other got a solid stretch of sleep. Then we tried the team approach. We missed out on some sleep, but we were actually happier. We didn’t feel so alone, we had someone to commiserate with when our “clients” were being unreasonable, and we came up with some great ideas at 3 a.m. for making things better. We had different ways of doing things, but it always got done.
In agency life, your work is never really done. As soon as one big project is over, the other is just starting. And while a designer, a copywriter, a project manager and an account executive all have very different perspectives and ways of approaching a client project, our best ideas usually come from working together, not in silos. And let’s face it, some days we’re just tired. When you can’t be awesome all the time and you’re not thinking clearly, it’s nice to know you have your team to back you up, step in and pick up your slack.
We don’t stay in this business because it’s easy. Some days we wonder why we even bother and if we’re even making a difference. But as my girls have reminded me, the hard work does pay off, and nothing feels better than when your client smiles.
