Kicking off the year with intent, Duart Rankin from Truth Intelligence reflects on the first Truth Day of 2025—more than just a morning of great coffee and perfectly layered croissants (though, yes, those featured too).
This was about setting the tone for an ambitious year ahead: deep dives into financials, a strategic recalibration, and the kind of conversations that challenge us to refine our offer and elevate our team culture. The goal? To push boundaries, think bigger, and make 2025 a defining chapter.
All businesses want to grow and attending the Truth Strategy Day I expected to see lots of graphs, lots of money themed GIFs, inspiring statements in quotes (you know the ones I mean), lots of big numbers that look more like a lotto scratch card than reality. It takes a lot more than putting numbers into a forecast for a consultancy to grow. Since joining Truth in July though, I’ve seen first hand all the ingredients that go into making that growth recipe and like any great Chef’s worth their salt, you lay out all the implements and ingredients you need before you start cooking that Michelin star meal.
Our Vision
Ok we did start with a big quote on a slide:
“To be the world's most sought after strategic insights consultancy helping brands navigate complexity with cultural and behavioural intelligence, creativity and commercial impact.”
But back in the room, looking at everyone, our team, the people that have to live and breathe a vision every day, to go beyond tasks, to go beyond day-to-day research, to make a tangible impact for people, to every day ask “how can our work improve people’s lives?” I had to sit and look at the slide, sit with the words on the screen. What do they mean to me? How, looking at all of my teammates, can we come together and turn that into a tangible reality? Live and breathe it every day, to turn those words into positive action, into positive outcomes? To positively impact people, real people just like us in the room.
Not Business as Usual
My favourite part of our strategy day was that it wasn’t just shaped by senior management— we built it together. As someone who is not part of the leadership team, it’s empowering to be part of setting the direction for the year ahead. This process isn’t just about top-down decisions; it’s a shared vision, a communal constitution that every member of the team contributes to. It made me feel like I had a steak, some ownership in our goals for the year ahead. Again, it's something that takes words in a PowerPoint slide and transforms it into something personal, something that is going to challenge us, something that will ignite our enthusiasm for the journey ahead.
It’s not a standing start for us either, we’ve built momentum in 2024, that led to us ending last year on a high with our best quarter in two years (no really, I saw the numbers). But we’re not stopping there. With a 30% revenue growth target and a focus on expanding the team, we’re setting the stage for even greater success in 2025.
The Truth Way
I found myself thinking (Rodin like of course) “but how do you get THAT much growth”? I think it has to be those choices that we make, choices that makes us different (not just saying that we're different like every agency website since the dawn of Tim… yes that is a Berner’s-Lee joke) actions we choose every day that don’t come easy for everyone else. So, what is it? What's our secret sauce? That thing that sets us apart from other research agencies? For our price tag, you expect top notch insights yes, but our secret is how we deliver them:
Storytelling at the Core – Translating data into compelling narratives that drive action. (Because why hide the “ah-ha” moment on slide 126?)
Strategic Creativity – Challenging conventional thinking to uncover deeper truths. (Never saying the phrase if they Zig we Zag)
Commercial Savvy – Marrying insights with business impact. ('Return to sender'? Not with our ROI.")
Collaboration & Curiosity – Staying ahead by constantly learning and evolving. (Being forever learners, there’s no such thing as “well, we’ve always done it this way”)
Investing in Talent & Culture
A consultancy is a people business but when things are busy do you feel like a number on a spreadsheet or a part of the team that is going to get through this together? There’s a real effort to making sure everyone has a voice and a clear path forward, whether you’re just starting out or looking to take on more responsibility. That we're committed to DEI, not just a checkbox but as a collective core business value, a place where I don't feel like an “other”, a commitment not dropped in the span of an election cycle, a way of showing up for everyone (that’s a feeling you get walking in the room). That culture of support and development is what keeps people engaged and excited to be here, if I feel like I'm being invested in then I'll invest in you too. A thriving consultancy is built on its people. That’s what brings us back every day.
On a personal note, I’m incredibly grateful to have received the ‘Praisy Penguin’ for my recent work on a client project. It’s a reminder that hard work and being a team player are truly seen and rewarded here. That recognition means a lot, and it’s yet another reason why I walked into that room smiling, proud to be part of this team. Looking ahead, it’s not just about hitting targets—it’s about making an impact and having fun while doing it. It’s rewarding to know that as we grow, we’re staying true to what makes this place special: our curiosity, our passion, and our diverse expertise.
We’re on a journey to build something extraordinary. And we’re just getting started.
To find out more about our insights inspired consultancy email hello@truth.ms
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