The Year Ahead and Glancing Back at 2022

Part I


On a chilly late December morning, I sat down to write my moments of gratitude for 2022 as well as what to expect from Skout in 2023. Months have ticked by and here we are in the early days of April 2023 and I am finally getting to a place where I can finish my thoughts. What can I say, life has a funny way of working and timing is everything.

Raising a family and building a company on the heels of a historic 100-year event as well as an increasingly turbulent financial environment in a nascent industry, is hard. Something that December morning pulled me from being able to complete my thoughts, whether it was something my wife needed help with, my daughters looking to spend their holiday break with me or navigating the shipment of 4, 40’ containers to our largest customer. Things that were more pressing or significant emerged, which seems to be a common theme in being a working parent, navigating the post-pandemic world, and building a company from the ground up. 

It is hard to imagine, that almost 2 years ago to the day, I filed the articles of incorporation for Skout Strategy. In that time we have been able to drive $1.2mm in revenue, close and execute on projects around the globe, convert from an LLC to a C Corp, and obtain a round of debt-financing that has put protective boundaries around our growth while we continue to build a strong foundation under this company. So here we are, almost two weeks into Q2, where the pressures from Q1 are beginning to release and the clarity of what 2023 holds for our team is unfolding.

The new year has already brought some significant changes to our team at Skout, pivots in our strategy, a lesson in cash flow management, and a ton of internal and external momentum. It has been a lot to navigate, but in that time I have had the opportunity to reflect, with much gratitude, on what has transpired over the last 24 months, but also what the next 9 to 12 months hold for our company. The long-term vision of what we want to build is clear, but getting there will be the challenge and it is a challenge I have been preparing for throughout my professional career.

Building a company has never been a straight line. It never will be. I’m not looking for a straight line— well, maybe on the tough days or the long days I wish it were a bit more linear–but this year more than ever I’m settling into the ebb and flow of this industry, of projects, and building a company.

More to come. Thanks for being here.

-GC