Lessons learned after 10 years

This week, the innovation agency I co-founded is hitting a milestone: 10 YEARS in business. 🎉

What started as two dreamers working out of a basement—back when working from home was far from trendy—while eating copious amounts of canned tuna 🐟 (one of our first clients!) has grown into:
💡 500+ innovation, research, and strategy projects
🌍 70+ global clients
🙌 Countless lessons, wins, challenges, and many reflection moments (often in airport terminals) of "How did we ever pull that off?!"

Every late and sleepless night, every tough call, and every leap of faith has taught me something invaluable.

Here are 10 truths learned in the past 10 years that have shaped how I lead, work, and think:
1️⃣ Manage your energy, not your time. This is the secret to unlocking boundless productivity, creativity and fulfillment—and not burning out.
2️⃣ Authentic leadership is magnetic. Your unique leadership style is your superpower—own it.
3️⃣ Hire lightning bolts. Energy givers bring positivity and optimism to everything they do and elevate your business and everyone around them. Hire them, enable them and get out of their way!
4️⃣ Persistence and flexibility aren't just skills—they're key to survival.
5️⃣ Fail fast, learn faster, and quickly move on. Every mistake is a (sometimes expensive!) lesson. It's what you do next that matters most.
6️⃣ Overdeliver for your clients every time. Clients don’t buy services—they buy solutions to their problems. Listen deeply, solve smartly, and strive to overdeliver vs. their expectations.
7️⃣ Define success on your own terms. Forget the noise and focus on what truly matters to you.
8️⃣ Celebrate every win, no matter how small. Every win fuels momentum—don’t skip savoring a win because you’re busy chasing the next one.
9️⃣ “No” is a power move. Not every opportunity is meant for you. Every "No" creates space for those that are.
🔟 Your vibe attracts your tribe. Be YOU, be compassionate, be open hearted and the right people will always show up in your life.

🙋‍♀️ To all my fellow entrepreneurs and business leaders, I’d love to hear your insights! 💬:
👉 Which of these lessons resonates with you the most?
👉 What’s the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn?
👉 What’s one piece of advice you’d add to this list?

Here’s to the next decade of growth, innovation, and continuous learning!