*Covers Ears*…Budget Cuts are Coming

When I came back to work in July, after 10 months of (relatively) blissful maternity leave, I naively hoped I would be picking up where I left off, and that the whispers of ‘budget cuts’ in the summer of 2023 hadn’t had a direct impact on my job, or the agency as a whole.

Rewinding just 18 months, everyone was starting to feel the pinch. Rooster was in a strong place (we still are, thankfully). Client retention was great, the new business pipeline was plentiful, and projects were coming through the door. But budget cuts were trickling down, impacting our clients, our direct reports, and naturally – us. The outlook for 2024 was also looking uncertain.

Then came my baby bubble, and all that work worry went away. For a while.

I thought I had kept my finger on the pulse enough while I was off, I would check LinkedIn a few times a week, and kept across Rooster’s and my clients’ social media accounts. I will admit I didn’t have the news on much, I was at ‘Bounce and Rhyme’ sessions at the library singing nursery rhymes, of course.

It wasn’t until I got back into the thick of it, did I realise how much the industry had been impacted and contracted. LinkedIn was teaming with redundancy posts across the creative space, more ‘open to work’ profile photos than I had ever seen, and news of PR agencies calling it time and closing their doors.

But, if my 12 years of agency experience has taught me anything: enjoy the highs, but prepare and brace for the lows. So in that vein, I am balancing both – the highs of returning to work (I knew early on I wanted to be a working mum), with the lows of an uncertain climate.

To combat the latter, I have been seeking out meaningful connections and have met and reconnected with fantastic like-minded people in Bristol over the past few months. From attending a charity gala dinner, to networking drinks run by City Girl Network, and not forgetting most recently, hospitality at Bristol Bears vs Saracens (pictured) with our co-workspace Origin, and of course a much needed cider with old clients too. While the sentiment across the board is similar, we’re all putting ourselves out there – fighting the good fight for jobs and a sector we love.

So, while we all ride out the storm (and I am told 2025 is the year to thrive), I’m confident in saying I have found my sea legs, and I am approaching work life with the mindset: The tides of change will build you or break you. And despite choppy waters, I am navigating towards the former with sheer determination.

If you’re seeking a meaningful connection in Bristol and the South West, whether it’s to brainstorm creative ideas, discuss business challenges or simply fancy a coffee, then contact Arabella via arabella.halfhide@rooster.co.uk or LinkedIn.