Dear Friends!
I’m excited to announce a new chapter for DARCI Creative beginning with a move to new offices starting October 1st. Since the pandemic, we’ve all experienced so much change and here at DARCI, we’re no exception. Not being able to be face-to-face forced us to adapt to virtual team and client meetings. As a result, we hired two key players who live out of state (one in Los Angeles and the other in Florida). I admit, I would never have been open to that prior to COVID-19 and it’s been a very beneficial thing for both the Agency, and our clients.
We’ve loved our home at 96 Chestnut in downtown Portsmouth for the past 7 years but now that 80% of our staff is full-time remote, it doesn’t make sense to remain in this 3-story house. The good news is we’ve found a perfect solution at NEOS, located at 1950 Lafayette Road, where we’ll have two large office suites along with a great conference room for both in-person team and client meetings PLUS plenty of parking! This too, will be very beneficial for the Agency. This move is the right one for our business AND we’re honoring what our team wants, which is to work from home.
I’ve followed a lot of thought leaders on this ‘new normal’ and the need to create a healthy work/life balance for employees. While I’ve always been mindful of creating an environment where my team feels nurtured and valued, I also understand the importance of being flexible and adaptable after 30+ years in marketing (which is always changing). Even before the pandemic I implemented something I call Healthy Happy Hours, which offers my team the opportunity to take an hour out of each day to do something healthy like attend a yoga class, take a walk, go to the gym, etc. And, earlier this summer we moved from our normal “Four O’Clock Fridays” to “Summer Fridays” so everyone could enjoy that long-weekend-feeling every week by closing at 1:00pm. It’s been so well-received that we have decided to extend it through the end of the year.
I share this because I believe that other small business owners might benefit from hearing what we do to keep our team connected and engaged to the mission and vision of DARCI Creative post-pandemic. I weighed my fear of lack of productivity against my trust in my team, and it is paying off for everyone involved.
Our clients continue to receive high-quality attention and creative work, and our team feels good about what we do here every day without unnecessary pressure or stress. We are thrilled to have welcomed several new clients in recent weeks, and are all excited for the continued growth of our specialized brand marketing boutique agency — even if it looks a little different on the outside. But in all honesty, it’s looked different on the inside for the past 2 1/2 years — we are just now embracing the “new” look.
Thanks for reading, and we are always here if you need outstanding creative campaigns to power up your brand and increase your sales.
Be well,
Darci
Check us out! A few team members recently visited the new office space. Left to right, Cam McMaster, Darci, Jon Dunn and Caitlin Thayer.
