Why human-led leadership builds stronger creative partnerships
At HNN, we often say we’re building the plane as we fly it. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it also captures a deeper truth: creative businesses rarely follow a straight, predictable path. And neither do the people behind them.
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a leader. I had no idea what that really meant, only that I wanted to be in the thick of things in the workplace, and that I also wanted to be a mom. It never crossed my mind how hard it would be to hold space for both roles, especially in an industry that prizes urgency and long hours.
When I started working as a chef in 2004, I quickly saw the lifestyle wasn’t sustainable for the kind of parent I hoped to be. So, I pivoted into graphic design, thinking agency life might give me more flexibility. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. When I fell pregnant, I learned the maternity leave at my company was unpaid. Suddenly, the reality of my ambition met the reality of adulthood, and it didn’t quite line up.
So, I did what many women do when the system doesn’t serve them: I stepped outside of it. I started freelancing. We cobbled together a home office setup that included a PVC pipe playpen for my daughter Lucia, and I worked while she napped or played within arm’s reach. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t even all that strategic. But it worked, for a while.
From survival to structure
When I registered HNN a few years later, it was purely for tax reasons. I didn’t set out to start an agency. I wasn’t dreaming of scale. But as the work grew and my co-founder Tim came on board, it became clear that we had an opportunity to build something real. Something sustainable. Something human.
Fast forward to today, and we’re three years into running HNN as a team, and I still feel like I’m at the beginning. But I’ve learned a few things that I believe make us not just a good agency, but a good agency to work with.
Resilience is non-negotiable
Creative work is unpredictable. Things will go wrong. Briefs change. Feedback loops grow longer. New variables appear overnight. Leading a team through this kind of environment takes a mix of grit and grace, and the ability to keep going, even when the path forward isn’t clear.
You can’t
do it alone
The early days of HNN were lonely. But I’ve come to see that everything meaningful we’ve built has come from connection. Our strongest work emerges in collaboration, with our clients, our creatives, and each other. The more trust in the room, the better the result.
Clarity beats
complexity
Whether we’re untangling a brand strategy or juggling parenting schedules, one thing remains true: clarity makes everything easier. As a business, we value simple processes, honest communication, and clean creative that doesn’t hide behind jargon. Our approach is straightforward because life is complicated enough.
Passion needs
a plan
It’s one thing to love what you do, it’s another thing to make it profitable, repeatable, and sustainable. Systems and strategy don’t always come naturally to me, but I’ve learned their power. Passion may light the fire, but structure keeps it burning.
Mindset makes or
breaks you
Believing in a vision, especially a creative one, requires guts. My co-founder (and husband) Tim dreams big, and it’s taught me that self-belief isn’t delusional; it’s foundational. If we don’t back our own ideas, how can we expect others to?
Growth has no
finish line
Every version of me that’s led HNN has done so with a slightly different toolkit, because I’m still learning. I’ve battled anxiety and imposter syndrome more days than I can count, but I’m realising that discomfort isn’t a sign you’re failing, it’s often a sign you’re growing.
Why this matters to our clients
In an industry driven by aesthetics, deadlines, and performance metrics, it’s easy to forget that real people sit behind every project. At HNN, we don’t just bring skills to the table, we bring perspective. We understand how life and work overlap, how chaos and creativity can coexist, and how clarity can cut through the noise.
We’ve built this business on flexibility, trust, and a deep respect for the creative process, because we’ve lived the messy middle ourselves. We don’t believe in perfection, but we do believe in progress. And if that sounds like the kind of team you’d like to work with, we’re just getting started.
Want to collaborate with a team that balances real-life empathy with razor-sharp creative execution? Let’s talk.
