The Distance Traveled in a Year

A year ago this month, red plume marketing was born. It was an idea long before, but it became a reality in June 2009. Here we are a year later and how far have we come?

Some days, we have not come far at all. We are currently not swimming in clients, but we are swimming in receipts. Our accounting system is an Excel spreadsheet and Outlook is our CRM system. We have 47 followers on Twitter. We had envisioned, by this point, turning a profit and being Entrepreneur of the Year. We’re not.

Well, not yet. Because some days we see no limits, since we’ve come so far in a year. We have had clients – paying clients - and have a positive difference in the life of their small businesses. We have created work that is amazing and that we’re proud of. We have a logo, a website, and a vision. We have 47 followers on Twitter. What was once a daydream is now a reality.

This back-and-forth seems to be common among small business owners. One day, we’re unstoppable, and the next, we’re wondering why the hell we thought we could do this. If you remember WAAAYYYYY back to when you were working for The Man, it used to happen then, too. Really. It just feels much more pressure-laden now since you are the business. But you wouldn’t trade it for anything, would you?

So on the days you’re feeling low, remind yourself how far you’ve come. And most importantly, celebrate that progress. Owning a small business is HUGE and every step you’ve taken to make today what it is, be it registering your business or hiring a staff of five people, is an accomplishment to be proud of. So before you get back to work, pat yourself on the back and give yourself a handshake because you’ve come farther than you thought you could.