As I wrap up my last week at de Novo before retiring and starting a new chapter, I am feeling nostalgic.

Thirteen years ago, I had an idea for a marketing firm that took a slightly alternative approach to marketing on behalf of our (then nonexistent) clients. I wanted to bring big ideas, experiential marketing and an approach that focused on the clients' needs, not our own.

Thinking back on those first few years—working in a closet-sized office with one desk, painting the wall in our office six times until we got the exact right shade of red, growing our team from just one person to eighteen, and meeting with hundreds of potential clients, listening to their challenges and bringing them creative, strategic solutions—reminds me why all this seemed like a good idea in the first place.

While I'm excited for my next adventure, it's impossible not to reflect on all I'm going to miss.

At the start of the new year, de Novo moved into our new office on the second floor of the Cherry Building—less than two months after signing the lease. The timeline was fast and the stakes were high. This is how we made it happen:

We're living in a time when many of us have CNN or NPR playing constantly in the background in an effort to keep up with the daily news, the latest drama or an ongoing crises. But what does that have to do with marketing? And, is embracing politics a good idea for a brand?

In addition to marketing strategy, creative, branding, video and websites, de Novo also produces corporate events. At a recent client's holiday party, a longtime acquaintance approached me and asked "I knew you did all things marketing, but what do events have to do with marketing?" I smiled and gave her the much shorter version of this blog... 

de Novo was recently honored as a 2017 Fastest Growing Company by the Corridor Business Journal. While excited by the recognition, I also found it ironic because it took us ten years to be considered "fast." Ten years. That's pretty slow.

On 11/11/11, we partnered with ICAD to produce TEDxIowaCity, a day filled with inspiring speakers, great music and the highly popular, Dr. Terry Wahls who shared her story of better living with MS through nutrition. Prior to producing the event I knew of Ted Talks but really hadn't explored the world of Tedx. Since then, I have become an avid watcher - and listener.

Congratulations on identifying a need in the market that only you can fill. Giving that entity a name can be one of the most important business decisions you’ll make. Can you change it later? Sure, but only if there’s a damn good reason and you’re not losing valuable brand equity. 

Ask anyone who knows me well, I'm not big on anniversaries and often don't remember important personal dates. So, as we were discussing our Tenth Anniversary, I struggled to pinpoint the exact date de Novo was born. I actually had to look it up.

During November and December of 2006, I spent countless hours developing a business plan, selecting a name, working with the talented folks at Fuel to create a brand identity and draft an initial hit list of potential clients. Sometime in early January, I filed all the necessary paperwork and on January 29th, 2007, the State of Iowa finalized our incorporation papers, assigned our EIN and we became "official."

As we celebrate our big day, I thought I would share some lessons learned over the past ten years:

You’ve been told you need a mission statement, a vision statement and now a brand positioning statement? Are you feeling overwhelmed?  Don’t. Brand positioning statements are meant to be simplified versions of the first two. Or, sometimes, a simplified version instead of the first two. A brand positioning statement is all-inclusive and sets the direction for your marketing. It also defines both parties involved in your business transactions and shows the relationship between the two.