RelationshipOps of the Week #30.
Website Design Studio
Website Design Studio
|
May 15, 2026
May 15, 2026
“Relationships can come and go, but if there was something fundamental there… it can reopen doors in the future.”
“Relationships can come and go, but if there was something fundamental there… it can reopen doors in the future.”
Anna Appleton-Claydon.
This week, we’re highlighting Anna Appleton-Claydon, Managing Director of We Create Digital, where she oversees the strategic direction and day-to-day operations, also working in UX and innovation.
Since 2017, Anna has partnered with Dean Appleton-Claydon on making digital work harder for the organisations behind it… solving problems, streamlining processes, improving inclusivity, and ensuring long-term scalability. Over the years, she’s led digital projects for clients across different sectors including healthcare, education, tech, local government and non-profit.
And her latest venture, Rofinery, marks a new chapter.
As the CEO, Anna focuses on helping agencies who want more control and less guesswork. Rofinery gives real-time visibility into profit, people, and performance… translating operational complexity into actionable insights. It’s a natural evolution of everything she’s learned about running (and scaling) a healthy service business.
Whether leading a dev team or developing new tools, Anna’s approach remains the same… grounded in values, focused on clarity, and committed to long-term impact. And after a decade, the relationships she built early on are still sending new opportunities to her doors.
Let’s find out how she made it so.
Reopened Doors.
Leonard Chin: What’s an instance when a relationship led to a big win or a really great opportunity for your business?
Anna Appleton-Claydon:
“I previously worked in two agencies and in the past six months, had a few former colleagues from both of those reach out about digital support they needed. For all of these people, I hadn’t worked or even seen most of them in around a decade. One of them has now become a client and they’re ideal for us in terms of what they do, their values and how they want to work with an agency. It shows that relationships can come and go, but if there was something fundamental there in terms of either the person knowing you’re great at what you do, or that you’re reliable and trustworthy, then it can reopen doors in the future.”
Daily LinkedIn.
Leonard Chin: What's your daily/weekly routine for maintaining relationships that help your business?
Anna Appleton-Claydon:
“I try to post on LinkedIn every day. Sometimes it sparks reminders for people to get in touch, other times they comment and then we pick things up from there. Being present puts you more front of mind and when our agency does so much, it’s easy for people to focus on one area and forget about others. I think I’ve been reluctant in the past to get in touch directly with people too much. I wait for them to come to me. However, one of my goals for 2026 is to try to reach out more, be more proactive and to focus on showing how we can add value.”
Keep in Touch More.
Leonard Chin: What tips would you give to your younger self around relationships and how they impact business?
Anna Appleton-Claydon:
“Keep in touch more. I definitely find it hard keeping in contact with people - time seems to fly by and when things are so busy it is easy for a month, quarter or year to go by in a flash. I also wish I had been more proactive when I was younger. I could have utilised social media a lot more, and built more of a profile, but that doesn’t come naturally at all and I felt too nervous about how I might come across. Now I worry less about what others think - if someone doesn’t like something I post, then it probably simply isn’t for them, and that is fine.
Relationships are so important for business. Yes they can generate revenue, but you can also learn so much from others. I joined AgencyLand last year and have seen so many ideas from others that I’ve implemented into my business and many are already having an impact. A network of other agencies, whether they’re competitors or in a different space, means that there are constantly ideas flying around, support being offered and learnings shared. If I had had that same kind of network and variety of relationships when I first started leading an agency, it would have made a huge difference.”
Key Takeaways.
We’re glad to have Anna Appleton-Claydon with us on this week’s series, and here are the few key takeaways:
Relationships compound over decades. Former colleagues from a decade ago now reappear as perfect-fit clients.
Presence creates possibility. Posting daily on LinkedIn keeps Anna top of mind—and often leads to renewed conversations.
Keep reaching out. Her biggest advice to her younger self? Stay in touch, worry less, and use social to build the profile you wish you had.
That’s all for now.
