I spent a lot of time this week thinking about the fact that The Advance Guard has made it through our first year in business.
On one side, it feels like forever since Steve and I sat in that little diner in NJ and came up with the name and on the other it seems like just yesterday. From our first client, to the new ones we signed this week, it has been a year of learning and great projects. We've now got an office in NYC and Boston. We have full time staff. We have active accounts that keep us busy and energized. What more could I ask for?
I could ask for lots more and as a business owner I think it is dangerous to get too comfortable. We are actively looking for new clients. We have plans to grow and expand in 2009. Everything we do, we want to do smartly and strategically. While sometimes it is scary, it is mainly exciting and the biggest rush of accomplishment in the world.
I made a promise to myself last year when we launched that if we made it through the first year (hey, you just never know) and last night I cashed in on that promise. It was a simple promise of a very nice bottle of scotch. As I sat on the back deck last night. The cool wind blowing through the trees mixed with the sizzle of steak on the grill. I stopped and smiled before that first sip. I thought about everything in the past and everything moving forward. I was full of excitement.
Thank you to everyone who has cheered us on, hired us to help you and your brand or just been a friend though all of this. We've had quite a cheering section from the beginning and we appreciate all the kind words and business introductions. Keep 'em coming! *grin*
The biggest thanks of course goes to Steve who is a great business partner, mentor and friend all at once. We are certainly night and day on many things, but we both agree that is what makes it work. Sure, he is British and drops Seinfeld lines all the time that I give blank looks too, but that just adds to the fun of it. Sometimes it is better not to question why something works and just be comfortable in the fact that it does and that is what I'm certainly doing.
Year 2 is already starting off on an interesting foot with some great new projects. Every week it seems like something interesting pops up on our radar. Plus, I know that the whole team is really starting to gel and we are constantly coming up with new ideas for programs that we just need to find a client brave enough to pull the trigger on and really stir things up.
I'm having a lot of fun and have never been so passionate about what I was working on. Forward we go...
