5 Lessons We Learned in 2019

2. We are not a launchpad. We are a visionary company. I used to think our role in the Canadian business ecosystem was to create leaders and send them on their way. A place where creatives could come to do work, but also work on their side hustle. The better the launchpad you create, the more you have to say goodbye to teammates. We realized this year that that is a terrible business philosophy. It’s much smarter to create a company that grows people but also evolves alongside your people. I hated watching people leave. It was time for a change.

Instead of a launchpad, we’re a visionary business. A business driven by a purpose that isn’t singularly focused on revenue generation, but is instead trying to change an industry. A business that cares about what we do in the marketplace and our community. A company you can brag to your Mom about*. We aren’t there yet but we’re working on it.

*I’ve always said the best businesses are built on the concept that your Mom would be proud of what you’ve built. My Mom doesn’t care about the money I make, the power I have or the lavish lifestyle some folks focus on. No, my Mom cares about impact, helping people and making the world a better place.

3. Believe in what you do, even if it takes a long time for it to work. We worked with several companies in Ontario and Manitoba for the first time this year. People found us on Google, knew someone in our network, and boom – you’re working in another province. It can take years for your strategy to work; a content strategy using your website to sell works, but it takes time. When it does work though, it works really well.

People Google things every day. Working with a company in another province all because of a Google search is pretty amazing. You don’t need to be the best – you just need to be uniquely worth talking to! That starts with believing in what you do. If you care dearly about your industry, your craft, and your customers, word-of-mouth will spread.

You don’t start believing in what you do by creating a visionary company – you create a visionary company by believing what you do.