It was a cold and sunny day in late January when Brett and I drove to downtown Conway, South Carolina to meet with a business lawyer about a dream I have always had. I was finally going to be an entrepreneur, and I was going to do it right. It was going to be an LLC partnership, and we were going to have all the paperwork and be official.
A week prior, I excitedly scheduled this appointment with so much anticipation that I muttered when answering the most fundamental questions over the phone.
“What is your name, sir?” asked the paralegal.
“Uh, oh, my name, it’s … it’s Kevin Young.” My face felt warm as the blood rushed to my cheeks due to my embarrassment. Now I’m wondering how I can run a business if I get so flustered over this simple phone call. But, this was no ordinary appointment I had scheduled. It was the conception of a business and a life-altering decision that will define who I become. I was embarking on a new chapter and a new frontier. I was scared to death, excited, plagued with questions, and determined. But I digress.
As Brett and wait in the conference room around a large wooden table, I found that I couldn’t stop babbling. I was nervous and trying to fill the emptiness of this very formal room with conversation. Brett was beginning to get irritated with me.
“Kevin, be quiet. Let’s just hear them out first,” Brett quipped.
Not long after, our business lawyer entered the room. Brett and I barraged her with questions for a half an hour and then finally decided to proceed. I cut the check, and that began RdyToGo.
A few weeks later, we received all of our official paperwork. The articles of organization were put into effect February 17, 2010, and our certificate of existence as an LLC was signed by the Secretary of the State of South Carolina on February 19, 2010, which we recognize as the official first day of business for our humble web design, creative marketing and branding agency.
As we fast forward our clocks eight full years, I am excited to still be on this crazy roller coaster ride. Yes, our high moments have been glorious and our lows equally notorious. However, I would do it all over again. The education and experience I have received over these past years have been invaluable. I have learned how to manage a business, do bookkeeping, retain skilled talent, and how to keep a business in the black for eight years straight in an unstable tourism-based economy.
Most importantly, however, I have learned that the most critical factor in a running a technology business is people. We have extraordinary clients, fantastic employees, and great business partners. People are the reason we are still in business.
So I would be remiss if I didn’t take the time out to wholeheartedly thank all the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of working with and for during these past eight years. Our clients deserve the most gratitude because they trusted us with their hard-earned cash. Thank you for giving us a chance. Our employees and subcontractors deserve appreciation too. Working with Brett and I is not always easy, we have challenging projects, tight deadlines, and rapidly changing priorities. But our team keeps delivering. We also want to thank our partners for sticking with us too.
A special thanks go to our family and close friends who have given much of their time and effort to support us.
I look forward to many more years, clients, employees, partners, friends, and family.