Startups know they should be intentional. But most aren’t. Why?

Because intentionality demands patience. It feels slow. And most startups are wired to glorify speed. They’re chasing the next milestone. The next funding round. The next big launch. Moving fast and breaking things is sexy. Being deliberate isn’t.

The reality? Chasing speed now often means sacrificing the foundation for lasting success.

Rushing to market with a half-baked brand? You’ll spend years rebuilding it. Fixating on vanity metrics? You’ll miss building real customer relationships. Prioritizing growth over purpose? You’ll grow right into irrelevance.

Being intentional has a cost. It might mean missing that expo, flat revenue for a few months, or saying no to opportunistic partnerships. It feels like falling behind. But you’re building a foundation while others are building sandcastles.

The most successful companies aren’t the fastest out of the gate. They’re the ones with staying power.

Remember: The tortoise beats the hare—not with speed, but with purpose.

I recently heard something that quantified years of marketing intuition.

Preston Rutherford, co-founder of men’s apparel brand Chubbies (acquired in a nine-figure deal), shared the ’95-5 rule’ in a recent interview. It’s simple but profound: Only 5% of your potential market is ready to buy at any given moment.

Pause and think about that.

All that sweat over ad optimization, conversion tweaks, and sharper hooks… and 95% of your audience isn’t even in the market. They’re not saying no. They’re saying not now.

The old playbook said: Target. Convert. Repeat. It worked, until it didn’t. Now, algorithms shift. Ad costs soar. Consumers yawn.

The new playbook? Be memorable.

Build a brand that sticks. Create content that resonates. Foster a community that lasts. Don’t push people down a funnel. Be there when they’re ready to jump.

It’s not about the perfect ad or the sharpest hook. It’s about being unforgettable.

Because when that 95% is finally ready to buy, they won’t search. They’ll remember. And they’ll choose you.

Your next thousand customers are just a verse-jump away.

In Everything Everywhere All at Once, verse-jumping unlocks limitless potential. It’s instant access to skills, knowledge, and power from parallel universes. One moment you’re folding laundry; the next, you’re a kung fu master.

For brands, influencer partnerships are the real-world equivalent.

Each influencer is a leap into a new universe. A universe with its own audience, already assembled. Already engaged. Already trusting.

One jump: You’re dishing recipes with foodies.
Another: You’re front row at Fashion Week.
A third: You’re on the mat at a meditation retreat.

Verse-jumping isn’t just faster. It’s exponential.

Best Practices for a Successful Multiversal Journey

1. Map Your Multiverse
   Identify influencers whose universes align with your brand values. Relevance trumps reach.
2. Master the Jump
   Start small. Test partnerships before big commitments. Learn the rhythm of each universe.
3. Respect the Laws of Each Universe
   Each influencer’s world has its own rules. Adapt, don’t disrupt.
4. Measure Multiversal Success
   Look beyond immediate ROI. Consider long-term brand building and audience expansion.

Looking to jump into the multiverse? We’d love to help.

As global culture homogenizes—cafes in Stockholm serve the same avocado toast as bistros in Buenos Aires—true inspiration often hides in plain sight. For Relish, a creative studio with deep roots in Skopje, this truth revealed itself in the most quintessential of local places: a kafana.

Picture this: A dimly lit eatery, air thick with the aroma of grilled kebab and lively conversation. Amidst the clinking of glasses and bursts of laughter, a drawing caught my eye. It wasn’t perfectly hung, but it was perfectly captivating – a candlelit dinner scene that spoke volumes in its simplicity.

The signature revealed the artist: Jovan Dimovski, a name I was unfamiliar with, but undeniably Macedonian. Dated 1960, it looked like a napkin sketch from another era. I wondered if it depicted this very kafana. A certificate of authenticity hung nearby, complete with a contact email.

On a whim, I sent out an email, asking if we could scan the drawing to hang up in our office. I really didn’t expect to hear back—it felt like a long shot.

I got a response back almost immediately and felt a jolt of unexpected thrill. It came from George Dimovski – son of Jovan. His words brimmed with emotion as he shared the story of his father’s Parisian adventures in the 1960s, each sentence painting a vivid picture of a time when Macedonia’s artists sought inspiration far beyond their borders, only to bring it home again.

At Relish, we’ve always believed that creativity thrives at intersections. Between cultures, between eras, between the expected and the surprising. Heritage. The threads that tie past to present, local to global.

The unexpected beauty of this discovery sparked an idea. With George’s blessing, we reimagined that kafana discovery as the heart of our upcoming event invitation—we were in the midst of planning our annual mixer. A scanned drawing transformed into a postcard.

Our event became a sort of continuation of Jovan’s dinner scene. A celebration of the unexpected connections that tie us to our past and propel us into the future. A testament to the enduring power of art to bridge generations and cultures.

Macedonia is a small country with a big history. To locals, its beauty and richness are often overlooked. But in every kafana, every street corner, every casual conversation, there’s a story waiting to be told.

In an era that feels too fast, too digital, too disconnected, there’s still immense power in a shared meal, a chance discovery, and a story passed down through generations. Sometimes, all it takes is a visit to the tavern next door to get that reminder.

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Words: Dimitar Popov

Faith and Patience.

Sounds like fortune cookie wisdom, doesn’t it?

But in a world obsessed with speed, these virtues are radical acts.

I recently revisited Coach Wooden’s Wooden on Leadership. Among Wooden’s treasure trove of insights, two ideas latched onto my brain and wouldn’t let go: Faith and Patience.

Not exactly startup mantras, are they? In the world of blitzscaling and growth hacking, these virtues seem quaint. Outdated even.

But Wooden knew better.

Faith isn’t blind optimism. It’s belief in your product, your team, your vision—even when sales are slow. Patience isn’t passivity. It’s the discipline to perfect your recipe while competitors cut corners.

Most new ventures are in a hurry. They want instant brand recognition. Market domination. Now.

But great brands aren’t built overnight. They’re built day by day. Customer by customer. With faith in the quality. And patience in the growth. It’s not flashy. It won’t make headlines. But it works.

Do you have the faith to believe in your product when it’s still on the bottom shelf? Do you have the patience to build customer loyalty instead of chasing quick sales?

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Words: Dimitar Popov