You might call it moxie.
When Matt and I started Seesaw, we had drive in spades. You might even call it moxie.
Two kids who came from nothing and with not much to lose decided, over a pie and a beer at the pub, to start a business. We knew nothing more than we passionately loved design. The craft.
It really was pretty simple. Quality. Quality experiences, quality time, quality people and quality work. As my Mum has said to me a million times, ‘Anita, you’re here for a good time, not a long time’. We get to do this crazy ride once, so why settle for anything less?
— Anita
No business plan. No structure. Yet we rapidly grew. From two founders to 15 people. As the years ticked past and the stress to pay substantially larger bills kicked in, we somehow misplaced the love of the craft as our focus switched to growth, numbers and structure. It drained us, taking with it the clarity of what we stood for.
We quickly realised that our lack of focus was making us miserable. We lost what mattered most. And what was that? It really was pretty simple. Quality. Quality experiences, quality time, quality people and quality work. As my Mum has said to me a million times, ‘Anita, you’re here for a good time, not a long time’. We get to do this crazy ride once, so why settle for anything less?
At Seesaw, our focus is strategic, authentic storytelling. We define what makes our clients unique, allowing them to shine. But, we asked, what did we stand for? As a values-driven business, three core principles steered our journey: craft, intelligence and goodness.
Craft — choosing to create beautiful work driven by passion and a love for design. Intelligence — choosing to hire people of high EQ and IQ, working with clients who challenge and excite us, and creating solutions that have depth, thought and strategy. And finally, my absolute favourite — Goodness. We choose to work with good humans, crafting a good work culture and working with like-minded clients who do good. Work that gives back, and that uses our skills for a greater good.
By defining our values, we did what we’ve been doing for our clients all along. We gave ourselves purpose. Today, we partner with clients who share our values, and our vision for a world with a little more goodness.
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