FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
INSIGHTS for INVESTORS
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday full of good food, along with time to relax and reflect on your blessings. While the world is still full of an extra share of struggles, it has also been a year of many blessings. Of course, family, for any of us is our greatest gift but as I sat down to write this letter to you, three other areas sprang to mind to share my gratitude for.
1. It’s NOT 2020
For myself, many of my teammates (and probably many of you), one thing I am grateful for is that it’s not 2020.
2020 for myself and my teammates was full of personal and professional trials. New lives, a tragic death, betrayals, pandemic chaos, unprecedented market craziness and much more tested our group, all while trying to find a new home for TEN.
By comparison, this year has been considerably more calm on the personal front for the team (and we even got to celebrate Ryan and Kenzie’s wedding), has brought near record low volatility to markets, which I think we’ve all enjoyed, and saw us settle into our new home in the Wonder Building. After such a tough year, our new space came at a perfect time to give the group a fresh start.
On that note, we’ve enjoyed having many of you down to the space and look forward to seeing any of you who haven’t made it down yet very soon. Our vision of “office as part club house” is taking root from small private events, surprise client drop-ins to “hang out” and of course, the dozen or so of you who are regularly coming in to use the gym. Much more on all that to come in 2022!
It’s not a marketing line when we say we enjoy our clients and value building relationships with you and your families. Having you in our space with regularity to enjoy the gym, bring in a lunch from outside or just grab a coffee gives our team an important daily lift. Thank you!
2. My Teammates – A Special Team, a Special Response
So yes, 2020 was a serious trial to us individually and collectively, but even more important was the incredible response by my teammates that has filled me with both pride and gratefulness.
My teammates didn’t just try to make it through or simply overcome the challenge, they doubled down on their efforts to come out the other side even better than before.
Rather than using the pandemic as an excuse to drift or “turtle up”, the team at TEN has made time to add several new meaningful designations, help launch a new website, add their own thoughtful touches to our new office, all while serving clients through this tough time and significantly growing our collective practices.
Growth wasn’t limited to new clients, but also to the team itself. I consider it no accident that right at such a crucial time for the firm a number of very special people found their way into our lives. We added some amazing young talent in Sage, Sam and Taylor that have brought a lot of positivity and energy to the group and have already made some special connections with our clients. Our new additions also included two established professionals in Jon and Jonna, that not only bring a ton of new capabilities to the firm but are also two people hard to catch without a smile on their face. These people have been one of the year’s great blessings not just to the firm, but to me personally.
If a person or group is defined by how they respond to adversity, then this group I’m blessed to call my team is even more special than one could’ve imagined.
3. You, Our Clients
Friends often ask how things are going, and as of late, I must answer honestly with, “It’s been a pretty challenging time actually”. The common follow up questions is “Clients?”, to which I can answer just as honestly saying, “No, they are the least of my issues”.
And it’s so true!
Our whole team commented on how for every “tough call” we’ve had during the pandemic regarding markets, etc., we’ve had 10 or 20 calls from clients checking in to see how we are doing.
Again, it’s not a line when I frequently comment on what a gift our clients are both to us, and our other clients. As things have begun to open back up it’s been a joy to see how excited everyone has been to see each other. Our event this July was an incredible example of this. I had dozens of people let me know how much they’d missed seeing everyone, from our team to many of the other clients they’ve come to know. Our team felt the same way and that event created a buzz within TEN that lasted a long time. It was also an important chance to show our newer teammates the magic that is the community we’ve built and more of what lies ahead once this pandemic subsides.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to you for the growth of our firm. TEN has had back-to-back record years of growth as you, our friends, pay us the honor of working with your friends and family. We have and will work very hard to repay that honor by continuing to serve you, take wonderful care of your introductions, as well as continue to add to our overall services and experiences.
In an initial newsletter years ago, I made you the promise that as we grew, we would seek to repay you for your support with an ever-improving experience. This year we sought to do that with the addition of those incredible teammates highlighted above, our new office and some new technologies. And we still have many more new things on the way in 2022!!
Thank you all, my inspiring and encouraging teammates and of course, you, our clients, and friends. While it is a challenging period for us all, the darkness of the moment also helps us focus in that much more on all the incredible people that help light up our lives.
Warmest regards,
Tim and the team at TEN