Mistakes we made (and what we learnt)
A year in, here are three things we got wrong. Writing them down so we do not have to repeat them, and so anyone walking the same path can dodge a couple of holes.
We over-promised on timelines. Early on, we wanted every "yes" to feel reassuring, so we set deadlines we could just about hit if everything went right. Everything rarely goes right. Now we quote dates that assume one surprise per project. Clients trust us more, not less.
We under-invested in writing things down. The first six months we lived in chat threads. By month seven we could not find anything. We now keep a tiny internal handbook — five pages, no more — and we update it on Fridays. Cheap, fast, saves an hour every week.
We tried to look bigger than we were. Marketing copy that hinted at "the team" when "the team" was three people felt clever at the time. Clients saw through it instantly and respected us less. Honest scale wins.
If anything here resonates and you want to compare notes, write to info@reelvertexzone.com.