A Blog and a mission
So my “independant” life started in January of 2008. I didn’t know what to do with myself and, as it turns out, I didn’t need to. The bringing together of Jän Ostendorf, Jeremy Loyd and Ben Callahan was a very significant event in all of our lives. While Jän graciously offered me some cheap space to rent in the office of his design firm, Catalyst Creative, I proceeded to worry. Yes, that was my initial contribution to the cause…worry. Embarrassing, huh? Such is the transitional life of the entrepreneur, I guess.
In my defense (if there is one) what was I supposed to do. I had just left a job that I loved, with people that I loved to go out on my own. My years spent at Real Art were a tremendous learning experience in the ways of a design firm. I had worked on incredible projects, won some awards, and generally been proud of who I had become. Truth is, I felt like a slave. Weird statement I’m sure, as I was treated great at my job. They gave me creative freedom, cared about me and pushed me to succeed. While I didn’t agree that we were always spending as much time as we should on projects, the work that we produced was something to be proud of.
After spending a year working on projects with Ben, Jeremy and Jän, we decided to join forces and FORGE was born. We spent months preparing to work together, talking about our dreams, visions, likes and dislikes. We read business and design theory books, discussed the finer points of business ownership over many pints at the local pub, and generally got to know one another. I was free, but felt like there was more. I had some amazing clients, completely flexible hours and a great office; what more did I want. The discussions around FORGE just felt right. Our unique mix of talents were perfect for creating a unique approach to the work that we were doing together.
So we decided to create “A Company of Experts“. While calling ourselves experts is a bit presumptuous, we really wanted to hold ourselves to the highest of standards. In the first few months, we tried to figure out Accounting, went through 3 Internet providers (grr), and generally fumbled our way through things. There was always enough to make it to the next week. We started running into amazing talent, and decided to hire them. We couldn’t really afford to grow in the traditional sense, but it seemed like a perfect fit so we went for it. This happened several times, and now we find ourselves doubling in size in the first 9 months of existence in the 2nd worst recession in the history of our country. Woot!
So I’d like to offer this blog as a record of our journey. Hopefully, I will bring some insight to the trials and tribulations of a modern design firm. I also hope to challenge traditional thought, bring up new ideas, and offer insight and understanding to the business community. I will be wrong, misquote people and generally make a mockery of web journalism everywhere. If all goes well, I’ll do more good than harm.
