The “In Their Own Words” series is a collection of short columns from some of Chicago’s most influential tech leaders. After a tumultuous 2020—with a global pandemic, civil unrest and a turbulent economy—Inno wanted to give Chicago's tech community an opportunity to reflect on the highs and lows of the last 12 months, and share how they're working smarter and better in the next 12. Each columnist was asked to answer the question: How are you and your company preparing for 2021?
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When I reflect on the past year, I’m hit with a complicated mix of emotions.
On the one hand, there’s the obvious impact of Covid-19. So many lives and livelihoods have been lost in 2020 and it’s difficult to find the silver lining of such a dark cloud. On the other hand, Forager grew tremendously, and we were lucky enough not only to survive 2020, but to raise a Series A and thrive. Like all businesses, we got kicked in the teeth for a while—but we managed a rebound, thanks in no small part to the dedication of our amazing team.
And really, what 2020 and this awful pandemic has (forcefully) shown us is what we’re all made of. The resilience of first responders and frontline workers aside, your everyday office workers were made to setup their desks in kitchens, juggle pets, children and coworking spouses, and handle a tremendous amount of stress and uncertainty for months at a time. Entire businesses were remade on Zoom overnight.
At Forager, we were forced to transform into a business that communicates asynchronously and across multiple systems and multiple time zones. We got creative and came up with new ways to share tribal knowledge and collaborate on complex projects and have some virtual fun while doing it.
I’m hopeful for the vaccine distribution to accelerate as we head into the new year. While Forager isn’t directly involved in the logistics, I’m proud of my fellow freight nerds and former coworkers who are vital links in this new, lifesaving supply chain.
Looking ahead to 2021, I’m being cautious in my messaging with our team about what next year is going to look like. I’m asking that everyone prepare for every scenario and take none of our successes for granted. The way we look at hiring into engineering has evolved. Now we’re open to hiring remote engineers throughout the U.S., rather than solely focusing on Chicago-based talent. The way we have been building our platform, SCOUT by Forager, has also changed. We’ve built it assuming no one will be sitting next to their computer-savvy coworker who they can turn to with any problems. Now, all that problem-solving, no matter how small, will need to occur within SCOUT.
Flexibility is critical as we enter a new year without absolute certainty as to when life will return to “normal.” I’m not sure life will ever be truly “normal” again. However, it’s critical that we power through what will likely be another challenging year.
What 2020 taught us above all else is to expect the unexpected, be as agile as humanly possible, and to stay hopeful for brighter, healthier days.
