How Old Is Tribal? About 135cm Old

A few weeks ago, I chatted to a new customer over a video call about Tribal and they asked how old the business is. My instant reaction was to turn to my side and move my hand up and down saying “About this old”.   

We had a giggle because I didn’t measure our age in years but against the height of my youngest daughter, who was born just a couple of months before I started the business in 2015. 

I sometimes joke that Tribal is like my fourth child and as any parent knows, the days often feel long but the years go fast!   

Anyone who starts their own entrepreneurial journey knows that you rarely have time to sit and reflect – milestone moments are the prompt for this. So here goes for another year! 

A Tough Year 

There you go. That pretty much sums it up. 

As I wrote my birthday blog in 2022 we were emerging from the pandemic. I felt full of energy and optimism. Then we were slapped in the face with an economic crisis that inevitably impacted everyone. 

It felt relentless. 

As if we were navigating a ship through an endless storm, running between the crow’s nest (looking to the future) back to the ship’s wheel (to navigate our immediate course). 

On top of that, I experienced losses and health struggles which slowed me down.   

But it’s during such turbulent times that you appreciate the strength of the tribe around you.  

Strength Of The Tribe 

Despite the delays, the cancellations, and the movements that our customers needed to make, our team flexed and continued to deliver services and solutions that exceeded expectations.   

Not only that, but we also managed to delight our customers whilst we restructured ourselves, our teams and developed new product offerings. 

If this wasn’t enough, we continued investing in growth hosting our 5th Social Business Exchange event at the top of the Gherkin talking about scaling employee social media programs on LinkedIn. 

I’ve had several ‘pinch me’ moments and as many ‘help me’ moments this last year - up and down like an exhilarating, borderline terrifying, rollercoaster. 

But the tribe held strong.   

They adapted to change, stayed committed to our purpose, and not once compromised on quality. How lucky I feel to be surrounded by such a talented team who are ‘customer-centric’ to the core. 

From Growth To Scale 

As I look ahead, I’m not making any predictions - if the last 3 years taught me anything, it’s that you don’t know what’s around the corner. But we’ll continue to make plans. 

I’m in a much better place with my mindset and health. I’m reading a lot of books, engaging with a lot of conversations on LinkedIn and I’m crystallising our strategy as we move from growth to scale.   

I’ve just finished reading Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz (I’m a huge fan of his books – a must-read for business leaders). He retold a story about two lumberjacks. If you’ve never heard the story, here’s a video: 

Sometimes we feel we should work harder when what we really need is to work smarter. A recent trip to Barcelona taught me the value in this exercise.   

Innovative ideas don’t come to us when we’re sat in front of a screen. They come to us whilst we’re on a train, in the gym, or out for a walk.   

When I clear my head (and calendar), I make space for ideas so this is what I shall be working on over the next 12 months.   

What’s Next 

I’m so proud to be leading our tribe into its 8th year – it feels so weird writing that. Every year I say I’m excited about the future and this year is no different.   

The fact that we’re trusted by so many global brands to activate their executives, sales teams, and employee influencers on LinkedIn is not lost on me.

Our most progressive and ambitious customers see the competitive advantage to be gained by centralising their employee social media programs - connecting the dots for greater efficiency. 

They know that digitally upskilling their employees to use LinkedIn will accelerate their growth out of the economic crisis and create a strong employer brand for attracting talent.   

We’re already exploring the opportunity that Generative AI brings for our customers whilst making sure they prioritise authenticity, we’re investing in partnerships and focusing our go-to-market approach like never before.   

This is what excites me. This is what gives me energy. 

I’m ready for the next 8 years and the adventures that come with it. 

Let’s go!