Reflecting on the Beautiful Death of the Turbulent Year

2020 is about to be in the past, and I know a lot of folks will prefer it to be ‘one of those history books’..you know, the one that sits atop grandma’s bookshelf, never to be taken down to read. But that seems a little shortsighted, I’ve always tried to live by the mantra that:

 “Last year is the best year yet, but not as good as next year is going to be.” 

With that said, wanted to share a few thoughts on 2020 that are relevant to the founder community as we near the end of this historic (for better or worse) year: 

1. A bad workplace culture will eventually drive out even the loyal employees - ex. Tom Brady eventually tired of “The Patriot Way” as he and many others migrated to a rising sunbelt city (@Tampa!) 

1. When the gap against competition is large, the use of data is the best way to bridge the gap - ex. Rays payroll: $49M vs. Yankees payroll: $161M; you be the judge...
2. Keep morale  high! Always share the good news with your team and appreciate the wins - both big and small. 
3. Technology is here to stay, and it continues to grow - hope you all held onto that Bitcoin from 2017! Seriously though, keep your mind open to new possibilities, it could just pay off in the form of a great idea that becomes the next great company. 
4. “Offline” redefined - If ever there was a time that the lines of “work/life” have intersected, now is that time. Make sure both you and your employees set expectations - trust me, this will make for a much healthier work environment in the long run. 
5. Capital high, companies low - Dry powder, in both the Venture Capital and Private Equity worlds, is at an all time high. People are still looking to invest, they’re just waiting on a good deal - perfect ingredients for an opportune, “right time, right place” company.

1. Integrate everything - If your company hasn’t taken steps this year to further ‘digitize’ your operations and internal processes, you’re likely falling behind competitors in that regard. It’s never been easier to do on a smaller scale than it is today with tools like Zapier. 
2. Be proud of what you do - This is easier said from the founder POV, but if you can make every employee feel that way, then your company will be better off for it! 
3. Take advantage of the newfound time on your hands (to plan for your wedding) - My fiancé made me put that last part, but the point stands. You likely had more time this year than you did in years past (less commutes, less activities open, etc.) to devote to building a new skill or trying different activities - don’t forget those things moving forward if they made a positive impact on your life. 
4. Transparency begets transparency - The new social currency is a company’s transparency. People are interested to see what’s going on behind the scenes and giving access to you and your thoughts as a founder is a great way to do that (kinda like I’ve been trying to do more of on LinkedIn this year).

Hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them. It can seem so easy to get caught up in what feels like an increasingly negative world. Then again, to be a founder is to be the ultimate problem solver, and we’re not doing our job if we don’t find some problems to fix :) 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Barnish is Founder and Managing Partner of Orchid Black (OB), a boutique firm designed for Tech-Forward, Growth-Stage Companies seeking to grow smart and grow fast. Spanning 400+ years of combined experience and more than $35B in combined value creation, OB’s team of highly skilled operators have repeatedly driven success across all stages of business from growth to exit. Jim's 15+ years of experience as a strategic growth leader in global and integrated M&A, operations, sales, and marketing uniquely qualify him to lead Orchid Black’s team of executives.@jimbarnish @OrdBlk