Our daughter and her boyfriend took my wife and me rafting recently on the White Salmon River in Oregon. We donned our wetsuits, PFDs, and helmets before boarding a rickety bus for a ride up the river road. After a safety talk (lecture), we clambered down a hill into a guided raft out to rapids of Class III­–V. Rapids, schmapids. What’s unprintable is that the experience culminated with us sunk down, dug in, holding on, and hurtling over a waterfall. It was quite a rush! We survived (that’s how I’m able to write this post). Plus, there’s proof in the form of the $70 photo from the gift shop. (I don’t look half bad when terrified.)

I relate this story because in one of the calmer spots of the river, we had a discussion about scary things we’d done in life. Bungee jumping, skydiving, rafting the Grand Canyon, ultraraces, hot laps in a Hellcat, and others were referenced. Of course, that implies privilege and opportunity. And it may mean some have a death wish. Yet when applied to business, all the examples had the two characteristics that define what’s winning in business today: speed and choice.

I am in zero hurry to head over a waterfall again soon. I’d happily revisit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Pennsylvania first. But I am going to remain fixated on how our agency can bring our clients a choice of very high-quality options at a fair price, all with (rapid) speed. See you soon. On dry land.