If you're open to sharing your experiences in one of our future articles… or know of someone who is, feel free to drop me an email here.
Author.
Leonard Chin
Follow me on LinkedIn.
Anna Appleton-Claydon.
This week, we’re highlighting Anna Appleton-Claydon, Managing Director of We Create Digital, where she oversees the strategic direction and day-to-day operations, also working in UX and innovation.
Since 2017, Anna has partnered with Dean Appleton-Claydon on making digital work harder for the organisations behind it… solving problems, streamlining processes, improving inclusivity, and ensuring long-term scalability. Over the years, she’s led digital projects for clients across different sectors including healthcare, education, tech, local government and non-profit.
And her latest venture, Rofinery, marks a new chapter.
As the CEO, Anna focuses on helping agencies who want more control and less guesswork. Rofinery gives real-time visibility into profit, people, and performance… translating operational complexity into actionable insights. It’s a natural evolution of everything she’s learned about running (and scaling) a healthy service business.
Whether leading a dev team or developing new tools, Anna’s approach remains the same… grounded in values, focused on clarity, and committed to long-term impact. And after a decade, the relationships she built early on are still sending new opportunities to her doors.
Let’s find out how she made it so.
Reopened Doors.
Leonard Chin: What’s an instance when a relationship led to a big win or a really great opportunity for your business?
Anna Appleton-Claydon:
“I previously worked in two agencies and in the past six months, had a few former colleagues from both of those reach out about digital support they needed. For all of these people, I hadn’t worked or even seen most of them in around a decade. One of them has now become a client and they’re ideal for us in terms of what they do, their values and how they want to work with an agency. It shows that relationships can come and go, but if there was something fundamental there in terms of either the person knowing you’re great at what you do, or that you’re reliable and trustworthy, then it can reopen doors in the future.”
Daily LinkedIn.
Leonard Chin: What's your daily/weekly routine for maintaining relationships that help your business?
Anna Appleton-Claydon:
“I try to post on LinkedIn every day. Sometimes it sparks reminders for people to get in touch, other times they comment and then we pick things up from there. Being present puts you more front of mind and when our agency does so much, it’s easy for people to focus on one area and forget about others. I think I’ve been reluctant in the past to get in touch directly with people too much. I wait for them to come to me. However, one of my goals for 2026 is to try to reach out more, be more proactive and to focus on showing how we can add value.”
Keep in Touch More.
Leonard Chin: What tips would you give to your younger self around relationships and how they impact business?
Anna Appleton-Claydon:
“Keep in touch more. I definitely find it hard keeping in contact with people - time seems to fly by and when things are so busy it is easy for a month, quarter or year to go by in a flash. I also wish I had been more proactive when I was younger. I could have utilised social media a lot more, and built more of a profile, but that doesn’t come naturally at all and I felt too nervous about how I might come across. Now I worry less about what others think - if someone doesn’t like something I post, then it probably simply isn’t for them, and that is fine.
Relationships are so important for business. Yes they can generate revenue, but you can also learn so much from others. I joined AgencyLand last year and have seen so many ideas from others that I’ve implemented into my business and many are already having an impact. A network of other agencies, whether they’re competitors or in a different space, means that there are constantly ideas flying around, support being offered and learnings shared. If I had had that same kind of network and variety of relationships when I first started leading an agency, it would have made a huge difference.”
Key Takeaways.
We’re glad to have Anna Appleton-Claydon with us on this week’s series, and here are the few key takeaways:
Relationships compound over decades. Former colleagues from a decade ago now reappear as perfect-fit clients.
Presence creates possibility. Posting daily on LinkedIn keeps Anna top of mind—and often leads to renewed conversations.
Keep reaching out. Her biggest advice to her younger self? Stay in touch, worry less, and use social to build the profile you wish you had.
That’s all for now.
If you're open to sharing your experiences in one of our future articles… or know of someone who is, feel free to drop me an email here.
Author.
Leonard Chin
Follow me on LinkedIn.