I was the second employee at Ebyline outside the founders, helping grow a startup that managed freelance journalists for newspapers. Like most people at an early-stage company, I wore a lot of hats. One of them was answering the live chat on our website.

One day an anonymous visitor popped into the chat from London. We started talking about journalism, content, and where the industry was headed. It turned into one of the best conversations I’d had in months, and I still had no idea who I was talking to. They mentioned they were in London for the Summer Olympics and said we’d reconnect when they got back.

Before they signed off, I asked one last question.

“If you don’t mind, what company are you with?”

Coca-Cola.

That conversation helped confirm something we’d been starting to suspect. The platform we’d built for newspapers solved a problem brands had too. Many of the people building content programs had come straight out of journalism, so the workflow felt instantly familiar. We leaned into that opportunity, expanded beyond newspapers, and built a business serving brands as well.

That pivot changed the trajectory of the company. We grew from under a million dollars in revenue to more than eight million before being acquired.

I’ve thought about that chat a lot over the years. You never know which conversation matters. That’s a good reason to treat every one like it does.