When I think back to the early days of RMG, I never imagined celebrating our ten-year anniversary! To be honest, at the beginning most of my concerns were quite practical: finding clients, exploring my new identity as an entrepreneur and figuring out how to do all the things that business owners have to do that we aren’t taught in school. I remember feeling simultaneously energized and overwhelmed by it all. Fortunately, I had (and still have) a great support system at home, confidence in my marketing abilities and I’ve stubbornly refused to let failure be an option.
Looking back, it’s been incredibly satisfying to run RMG, despite all its inherent challenges. To my employees, contractors and agency partners, past and present, you’ve been an integral part in our success. Cheers to all of us! I can’t wait to see what the next ten years will bring!
1. Richardson Media Group launches
In the summer of 2014, after several decades working my way up the media planner/buyer ladder to become a media director, I took the leap, opening the doors to my self-named agency. With an M.Ed under my belt and 7 years of teaching experience adding to my resolve, the timing felt right to dive into entrepreneurship. Boosted by the love and encouragement of my friends and family and a healthy dose of optimism, Richardson Media Group was born!
2. Our first office in Amesbury, MA
A year or so post-launch, ready for a more professional footprint, we found our first office in the Lower Millyard in downtown Amesbury, MA. Big fans of historic buildings, we chose a space in a renovated mill building situated along the Powwow River, full of charm, high ceilings and exposed brick walls. It wouldn’t be long before our team started growing once we settled into our new home.
3. Moving north to Portsmouth, NH
Flash forward to 2017, a fellow business owner and friend of mine convinced me to share an office with her up in Portsmouth, NH, setting the stage for our move north across state lines. Eager to join Portsmouth’s thriving creative scene, and interested in building more connections, the decision felt right. Little did we know, new friends, agency partners and clients were waiting just around the corner.
4. Adding SEO Services into the mix
While RMG originally started out as a media planning/buying agency, gradually, over time, that profile changed. I recognized the value of adding SEO to RMG’s mix of services and from there, things took off quickly! Responding to the global clamor for search engine marketing has fed an increasing demand for SEO expertise and RMG’s SEO team has been happy to oblige. And the numbers don’t lie! As of 2024 SEO accounts comprise over 50% of our agency’s revenue stream.
5. Becoming the 1st NH marketing agency to earn B Corp certification
Spurred by a desire to incorporate my personal values into RMG’s business model, I joined the UNH Sustainability Institute’s B Impact Clinic in the fall of 2020. There, with the support of a stellar group of undergraduate students, I embarked upon the B Corp certification journey. It took about two years to complete the rigorous assessment process, but, finally, in January of 2022, RMG proudly earned our B Corp certification, positioning us as the first marketing agency in the State of New Hampshire to earn this key designation.
6. Meeting Sustainability Goals
I’ve always felt that running a sustainable business should be based on simple principles. It’s important to me that our actions and words reflect our values in everything we do, each and every day. There are many ways to incorporate a sustainable approach into our operations, whether it’s reflected in our marketing efforts, paid media and SEO services, environmental goals or our brand story. From choosing a green host for our website, purchasing media from vendors who use less carbon, incorporating robust privacy policies, volunteering in our community, treating our employees fairly and keeping open channels of communications to build trust between leadership and stakeholders. And that’s only the beginning. Sustainability is a mindset, not a destination.
7. The BSuite Podcast goes live!
It had always been my dream to host a podcast. Maybe this feeling stemmed from my time teaching or maybe it reflected a hidden quest for the limelight, but whatever the motivation, my dream became reality back in early 2020. That year, the world had suddenly shut down at the onset of the pandemic and the RMG team was adjusting to work at home. With the help of Zoom, a makeshift mic, and a few brave souls who agreed to be my first guests on the podcast, I wondered, how hard could this be? Four seasons and forty episodes later, the BSuite podcast eventually found its legs and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve produced. Primarily a conversation with other purpose-driven leaders, the BSuite is a forum for exploring new ideas, encouraging curiosity and building connections. And if you ask me, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
8. Teaching at UNH B Impact Clinic
I consider myself a lifelong teacher. So when UNH’s Sustainability Institute came a-calling in the Spring of 2021, I was more than ready to get started. In my role as business advisor and later an instructor at the UNH B Impact Clinic, my fellow business leaders and I have mentored different groups of undergrad students looking to learn about sustainable career paths. Together with the students, we’ll guide a business through the early stages of the B Impact Assessment, the questionnaire that forms the framework for B Corp certification. Having been a client of the B Impact Clinic myself a few years before, I felt well suited to take on this role.
9. Celebrating our growing team
From its earliest days, RMG has supported a hybrid business model, hiring and retaining remote and hybrid talent way before it became a trend! Today, RMG team members hail from a variety of locations, including: West Palm Beach, FL, Santa Cruz, CA, Denver, CO, Wells, ME, Somerville, MA, and of course, our home town of Portsmouth, NH. We even have a longstanding employee located across the pond in Edinburgh, Scotland! There’s no limit to what our small but mighty hybrid team can do!
10. Happy 10th Birthday, RMG!
Ten years is a big deal! It’s a significant milestone worthy of celebration! It’s also a time of reflection, learning and anticipation. RMG wouldn’t be the agency it is today without the contributions of so many unique individuals over the past decade. We’re so fortunate to have wonderful agency partners who have brought us long term referral business and loyal clients who have trusted us to manage their marketing campaigns with expertise and understanding year over year. And most important to our continued success is the RMG team itself, past and present, the folks who share their talents and work hard to serve our clients, all the while helping to define our agency story. Thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart.
Here’s to the next ten!
