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Earlier this month, we at TradeMark Media celebrated our 10^th year in business. When I started designing Web sites for extra cash in college, I never imagined that we would make it to ten years. Back then, I didn’t look that far ahead. Now that we’re here, I can’t believe it happened so fast.

Luck has had a big part in our success. However, I can’t think that we’ve made it to ten years solely on chance. The first few years in business were run “trial and error”. We made more mistakes than I’d like to admit, but we did take valuable lessons from each one. As we grew and became more experienced, we slowly turned those lessons learned into doctrines that we run our business by today. These have become our keys to success and I don’t mind sharing them with you.

#1: Be patient

If you’ve set your course in the right direction, know and trust that you will eventually get to where you’re going. And, if you’re successful, you’ll get there and immediately chart a course for the next destination. Sure, there will be many “are we there yet?” moments, but patience is the key. Don’t let impatience lead to short-sighted, hasty decision making. Instead, trust that your course has been set correctly and only time is in your way.

#2: Make good decisions

In the beginning, our bad decisions outnumbered our good ones. But as we learned, we slowly began to minimize bad decisions and started making more of the good ones. Now, each major decision is carefully contemplated. Will it help us reach our goal? How will it impact our company culture? What are the costs? Benefits? Try to make as few careless decisions as possible, take your time when appropriate and come to careful conclusions.

#3: Hire smartly

One of those big decisions we came across, and you will too, is who to hire. We’ve always taken the approach that hiring the right fit takes time and mistakes are common when you’re forced to decide on a candidate because of time pressures. If possible, interview until the right person comes along, not when a deadline is approaching.  Also, don’t hire solely based on talent or experience. Sure, there are many talented, experienced candidates out there, but what will they do to your team once they come on board? Do they fit in? If you’re small like we are, one bad hire can wreak havoc on your company culture. But one good hire, planned out properly, will help more than you realize.

#4: Mind your reputation

We’re from Austin and word gets around. And it’s the same in most cities. A few good deeds may go unnoticed, but one or two bad ones will certainly be heard. Stick with good deeds and do them over, and over, and over. Forever. Sooner or later, word will get around.

#5: Take care of those that take care of you

Throughout the last ten years, we’ve been helped by countless others. I’m sure the same can be said for you. These “others” can be clients who have paid you for your services, partners who have referred you business, an employee who stayed late to meet a deadline or a friend who has offered some good advice. Take care of these people – they went out of their way to help you. Let them know, in one way or another and on a regular basis, that you appreciate their support.

Now that we’ve made it through the first ten years, I’m sure the next ten will be just as challenging. I’m excited about learning some new lessons and adding to those that we use every day. And if you’ve helped us along the way, thank you! Your support is appreciated.

View a timeline of TradeMark Media from the past ten years.