We all know running a small business isn’t for the faint of heart. 20% fail in the first year, 50% but the fifth year, and at the 10-year mark, a milestone Fancy just reached, only 33% are still around. 

And I’m so thankful.

I’m thankful for the clients who knew that the traditional agency model wasn’t working for them—and decided to do things differently. I’m thankful that they were confident enough in their point of view that they pushed procurement to work with an agency that was redefining the way work was going to work.

I’m thankful, too, for the jobs I had before I decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. The ones where I met many of the women I’m fortunate enough to call Fancies today. The ones that had systems, and processes, and yes the rules that felt constricting at the time but now with hindsight I can see taught me so much about the way advertising works and all the roles that exist to make things happen (especially when so many of those roles need to be handled by the same person at Fancy). 

I’m thankful for the Fancies. The women (and indeed the occasional man) who have raised their hands to say, “You know what? I’m done with the bullshit. I can do more work, better work, work that works harder for clients and for women if I step away from the familiarity and the safety of what I’ve always been taught is the truth. The only way to make it.” The truth is, you make it when you make it yourself.

I’m thankful for a family that’s proud of what I’m doing. For a husband who picked up the slack when the kids were little. Who bragged about his wife and the change she was bringing to advertising for women. Who had spent enough time in the business to really understand why what we’re building is important. 

I’m thankful that I’ve been able to set an example for my children. That they have seen firsthand that women have agency. We can create the place we want to work. I’m also thankful that they have witnessed that it has not been easy. My kids have seen me at my most confident and my most vulnerable and they have seen the outcome of sticking with what you believe, facing the fear, and doing it anyway. Now at 17and 19, they understand that building Fancy has not been a hobby. That hard work has bought the groceries, funded the education, paid the mortgage, and covered some far-flung travel. I’m thankful that as they head to college and consider what to study and places their paths might lead, these are lessons they have already had.

I’m thankful for the many women in the past who took the risks, pushed the boundaries, and created the possibilities that exist for women today. I’m thankful for those who have offered insight and experience along the way. Women who want us to succeed. Women who know we will hold the door open for those behind us like they’re holding it for us today. 

Of course, I’m especially thankful for Erica Fite and Lindsey Seyman. And as much as I value their keen insight, steadfast determination, and vision for the agency’s future, I treasure their friendship and I know that we 100% have each other’s back and there’s nothing in a partner or a person that can top that.

And finally, I’m thankful that I took the chance. That I made the leap. That I didn’t let the people who questioned and doubted and made themselves feel better about their own lack of adventure by putting down mine discourage me from pursuing a path of growth. Were they right about some of the things? Were there some mistakes? Were there times I wondered what I was doing and if I had it in me to keep going? Never. Just kidding. Of course. But life is a progression. We move through things. We learn. We flourish. Together.

And for that, in this season and all seasons, I am very thankful.