It’s that time of the year again. We look back and are predictably surprised. Surprised that the year has gone by so fast. Surprised at how far we’ve come. Surprised that we haven’t written as much as we would have liked.
To say that 2016 was a momentous year for us would be an understatement. I’m proud that we had the character to power through the tougher times and come out on the other side better for them. Today we have problems of plenty compared with those of scarcity at the start.
What is that character I speak about? To me, it is the #CanDo (sorry) attitude that drives us forward. The willingness to get our hands dirty and solve tough problems. And the enthusiasm with which we approach the unknown. I can proudly say that this is something that each and every Bandar here has in them. And this is the very DNA of Teen Bandar. We may not know the answers to all the questions, but we sure as hell can figure them out.
From the time when Savio and I decided to take the plunge, I’ve often wondered if I’d be better off in a corporate job, working for “the man”. The answer has always been a resounding no. The experiences I gain here are unparallelled and something no money can buy.
2016 has also been memorable for the opportunities it has given us in terms of meeting a wider variety of potential clients. From struggling to be taken seriously to having our work speak for itself and open new avenues for us, we’ve come a long way. It’s also heartening to see clients embrace video (including 360º and live) so enthusiastically. We’re doing more video content now than ever before and that’s a trend we’d like to continue into 2017. Most importantly, we’ve already hit some targets that seemed impossible at the start of the year and we’ve still got 3 months to go for the end of the financial year.
All said and done, 2016 was a year that will set the base for the next few years. It is the foundation we needed to build for a stronger and better future. We begin 2017 with a note of change. Our office will undergo some long awaited renovations and I hope some of the thought we’ve put in to the new design will have an impact on our productivity and ability to do more. We’re also starting the year by adding new Monkeys to the team. Savio and I strongly believe that every person who works with us makes a difference and moulds us in ways we never dreamt of. As we grow, I hope we remain true to our roots and create a safe space for ideas to take shape.
This new year post wouldn’t be complete without my wishlist:
- Dream audaciously: Maybe its because we’ve already achieved some of those targets or maybe its because I’m still hungry to do better, but I felt like our aims for 2016 weren’t audacious enough. In 2017, my promise is to chase those dreams we felt were too far earlier and kept putting off. Hopefully, we’ll be able to showcase something before the end of the year. Till then, my lips are sealed.
- Plan better: If we plan our days better, maybe we’ll be able to leave work just a little bit earlier. Maybe our all-nighters will no longer have our laptops open with pizza from Jack’s (thanks, Jack’s, you guys are awesome!) for dinner.
- Keep learning: I failed in Class XI, so it’s a bit rich coming from me! Nonetheless, if we don’t keep learning and keeping up with the latest trends and developments, we’ll become redundant one day. I don’t ever want to be redundant.
- Do new things: I’m like a child in a toy store when it comes to experimenting and trying new things. In 2017, expect more childlike behaviour from me.
- Be frugal, not miserly: We enter 2017 better off than we entered 2016. We have more resources at our disposal now to make sure that we’re able to do better things. This can easily lead to unnecessary indulgences. We should be careful to avoid this. On the other hand, we shouldn’t be so frugal that it ends up harming us and costing us opportunities. Striking the right balance is most important.
Finally, Savio. The yin to my yang. The starter and finisher of arguments. His persistence has been the most important ingredient to our (relative) success. The one who’s always there to lift me when I’m down (physically and emotionally). We did it, Savio, we made sure we lived up to the year of the monkey!
