This week is a big week for us!! We’re celebrating RIPCORD’s one-year anniversary in business - and what a journey it has been. The past twelve months have been filled with almost every emotion imaginable, but we made it and the future is looking bright!
Last January, through an interesting series of events (that’s a story for another time), Lindsey, Randon and I all found ourselves unemployed and looking for our next opportunities. We had all worked together for several years and had become great friends and to be honest we were all a little lost as to what that next step in our careers would be.
After leaving my previous position, I had gotten a handful of inquiries for side event projects which got me thinking “I could do this on my own” but like most people in my position would be, I was scared. Scared of the unknown. Scared of not making money. Scared of failing. I had been interviewing for a few event positions and was actually presented with an offer for a full time, salaried position. I was so close to accepting that position but something in the back of my head kept whispering “now is the time! If you don’t try it now, you never will”.
Lindsey, Randon and I talked several times in January and we all agreed that together we could start and successfully operate our own event business, so I turned down that position and we decided to give it our best shot and see how it went. If we felt like we were drowning, we’d find a part-time job.
One year ago today, we officially filed for our business, went to the bank and opened up a business bank account and headed straight to a bar to get a beer to celebrate! We immediately dove right into learning how to operate a successful business. We spent a lot of time networking and scheduling coffee dates with other business owners to soak up as much knowledge as we could. Just a few short days later, we got a call from a referral requesting our help in managing a conference and got the job. We hung up the phone and danced around the house (which doubles as our office) in disbelief.
This year has been quite a roller coaster. Depending on the day we could be celebrating in the car after a great meeting, panicking because we hit an unexpected bump in the road, worrying because we don’t know if we have enough work, fist-pumping in a coffee shop because we figured out the code needed to customize a part of a website, or questioning ourselves (about everything).
When I was trying to figure out what to write for this blog I looked up a bunch of “one year in business” blogs and most of them were about things they had learned or about their highlights from the year. While I could talk for days about the best parts of working for ourselves, I thought it would be way more entertaining to share some less glamorous (and kinda funny) insights into our lives as entrepreneurs.
We’ve been known to rock out in the car before a big meeting
Sometimes you just need to pump yourself up! There have been a few times this past year that we’ve had some pretty big client meetings that had us all feeling a little nervous. Before one particular meeting, we had arrived early, and while waiting in the car Fat Joe and Ashanti’s “What’s Luv” came on the radio. (If you know me well you know that’s my jam! HA) We cranked the volume and rocked out looking like complete fools to anyone who passed by. Turns out the music was just what we needed to calm our nerves and give us the confidence to make it through the meeting. And we killed it by the way! Fat Joe and Ashanti have now become our go-to song before big meetings!
Not all projects go as planned
One project was particularly difficult for us this year. We ran into a major roadblock and tried to work through it by exploring WAY too many directions. We ended up putting in double the hours it normally takes and felt incredibly irresponsible with our time. I think I can speak for us all when I say, I felt an overwhelming amount of physical anxiety. Fortunately, the project ended up going just fine, but it rocked us more than expected. Looking back, I’m glad that it happened because we’ve already refined our process twice since then and we can already feel ourselves learning from the experience.
We need to work on time management
In year two we’re going to work on our time management. Our first year consisted of a lot of wasted time just thinking about what we should be doing. Should we post something on Instagram? Should we listen to a podcast? Should we write a blog? Should we look up a networking event? Should we finish that project early? Should we be setting goals? Etc. No one is telling us what to do anymore which is AWESOME, but it can also make us freeze in our tracks.
We have a business card game
I often giggle to myself because I can find myself in the most absurd situations when it comes to networking. It’s super uncomfortable walking into a huge room of strangers knowing that you’re there to pitch yourself. Sometimes I want to turn around before I even walk in the door, sometimes I talk too much to fill the awkward pauses in conversation, and sometimes I just run to the bar. I know we all feel the same way. So, before we go into each event we give ourselves a goal to give out a certain number of business cards. It’s like a little pep talk before we go in, “Guys, we’re going to give our cards to 5 people tonight. That is why we’re here.” Whoever gives out five cards and collects five from others doesn’t have to buy drinks when we go out afterward!
In conclusion, the self-employed life has been quite a ride. This has genuinely been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives and we’re beyond PUMPED to kick off year two and focus on growth, improvements and world domination! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIPCORD!
