I woke up on January 1st, 2020, thinking, "Oh, this will be a great year! New decade, new beginnings, what will the next ten years bring?!"
The very next day, I hopped on a plane to meet with my executive team (and good friends - Joel Varty and James Vidler) to strategize the growth plans for Agility CMS. After we planned out the year, I took a break and adventured through the Tulum jungle with my wife, a quick weekend escape from our toddlers and the rest of life's stresses. When we got back, we were terribly sick; I guess a sign as to what the year will bring. We're still not sure what we got (don't think COVID was in Mexico at that point), but we had three intense days in bed and another week of slow recovery before coming back to what was supposed to be a smooth transition into a new year.
Little did I know; there was no smoothness planned for 2020. That was my last flight, last vacation, last visit with my extended family, and the last time I saw any employees from our Toronto headquarters. In-person that is…
By March, we were in lockdown, and the world would never be the same. While I've seen some amazing transformations, we all pretty much agree that COVID sucks!
But where there is a loss, the opportunity also arrives! I've seen changed mindsets, and companies pivot while also seeing more separation and conflict. I don't think there has been a time when I've learned as much and grown as much, and although it has been challenging, most people would agree that we will come out of this stronger than ever before.
At Agility, we had to stand by our name and be more Agile than ever. We quickly got rid of all our offices and went completely virtual. This allowed us to allocate some funds to more resources and expand our team. We then improved our services, rolled out more updates and features, and brought on more customers than ever before.
I'm grateful we could grow through these challenging times, but it makes me appreciate even more what we had and still has. We lost a lot of freedoms that we take for granted but what we all still have - is each other. Connection.
A single virus can affect us all at the same time, globally, across countries, races, and cultures. We're all connected, and we need to realize that... so that we can support and help each other through these hard times. Really, this is how we come out stronger.
Being Agile and adapting has always been important to me. So has connections and partnerships. As we come into 2021, the world will not change back to the way it was, but it is a new year. It is time for us to stand up and move forward.
It is time to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to something new. What that new is, is up to us. I'm hoping it is a world where we come together, stand together, and support each other no matter what.
I know I speak from the whole Agility team when I say we're here to work with you and grow together. To make the world a better place and to enjoy what we do. We appreciate our relationship with you and we’re looking forward to growing and standing together with you going into the future.
Sincerely,
Jon Voigt (CEO)
& The Agility Team
