Time pushes all things forward: life, goals, businesses and relationships. At the close of the year, we all take time to reflect on what empowered impactful change and what fell short of success in our personal and professional lives. We remember the excitement from our achievements and let our past challenges grant us knowledge and lead the way for growth in the new year.
This past year was defined by a return to normalcy. After the last two years of navigating what felt like a runaway train, 2022 seemed to be the year in which the world got back on track. Although we made it through what was initially pegged as the “new normal,” global events continued to send shockwaves through political, economic and social conditions worldwide. Pandemics, wars and recessions are no easy feats to face, yet 2022 had a sense of optimism and persistence that will extend past midnight on Dec. 31.
Treble has much to celebrate as the year comes to an end. Despite macroeconomic headwinds, Treble experienced a record year. The agency saw an increase in total revenue and the headcount of its team, with 18 total employees at the end of 2022 –– a 300% increase from what it was in March 2020. Alongside Treble’s rapid growth came successes that resonated throughout the agency and with its clients.
A Year of Record Growth for the Agency
- In November, Treble announced the formation of an enterprise technology practice group led by senior vice president Matt Grant. This group’s creation is a step forward for Treble in working closely with enterprise technology, late-stage and public companies. By building out another practice group, Treble solidified its goals to expand and diversify its client portfolio.
- Treble continued its series of successful partnerships with venture capital firms to amplify fund announcements. The agency’s Funding Accelerator Program experienced record revenue in 2022. Treble looked for where it could hone its skills in funding and ideated this program based on understanding a market need for capital efficiency and product engagement. The program executed a record number of launches, and the Treble team continues to perfect the craft of executing a funding launch.
Treble Clients Stay Winning
Treble remains at the forefront of understanding market needs and capitalizes on opportunities to better support and partner with its clients. Every funding accelerator Treble launched in 2022 successfully landed Tier-1 media placements. Each one drove investor awareness and lead generation for investment firms and their companies to establish a solid foundation of press coverage.
- Treble worked with World Innovation Lab (WiL) to launch its $1 billion fund. This launch was an opportunity to put into practice the skills Treble leveraged with smaller clients and apply them to a large-scale launch. Highlights from this launch included a WiL fund launch exclusive in TechCrunch by Kate Park, who was pitched as a new agency contact per the client's request. Other significant coverage was secured in PYMNTS.com and WSJ Pro Venture Capital.
- By launching almost every major Texas-based venture firm’s new fund in 2022, Treble expanded its client service skills and took a new approach to best drive state regional coverage. Treble executed funding launches for True Wealth Ventures –– which was also placed in TechCrunch –– Next Coast Ventures and S3 Ventures.
- Other clients saw exclusive placements in Business Insider, The New York Times, Fast Company, VentureBeat and even twice on the Nasdaq tower in Times Square.
Empowering Team Members for Excellence
Navigating challenges and finding solutions around the pandemic, remote work and the tech landscape was a priority for Treble to close 2022 from a point of strength. Treble shifted its working model to better account for the changes and trends remote work posed.
Beginning in January, Treble saw a significant shift in its attendance at in-person events. An essential component of public relations includes in-person networking, mentorship and client meetings. Some of the Treble team reconnected with industry leaders and colleagues at various events across the country –– such as RSA and PRSA –– while others accompanied reporters during customer tours and meetings with clients.
Because of the decision to work as a distributed team –– with team members now in Austin, San Diego, the Bay Area and Montana –– Treble leadership made an effort to better prioritize and uplevel employee engagement. This catered approach was to remain ahead of the curve in wellness and to keep its team safe and healthy, physically and mentally, which enabled the Treble team to thrive throughout the year. A definitive investment in technology helped the team operate efficiently in a remote model by investing in desktop monitors, smartwatches, ring lights and laptop risers.
Treble also recognized the reemerging importance and need for internal events, especially when managing a remote, distributed team. With over two-thirds of the current team headquartered in Austin, Treble made it a goal in 2022 to bring its West Coast members down south. In April, Treble hosted everyone in Austin for in-person workdays, meetings and, of course, happy hours with karaoke.
Then in September, it was the Austin team’s turn to visit their California and Montana counterparts during the agency’s successful inaugural retreat in Napa Valley. The camaraderie and skills gained from these events created a foundation for the agency to propel forward into next year. As 2023 draws near, Treble aims to ramp up the in-person element of PR to best support client relationships, as well as continued education and connectedness for its team.
What’s to Come
Looking ahead, Treble is constantly searching for ways to improve its internal and external efforts. New investments in platforms, such as one to enhance the team’s ability to lock in podcast opportunities, led the way for Treble to remain on the front lines of PR. Treble clients in 2023 will continue reaping the benefits of the agency’s technology stack, which is primed for targeted media engagements and accurate metric descriptions.
The Treble team can be sure that the hyper-deliberate, strategic and savvy way the leadership team crafts every decision will continue. The priority in 2023 is to practice PR on the offense and expand the expertise and capabilities of the Treble team through additional practice groups and services, such as demand generation. Leveraging Treble’s success from the last three years and being intelligent and focused on making methodical decisions for the current team will set up the agency in the long term.
Solid prospects continue to move through Treble’s client pipeline, and once new partnerships are established in the new year, added benefits with a focus on wellness will take form for the Treble team. Treble is excited to grow and scale, but as a bootstrapped company, there is still an on-the-ground reality of what’s to come.
As the new year approaches, Treble will continue to abide by its process that keeps its team intact through tough and easy times. There is always a bigger picture, and operating from a data-centric and cyclic perspective will empower Treble to come out strong, take advantage of the upsides and navigate the downsides in 2023.