Learning from Danny Meyer: Turning Over the Rocks in Client Work

This post originally appeared in my weekly newsletter, BL&T (Borrowed, Learned, & Thought). Subscribe

Borrowed & Learned

I’m currently reading Setting the Table by restaurateur Danny Meyer. He’s probably best known for Union Square Cafe (a New York staple) and Shake Shack.

A theme throughout the book so far is a relentless focus on the customer, not just to deliver excellent service but to keep learning and improving. What I’ve enjoyed most is how he doesn’t present lessons directly. They always come through a story about how he uncovered them.

Like this one:

“It had occurred to me in Woody Creek that until my fishing guide turned over that rock, I’d have been content to stand at the edge of the running stream enjoying the dreamy valley and mountains. But in business, turning over the rocks and reading the water, as a fly-fisherman might do, gives you crucial information so that you can take an even deeper interest in your customers, and encourages them to do the same with you.” (Danny Meyer, Setting the Table)

I loved this idea of turning over the rocks.

It’s easy to sit back and relax when a project is going well, and business is on track. To assume everything’s fine. But from my experience, that’s usually when you get blindsided. Sometimes, you can recover. Other times, it’s too late. It’s not always possible to avoid, but turning over the rocks can help.

To me, turning over the rocks means getting curious and staying proactive. It’s extending the relationship I build during the sales process into the engagement itself, not assuming things are going well, but making time to check in, hop on a call, and ask questions.

We have weekly check-ins where the leadership team reviews the status of every client engagement and another with our account managers and Director of Client Success. These rituals help keep tabs on how things are going and surface early flags. But without a desire to turn over rocks, they can trick me into thinking everything’s fine.

I’ve noticed that the more I connect with clients, the more they see the door open and reach out. Sometimes to chat or brainstorm. Other times, with a concern.

That happened recently with a stakeholder I’d gotten to know during the sales process. They were out for a week, came back, and felt uneasy about how the project was progressing. We were about a week from launch, so they were in panic mode. I hadn’t been in the day-to-day, but they emailed me directly. We jumped on an old-school phone call (I’ve been loving those lately), talked things through, and got clarity on the next steps. By the next day, everything was back on track. It turned out to be a simple gap in communication between teams. She emailed me a week later to say thanks and ask about ongoing support.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had conversations with clients of all kinds. Each one surfaced something valuable. Here are some highlights:

One client shared how our work helped them shift their e-commerce business from mostly Amazon to DTC. They appreciated how much care we’ve shown for a company their size.
Another client confided in me about their challenges with turnover after I reached out about our primary POC moving on. We talked about managing and growing a team, the strategy for their brand refresh, and how we can help.
One call was with a client where we’d hit some hiccups late in the engagement. The project was technically over but still active, and now over budget from out-of-scope work. I wasn’t sure how the call would go, but it turned out to be positive. We aligned on the next steps and left things open for future collaboration.
Another client, whose engagement got off to a rocky start, expressed how helpful our work has been in setting them up for growth. We also dug into how they’re thinking about marketing and scale. Fascinating to get a look behind the curtain. They sent me a testimonial after the call.
A client we’d just completed a redesign for walked me through the next phase of their brand rollout, helping uncover ideas for where we could be valuable to other brands at a similar stage.

Meyer talks about how restaurants often do a great job of keeping their regulars happy but fall short on first-timers.

“I think that most businesses are better at coddling regulars than they are at focusing on first-timers. But both are crucial to any business; although it’s obviously important to keep your steady clientele happy, life depends on auspicious beginnings!” (Danny Meyer, Setting the Table)

I’ve been thinking about the opposite: how easy it is to give my full attention at the start and forget to keep showing up once the engagement is in full throttle. Sales calls are valuable for getting to know the business, the tactics, and the challenges. But the real work begins once things are underway. There’s just as much to uncover and just as much to learn in the thick of it. The challenge is doing both well.