"Our plan is not to have a plan."
Our company is celebrating our tenth anniversary of being in business tonight. The actual anniversary was back in March, but this is the first chance we've had to get everyone together and recognize the 10 year milestone properly. I'm proud of our little company. We've accomplished in a few short years what I was never able to accomplish in the software business. And things look good for the future too.
I have long held the opinion that we spend far too much of our lives working to work at something we hate. Everyone in our company has a story to tell. I'm not comfortable enough with the whole blogging thing to be very specific about names and stories, but the outcome is that each of us has seen a major change for the better by working here.
So how can I characterize the impact of the Company? I can talk about a conversation that my brother and I had recently about money.
Back in the day, we could spend $20 without thinking much about it. We could spend $200, but that required justification and thought. $2,000 was doable, but with major effort. $20,000 was out of our reach.
Now, $2,000 doesn't make the radar, $20,000 happens a lot. $200,000 requires discussion and justification and a lot of thought (but we just bought another airplane for $220,000). $2 Million is out of our reach, and I'm good with that.
That characterization says something of the scope, but not the depth.
The banana farm in Zambia, Africa that I have discussed before, the orphanage in Mexico that we support, the college ministries we're involved in, the families each year that we adopt at Christmas who wouldn't otherwise have one, the instant 'yes' we have been blessed to be able to say when people need us or some of the resources we have developed over the past ten years...these things reflect the depth of the company and the people who are involved in it.
Our yearly contributions to people and organizations helping others each year and doing good in the world adds up to more than my and my business partner's combined annual salaries at my old business.
It's one thing to have a job I like, that meets my needs and gives me an outlet to be of some value. But to be connected with an organization that stands for what our company stands for, and backs it up with the checkbook is a genuine honor and privilege.
So, if you happen to think of it, please join us around 7 or 8 o'clock tonight, and raise a glass and give a "Cheers" to the Company for ten wonderful years. And here's to ten more.