Welcome to 2024, Let’s talk about 2023
A selective look at the previous year and a few of the lessons learned.
I know I still owe y’all my part 2 on what it takes to run a design studio, and I have that in the can for next week. In the meantime, though, I thought it would be good to kick off the first week of the year with a quick recap of 2023 and a couple of lessons I’ve learned coming out of a semi-turbulent period.
Loss is, Loss Does
It was a pretty tough year last year. There were backslides in business and personal loss which consumed my mental state for many months of 2023. I was left wordless for several months in which I felt too low to muster any type of written content.
In July of last year, I lost one of my best friends, James, to brain cancer. I spent large portions of the previous 14 months with him, talking and laughing, reliving adventures we’d had, and slowly watching him decline. Of the last week he spent in hospice care, before his death, I was with him for 4 of the 7 days. It was hard, and it affected me deeply.
I’ve had the better part of six-plus months since to go over this experience in my mind (read grieving), and here’s what I’ve gleaned from that process:
The loss of James was a tragedy. 52 is too young for anyone to go out. Yet, I appreciate the last 14 months I had with him (on top of the 15 years I knew him before that). I stepped up, leaned in (while many sadly took a step back because of their fear of their mortality), and said the things I needed to say while supporting my close friend through his final days. Work was not important during those times, neither was making money. Only that personal connection mattered in those moments — the value of that is priceless.
As a person who lives to help people “create experiences”, this was an important process for me. I needed to experience it personally. We all come into this world and we go out of this world the same way — with nothing more than the skin on our bones. In between those two points, we spend too much time worrying about bullshit that doesn’t matter and not enough time with the people that do. We are a society looking in the wrong direction.
A Modification, A Revision, A Variation
In 2023 we let go of our last employee, reducing our team down to the three original partners we started Shop with. This was a calculated decision on our part. One that we knew would affect the bottom line, as well as our overall earning potential. This decision stands in sharp contrast to what we are being told we should be focusing on by “influencers” who prescribe radical growth.
So, while everyone is attempting to “10x” their lives and businesses — pursuing growth, growth, growth by chasing the latest marketing strategies, we are moving in reverse. Why?
We took our studio to a total of about 7 people (including contractors) and about a half million dollars annually — growing yearly since 2017 even in the face of a global pandemic. And in the end, we were growing more miserable each year. Perpetual growth appears great on the surface, but it was not making us happy.
We took our studio to a total of 7 people and a half million dollars annually…And in the end, we were growing more miserable each year.
What we’ve come to understand is that, at the end of the day, there is only so much you need each year in terms of resources to lead fulfilling lives. Huge year-over-year growth meant we had to work with a lot of companies that we regretted getting involved with because we didn’t have a choice. We needed them to keep the lights on, pay salaries, and keep people “happy*”. Ultimately, we didn’t want to live that way.
10x-ing might be all the rage right now, and it may be great for certain people. I, however, believe it’s an empty pursuit and that it ultimately leads to a lot of miserable, frustrated people who lose touch with their creative spark.
Because of this shift in our thinking, in 2023, we let go of our other developer (last FT employee) and decided to fire all of our toxic clients...which we did. We also began to change the types of work and relationships we were pursuing.
So, it’s a year later, how are doing? Financially, our income was halved, which we expected. We, however, don’t have the overhead we did before, so that’s fine. In terms of clients, we’re working with a more select group of people after the culling. Each of our clients understands our mission and drive to help make their brands better. They believe in us because we believe in them and ourselves. Finally, we were able to start pivoting away from very deep web development work. While we are still doing some complex web development projects, we have a better mix of traditional graphic design and digital marketing work now too. It’s been a win all around.
Less money, but more autonomy? What do you think? I think it’s pretty good.
A Little Work in the Field
Perhaps one of my big accomplishments of 2023 was to finish a book design project with my good friend, and writer, Victor Griggs. Vic had assembled a group of poems written during the pandemic about his life as a black man living with cerebral palsy and what that means through his lens.
When I initially suggested creating a book to him he was a bit hesitant to do it. Yet, I persisted because I felt he needed an outlet for these writings, otherwise they would be relegated to a corner of some dusty SIM card lingering in a weird half-life somewhere in the ether. After a bit more pressure he thankfully agreed.
I took on the project pro bono — handling layout, editing, and cover design. The idea of helping give Vic a vehicle for his voice while seeing him achieve a lifelong goal of publishing a book was just too compelling to let pass by. Victor has overcome many adversities in his life, but like many people who live with disabilities, he did not see the worth in his words, and a book seemed like a distant pipe dream.
We worked on the book, entitled Rolling Through Life: Thoughts About Life Through Poetry and Prose, for nearly two years. We carefully crafted it so that it would honestly represent the ideas he had expressed in his writing. It turned out beautifully.
We went to print in September and worked with BookBaby to get the e-book version into all major book retailers. We also ordered a few hundred printed copies of the book for him to sell on his own.
What happened since the launch has blown my mind. It has taken on a life of its own. Along with giving Vic a platform for his thoughts, it’s allowed him to completely step up and market his book. Due to his guerrilla marketing efforts, we’ve seen a huge response - more than either of us expected.
Here are some highlights:
He’s managed to secure spots in a half dozen or more local bookstores.
The book is in every major online retailer across the U.S.
He’s sold several hundred copies of the book to date.
We’ve just wrapped up an interview with the local paper, The Columbian, here in Vancouver.
He’s been asked to speak at a couple of local disability groups about rethinking about what you can do as a disabled person.
He’s even been asked to speak as an author at a local book fair in March.
At the end of all this, the biggest benefit of this project, for me, has been seeing my good friend’s confidence and self-worth skyrocket. Knowing I had a little bit to do with that makes me happy. It’s the reason I became a designer. No amount of money could replace that.
It’s inspired me so much that I have begun the process of setting up a non-profit for myself that will allow me to help others realize their projects regardless of budget. I already have two more books in the pipeline for 2024 and 2025, but more on that later.
So, there you have it in broad strokes — 2023. There was, of course, a lot more that took place, but these are the things I’ve unpacked at the moment.
How about you? Did the year go the way you planned? Share if you’re up to it.
* Employee happiness is a story for another time.
Wow, what a brave year you’ve had. Thank you for sharing the honest realities. All good wishes for a 2024!