14 Key Lessons from WRU on Our 14-Year Journey

Starting a business is a life-changing decision—especially when you begin with zero initial investment. The challenge is harder when you choose to enter a saturated market filled with myths, like marketing.

Today, WRU celebrates 14 years on the market, and I want to share the four core pillars that have sustained our growth: resilience, referrals, documentation, and a solid financial plan. This path has allowed us to build a multidisciplinary team of 20+ collaborators and serve mostly multiregional clients.

1. Resilience as a Business Muscle

In marketing—as in many industries—resilience isn’t optional. It’s a strategic skill. And not precisely because we enjoy fighting against all odds, but because we work in a field that evolves daily. The tactics that worked five years ago are likely outdated now.

Adapting doesn’t mean reacting—it means anticipating with structure and purpose. Staying informed, embracing tech trends, and building a team that’s multigenerational, neurodiverse, and skilled has helped us respond to tenders, evolve strategies, and ultimately grow as a service provider.

Our resilience didn’t happen by chance—it was built through strategic choices, empathetic leadership, and committed teams.

2. The Power of Referrals: How Our Network Fuels Growth

At the beginning, I reached out to close contacts—former coworkers, university peers, and industry acquaintances. I knew that pool would run dry quickly. But referral marketing isn’t limited when used strategically:

• Our reputation started with the very first client. Celebrate your wins, connect with key stakeholders, and expand your organic reach.
• Over 80% of our current clients came through referrals. Trust isn’t bought, it’s built, project by project. Giving an extraordinary service allows you to expand your possibilities of generating new lead opportunities.
• Your team is your best brand ambassador. Happy employees drive visibility. Take care of your people, they are your greatest asset.

3. Documentation: The Legacy Behind Growth

From day one, we built internal processes that prioritize knowledge sharing and scalability. This mindset gives us the opportunity to revisit what worked, learn from mistakes, and track our evolution.

• WRU has documented wins, losses, and lessons since the early days—and we keep them up to date with tech and market shifts.
• Documentation isn’t bureaucracy—it’s continuity. You don’t realize how critical operational records are until you’re preparing for a bid.
• Today, our know-how lives in success stories, client testimonials, and our internal platforms—ready to scale without losing our essence.

4. Financial Planning: Creativity with Numbers in Check

Regardless of your niche, financial planning is the backbone of sustainable business growth.

• Know your tax structure and how it affects operations across business cycles.
• A creative agency without financial structure is just an idea waiting to expire. Build a reserve fund for at least three months of operations—Trust me.
• Understand your margins and costs clearly, without compromising your team.

Having control over our finances has given us creative freedom and long-term projection.

Building a business isn’t about great ideas alone, it’s about consistent, strategic decisions over time.

At WRU, we’ve made it by staying true to our values—not by copying what others do. Our communication tools, like the We R Podcast, are designed to connect, not to please the algorithm. Because in this business, what’s authentic lasts longer than what’s viral.