Simon: The rhythm of resilience

This year has been hard.

Once I wrote that line, it read as overly dramatic. That sentiment indicates extreme loss, maybe of health or a loved one. It is an overstatement for what this year has been like. Let me try again.

This year has been challenging.

That feels ungrateful. Not quite right either.

How about …

This year has been a gift.

Now that rings true.

For the second time in 17 years, our business has hit a good-size bump in the road. The last time was in 2009. I gave myself grace back then knowing that I was doing all I could to drive the business forward in an unforgiving economic climate. After I had called every person in my Rolodex and combed LinkedIn for every lead I could work, I took the rest of the day off. I was the only employee in 2009, so I went fishing. Yep, walked down to a local pond and cast my line in the water. Somehow, I found peace in that simple act of letting things unfold in due time.

From 2010 to 2023 we experienced uninterrupted growth. That was certainly a gift. We added staff, expanded capabilities and most importantly helped our clients succeed.

Those of us that run businesses know for a fact that luck plays as much of a role as hard work. Two years ago we declared our vertical to be home improvement — an area we are expert in. Highest inflation we’ve seen since the 80s and highest mortgage interest rates in over 20 years — not so lucky. It threw a big wet blanket on home improvement (at least temporarily).

That too has been a gift.

We’ve had to make some very hard decisions in the last year. That included our first layoffs, where we parted ways with some very talented folks. However, the result has been a leaner, more focused business. We’ve examined all of our processes. And we’ve taken a hard look at the work we are doing to lean into what is making us money and lean away from what isn’t. Maybe most importantly, the team has supported each other every step of the way.

A few weeks ago, I went fishing. For the first time I did a weekend solo fly fishing for trout. I was tent camping in my favorite valley and I saw only two other people over three days. Absolutely zero cell service.

At first I felt a bit off balance. Then I got into the rhythm of what I do when I camp. I set up the tarp, expecting rain. Pitched my tent. Threw on the waders and went fishing.

It rained. I also caught fish — a lot of fish. I read under the tarp. By the end of the day the sun came out just before setting. And I listened to the stream as I climbed into my tent, worn out at the end of the day.

I knew right then, that was a gift.

So that’s what we do. Even when we feel off balance. Perhaps, particularly if there are headwinds that get our line all tangled, we keep doing what we know to do. Support our clients with exceptional strategy and creative, provide valuable content and thought leadership, and be flexible when they need us to be, knowing things are challenging for them as well.

We keep fishing.

• Lou Simon is the principal/founder of Simon/Myers, a marketing agency with offices in Wheaton and Chicago.