Shake-the-Snow-Globe Pivot
Reset around the core goal when a crisis breaks the original plan
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
The framework starts by accepting that a well-built plan may no longer fit reality. Instead of defending the plan, restate the ultimate outcome, such as keeping the business viable and serving customers. Then identify where customers are now, what they need, and which assumptions have expired. Pause lower-priority work and redirect the team toward immediate connection and rapid, bounded experiments. During the pandemic, Scott's company called customers, helped vulnerable customers, accelerated curbside service, and moved styling and charitable events online. Some online events reached people who could not attend stores and remained part of the model. The mechanism combines a stable goal with flexible tactics: preserve the purpose, update the channel, test quickly, and keep the changes that create a better business.
Origin
Extracted from The Foundr Podcast. Kendra Scott used the image of shaking a snow globe to explain how recessions and the pandemic forced her company to abandon fixed plans, reconnect with customers, and test new channels quickly.
Core principles
- 01Protect the ultimate goal rather than the original plan
- 02Meet customers where they are now
- 03Choose connection before transaction during uncertainty
- 04Move resources quickly and test practical responses
- 05Keep adaptations that improve the business after the crisis
How to run it
- 1
Name the stable outcome
Define what must remain true even if the plan changes. Keep the outcome specific enough to guide trade-offs.
Pro tip Separate the goal from the forecast, launch calendar, and channel choices.
Watch out If every activity is labelled essential, the team cannot pivot.
- 2
Re-map the customer
Identify where customers are now and what has changed in their needs, fears, access, or spending. Use direct contact rather than assumptions.
Pro tip Ask existing customers how they are doing before trying to sell.
Watch out Do not present guesses about customer circumstances as facts.
- 3
Stop obsolete work
Pause initiatives built for the previous conditions and free the people needed for the response. Preserve work that can be resumed later.
Watch out Sunk effort is not a reason to launch at the wrong time.
- 4
Design fast experiments
Create practical ways to serve the customer's new reality, then launch without unnecessary overanalysis. Keep each experiment bounded and reversible where possible.
Pro tip Advance a relevant future plan instead of inventing everything from scratch.
Watch out Speed does not remove the need for safety and financial controls.
- 5
Scale what sticks
Measure customer use, revenue, reach, or service outcomes and expand the responses that work. Drop experiments that do not support the stable outcome.
Pro tip Let the team compare experiments against one shared goal.
- 6
Keep the earned capability
After the immediate shock, retain channels and practices that make the business stronger. Integrate them with the restored model rather than automatically reverting.
Watch out Temporary urgency should not become permanent organisational chaos.
In the wild
During the 2008 downturn, Scott said retailers closed, buyers lost jobs, and her bank asked for its credit line to be repaid. Her new plan reduced reliance on wholesale by adding retail and e-commerce so the brand could communicate directly with customers.
→ She said direct-to-consumer channels later represented most of the business, with wholesale at 18%.
After closing more than 100 stores in March 2020, the company called customers, delivered food to some elderly customers, advanced curbside plans, introduced virtual styling, and moved charitable shopping events online. Scott said the online events could reach people unable to attend a store.
→ The company kept virtual versions alongside in-store events because the new format remained useful.
Common mistakes
Defending the calendar
The team protects launches and forecasts after their assumptions have changed.
Experimenting without a goal
Activity multiplies, but no shared outcome exists to decide what to stop or scale.
Reverting automatically
Useful crisis-era capabilities are discarded simply because the original channel returns.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for leaders facing a sudden disruption while still having enough control to redirect people and resources.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for reckless improvisation where legal, safety, financial, or customer protections require slower review.
From the transcript
“what is our ultimate goal here”
“we've got to meet the customer where she is now”
“connection before transaction”
From the episode
545: In Retrospect - How Kendra Scott turned $500 Into a $1 BILLION Jewellery Empire