A recent survey by Deloitte found that 20 of the 50 companies most recently added to the S&P 500 started in 1990 or later. The study also suggests that when companies commit to entrepreneurship, they improve their ability to innovate, adapt and maneuver quickly. We believe these traits are essential to providing the best thinking and service to our clients.

With this in mind, we hosted a series Entrepreneurial Spirit sessions before the New Year to remind ourselves why entrepreneurism is so vital to our agency success and determine what we can continue to do to be more empowered, accountable, nimble and flexible.

During these sessions we were inspired by entrepreneurial leaders like Richard Branson, founder of Virgin; Caine, a nine-year-old who created a cardboard arcade; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; and other notable greats.

We then discussed and celebrated (over some “spirits,” of course) our entrepreneurial milestones over the last year. We discovered that the common element in all of our milestones — whether they were related to client work or building our own culture or processes — was consistent innovation. At Powerhouse, we challenge ourselves to question why we do things a certain way and if we could do them better. There are no sacred cows here — no matter who developed the process or first had the idea. “Be better” is at the core of our daily business.

To put our ideas into action, all employees made public, personal commitments to cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit in 2013. These hang on a wall in our lobby to keep us accountable and motivated all year long.

The Only Constant in Business is Change

As Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” The world changes constantly. If we aren’t trying to stay ahead of it and proactively adapting, we fall behind. This is why cultivating entrepreneurship is a key piece of our agency’s culture. We make it a priority to think and act like entrepreneurs every day, adapting to change and constantly asking ourselves how can we be better. How can things be better?

Join us on our entrepreneurial journey. We would love to hear your ideas and how you are cultivating your entrepreneurial spirit.

Cheers to entrepreneurial spirit in 2013!