4 Reflections After 4 Years of Business
Four years. Longer than any job I’ve ever had or place I’ve ever lived since high school. Long enough to receive an undergraduate degree, but not long enough to even come close to mastering the art of building a business. As I looked back at our recap from last year, I was reminded of the state of unknown we all seemed to be swimming in at the time. A year later, things have changed, but many of the unknowns still remain the same.
As I look back at the past 4 years, it’s easy to draw parallels between our experiences as a business and the progression of high school and/or college. Each year brings a new state of being with evolved comforts and discomforts, but always with an opportunity for progress.
Year 1: Freshman Year
Discomfort, excitement, unease. You enter a new reality with no real idea of what it’s going to be like. Will you find a routine, your people, and the confidence that you need to be successful? Just like freshman year, these early days are a roller coaster of emotion: the highest of highs filled with joy that you’ve made this decision to go out on your own, and the lowest of lows wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea.
Year 2: Sophomore Year
Hustle. Similar to sophomore year, year 2 of business is all about getting the basics right. While in school this meant completing all of your mandatory prerequisite classes, in business it meant setting up financial reporting, quickbooks, payroll, client contracts, health insurance… and the list goes on… all while continuing to do great client work. There’s little time for reflection as you try to keep your head above water (and still enjoy the journey?).
Year 3: Junior Year
Finally things feel real. Yes, you are actually running a business. Yes, there is real market demand for what you are offering. Yes, people DO want to work with you! IMAGINE! The emotional roller coaster is a little less extreme because you now have (somewhat) acclimated to a new norm.
Year 4: Senior Year
This is fun. You finally realize just how much you’re enjoying the ride. All the worries you had your Freshman year now seem like a distant memory. You’ve found your routine, your people, and the confidence you need to continue to progress forward. Similar to how I felt my senior year, I can’t escape the unmatched gratitude for the opportunity to have experienced the past 4 years.
Unlike school, the journey of building this business is far from being over. The future is too bright and vast, full of opportunities and new challenges. As our national, remote-first, hybrid team has grown from 11 to 18 over the past 12 months, the importance of intentional culture, values, and purpose has been ever present.
I find myself constantly contemplating what it will mean to actually be a ‘people-first business’ (a term I despise) as we continue to grow, and how to make Indie an enabler for our employees to live the types of lives they strive to live. I am very aware that the steps it took to get here will not be the same steps it will take to move forward - something that is both terrifying and exciting.
So, as I sit here writing this from our shared office space in NYC, I could not be more grateful to everyone who has supported Indie over the last four years. From my incredible Indie team and clients, to my friends, family, and strangers I’ve met along the way -- thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring.
