I guess you could say that I haven't been the new guy in quite some time. But today marks a most impressive milestone for anyone working within the startup sector...my two year anniversary of starting at Lijit. It's almost unbelievable in a way. Since joining Lijit as employee number seven, I've seen lots of changes happen. In that time, the number of people working for Lijit has almost quadrupled, we've received two rounds of funding, we've moved into a sweet office located in downtown Boulder, and we've launched new products.
In addition to Lijit's amazing growth, the lessons I've learned have been many...the importance of relationships, respect, authenticity, and community-building. I'm extremely grateful for the friends I've made and the places I've been able to travel while working for Lijit. And, if you had told me two years ago that I would one day have more blogs than I could maintain, I would have laughed at you. Now, I concentrate on Lijit's company blog, while leaving this one to fall by the wayside. (Sorry to all of my loyal readers!)
Far and away, the best thing that has come from the past two years is seeing the results of my hard work. I've been able to spread the word of Lijit, as a good evangelist should, and help to build the brand of the company from the ground up. We get many compliments about our customer service and I feel like I've been a major part in making that happen. Along the way, I've discovered that what I love about technology is what I love about life...learning new things, undertaking new challenges, and connecting with people.
While we're strolling down memory lane, I thought it would be entertaining to repost my very first blog entry, dated January 22, 2007...
Let it begin
Today is my first day on the job. I was told that in order to get into a blogger's mind, I need to start a blog of my very own. So here goes. As a frequent reader of blogs, I know a bad blog when I see one. I'm not promising that mine will be good or funny or entertaining...at first. But as I learn, I plan on pimping out my blog and working hard to put out something of quality. Join me as I attempt to figure out this new medium, this new job (lijit.com), and how exactly a widget/wijit will rock my new world.
It's always good to remember where you came from...
and the people that helped get you to where you are today. Thanks to Todd, Leslie, and Stan for taking a chance on me! I can only hope the next two years are as awesome as the past two...
(Photo by Derek Greentree, taken a few months after I had started at Lijit. I was in my intense Post-it note stage, which replaced my "Oh my God...what exactly am I doing?" phase.)
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