Someone had accidentally CC'd a list of around 30 studios, agencies, and creatives instead of BCC'ing them.

And there it was. A list of names.

Almost every studio I had, at some point in my career, applied to work at, admired from a distance, or obsessively followed because I wanted to understand the people behind the work.

People whose work had shaped my taste. People whose careers had given me something to aspire to.

And then, somewhere on that list, I saw my own name.

Me. Among them.

Being considered for the same opportunity.

From a business perspective, a lead isn't a client. An opportunity isn't a conversion. There's no reason to celebrate until the deal is closed.

But there's another side to building a creative business that doesn't show up in a sales pipeline.

It's the moment you realise you're being considered alongside people you've admired for years.

You spend so much of your early career looking up at others, studying their work, learning from their decisions, and wondering if you'll ever get there yourself.

And then, one ordinary Monday morning, without any grand announcement or milestone, you find yourself on the same list.

Not as a fan. Not as an applicant.

But as someone being considered alongside them.

I don't know if I'll get the project. And honestly, I don't care as much as I probably should.

Because that morning, I got something else out of it.

A little bit of confirmation that the belief I'd been carrying for so long wasn't entirely misplaced.

That the work I've been putting in has brought me into consideration alongside people I've admired for years.

Not that I'm better than anyone on that list. Not that I've made it.

But that I'm here, too.

Maybe the project comes through. Maybe it doesn't.

Either way, that Monday morning, I felt like I'd already won something far more personal.

If you're building a creative studio, starting a business, or working towards something that feels a little out of reach, don't forget to recognise these moments.

Not every milestone arrives with a trophy, a signed contract, or a LinkedIn announcement.

Sometimes it's just your name on a list.

And sometimes, that's enough.

You're in the race, too.