At Twin Raven Marketing, we constantly encourage our team members to take a break and reflect on what’s going well and not so well in an effort to practice gratitude, stay grounded and create more opportunity. We like to practice what we preach, so this is our 2025 reflection list and some of the things we’re looking forward to in 2026. Let’s get into it.
Starting strong with some 2025 wins for prosperity…
- We gained 10 new clients, some one-off projects, others recurring. Our small but mighty team has dedicated time, energy, and talent to developing project proposals, working our networks, and continuing to provide excellent customer service along the way. It’s always a privilege to bring another small business on board and help them build their new brand identity, website, or marketing plan. Check out our portfolio to see some of our work.
- Speaking of bringing on new clients, you helped us break $400k in revenue! This humbling milestone has stirred a confidence boost in our small team. While there’s still a lot of work to be done to make this brand of success sustainable, we’ve taken it as an indication that our consistent tweaking of processes and approaches is beginning to pay off. Not to mention, we couldn’t be here, doing what we enjoy, without the trust of our small business clients. Thank you sincerely from the Twin Raven team!
- We completed a 2-month project in 11 days. A love letter to my co-owner, Katherine: she spent 1.5 weeks drinking London Fog lattes and taking power naps to accomplish an emergency design situation for a new client that usually takes two months to complete in just 11 days. At Twin Raven, we are beyond passionate about helping small businesses succeed, even at the cost of our sleep schedules – but don’t worry, we’re also passionate about taking breaks.
- We took on a project working for our alma mater, The University of Southern Mississippi. We had the privilege to work on a small project with Southern Miss, something that’s been on our bucket list since we started freelancing. It’s a huge honor to give back to the educational institution that prepared us to be the business owners we are today. To the top!
Some Tough Learnings: No reflection is complete without taking stock of the things that didn’t go so well. We’re a tough group who will take the following as lessons and opportunities for growth.
- We left the Colorado market. Managing a fully remote workforce can make it tough to provide excellence to clients out of state. Once Mel moved from Colorado to Maryland, we lost our “boots on the ground” in the highly competitive Colorado market and realized that in order to maintain our reputation for great service, we’d need to officially stop serving clients there. But you know the saying, “When one door closes…”
- We downsized our contracting staff. A sometimes painful part of owning an agency is having to adjust staffing as client needs fluctuate (hello, supply and demand). While we parted ways with some great talent, we take seriously our responsibility to be transparent and realistic with our contractors. We send our contractors off with words of recommendation and portfolio boosters, as well as our dedication to keep pushing to grow our business.
Looking Ahead to 2026
- It’s time to grow our client base in Maryland. Did you know that Twin Raven’s client base is strongest in the great state of Mississippi? Since both Katherine and Mel grew up and studied in Mississippi, it was our natural starting point. Now that Mel is in Maryland, it’s time to set our sights on growing our client base in the Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) area as well. We’re lifelong learners and can’t wait to see where this takes us. Are you a Maryland small business owner looking to build your brand? Contact us to schedule a free marketing consultation!
- We will do more of what we love. Twin Raven has dropped social media as an official service offering. This is a gamble that may or may not pay off; however, one thing is certain: Katherine and Mel’s lives are better off without social media, so we’ll be placing more of an emphasis on graphic design and website design, our greatest skill sets, to serve our small business clients better. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got plenty of recommendations for folks who are great at supporting with TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more. Sign up to be considered for our freelancer network through our contact form.
As we journey onward into 2026 (how is it March already?!), we’re grateful for the journey so far and excited for what’s ahead. Each project, partnership and lesson continues to shape Twin Raven into the kind of agency we set out to build: one that cares deeply about the people and small businesses we serve. If you’re a small business owner in Mississippi or Maryland looking for thoughtful, high-quality design and marketing support, we’d love to connect. Here’s to another year of creativity, collaboration and helping great businesses take flight.
