FirstWeekDone:Clients,Collaboration,andGettingStuckIn

My first week at JudeLuxe has been fantastic. The whole team has been welcoming, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to clients, data and programmes, and I already feel like part of a brilliant company.

I've joined agencies before where the first week is death by onboarding doc. Here, the balance has been spot on: enough structure to orient you, enough autonomy to actually get involved from day one.

Getting to know the clients

I've had the opportunity to meet with several clients, who have walked me through their products and shared insights into what performs well and why, including the reasoning behind their success.

Those conversations have been invaluable. Understanding the commercial context behind the numbers is something I've always believed separates average account management from genuinely useful work. When a client can explain why a particular product line outperforms, or why seasonality hits differently across categories, it gives you a foundation that no amount of spreadsheet analysis can replicate on its own.

It's also clear that the relationships here are built on trust. Clients aren't just handing over access and hoping for the best: they're actively engaged, and they expect the same in return. That's exactly the dynamic I want to work within.

Strategy as a team sport

We've also come together as a team to review a strategy deck, sharing ideas and suggestions in an open room. I really enjoyed this collaborative approach, as it made it easy to contribute and feel part of the team already.

What stood out was how constructive the feedback loop is. Nobody's precious about their work. The focus is always on whether the thinking holds up and whether the client would actually benefit. Ideas get challenged, refined, and strengthened rather than defended.

Coming from larger agencies where strategy often gets siloed between departments, this felt refreshingly direct. Everyone around the table has context on the account, which means the suggestions are grounded in reality rather than theoretical.

The tools and the process

I've spent time getting familiar with the internal processes, reporting setup and the way data flows through the team. There's a clear methodology here that balances structure with flexibility: standardised enough that nothing falls through the cracks, but adaptable enough to account for the fact that no two clients are the same.

The emphasis on profit over vanity metrics is something I've been pushing for in previous roles, so it's encouraging to see it baked into the operating model from the ground up. When your starting point is contribution margin rather than click-through rate, the conversations with clients become fundamentally different.

What's next

As I wrap up my first week, I'm beginning to focus on the client accounts I'll be managing. I'll be carrying out health check performance audits on each one to identify any quick wins, while building a strong understanding of performance from both a data and a structural view.

The goal for the next fortnight is straightforward: get deep into the accounts, flag anything that looks like low-hanging fruit, and start forming a clear picture of where each client sits relative to their targets. No sweeping changes yet: just rigour, observation, and building a baseline I can work from.

Looking forward to week two.

Joe