Believe in the business you’ve built
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Hi Reader, Staying optimistic is hard when you can see a storm on the horizon. By February, Rachel and I could see that 2025 was going to be a different year. You probably felt it too. Clients lost funding, and business owners started to feel nervous about the state of the economy. When we heard “no” on multiple big contracts, we realized how severe those repercussions would be. We were going to have to weather some storms. The thing is, when you weather a storm, you don’t curl up in a ball and let the rain pelt you. You read the forecast, adjust your route, take shelter when needed, and, hopefully, help others find shelter too. You find a way to adapt and get through it. The hardest part of it all was keeping the faith that everything would be okay. There were moments where Rachel and I felt pretty deflated, but we knew that kind of energy wouldn’t help us or our clients. We still had work to do. The reality was many business owners still needed website design and digital marketing support. That wasn’t going anywhere. We just had to think differently about some of our solutions so we could meet them where they needed us to. To do so, we didn’t drop our prices or beg people to work with us. We focused on smaller scope projects and found creative ways to help move the needle for clients that matched their budgets. They still got to make progress (and weather their own storm) in a way they were financially comfortable with. By the time Rachel and I sat down with our business coach for our end-of-year review, we were pleasantly surprised by the numbers. We didn’t see the scale of growth we’d aimed for at the end of 2024, but we were still profitable. We were still able to add people to our team, take two international trips, work on WholeSite, and get Drio through the storm alive and well. 2025 has reminded us to believe in the business we’ve built. It reminded us to have faith in the work we’ve done after all these years. Whether or not your 2025 numbers have lined up with your 2024 goals, I hope you can do the same. Not every year will be a growth year, and that can be really tough. BUT, every year does bring opportunities if you allow yourself to see them. We don’t know what storms might come in 2026. Call me an optimist, but I believe, with enough adaptation and willingness to believe in your business, you can weather them. I’ll be there, ready to hold your umbrella.
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Hi! I'm Rachel, the Left Brain of Drio.
Hi Reader, November was a month of bold moves and big milestones for Drio. From taking WholeSite across borders to stepping into the spotlight here at home, we kept the creativity flowing and the momentum strong. Here’s a look at what unfolded: 🌎 WholeSite Takes a Big Step Forward - From El Salvador to a New CTO Last month, we hit pause on our usual routine and headed to El Salvador for a change of scenery and a full creative reset. The goal was simple: step out of the day-to-day, immerse...
Hi Reader, I don’t know about you, but when I’m in my own little world for too long, my brain starts to overthink everything. I get caught up in all the tasks I should be doing, or should be doing bigger and better. When I finally step away from my comfort zone (i.e. my computer screen) for a while, the overthinking evaporates. I remember the world is, in fact, quite large. The opportunities are endless. And, usually, unexpected. That’s partly why Hazel and I went back to El Salvador in...
Hi Reader, When you look at Martha Stewart, you see someone who made cooking, homekeeping, and decorating mainstream. When you look at Michael Phelps, you see the world’s most decorated Olympian. When you look at Damon John, you see an A-list CEO and charismatic Shark Tank personality. As I listened to each of those very successful people speak at this year’s Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit, it was the reality of their low-lows that really stuck with me. Martha went to prison for...