At Defy, we’re super proud of our long-term clients—being able to evolve with those partners, grow relationships, and add strategic and creative layers over time is incredibly satisfying.
We’re just as pumped about the increasing “average” tenure of our employees. We want Defy to be a place that perpetually engages, challenges, and invests in its people, so each individual anniversary year we celebrate is a point of pride.
A close second to those experiences, though, is that feeling you get when a client or employee leaves… and then comes back.
These “boomerangs” check so many boxes. They’re proof that solid, mutually respectful partnerships can withstand one side moving on, and then welcome the unexpected chance to re-engage. They’re evidence that the initial parting was done with class—no mud-slinging or hard feelings. And finally, they’re proof that, at Defy, we’re building something real, and compelling enough to draw an employee or client back in when they need a change.
The lesson here? There’s always a chance. If you lose a prospect for whatever reason—the timing was wrong, budgets didn’t align, another partnership just felt better at the time—go high. Don’t burn that bridge; rather, keep nurturing the genuine connection you initially built and you never know where it may lead.
The same rule applies for staff: though your feelings may be hurt if one of your teammates decides to move on, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily goodbye forever. Offer genuine support and thanks and stay in touch, and you may run into that person in the breakroom again down the line.