Back when I started my career in design, it never occurred to me to turn down client business. My bosses at the firms where I worked may have done it, but if they did, I didn't know about it. Anyway, that's a crazy thing to do, right? You've got to hustle. Work as hard as you can. Do as many projects as you can. Right?
Fast forward some years, and now I'm my own boss. CFID is four years old. As the MBA grads would say, CFID has reached a new level of business maturity. It's time to think more strategically. Turns out, that means making some tough choices, including saying "no" to projects that don't fit our strategic focus.
We recently said goodbye to a long-time client that we've been with from the early stages of their business, and ours. We helped bring their brand to life through a clear design vision, and more recently, we standardized that vision as they expanded to dozens of locations in Charlotte and beyond. Our businesses have grown up together, and it's been a terrific ride. That's probably why it's taken me a while to acknowledge that it's time to move on. We need room for more creative challenges at CFID, and we need to focus our energy where we deliver the most value.
Saying goodbye to a steady, growing client is bittersweet. And a bit scary. It's also liberating. I'm excited to see the new projects and clients we can bring on board with the space we've created. In the meantime, I'll be cheering from afar as the brand we helped build keeps growing and thriving.
Photo Credit - "Scary" by Howard Lake is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.