Shine Bright.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about standing strong!

I don't have to remind you that our economy has seen some very dark days over the past decade. The storm first rolled in when we were attacked on September 11, 2001, crippling the airline industry and devastating the tourism industry. This was followed by going to war with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and looking around for "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq. Then, George Bush bailed out the banks that were "too big to fail." This was followed by the near collapse and massive bailout of the auto industry by Mr. Obama, and the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression.

As a result of the recession, marketing and advertising budgets were slashed and agencies began laying people off left and right. Every few months since 2008, we would wake up one day and suddenly receive hundreds of resumes—all from the same competing agency that had just gone through a giant round of layoffs. During those years, we had clients that retrenched and brought all of their marketing activities "in-house." At the same time, we've had clients that laid off their entire marketing department in favor of outsourcing all marketing.

The market would look like it was catching a headwind and we would suddenly see a tenfold increase in proposal requests. Then a month later, there would be bad news again and entire programs would be "put on hold" indefinitely. We might win two great new accounts and then lose one in the same week. While the seas were tumultuous, and our clients' self-confidence seemed precarious, we continued to push forward. While these times were the hardest, I believe they served as our defining moment.

How is it that our company stood strong, while many agencies in the region went through dozens of layoffs or were forced to close? I believe the reason we still stand is that we have a culture that praises innovation. We have a gloriously flat organization without layers. We move quickly, we're strategic thinkers, and because our team has been with the company for so long, our team came together when we needed each other the most.

It hasn't been easy, but we managed to push forward while others retreated. We had days when we wanted to quit, but somehow we stood strong and we celebrated every tiny success. We may not have a beautiful office overlooking the Back Bay, but we have three happy dogs, in two old houses, and for me, it feels like home. We may not be the largest agency in Boston, but I believe we have the biggest heart! Just as today's fortune says, "Even the smallest candle burns brighter in the dark."