Celebrating 5 Years of Excelerate
5 years. 5 years of challenge, learning, growth and success.
5 years ago, we started off to create something special. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We were aware that 50% of businesses fail within 5 years of opening their doors. And we were committed to doing it our way. We were committed to our vision and our purpose. We were committed to our employees and our clients.
And today, we celebrate that 5-year mark. Milestones like this are a time for reflection. And wow, have we reflected a lot over the last few months as our anniversary approaches. In the spirit of sharing some of those reflections, here’s what stood out to us as critical to Excelerate’s success.
1. First and foremost, our people.
Our employees are the backbone of Excelerate. When we started Excelerate, we knew that we wanted to be different in how we showed up for our people. We knew that the brand we created and the outcomes we delivered to our clients would only be possible if we put our people first. And we did. The result is that our employees carry forward our vision and our mission in ways that we did not think possible. They are outcomes obsessed. They are gritty and willing to do what it takes to deliver excellence. They are fearless in the face of ambiguity, and they tackle challenging situations with the right blend of mind and heart. We would not be here without them. Our appreciation for them is immeasurable.
2. We’re always playing the long game.
We are very intentional. Intentional about what we do and how we do it. Every day is full of decisions at Excelerate. Some of those are long-term decisions, some are short-term. But no matter what, we make each decision with our core purpose in mind. We are thoughtful and purposeful about everything we do. We designed the ownership of Excelerate to have the luxury of setting annual goals without overreacting to near-term targets and we don’t take that for granted. We strive to make sure that our short-term decisions will enable our long-term outcomes and we’re willing to make painful short-term decisions with our long-term future in mind. We are always playing the long game.
3. The company we keep.
We continue to be amazed at the brands that we have the fortune of serving. Every minute matters to our clients. We value their time and understand what a precious resource it is. Our clients participate in highly competitive markets which require a sense of urgency that we enable. In return, the trust our clients place in us is what allows us to grow and expand our boundaries. Our clients trust our process, our decision making, our objectivity. They know we will tell the truth, even if it’s not what they expected. Trust has given us the foundation to create and mature into innovative spaces and push harder to find the right solutions customized to their needs.
4. Our willingness and ability to change.
Agility is often cited as a strength by organizations, but few maximize its impact. We are never satisfied with status quo. We are never done improving. This shows up in how we evaluate ourselves, our work and our outcomes. Maybe the most critical way this has driven our success is in how we constantly evaluate the market and grow with it. We try to stay two steps ahead in what we do and how we execute. To make sure our clients are getting forward-thinking ideas and best-in-class structures and frameworks for how we approach their work (with data and science always at the center). It also drives how we run our business, who we work with, how we go to market and how we stay relevant. We adjust to be better and will continue to evolve every day, every year.
5. Relationships are our currency.
Since day 1, we focused on relationships, knowing that investing in them would serve us well. Excelerate is built on relationships. We weren’t always great at describing this to ourselves or our employees. But in 2021, we revised our vision and mission statement to help us better articulate the true reason we exist. This is what we do. We create a RIPPLE EFFECT for our employees, our clients and our communities by feeding those relationships. This creates economic vitality and drives social prosperity within our ecosystem of past, current and future employees, clients and partners. This shows up in how we engage with our clients. We do what’s right for our clients, even when it’s not popular or easy. We are deeply invested in our clients’ businesses and successes, beyond the scope of our work with them. We succeed when they succeed. We do that with a foundational focus on relationships because we care.
THANK YOU & ONWARD!
These past 5 years have been quite a ride. We’ve grown and transformed while staying true to the mission and vision that Excelerate was founded on. The heart and soul of Excelerate truly lies in our employees and our clients. We are so thankful to all of you, for your commitment to our purpose and to building great things together. You are why we show up to work every day and strive to be better.
We are committed to continuing to be better for you over these next 5 years. We have big plans. Onward.
With deep gratitude,
Nilay and Jana