"But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.” - Rocky Balboa
Yearends have some sort of mental milestone. It’s like a time to pause and look back. And evaluate what you started off with and where you are currently. It’s also about getting a sense of closure on some projects. But, it’s mostly a time to think of new ideas or refresh plans pushed to the backburner during the course of the year.
Personally, as well as professionally, the end of year signifies you have done what you could through the year and the clock is going to reset. It can evoke feelings of regret that quietly says “should have planned better / should have dropped a project and pursued another / invested time and resources in better options”, and more such thoughts. In the midst of all this, there are a bunch of significant achievements that deserve recognition too.
COVID, THE DISRUPTOR
COVID-19 delivered massive punches, especially to a lot of small and mid-sized businesses. And there were plenty of business folk across the world who have battled (and are battling) valiantly to find ways to survive the tough rounds.
Many have found opportunities to change their business model and cater to new needs that surfaced. The ones willing to adapt quickly gave themselves chances to thrive in spite of challenges.
For Team Dusty, COVID stalled almost all client projects – some temporarily and some permanently, as clients were forced to hit the stop button in an uncertain environment. Team Dusty leveraged a crucial period during initial lockdown to hit the drawing board and re-strategise.
everything goes remote
Our in-person strategy sessions had to be remodeled for online delivery. With no time to waste, we rolled up our sleeves to help clients to pivot and repurpose resources to tap into fresh opportunities. Come 2021, Team Dusty will add fresh ways to enable clients to grow their business and build strong brands.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Year 2020 has been like the movie Rocky, where Sylvester Stallone starts as an underdog, survives and wins against all odds. In the boxing ring, the winner is usually the one who takes the punches, gets knocked down, refuses to give up, and gets back on their feet before the count hits 10. And we had front row seats to watch some resilient businesses who refused to give up.
Stepping into 2021, there’s something to take along what shone in 2020: that human ability to adapt, to roll with the punches and find ways to keep moving. That spirit of humans as individuals, and collectively as businesses; that essence of walking dusty paths to find ways to keep going onward.