This year marks our tenth year in business. When we started out, we were three people coming together as a company for three key reasons: 

1. Life is short and time is precious. If we were going to take the leap to build our own business, it was always going to be centered on deep meaning and connection. We wanted to create jobs and a culture in which we truly loved the experience.
    
2. We were each really talented in our own disciplines, but we knew that we could do so much more together. Becca was a creative developer; Scott was a sharp strategist; and I was an experienced designer and account manager. We realized the potential of joining forces for good because together, our creativity expanded exponentially.
    
3. We had already applied our talents to making money for corporations we didn’t believe in. Instead, we wanted to use these dark arts for good. We wanted to support visionary leaders dedicated to making a difference in the world. We would help them define their purpose and vision. We would design concepts, identities, websites, and stories that could create a ripple effect to positively impact the world. 

Over the years, our company has evolved. S&C went from fully remote to a series of two offices, and then during the pandemic, back to fully remote. We’re on our third agency website. We’ve had 14 employees. We’ve expanded and shrunk, learned tons of lessons (many the hard way). We’ve been nominated for a Webby :) and won some awards. We have expanded our services, honed our craft, sharpened our brand. 

We wanted to create jobs and a culture in which we truly loved the experience.

What hasn’t changed over the past decade is our purpose. Our existence continues to be rooted in the belief that we can influence the world toward unity. Humanity is a mess of egos and greed and grasping for more, but we can choose to rise above and pursue our collective, core longing: to feel connected, in communion with each other, toward a safer and more whole experience. 

As we reflect on the past ten years, we’ve thought of ten lessons we’ve learned that we’ve applied in our work with clients and inside our own business — ultimately helping us to arrive at our tenth birthday thriving more than ever.

1. Communications are absolutely critical to achieving a mission.

You might be surprised to learn that many people don’t get this. Think about it: If you’re doing all this great work — but nobody knows it — you can only have so much impact. 

2. Make people feel seen.

Effective communications are tailored to meet your audiences where they are. When you explain why you exist and why it’s important, through an audience-first lens, people are more receptive, which is what we all want. (The cynics know this lesson, too, which is why marketing can be a dark art.)

3. Stay curious and open-minded (especially with failure).

As we’ve learned, failure is perhaps the only way forward — if you have the right mindset. (Watch my talk about about this.) When we approach failure as the way toward growth, we can create an environment where people take risks and innovate. As leaders, team members, people, we can flip the narrative to create a better work experience (and service). 

4. Listen. Listen. Listen.

The best strategy takes in all perspectives. We’ve learned never to cut corners on the opportunity to really listen during our discovery process. As our world falls into a place of disconnection, distrust, and polarization, truly listening to others to understand where they’re coming from — even when we don't like what we hear — is a way to bring us back together. 

5. Look for alignment (not conflict).

What you see is what you get. If you’re looking for conflict or disagreement, that is what will drive the work. Instead, look for what is in common and you’ll create something that brings people together. (Check out our approach, which we call Design Therapy, a model of using a process of alignment as part of the product).

6. Less is more.

Paring down (whether in design ideas or elements or strategies or more) brings into focus what's really important and creates space around the main idea. In design, this helps create inspiring, clear experiences that feel credible and immediately engaging. With ideas or messaging, it conveys confidence. 

7. Work from the heart.

Trust that doing the right thing will create good things. Go beyond the numbers, the metrics, the strategies and center human respect, kindness, connection, and understanding. (This doesn’t mean you can’t make hard or strategic business decisions — but working from the heart might change HOW you act.)

8. Vulnerability builds trust.

Trust cannot exist without vulnerability. Leaders who lead with vulnerability are able to create an environment where people feel like they can be their true selves. When we show up as our true, quirky, fallible selves, we create psychological safety for others and can then build deeper relationships. The result is magnificent! 

9. Respect and revere differences.

Diversity makes us stronger, smarter, more whole. Seeing people’s differing perspectives, ways of working, learning, communicating, opens the door for stronger creative, stronger people, stronger connections. 

10. Do what you say you’re going to do. And be nice to people.

This is what we teach our kids. It’s quite simple, really, and most people don’t. If you follow this lesson, you’ll always stand out in the crowd and attract goodness.