This month, Firefly celebrates 13 years in business. In that time, we've partnered with over 15,000 leaders and organisations, fostering authentic leadership and creating lasting change. While we've strategised our growth, we've also learned that true magic often happens when we let things unfold naturally.

Our CEO and founder, Kirsty Maynor, reflects on the journey of Firefly’s growth and its future direction:

Taking those first steps

At the beginning, I had a massive dream and a big vision for Firefly (that much hasn’t changed!). I wanted to create something that would reach and impact thousands of people worldwide, helping them live more fully and in alignment with what mattered to them.

Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing at first. I had leadership experience, but I had never run a business. I didn’t know how to price our services or how to bring independent people together to form a team. And truthfully, some days I still don’t. There are still times when I know our destination and not the exact path to get there. No one has a crystal ball of course, all you can do is set the compass point, keep stumbling in that vague direction and allow for magic to happen along the way.

Learning to release control

Staying open and available to what happens along the way has been crucial. I’ve realised when I try to control things too tightly, it gets difficult and feels like hard work. I’ve learned to balance hard work and focusing on direction with enabling and supporting magic to happen along the way.

There’s no one right way to build a business, but certain principles are helpful. Many advise having clear goals and targets, and while these are important, I believe a vision-oriented approach and openness to what emerges is also beneficial.

The Firefly Way

Despite becoming more open to surprises and relinquishing some control over the years, our North Star has never changed. Recently, while onboarding five new coaches, I shared our strategy document, which includes a page dedicated to "The Firefly Way." This outlines our core values—collaboration, partnership, and a bigger purpose—unchanged since our inception.

Over the past 13 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible clients, including one of the UK’s largest companies, which has partnered with us since 2012. These partnerships are built on strong relationships and strategic collaboration. We don’t just dive in and disappear; we’re committed to being long-term partners, ensuring that my team and I consistently do our best work and make a significant impact. That’s The Firefly Way, and it will always guide us.

Where we’re headed next

Starting a business is daunting, especially with the statistic that half of all new businesses fail within the first three years. I remember celebrating our third birthday in 2014, thinking it would be smooth sailing from then on. It wasn’t. There have been rocky times and great times, but it’s never as easy as it looks from the outside. Still, I am delighted and honoured to lead this business.

We have exciting times ahead, with an incredible growth strategy, a fantastic core team and new products launching very soon. I’m excited to see what other magic unfolds. I don't know exactly where the future will take us, and I know the vision and the dream are still there. 

So, if you’re starting out in business or embarking on any new venture, take those first steps. Set your compass, stumble forward, and keep going. In 13 years, you might be celebrating your own business anniversary.