Growing up, I hated roller coasters. I don’t think I rode anything other than the Jr. Gemini at Cedar Point until I was in junior high. My classmates forced me on the Magnum XL 2000. Well, I was hooked.
In many ways, that’s how this last year has been. Once crazy roller coaster ride.
It was one year ago today, January 14, 2013, when I registered my company’s domain name CrundwellDigital.com. I guess in the digital world, a domain name registration is as close to a birthday as you can get. With that purchase followed by a logo and business cards, Crundwell Digital Marketing was born.
A year later, we’ve provided to clients small business web design in Indianapolis, Ohio and New York. We now have over 30 sites in our portfolio with more to come.
Crundwell Digital Marketing — it’s Personal
Looking back at the last year for Crundwell Digital Marketing, it’s been amazing. We didn’t go bankrupt or file for unemployment or rack up massive amounts of new credit card debt. However, we did run through a lot of savings and even dipped into the retirement fund a couple of times, but we survived.
There were days of joy and excitement — I celebrate every closed deal and every site launch, because it makes my stockholders happy. They get to eat. I shed many tears this last year wondering if this was truly my calling. I still ask that every day. Working a 40 hour work week for “the man” does have it’s advantages.
I will admit I’ve applied for dozens of digital positions here in Indianapolis and out of those applications a dozen interviews and maybe three 2nd interviews. No offers were ever extended. I didn’t even get thanks, but no thanks letter.
This venture has been such an education. I’ve learned a ton along the way. I’m a better website creator, much more fluent in CSS and ripping apart PHP. My marketing skills have become better and I understand the difference between what tells you need to do to be successful and what my clients can achieve on their budgets.
Tonight I checked in on a client who only spent $250 to have Crundwell Digital Marketing provide search engine optimization services on his website. I didn’t create the site, really a train wreck of design, but I worked my magic on the code and copy. As of tonight, he’s made the Google 7-Pack for one search term and #12 on the other focus term. Not bad for a site that didn’t rank outside of the company name when we started.
It’s the wins like that that keep me going.
I do know this, 2014 is starting off very strong. I’ve secured my first deal of the new year and I’ve written a ton of proposals. I may not have a day off in February, but it will be worth it.
Finally I have to thank a few people … First a huge thanks to the Almighty One and the Holy Spirit who help guide me on this path of life. I don’t think I would have been this successful without my faith. Second my wife Sandy, she’s been a shoulder to cry on more than once. She’s been the one up all hours of the night feeding Katie and keeping our kids occupied when I’m working an evening shift. She also works every chance of OT she can to help make ends meet. I don’t always appreciate the work she does, but she’s been a rock.
My Stockholders.
Crundwell Digital Marketing’s stockholders — David and Katie. Everything I do is for them.
Mike & Barb Grothe with Telecom Resources — Client #1. They wrote the first check to get this business off the ground. After them, it’s all my clients who’ve put their trust in me. That number is now up over a dozen and almost 30 websites.
There were so many folks who helped advise and support me along the way … Pete D., Andy M., Jim L., Ron S., Fr. Bill, Mike M. and so much more that I’m forgetting at this late hour.
It’s time to wrap this post up anyway. Crundwell Digital Marketing is ready to accomplish great things in year two — so LET’S DO THIS!