2024 Take 2
The sense that I’m getting from conversations about 2025 is that 2024 was just the soft launch for 2025.
2024 laid the groundwork for what 2025 will fulfil.
I agree with this idea because I don’t think that we as a business really ended 2024 with a definite last page as December 2024 felt more like a bookmark instead.
For many people, they started new ventures in 2024 that will only see fruits this coming year. I know friends how have quit their jobs to start a business, others who have decided to stay firm where they are at to build their careers. Many of us planted seeds in 2024 with hopes to reap the harvest this year.
For us at Roundtable, we decided to move from our comfortable little house of a studio and move into a commercial lot to make space for the new projects and partnerships that will come in 2025. It wasn’t an easy decision. The cost really took us by surprise to be honest, but we’re here now. We’ve started working at this space, and I can feel it teeming with potential.
Thank you so much for these Champs who came to help us clean up and move in
While we’ve settled in, there’s still so much to be done, but what this space allows us to do and to be is something I’m really looking forward to. I won’t spent too much time explaining or describing the space (I can always do up a video about the space when it’s ready), but I thought I’d spend the remaining of this post talking about why we made this jump and what I’m looking forward to in 2024v2.
Why A New Space?
We loved our previous space, but it started becoming too homely and less “workey.” It was going to take a lot of effort to turn that space into a space to do serious work.
We outgrew the usable space. The main reason we started looking for a new studio space was because we just ran out of comfortable working space. We previously operated out of a 2-storey terraced house and while it had a lot of space on paper, the usable space of a house didn’t suit our needs anymore. Our shoots started feeling more and more cramped and it started being uncomfortable to work there if we were to expand beyond our current team.
We wanted a change of environment. Part of the move was also to have a new mindset coming into the new year. Don’t get us wrong, while Roundtable’s goal is to make all our team members feel like they have a place, we don’t want them to be family. At the end of the day, we want our team to be able to go home to their families instead of treating the office like their home.
We had an opportunity. Our lease ending coincided with Dan.works lease ending as well so Daniel reached out to us if we wanted to collaborate on getting a bigger space that both of us can benefit from. We decided that since our businesses complemented each other, it made sense for us to find an office together.
I think a word to sum up all the reasons is: Potential. There was so much potential Roundtable’s trajectory in 2024, and we wanted to take advantage of that momentum to build this space so that we can unlock more opportunity.
And now as we head into 2025 with a new space, we want to put behind the things that held us down in 2024 and move forward to create, produce and thrive.
But what’s 2024’s lessons?
Before I share what I look forward to in 2025, I think it’s apt to talk about 2024 and what lessons it held for me as an entrepreneur and the impact is had made on this business.
Play The Long Game. I almost forgot about this being my motto at the beginning of 2023 until a friend brought it up recently. It’s so easy to do the easy thing, and the easy thing is the thing that brings you immediate gratification. The business I want to build is not for short term gain, and in order to achieve that goal, I need to consistently make decisions to postpone my desires for the long game.
Solve Your Problems One Problem At A Time. I reached my capacity in 2024. Having to juggle between a full time commitment and building this company really took a mental toll on me. In the end, I decided that it was time to finally leave my full time job and focus on Roundtable 100%. I had to leave because there were just too many issues I had to deal with in both commitments. And choosing to stay in both would have been a disservice to both.
Don’t Let Things Linger. I used to think that I’m someone who wants to see the best in people, but now I know that some of it is because I don’t like confrontation. I have a tendency to overthink every conversation and any conversation that requires some emotions really work me up. This year, I realized that not confronting is worse. It’s way better to let your opinion be known especially if you’re leading a team than to be bitter about it, waiting for people to “get you.”
2025, let’s go.
For this coming year, I’m looking forward and excited for the momentum that we’re going to have in Roundtable.
R&D Creative Hub. Our new studio/office space is going to be a place to create, explore and grow. From our blank canvases to our podcast room, content corner and kitchen set, there’s so much we can do with this space and so much still to be done until it’s ready.
Roundtable Media. Our goals this year is to become content owners and not just creators. Beyond just our client work, we want to be able to create shows and channels that speak to the niches that we are excited about. We’re also going to be expanding into the social media space. But…one step at a time okay?
White Room. Things may seem a little quiet from our wedding and life events arm, but I’m actually quite excited with the bookings that are coming in. We took quite a haitus last year with less than a dozen weddings, but I think we’ve mentally recovered and the team’s quite excited to create lasting moments.
It’s only apt to close this by thanking God for his faithfulness over Roundtable in 2024. We hit some pretty low points, but we were never in lack.
I’m also tremendously grateful for the team of Iven, Justin and Jon that put in the work to continue building Roundtable into the brand that it is today. Taking a big business risk like this new studio is only possible because I have faith in the team that we have.
A big thank you to all clients, collaborators, friends and family who supported this dream in one way or another. 2024 was just the beginning of what 2025 will be.
Godspeed,
Reuben Liu