8 master facilitators. 77 hit workshops. 1,025 satisfied participants. And 2 thrilled Founders.
This March, Communication Skills Academy celebrated its first year in business. So we spoke with Founders Vikki and Veronica to get the inside scoop – on the successes, the surprises and the stories along the way.
What three words sum up CSA’s first year?
Vikki: Uncharted. Invigorating. Validating.
Starting any new business is risky. But in our case, that risk was softened since we’d been presenting our writing courses (under the Refresh Marketing brand) for 17 years with enormous success.
So why did we take the plunge with CSA?
Veronica and I saw an opportunity to help our clients tackle a wider range of communication challenges – by partnering with other expert facilitators.
We’d also been wondering (for some time) if the RM brand was holding us back. Did businesses see our training offerings as a mere side hustle of our copywriting agency?
We knew we had to find out.
Within only a couple of days of launching, we had our answer. Online enquiries began to fly in for our already proven writing courses. And we saw almost-immediate interest in our non-writing courses.
One year on, we’re proud to have booked our external facilitators many times over. Presenting with Confidence and Media Mastery for Leaders have been our most popular non-writing courses so far.
Veronica: Rewarding. On-point. Collaborative.
Seeing our initial spark of an idea come to life – and flourish beyond our expectations – is deeply rewarding.
We always believed an organisation like CSA would meet the needs of busy professionals. The market was ready for it and so were we. Our success this year has proved our intuition was on point – not just in the demand, but also in how we brought CSA to market: with a considered focus on course quality.
A big part of that success comes down to strong partnerships.
My collaboration with Vikki is the best professional relationship I’ve had. It’s built on respect and genuine excitement – which flows through our team and to our clients.
It may sound cliché, but collaboration truly is the foundation of everything we do. Our relationships with facilitators are built on trust and shared purpose – attracting first-class operators as a result. And when you’re surrounded by eagles, not turkeys, it’s easy to soar!
What are you most proud of?
Vikki: It goes without saying that we strive to deliver an exceptional experience for our clients and participants. But for us, an excellent facilitator experience is just as important.
By handling all the behind-the-scenes operations and logistics, we free them up to focus on what they do best: delivering training that makes a real impact.
And our commitment is paying off.
Our trainers tell us how seamless and professional everything is – and that they’ve never partnered with a training agency of our calibre. It’s music to my ears.
The CSA philosophy is simple: the better the facilitator experience, the easier it is to attract – and retain – the best in the business.
Veronica: The expert facilitators we’ve recruited to CSA.
We put a lot of thought into who we invite to present under the CSA brand. And I can say, without hesitation, that our presenters are masters of their craft.
I’m also proud of the deep relationships we’ve built with new and existing clients who are embracing communication training on several fronts. From day one, I wanted to help our clients build transformational communication prowess in their teams – so they reap the rewards for years to come.
Our clients appreciate that communication is a core skill, not a soft skill. That’s why they ask us to return to their workplaces time and again.
My vision remains: When people think of workplace communication, I want them to think ‘CSA’. In the same way they think ‘Kleenex’ when they think of tissues.
What’s surprised you this past year?
Vikki: I’ve absolutely loved building a new business, which I didn’t necessarily expect.
We never shy away from trialling new things. And we’re constantly testing and tweaking to meet the needs of the market.
For example, clients regularly come to us with communication challenges that can’t be solved with any of our ‘off-the-shelf’ courses. So we work with our facilitators to develop something bespoke. As long as we have access to the right expertise, we’ll find a way to share it.
In the past month, we’ve created four entirely new courses. That start-up sense of possibility is infectious and inspiring.
Veronica: The sheer breadth of market demand. Businesses are hungry to sharpen their team’s communication skills – in a range of domains.
I’ve always known that improving writing and speaking skills is a priority for many professionals.
But we’re constantly uncovering new, specific communication needs – like how to tell stories with data or craft more effective presentation decks. Meeting those business needs with quality, tailored training continues to power everything we do at CSA.
