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The mural we painted without asking

The Shelby relationship began with a wall painting done before anyone gave permission.

Shelby did not start as a contract. It began with a fifteen-by-forty-foot mural, racing stripes and Carroll Shelby's signature running along the building's side. The city was never asked.

The result was so good that the city's response amounted to this: we would never have approved it had you asked, so carry on. That does not describe getting away with something. It shows what a city really wants, which is a better-looking town and a company it can count on to do the work properly. Later, when harder things needed the city's support, our documentation packet mostly covered the press and value Shelby would bring to the city. The proof was already painted on the wall.

From the mural came the retail store, and from the store a full VIP lounge in what had been Shelby's own apartment, about four years of work altogether. The company's co-CEO put it simply: the team earned their trust.

Pitching hard does not win the big scope, in my experience. You win it by doing the small piece so well that refusing you next time stops making sense. Often, asking forgiveness beats asking permission.

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