One thing I’ve learned from running Sirona Marketing for two years: every time I think we’ve figured something out, the business changes again.
I’m incredibly proud of what Abdul Rastagar, our team, and I have built, but navigating a growing services business comes with plenty of uncertainty, too.
Here's just a small list of a few things I've learned along this crazy and rewarding ride.
1. Be a giver, not a taker
Abdul and I wouldn't be where we are today without the support, favors, and friendships we've built throughout our careers (you know who you are...hopefully!). Sirona is truly a product of the people in our circle connecting us to opportunities, putting in a good word, sharing advice, or simply lending an ear when we need one.
We try to carry that same principle into our day-to-day lives. When someone reaches out for a connection, a favor, or a conversation, we make every effort to be available. Abdul alone has helped connect more than 50 healthcare marketers to new jobs (so many that people have occasionally mistaken us for a recruiting agency).
Most of us are drawn to life sciences and health tech because we want to improve human health. I believe we also have a responsibility to support the people doing that work.
2. Don't dwell on the losses, but don't over-index on the wins
No company is entirely predictable, but consulting is especially prone to ebbs and flows. Our work naturally tracks with our clients' businesses: their changing resource needs, funding and budget shifts, internal priorities, market dynamics, and much more.
Some weeks, we work our butts off for every small step toward closing a deal. Other times, a 45-minute conversation and a proposal are enough to get started.
Getting too discouraged by a bad week or month is kryptonite in consulting. Slower periods and closed-lost opportunities are part of the journey. Letting a bad week define how I feel about the company, or about myself, is dangerous. Once I'm stuck in a negative headspace, it becomes much harder to wake up the next day, deliver excellent work for clients, and approach business development with genuine enthusiasm.
The same principle applies to the wins. Celebrating success and feeling proud of what you've built are incredibly important. But I've also learned not to let success make us complacent. Consulting is driven by relationships and pipeline, and our results are directly tied to the effort we put into building both.
The goal is to use each win as fuel to keep going, no take our foot off the gas.
3. The milestone paradox
One of the biggest mind trips of running a company is that a milestone can feel impossibly difficult and far away when you set it. Then you reach it, and almost immediately, it becomes business as usual.
That doesn't mean milestones aren't meaningful or worth celebrating. It means that something once intimidating and out of reach can eventually become part of your everyday life.
Abdul and I have reached client and financial milestones we once didn't think were possible. Now, we've set new ones that feel nearly impossible all over again.
None of this has come from one glamorous or defining founder moment but rather getting up, doing the work, and staying consistent.
4. Energy is the scarcest resource
It's hard to wake up motivated every day, so I don't try to. Instead, I focus on waking up consistent.
Some days, I'll bring extra magic. On others, I'll barely squeak by. Over time, I like to think it evens out.
What matters most is protecting enough energy and motivation to deliver for our clients and continue building Sirona. That requires focusing on what I can control and becoming comfortable walking away from what isn't worth the cost.
Sometimes that means saying no to an opportunity because it would require us to work with assholes. Sometimes it means stepping away from a potential deal because I know we aren't the right team for the job. It also means accepting that, try as I might, I may not convince every CEO that investing in marketing is worthwhile, and that's okay.
Every hour I spend forcing the wrong opportunity is an hour I'm not spending on the right client, relationship, or project.
Protecting my energy is also about what I do outside the office, which brings me to the next point...
5. Be militant about your health
Many founders glorify the "up all night" hustle or talk proudly about being too busy to eat. Those moments may happen occasionally, but long-term success depends on building and diligently protecting routines that serve you over time.
For me, that means sleeping eight hours a night, getting outside to exercise every day, and eating real meals at consistent times. I'm not my best self when I'm exhausted, hangry, or stuck indoors all day. I can't operate at the level my work requires without taking care of myself outside working hours.
My health isn't something I address after everything else is finished. It is what allows me to do everything else well.
6. Our company is our people
Almost every company says its people are its greatest asset. In consulting, that is quite literally true.
When Abdul joined Sirona, I told him it instantly felt like one plus one equaled three. Since then, we've expanded to include several more team members (shoutout Letitia Rodley, Vidhi Goel and Michelle Araiza !) each of whom has made Sirona a stronger and better place.
We are extremely thoughtful about who we bring onto the team. We need people with the right combination of industry experience and marketing judgment, but skills alone aren't enough. They also have to be comfortable with uncertainty, adaptable when priorities shift, and willing to operate without every detail being perfectly defined.
Most importantly, they need to be good people. Our clients are trusting us with consequential work, and we're trusting one another to show up, follow through, and represent Sirona well.
So if you’ve followed along on our journey, worked with us, referred us, cheered us on, or lent a helping hand along the way, thank YOU for helping make Sirona what it is two years in.
We genuinely wouldn’t be here without you :)
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