Patience.

It’s something every mentor I’ve ever had has told me is critical to success in your career and in life.

I learned a lot about patience when my first son, Cooper, was born. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t fully bring that lesson into my work until recently.

When I started Social Playbook at the end of January, right after getting laid off, I was sprinting. Not building. Sprinting.

Got my first client.

Hell yeah. Awesome.

Immediately thought, I need more.

Lost my first client.

THIS is why I need more.

With a 5-month-old son and a wife depending on me, the pressure was constant. Even though my wife was my biggest champion, supporting me when things were hard and when they were good, I still felt this overwhelming need to win. Immediately.

I can’t help it.

It’s the athlete in me. I’ve never been wired to play the long game when the clock feels like it’s ticking.

This past week, and honestly this month, reminded me why patience almost always wins.

I thought this month was going to be a big one.

I had a new client signed, onboarding call scheduled, ready to go. Everything was lined up to start strong.

And then life hit.

He lost one of his best friends.

He needed emergency surgery.

There was no world where starting this month made sense.

What mattered most wasn’t that the start date moved. It was how he handled it.

He stayed in constant communication.

He was vulnerable.

He was honest.

Things he didn’t owe me during a moment like that.

Instead of spiraling or forcing something to happen because of a date I had made up in my head, I stayed patient. That patience gave me peace.

It reminded me this was still happening, just not right now.

We ended up onboarding a week later than planned. Through that process, I learned a lot about his persistence. Frankly, he inspired me to become a better version of myself.

Now I’m genuinely excited about the work ahead because it’s built on honesty and realness from day one. That foundation matters more than any arbitrary start date ever could.

That same lesson showed up again this week in my work.

A lot of founders want content to work immediately.

They want overnight success. Virality. Momentum now.

It doesn’t work that way.

This week looked like this:

• A strong intro that quickly turned into a “wow, this founder really doesn’t get it” moment

• A client finally committing fully to a strategy I built and watching it work

• That same client finding winning ads and real momentum, not because the strategy was new, but because it finally had time to breathe

For context, most of my client work comes from inbound or referrals.

So yeah. A full roller coaster.

But the pattern was clear.

Most founders don’t fail because their strategy is bad.

They fail because they abandon it too early.

Patience isn’t passive.

It’s not waiting around and hoping.

It’s choosing to let good work compound, even when the pressure is loud, the expectations are self-imposed and every instinct tells you to sprint.

This month reminded me that patience hasn’t just helped my clients.

It’s made me a better founder.

And honestly, a calmer one too.

While on the topic of calm moments - I hope you, your family and your friends have a wonderful, peaceful holidays. Mine won’t be that peaceful with a 16 month old and 1 month old, but it will be special to say the least.

Happy Holidays 🎄

Chase Coleman

Founder of Social Playbook

Notes on content, creators, performance, and building Social Playbook.