Our numbers for 2023

Madrid, June 2024

Dear stakeholder*:

*We’ve sent out 600 letters and we’re starting summer hours, so don’t expect a personalized touch.

We know you’ve been waiting for this. Or not.

As tends to happen every year around this time, the smell of the Metro overpowers the strongest of colognes, we Spaniards take our best naps with the Tour, and, of course, at Harmon we put words to our numbers. When the time comes to present their results, others may choose to focus on money. We are still poor. And that’s why we look for other territories of conversation.

Let’s get to it. To survive in the void, you don’t need to have or be, but simply to desire. And that has been, is, and will continue to be our roadmap: to keep desiring. To imagine. To want.

We wanted to be someone. We started three years ago with little more than our Gmail accounts, and we’ve closed this year with 105 people on staff (we’re still a net job-creator, Government of Spain). The start-up label no longer fits. Today, in the eyes of the tax authorities, we can say we are a “large company,” both by size and revenue. We can also say we are among the fortunate 10% who haven’t failed in their entrepreneurial ambitions. Certainly, we are entrepreneurs by the book.

We wanted our people to be happy. That’s why 96.8% of the people who work with us say they are happy at Harmon. 100% like their job. 98.9% would recommend Harmon as a place to work. These numbers seem made up, but they come from our workplace satisfaction survey.

We wanted to become an academy. We promoted eight interns, half of those who were with us in 2023. And we continue to strengthen female leadership. We have gone from 50%, to 62% female directors at Harmon. We are no longer gender-balanced (and we are happier).

We wanted to do new things. So we launched three transversal, client-centric, and disruptive services ways to make more cash: sustainability, narratives, and strategic beauty – all spearheaded by surprisingly capable people we never thought we could trick into it. Why dare to do these things? Because the earth isn’t flat, and neither is the non-market.

We wanted to work with more clients. We ended the year with 140. Enough to start a cult. And we also wanted to take good care of them. They attended the more than 30 events we held at our offices in 2023—easier said than done—and we gave them semi-odd gifts for Christmas. Sometimes they liked them, other times too.

We didn’t want to save the world (watch out for the Greenwashing directive; they’ll penalize you at the slightest misstep). We aimed to leave it better than we found it. We grew Harmon/org, with three new projects and more grey matter: 5% of our consultants’ time will be dedicated to making it possible.

And above all, we wanted to have fun. But Baudelaire advised working, since working is less tiring than having fun. What can you do? These are the numbers of a (another) thrilling year at Harmon.

We’re not ashamed to show it: we are deeply in love with our profession and our clients. No number can explain that, though the numbers from the commercial register suggest the feeling might be mutual. We’re not quite ready to write a book, but things are flowing.

We wanted. We want. And we love you.

Harmon.

• PD. We’re a bit full of ourselves, we know. We’ve attached the postcard we’ve sent our stakeholders so you can call us out. Vent: nothing would make us happier than hearing from you.