From Strategy to Action: How I Turned a Crisis into Opportunity

Many people mistake motion for action. Motion can involve being busy—organizing, preparing, and thinking about what could happen—while action is making tangible progress toward a goal. At first, the distinction may seem subtle, but the key difference is that action moves you closer to your objectives, while motion often masquerades as productivity. It’s a form of procrastination, giving the illusion of execution without true advancement.

Peter Thiel is known for challenging the conventional wisdom of business strategy, often criticizing long-term planning that lacks immediate action. He argues that many use "strategy" as a crutch to avoid making difficult decisions, mistaking endless planning for progress. In Thiel’s view, this emphasis on strategy can quickly become procrastination—paralysis by analysis—while real progress is made through bold, decisive action.

While action is key, it also comes with risks. Jumping into a Honda Civic to attempt 200 MPH without considering safety precautions is dangerous, just as pivoting an entire publicly traded company based on a single suggestion is irresponsible.

Moderation is critical. Yet, action must happen.

This framework and the need for action resonates deeply with me, especially when I think back to pivotal moments in my career, one of which I will outline below.

On March 15, 2020, the world changed overnight. The pandemic forced global lockdowns, and like everyone else, I faced unprecedented uncertainty. I was running my first company, DS Projects, a creative agency poised for explosive growth. New deals and exciting opportunities were on the horizon, and I had just expanded my team.

Everything was aligning, and there was nothing that could stop us - until it all came crashing down.

Exactly 24 hours after the news impacted all of our lives, I had a decision to make - I could either plan for every possible outcome and wait for the world to make decisions on my behalf, or I could simply take action. I chose the latter, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Despite the size of our small team, I decided to act as if I were leading a global corporation. I wrote a 'State of the Union' email, outlining our course of action with the same level of urgency and purpose that I would have if addressing a company of 5,000 people. It set the tone for how I would approach every challenge moving forward—not with hesitation, but with action. In my mind, I captured the essence of ‘the only thing that is promised is now.’

In short, I gave the reason for DS Projects pivot, gave a timeline on how I expect things to play out of the next year, inspired and empowered the team to come up with suggested actionable steps and sent a message that we are masters of our company's destiny.

Here’s an abridged version of that email, which was sent on March 16th, 2020 - roughly 24 hours after the US shut down:

Hi Team, 

Given we envision ourselves as a large company, I thought I would take the time to act like a big company -- by sharing my thoughts on the current health crisis and how it is affecting our business.

The advertising industry as a whole is in an odd spot. The economy is in great shape, but with store closures, sports suspended, and uncertainty around when life will become "normal," our revenue for the year will be impacted. Even so, I want to be clear that the company is financially stable. There is cash in the bank, savings that can be deployed, and even government assistance being readily available. I do not foresee a situation in which we would need to tap into savings or government assistance -- I'm just transparent in what options we have.

Given the state of advertising, it brings up the question, "what can we do now?" The world is our oyster. This is a time to get organized, dream, stay prepared and think outside the box. Of course, we need to get shit done -- which we will discuss on a daily basis. But we can also use this time to dream and prepare for the future. What are our goals? What are YOUR goals? Assuming that NOBODY (besides me) will help you achieve them, what do you need to do to make them happen? We want to build Archie -- let's build it. We want to prep strategies to sell to clients -- let's do it.

Most importantly is to be ready to hit the ground running!!!! The world is not ending, it is just in slow motion. Once we hit play, I want to be ahead of the pack. If there were no rules, how would you come out faster than the rest of the crowd?

The last point on what we can do now -- manage our time better than ever before. This will probably be the only time in our lives where we are still working, but with such a light workload. Let's maximize this time.

My final takeaway is that we will come out of this stronger than before and this could even be beneficial to the business. As advertisers will look to be lean with their spending for the remainder of the year, they will want to spend less on fees and more money on reaching actual consumers. Let's not get greedy with our fees and be a great partner!

That's all!

Dylan

The results of that email were immediate and profound. Instead of waiting for the world to decide our fate, we took action.

First, we accelerated the development of Archie, my second company, which came together faster than I had ever imagined. 

Second, we knew this was a moment to give back, leading us to launch This T-Shirt, a nonprofit e-commerce platform that went viral and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for those in need. Our efforts landed us features in Vogue, Bon Appétit, TimeoutNY, and other major outlets.

These experiences cemented for me the power of Thiel’s philosophy: strategy without action is just procrastination. In times of crisis, it’s easy to fall into the trap of overthinking and endless planning. But sometimes, the best strategy is simply to act—not just to survive, but to seize the opportunity in front of you and create something meaningful out of chaos.

As I reflect on those pivotal months, I realize that the path forward is rarely clear.

There’s no perfect plan, no guaranteed outcome.

But when you take bold steps, you create momentum. It’s this momentum that carried me and my team through uncertainty, launching products and initiatives that not only weathered the storm but made a lasting impact.

Ultimately, the choice between motion and action comes down to this: you can sit on the sidelines, strategizing for every possible future, or you can step into the unknown and start building the future today. Action, not strategy, is what moves you forward. It's what helps you carve out your place in an uncertain world. And in my experience, those who choose action are the ones who make the biggest difference.