Studio update #1
Our first month as PGS has come with a bunch of new kinds of work: we had to change our name (and go through an intensive re-naming process), rethink positioning, figure out which clients we’re saying no to, and rework our financial projections. For the first few months, I think I’d like to focus on sharing some of the learnings from starting up a design studio. It’s something I’ve done at different scales, but PGS is the first studio I’ve worked at that’s focused exclusively on tech interventions aligned with sustainable development goals.
Here’s things I’ve learned over the past weeks:
Firstly, starting a business that’s not profit-first feels weird. In many ways I can map the ways in which we’ll be sustainable, but it’s strange to intentionally do work that’s targeted to clients that are classically slow-moving, risk-averse, and slow-to-pay. It’s super rewarding though, to be out there, and to pin our colors to the mast of sustainable development for small island developing states, and to be working on doing something about it, for real.
We’re financially covered for the rest of the year, and have been lucky to have been actively working on projects since day one when we were still Unqueue Studio. We’re entering a new cohort of impact-focused clients at decent enough budgets to be able to focus on more like them, and to be encouraged to think that things could be sustainable.
We have office space, but we’re remote-first babies. Our shared office space at 65 Carlos street, which is beautiful and has easily the best selection of contemporary Caribbean art curation of any co-working space in the country, remains mostly underused. Maybe we’ll switch the usage model to one that’s on-demand, but it’s becoming clear that we may not really need a permanent physical space, at least in the short term. More talks with the team will reveal the way forward, but it doesn’t feel sensible to only barely occupy a space that’s meant to be partly social. Maybe everybody gets a shared working space allowance for those who want to work out but maybe want more flexibility of location? Time will tell.
Being active on social media (as a company) is hard. It’s been the hardest thing at the studio so far, and while I’m grateful that the hardest thing hasn’t been new business, it’s certain to be if we don’t make a more concerted effort, so we will for August. I’ll set low expectations, and that’s smart, but meeting them is smarter.
We have to scale up the team, again. Because so much of what we’re doing has so many new parts, it’s hard to think of the industry experts I’d want to hire to staff up with — it’s likely they’d come with learnings from a context that may not work for us. When it comes to core staff, we’ve had really good results in training up sharp interns, so we’ll probably move with hiring another cohort for product management, design, and software development. Maybe you’re a good fit, or know someone? Email jobs@publicgood.studio
We’re growing, again. We’ve been awarded just about US$150,000 grant funding over the past two months, for Unqueue and another upcoming project. It’s been a real blur but also a validating testament to the value and potential impact of the kind of work we’re doing in and for the Caribbean. It does mean also that we’ll be scaling some of the Unqueue products across the region, and setting up a few new companies. A series of fresh hells await, but so do new opportunities for Unqueue as we address new verticals beyond just eCommerce for small businesses.
We have a lot to be grateful for. Starting a new thing is hard, and the feedback (read: scathing critique) and input (read: merciless edits) that I got from the team, our advisors, past and present clients, and prospective partners has culminated in the PGS we’re so proud to share with everyone. You know who you were — you’re the best!
Anyway, thanks for checking in. I’ll keep these edits going as things gel, maybe for the next two months or so. Upcoming, we have a few case studies and a publication that we’re excited about.
More soon!
Agyei, PGS CEO
info@publicgood.studio
