In this blog post, we share an exciting update about celebrating our two year anniversary.

To mark the event, we launched two exciting products and a fundraiser for Getaway Girls. 

1. Launching an exciting collaboration

As an entrepreneur, I firmly believe that taking the time to celebrate success and milestones along the way is crucial for reflection and growth.

We can only connect the dots looking backwards, so for me, it’s important to step back and look at how things have developed, what has worked well and what we can be proud of.

There was a time however when I didn’t think like this. I vividly remember two months before our first year anniversary, feeling reluctant to have a celebration. I used to think that ‘we’re just a small company’ and that perhaps anniversaries are not necessarily ‘such a big deal’.

Luckily, Isabel, our then Engagement and Content Executive, was bolder in her vision and pushed me to think bigger. It was alongside her that we developed the concept for our 1-year anniversary.

Read how we celebrated our first year in business and why it was a special night

We invited clients, collaborators, associates and mentors for an exciting celebration in Leeds town centre and it was brilliant. 

Last year we also launched our Guide to Communicating Research Beyond Academia which has been a huge success and a major part of developing our business in its second year.

When it came to thinking about celebrating our two-year anniversary, I knew I wanted it to be different but equally special.

During one of my random Twitter searches, I came across an interview with Heidi Gardner on BBC Scotland where she shares her business journey with Science on a Postcard. I was intrigued by Heidi’s story and her mission to help scientists feel represented in their fields by creating lovely pins researchers can wear with pride:

When I saw the pins, I immediately spotted the ‘Science Communicator’ one, but I knew there could be another addition to the collection. I wanted to collaborate with Heidi to create a ‘Research Communicator’ pin.

Heidi and I agree that while the titles are similar, some people shy away from using the word ‘science’ when talking about their work. Or some people only think of certain fields when they mention science, avoiding, for example, a wide range of social science disciplines. 

In addition to the pins, Heidi also creates other fun notebooks, stickers, tote bags, keyrings and more. Looking at the selection, I knew a notebook would also work really well because it provides the space for a quote on the cover. When thinking about our research communication workshops, one slide, in particular, stood out:

This slide always gets a laugh and sends home the message that communicating research in accessible ways helps support evidence-based decision-making. We agreed to put this quote on a notebook and created a second product:

2. Fundraising for Getaway Girls

Having decided on the products, I knew I wanted this collaboration to have a fundraising component.

I looked for organisations that support women and young girls, coming across Getaway Girls.

Getaway Girls empowers young women to build confidence and resilience, develop new skills and take positive risks in an environment that offers cooperation and support.  We achieve this through individual support, group work, outreach, detached, residential opportunities creative arts, sports development, adventure education, training, peer support and opportunities for voice and influence.

As a Leeds-based business, it’s important for me to support local organisations that are a force for good. This is one of the many reasons we chose this charity. My team was also happy to share why they’re happy to support:

So, £1 of every sale of the pins or notebooks goes towards Getaway Girls. 

3. Celebrating with our team

In terms of properly celebrating our two-year anniversary, this year I focused on showing appreciation to our associates and internal team who make what we do happen. We organised a small brunch in Leeds to say thank you and to launch the products and the fundraiser. It was great to have (almost all) our team there and to mark this special milestone.

Thanks to everyone who came from Sheffield, York, Leeds and London to be with us. 

Thank you for being part of our journey and for following along. We’re excited for 2020 and for what’s in store for our third year in business!