Time flies when you're having fun (Happy 1-Year Anniversary, C/S!)

Wow. It's been a full year for us here at Crazy Savvy. Pretty hard to believe. I guess the old adage really is true: time flies when you're having fun.

And what fun we've had! The thrill of setting out on our own, the strategic challenges of building our agency from scratch, the elation of signing our first client, the satisfaction of launching our website and printing our business cards and collateral — all these moments (and so many more) were relived today as Erin and I enjoyed a celebratory lunch on Le Meridian's sun-kissed patio. Naturally, champagne was consumed. Laughter was shared. Memories were rediscovered. Projects were rehashed and the future was discussed, not at the conference room table or at an intense planning meeting, but over crepes and chocolate confections (yum, yum).

A year ago, as we officially made the leap into the Great Unknown (aka entrepreneurship aka potential insanity aka welcome to advertising, baby), it was swelteringly hot. We locked ourselves in a variety of un-air-conditioned war rooms, wishing and hoping that our best laid plans would not go astray as we ventured out on our own.

Since then, those early days before we had a logo or client base or articles of incorporation, both Fate and Fortune have been kind. (Maybe they were amused by the name Crazy Savvy? I know many of our clients are!) We've been able to do some really nifty work, partner with clients we're genuinely enthused about, build an agency brand that we find both authentic and compelling (hm .... perhaps the two are intertwined!?)

There have been countless deadlines, briefs, budgets, conference calls, plane flights, business card exchanges, proof sheets, invoices, spreadsheets, pitch decks, Post-It notes, 3-a.m. emails, Twitter updates, client meetings, and (of course) blog posts since those early days. We've both learned so much — from our experiences, from the industry, from our clients, and, natch, from each other. In the past year, our lives have changed in so many ways, both professionally and personally .... decidedly for the better. It seems there are some very exciting things on the horizon, as we look to the next chapter of life at C/S. We're ready to seize the day.

But some things don't change. We still finish each other's sentences, often enough to be spooky. We still love the challenge of combining strategy and creativity to tackle the communications and marketing needs of our clients, near and far. We still believe in transparency, sincerity, hard work, curiosity, courage. We still enjoy conducting our staff meetings on the patio rather than in the board room. Most of all, we're still so profoundly grateful to have been able to pursue our dream and run a satisfying, successful business. We're still not only colleagues and business partners, but also the greatest of friends. Hell, there's enough change in the world — it's nice to know that some things stay the same, too.

So these are the things we celebrated today, sipping champagne and soaking in the sun. We can scarcely believe how far we've come — and we're both excited at the prospect of where we're going. So cheers, cheers to a fabulous year at Crazy Savvy!