What training stories bring a smile to your face?
Vikki: The feedback Veronica receives when she delivers our flagship course, Business Writing Essentials, has been incredible.
I’ve been the ONLY ONE delivering this course for the past 17 years. So, although I know Veronica’s brilliant, I also suspected it may not be so easy for her to step into my (very comfortable) shoes.
But I had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Workshop participants love her and the energy she brings. She’s a natural educator with her own style, ideas and experience. So when her post-workshop feedback forms come back GLOWING, it warms my heart.
Veronica: When I was a secondary teacher, my absolute favourite thing was being in the classroom with my students. The energy. The lightbulb moments. They’re the things I miss the most.
Now, as a trainer, I get to experience those moments all over again – and it’s thrilling.
I love meeting new people, building rapport and creating safe learning environments. I want my participants to feel comfortable testing their understanding without fear.
And it’s amazing how quickly it can happen! By lunchtime, it’s not unusual for participants to be sharing details about their work, their families and their hobbies – as if we’re old friends! It’s a privilege and a delight.
What do you wish you’d known in March 2024?
Vikki: I know this sounds crazy, but I grossly underestimated how much more work it would be to run two businesses. (We’d been offering both copywriting and training for years, how different would things really be?)
But unsurprisingly, it quickly became apparent that we needed more senior support.
So, within a few months, we hired a new Copy Lead for RM – and then a Marketing Manager for CSA. Trusting each of them to do their roles allows Veronica and me to step back a little and focus on strategically steering each business onward.
This reaffirmed why it’s so vital to have the right people around you in the right roles.
Veronica: Just how well our offering would be received. And how swiftly.
We knew we were onto something special. But the level of success – and how quickly the market embraced our non-writing workshops – still surprised us.
Knowing that might have given us the confidence to invest more heavily in additional support earlier. It would have freed Vikki and me to spend more time ON the business, rather than IN it.
How have you grown through this experience?
Vikki: I feel like I’ve been replenished professionally.
I’m beyond proud of RM and the impeccable reputation we’ve built over the last 21 years. And I’m still fiercely committed to its longevity and success.
At the same time, I’ve worked hard to recruit, train and empower our uber-talented copywriting team. So I know I don’t need to be as hands-on as I once was.
This has freed me up to explore what’s possible with CSA.
But the best part? I’m doing it all with Veronica – the best colleague and friend I could’ve wished for. Thanks to the chemistry we share, there’s buoyancy and buzz in the air. And I’m carrying that spark back into my work alongside the RM team too.
Veronica: Building businesses from the ground up thrills me.
Each time I do it, I learn more – about the process and about me personally. Because each business, and the market it operates in, is unique.
This time around, I’ve been reminded just how powerful branding is. We applied the same expertise we use to shape client brands through our sister agency, RM. But for the first time in a long time, we did it for ourselves. And we got it right!
The top lesson? Branding doesn’t always need to be uber-cool and trendy. Instead, it needs to meet your audience and tick all their boxes.
I’ve also learned a lot from Vikki. She brings over 20 years’ experience running an agency. (A very successful one, mind you!) Through this partnership, I’ve become much more skilled in everything from sales and marketing to building a high-performance culture.
What’s next for CSA?
Vikki: Where do I begin? We’ve got bold plans for what’s next.
I want to keep expanding our course suite – so that we have a solution for every workplace communication challenge. And so that our clients have no need to turn anywhere else other than CSA for their communication training needs.
Beyond that, we’re keen to run CSA events, create more online resources for our participants and develop more comprehensive training strategies for our clients.
One year in and we’re just getting started.
Veronica: How long do we have?!
We want to grow our market share. Sustainably. Service quality remains at the top of our agenda. So we’ll continue to grow without compromising our clients’ experience – at every touchpoint.
We’re designing more diverse courses to meet the needs of our clients. We’ve also identified an opportunity around self-paced courses for professionals who want to upskill at their own pace. Stay tuned!
Some snapshots from our first birthday party
