We lost our biggest client.

And I felt it in my gut from the moment we walked into the pitch.

It was about five years into growing my tech-driven marketing agency.
We were flying.
Three major anchor clients. A strong, motivated team. Our work was getting noticed in the market.

The business was on a steep upward curve. And we were proud of what we were building.

Then, out of nowhere, our largest client (one of the country’s biggest CPG businesses – 15+ brands) decided to put the whole account out to pitch.

We’d taken them from a standing start on digital and social to a market leader.
We had champions at all levels. We assumed it was a formality.

So we walked into that boardroom confident.
Too confident.

From five minutes in, I could feel it shift.
The energy was off.
The decision was already made.

They’d been sold a more exciting dream by a competitor.  And we hadn’t seen it coming.

A few days later, the call came: we’d lost the business.
The fallout was huge: financially, emotionally, culturally.
It shook our confidence. And for a moment, I wasn’t sure how we’d come back from it.

But then: a small lifeline.

One of our clients (someone who’d always believed in us) fought to keep her brand working with us.

After quite an internal battle, the company made an exception. Just one brand. Just one chance.

We had a decision to make.

Throw our toys out the pram and storm off?

Or eat humble pie.  And quietly do the best work of our lives?

We chose the second.
No drama. Just grit.

We focused, we over-delivered, and we kept showing up.
No snark. No sulking. Just consistent, excellent work.

And slowly, the tide began to turn.

People in the company noticed.
Our work started getting talked about in the corridors again.
The new agency made a few mistakes.
And over the course of the next year… we won back every piece of the business. And more.

What did I learn?

• Ego is expensive. Especially if it stops you from playing the long game.
• Reputation is built when it’s tough. Not when it’s easy.
• You don’t have to win every room.  Just keep showing up with excellence.
• Culture is watching. Your team sees how you lead when things fall apart.  And that shapes how they show up too.
• Mistakes don’t have to be the end.  They can be the start of something better. If you’re willing to reflect, adjust, and keep going.

This wasn’t a masterclass in strategy.
It was a lesson in leadership.  And the kind of professionalism that doesn’t always make headlines, but makes companies and legacies.

If you’re a founder or leader navigating setbacks, I see you.

Your next chapter might not start with a win.

But it can absolutely start with how you choose to show up now.