Parliament : LEARNING TO BE BRAVE
Last year, we faced a pivotal moment at Hoot Design Company. Our largest client, accounting for 30-40% of our total agency revenue, fired us with just 30 days' notice. This client had been with us for seven years, steadily growing alongside our agency.
The experience taught us valuable lessons about bravery and staying true to our purpose.
Business requires bravery. It demands constant introspection: Why do we exist? What are we doing this for? Why should anyone care?
We had become complacent, working on fear rather than partnership. I always say we get paid to say the hard things, and it’s hard to say the hard things when you’re looking at your bottom line every month and one client holds so much of the purse strings.
We had let this client own so much of our gross income every year, that we eroded all boundaries. We worked holidays, never said no, and failed to advocate for good strategy. Instead, we merely executed what was asked to avoid risks.
This slippery slope made us bad at our job. The sudden loss of our biggest client was a wake-up call. It exposed the flaws in our growth strategy and forced us to reassess our entire approach. We realized we had grown like a weed around this client, neglecting innovation and a diligent sales process.
We had chosen the path of least resistance instead of embracing the exciting and scary challenges that drive true growth.
This year, we themed our bi-annual retreat "Hot Girls Cry at Work." It's a mantra that embodies our new approach: writing our own rules, defying the status quo, and bringing our whole selves to work—the good, the bad, and the emotional.
We now view our former client, Dan, through a lens of gratitude. He dared to do what we couldn't—recognize when a relationship no longer served its purpose and make a change. His decision set us free and ignited our transformation into a stronger, better, and happier agency.
Today, we're in full control of our future and smarter because of this experience.
We’re focusing on our zone of genius: Brand Being and designing a world in which people can become their best selves through work. (no one is becoming their best self working on Christmas Day)
We've learned to appreciate the forcing functions that reveal our true potential and help us create a better business.
This post is from Parliament, our weekly newsletter for disruptive entrepreneurs.
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