This month we mark Ballentine's 8th birthday. And while it's certainly a milestone I'm proud of, and unmistakeably worthy of celebrating, any fleeting thoughts of the latter have seemingly been met with a pandemic-sized smirk.
True to my and Dylan's understated nature, we've never really celebrated our corporate birthday. Each year we've contemplated it for a moment -"Maybe this year?"- and then struggle to justify spending our time on anything other than our clients, and our money on anything other than payroll, operating expenses, and the shapeless demon that is 'overhead costs'.
This year, the outcome was the same (no party), but the path was very different. The pandemic and all it is leaving in its grizzly wake made sure of that. At least, it made the deliberation much shorter than usual.
And so, while we could use the excuse of the pandemic as the reason to not celebrate this company making it 80% of the way to a decade old, that same pandemic, in large part, has made this year all the more worth celebrating.
To be writing this (from home mind you, as we're now full-time remote), at the end of a year in which we've seen our business take a beating the likes of which I've never experienced in my career (and our first ever year of revenue decline in our history), and in which we are, in a way, just hanging on, is frustrating to say the very least.
But here's what I'm celebrating this year:
Our clients. Certainly, some relationships have ended thanks to the pandemic (the work part, anyways). But we've experienced a depth of partnership with some of our clients over the past few months that is new to Ballentine. In part, I think it's why I ever started this in the first place. The excitement that I have for some of our projects, because they are truly now our projects is invigorating, and makes every day rewarding (or nearly everyday, because hey, I'm human).
Our work. Clearly, working remotely -as many have now learned- is not an impediment to doing great work. And I'm as proud of the client work we've done as I am the pro-bono projects we took on when our capacity opened up. We've been fortunate to have worked on the types of impact projects that we'd only ever thought or talked about doing previously. Said another way, we've had the chance to make some damn fine lemonade.
Our team. Most significantly, and most importantly, I'm in awe of and indebted to our team and how we've come together. They've been unflappable, unwavering, and unwilling to relent as we've pushed ahead with our work. I don't know that we've ever had a team work -and just be- so well as... a team. Our growth together as we experience the oddest of years as a team has been something to cherish, and something that I'm proud of.
The gratitude I feel for you four: Peo, Clara, Ant, and Dylan is endless and profound. For the days, nights and weekends working; the park hangs and the litany of of creative Zoom gatherings; and everything else you do, Thank You.
Here's to the most memorable year that was, and to an unimaginable year nine.
-Mitch
