The 3-Year Itch

Happy Friday,

How was your week?

This week marks my third Googleversary. Three years!

In some ways, it feels like I just figured out the coffee machine, and in others, it feels like a lifetime of learning, growth, and incredible conversations (probably about the coffee machine, let's be honest).

This milestone has me thinking on two distinct levels. First, on a personal level, about the biggest lessons I've learned. Then, as a brand builder, I can't help but see how these same lessons apply to brands at a similar turning point.

So today, I want to share a few personal reflections powered by my operating system, and then we'll connect it all back to a playbook for any brand facing what I'm calling the "3-Year Itch."

A while back, I did the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment. 

For those who haven't geeked out on it, it's a framework that helps you identify your natural talents—the things you're inherently good at. It doesn't tell you what you know, but how you naturally think, feel, and behave. It's been a game-changer for me in understanding my own playbook.

Looking back at my time here, I can see how these core strengths have shown up in the biggest lessons learned:

• The "One Google" Team is a Force Multiplier | You can have the best strategy, but execution is everything. I learned firsthand that transforming cross-functional touchpoints into a highly engaged "one-google team" is the key to unlocking major growth. It's my inner Arranger at its best: instinctively organizing all the moving parts and people for maximum productivity. (My Inner Arranger) 

• To Change the Outcome, You Must Reframe the Conversation | I am incredibly grateful for the partnerships I get to build with amazing brands. The most profound learning has been that the biggest breakthroughs happen when we change the conversation together. It takes Strategic thinking to spot the relevant patterns and create alternative ways to proceed. It has been a privilege to see what becomes possible when we collectively agree to reframe marketing from a cost center to a profit center. That shift in dialogue is what unlocks new opportunities and proves the power of a true partnership. (The Strategic View)

• Leadership's True Legacy is in Who You Lift Up | While driving results is critical, I've found the most fulfilling work has been in coaching and mentoring. Seeing colleagues I've mentored get promoted and helping equip the next generation of leaders has been the absolute highlight. That's my Developer strength coming through—the deep satisfaction that comes from recognizing and cultivating the potential in others. (The Developer at Heart)

This reflection on personal and professional evolution got me thinking about the "3-Year Itch" for brands. We've all heard of the seven-year version, but in today's warp-speed world of business, I'm convinced the timeline has shrunk. 

Three years is the critical point where the initial honeymoon phase is over, the routines are set, and a brand faces a choice: settle into comfortable complacency or intentionally scratch that itch to evolve. For brands, this is the moment the initial launch excitement has faded. The question is no longer "What are we?" but "What are we becoming?" Are you still solving a real problem? Are you still connecting? Or are you just... there?

It's the difference between a brand that builds a legacy and one that becomes a trivia question.

The Antidote to the Itch: A 3-Step Playbook

So how do you ensure a brand thrives past this milestone? It's not about a total reinvention or throwing out what works. It's about being intentional.

• Re-anchor to Your "Why" | After three years of campaigns, pivots, and putting out fires, it's easy to drift from your core purpose. This is the time to ask: Is our "why" still driving our "what"? For a brand, that purpose is the anchor in the chaotic sea of market trends.

  • Patagonia is a great example of a brand that consistently lives its values and keeps its community engaged through authentic connections. 

  • Nike's "Just Do It" is a "why" so powerful it has allowed them to navigate decades of cultural and market shifts, even when they've stumbled.

• Turn Dialogue into Data | The most successful brands are relentless listeners. After three years, you have a treasure trove of data—reviews, social media comments, customer service logs. This isn't just feedback; it's a roadmap. 

  • When Dove launched its "Real Beauty" campaign nearly two decades ago, they could have stopped there. Instead, they kept listening, evolving the conversation from sketches to selfies to the cost of beauty on young girls. They avoided the itch by making their community the co-author of their next chapter.

• Embrace "Positive Agitation" | Complacency is the enemy. Great brands create a culture of "positive agitation"—a constant, gentle push to be better. 

  • Think of the Nerds Gummy Clusters phenomenon. ( and personal favourite) They could have rested on the legacy of the Nerds brand. Instead, they agitated the product itself—solving the messy eating experience of the Rope—and turned a simple innovation into an $8M to $736M monster success. That's the power of refusing to settle.

The Sip takeaway

The 3-Year Itch is real, but it's not a curse. It's a gift. 

It's a scheduled gut-check, a moment to pause and ask the hard questions before they become painful ones.

For any brand builder, the lesson is this: don't wait for the itch to become a full-blown rash.

Stay anchored to your purpose, listen intently to your community, and never stop asking, "How can we be better?"

It's been an incredible three years of building, learning, and sipping. 

Thank you for being on this journey with me. I can't wait to see what we build next.

Until then

See you next week!