The “opportunity of a lifetime” for Bara founder, Matt Doherty
Matt shares his reflections on the decision to go full time with the company he founded: Bara Studio. This meant leaving his part time role leading a local church, where he’d been for several years.
What inspired your decision to transition Bara Studio to a full-time commitment starting in January?
Becoming a dad in October 2022 to the incredible Ozzy definitely played a part! While I was happy splitting my time between two jobs, as I had done for seven or eight years, I found that I had less capacity to do this. It felt like I was doing two things ‘just okay’ instead of thriving in one area.
Bara to me is the opportunity of a lifetime, and the realisation of a childhood dream. To build a creative studio with a difference. Something which is inspired by faith and can have a genuinely positive impact on people and planet.
Also, I love what I do. I’m so grateful that my life experiences have helped to equip me for a role as specific as this. It was a tough decision, but I talked about it with close friends and family, sought out the advice of trusted advisors, and I prayerfully considered it too. After all that, it was a no brainer.
How has your background in leading a local church influenced your approach to running a creative agency?
There are a lot of surprising ways being involved in a local church has equipped me for what I do now! The main transferrable skills for me are team leadership, active listening, being compassionate for your local community, having a strong sense of justice and equality when creating working environments, and public speaking.
My years as a youth worker have also been invaluable. Youth workers are creative by nature - constantly solving complex problems for unique circumstances. Whether it’s coming up with a game, designing an outreach programme or learning how to communicate.
In what ways do you foresee this change enhancing Bara Studio's capacity and impact in 2024?
I’m so excited for 2024 because I’ve had so many ideas which needed to be put on the back seat due to a lack of time.
I plan to make our first traditional hire (the team is currently made up of freelancers and contractors working on a project-by-project basis).
We’re continuing to push forward with our b-corp certification (it’s a beast of a process).
And as well as improving our current workflow and client relationships, we have more to offer! There are a couple of new services which we’re excited to reveal later in the year - which will continue to make it easier for good causes to be heard.
Can you share a bit about the team at Bara Studio and how this transition might influence their roles or collaborations?
The team were really thrilled at the decision for me to go full time (which was encouraging!).
I’m now able to give more time to line management and creative a safe and enjoyable work environment to make sure the team are supported and challenged to produce their best work yet.
They’ll also be glad to hear we’ll be organising more socials, which inevitably gives them access to the team mascot: Ozzy (who everyone likes more than me).
What message do you hope to convey to current and potential clients with this announcement?
Our wonderful clients can expect all the same good stuff they’re used to: a strategy-first approach, a team full of kind and creative individuals with experience in the charity sector and a personal, enjoyable working relationship.
They can also expect better access to our full team which now includes social media experts, marketers, copywriting, SEO and web development as well as team facilitation and, as always, world-class graphic design.
Essentially, it’s our clients that have made all of this possible. Not only are they amazing to work with, but they kindly refer us and that keeps us going.
Please continue to recommend us to your friends and colleagues, so we can continue to support the very best businesses, charities and organisations with their creative and strategic work.
(We’re also planning to finally remember to send out Christmas gifts to our regular clients on time this year!)
