Every anniversary I do spend some time looking back, personally, to consider what this company has meant to me over the years, but specifically for the last year. And, I can easily say that the last 12 months have been the best year of my life here at Solid. Here are a few reasons why:
We leaned in on what we do best.
I believe it has taken us quite a while longer than most companies to find our identity and to become more focused on what we do for our customers. Entrepreneurs always talk about shiny objects, and I think we’ve (I’ve) been easily distracted by new things. This last year we spent a lot of time working on our core competencies and how we will make those better instead of adding more. I think the consistency and clarity has really given both the sales and the delivery sides of our business more wins. So it took us a decade longer than most… we still got there!
We broadened our horizons.
A big change in our business was the decision to go completely virtual. Having had a couple of years under our belt of forced virtualness, we looked at the data and saw the opportunity to untether ourselves from our primary locations. This opened up a lot of opportunities: we have been able to market and sell to new regions, our pool of talent stretches around the entire globe, and we even ended up ranked as the #1 web design agency in the world.
We Built a Strong Virtual Culture.
I don’t think you can force a culture on an organization, but you can set up the right environment for it to grow in a way that matches your values. We’ve always enjoyed the fun parts of being in an office together: drinks after 5:00 (or before if it’s been a good day), foosball or ping pong, and the organic conversations that happen when you’re in the same room together. You don’t get those things in the new meta-verse (don’t sue me MZ). So, we’ve had to be much more intentional about how we bond as a team. And, personally, I think we’re doing really well. The best news is that we’ve scheduled our first all-hands, in-person meeting in August and plan on making it a regular event so that we do get some good face-to-face time.
15 Years and Counting.
15 years is a really long time. We’ve had over 75 people be a part of the team in that time, and it’s been an awesome experience to observe how our organization has evolved. I miss a lot of the old folks, but really enjoy and appreciate the people we have now. I am impressed with the way we have adapted and grown… and look forward to the next 15 years here at Solid Digital!
