A fun observation:
For every headline about Nike’s mass layoffs
(and every armchair quarterback trying to tell Nike how to run their business)
There’s a brand that you haven’t thought of in years
Or maybe never even heard of
Quietly printing money.
Maybe they’re not making noise with public job postings and announcements
Maybe their culture is solid and their employee turnover is low and they’re crazy careful about how they’re growing
But they exist.
Off the top, a few that we encountered in 2024:
- Married couple maxed out credit cards a few years ago to start an outlier shoe brand. Revenue now exceeds $100M with respectable net profit
- Legacy brand (who everyone’s heard of but nobody’s got a clue how massively successful they are) is expanding. Carefully selecting talent, retaining employees for 20 years, and staying quiet
- Accessories startup in the suburban Midwest, revenue is $1.3M per employee, 50+ employees
- Another one in NYC doing $100M+ with a team of 8
- A Creative Director friend began the year unemployed when the agency he worked for went bankrupt. Decided to start his own agency, ended the year drowning in revenue
“How’s the job market?” Wrong question.
How’s your Awareness, Proximity and Positioning?
Ignore the noise. Look for good news and luck will find you.
