A Look Back & Forward: The Year of Expansion
Authored by Rebecca Twitchell
When we sit down with our clients, one of the first questions we ask is, “What’s in your strategic plan?” It doesn’t matter the type of engagement — whether it’s a team building gig, a multi-month training series, a corporate service day, etc. — we want to see or hear about the strategic plan because sitting within it holds the answers to how the company thinks about things like core values, vision and mission, overarching objectives, yearly motivators, and commitment to their people, among so many other things.
At half full, llc, we’re no different!
With great pride and intention, we prioritize regular strategic planning for ourselves. Last November, we spent a great deal of time looking ahead…
Eagerly anticipating 2025 when half full, llc, turns 20! More on that in a bit!
Brainstorming how to continue to invest in our people, clients and community
Considering what it means to live our values even more boldly in the coming years
Reflecting on new challenges facing the workplace and how we can help our clients navigate them
Exploring an finalizing new service, offerings and programs we most want to launch
Through this exercise, what became immediately clear was what our purpose in 2024 would be….
Expansion
With our North Star set, we got to work! Approaching 2024 with clarity and conviction as to what Expansion would look like and feel like throughout the year. For us, that meant taking each quarter and prioritizing specific goals within that quarter that would support our holistic vision for Expansion in 2024. Here’s how that translated for us:
Q1, Expand the Business: We kicked off 2024 with a huge announcement — our acquisition of Advancing Workplace Excellence (AWE). This milestone enabled us to supercharge our next phase of growth by adding AWE’s vast talent development curriculum and immersive learning experience services to our existing offerings of team building, facilitation, and corporate development offerings (you can dive in further here). That momentous decision was critical in positioning us for a year of expansion. Perhaps most excitingly, we were able to serve 25% more clients this year and, in so doing, amplify our collective impact and help a greater number of teams overcome the obstacles that keep them from moving forward.
Q2, Expand Our Space: A vision we’ve long had in our hearts is to establish Rhode Island as a premier, go-to location for team and leadership development experiences. In Q2 of this year, we took sizeable steps forward towards turning that vision into reality by expanding the square footage of our headquarters at 400 Smith Street, representing the first of several moves to longer term space expansion plans. Our expanded facility — featuring built-in podcasting, plenty of brainstorming space with your team, and a quiet place for our Flex Facilitators to facilitate virtual trainings — enables us to more powerfully service our clients via not-your-average, team facilitation. If you haven’t yet seen our expanded space, reach out to me ; I’d love to give you a personal tour! And stay tuned… we will shortly be announcing our programming for next year at our space which we were just awarded a $10,000 small business grant to help support - we’d love to see you there!
Q3, Expand the Team: One of the most meaningful parts of 2024 for me personally has been the new faces and talent we’ve welcomed to the half full, llc, family . With AWE officially becoming part of our fold, we welcomed Lisa Bergeron, Tejal Tarro, and Vicki Dodge. Moreover, this year, we officially launched our Flex Facilitator Model, enabling us to partner with the best facilitators, trainers, and leadership extraordinaries across the country and bring them in intentionally to support our clients. This model has enabled us to grow our pool of talent by an additional 15+ facilitators in just a few months, and we can’t wait to welcome in even more Flex Facilitators in 2025. Additionally, we welcomed our newest core team member Michelle Lemoi, our Client Impact Partner, and continued to grow the impact and reach of all our core team members. You can meet the whole team by clicking here!
Q4, Expand the Geographic Footprint: We feel so honored to be in partnership with companies located all over the globe and as the world continues to open back up — and companies continue to reinvest in experiences for their teams — we have taken critical steps in the last few months to build the foundation to considerably expand half full, llc’s, geographic footprint. Greater travel, more miles traveled, new continents to explore, and a whole new group of clients who we’re excited to partner with in 2025! In addition, geographic expansion looks like things such as holding Forwards (our version of retreats) all across the globe, extending the reach of our social impact (becoming B Corp certified is top of our list), and being a steady presence at workforce development events.
When I reflect on this year and consider how strongly we honored our commitment to Expansion, I feel immense Gratitude.
Those of you who know me well know that I believe that Gratitude is a way of being. It’s a mindset and a choice to see the world through a half full lens. It requires pause, reflection, and acknowledgement of the good. And it also creates space for us to affirm all the good — from the people in our life to the milestones reached to the ahas gleaned to the progress made along the way.
So, today, I want to thank you.
No matter how you know us or came to us, you are a part of our story forever. Your trust, belief, partnership, friendship, and support are the reasons years like this become possible for businesses like ours. It’s also the reason folks like me can dream bigger and bolder about what comes next. And let me tell you, with our 20th year kicking off in just a few days… get ready for lots of celebration all in the name of Gratitude!
As we bring to close 2024, and collectively eye a new year in front of us, on behalf of the entire half full, llc, team I want to wish you cherished memories in these final few days, the hope of brightness ahead, and the start of an amazing 2025!
With Deep Gratitude,
Rebecca
