It’s hard to believe that a full 10 years have passed since Visceral was first born in May 2006. It’s a milestone we’re incredibly proud to reach.

A decade is a long time. Jay and I have each grown in many ways over that period, both professionally and personally. Children have been born, cross-country relocations happened, clients have come and gone, awards were won, and Jay is just a couple weeks away from becoming a married man. Visceral has been good to us, and for us.

Looking Back

We began as a duo burning the candle at both ends (and sometimes in the middle), trying to set up a new company while making sure our day jobs didn’t suffer. Our stress levels were through the roof trying to keep all the plates spinning. Working from 7 AM to 8 PM, taking a dinner break, then back to work until 3 AM or later was a normal routine for several weeks. We sacrificed personal obligations and dozens of weekends.

But, looking back, it was one of the most thrilling periods of my life. It was exciting because we knew we were creating something in our own vision. Reflection is a powerful thing. It allows you to pinpoint the moments that profoundly shaped your life. For me, in terms of Visceral, one such memory stands out: the steak dinner.

In June of 2006, Jay and I met with our first major potential client at a local steakhouse. By the time the check came, we’d verbally secured a partnership with them that led to several projects over the next five years. It was just the opportunity we needed to kick-start Visceral. As a result of that dinner, we crafted a variety of websites for notable organizations with missions in delivering clean water to Africa; raising awareness for juvenile diabetes research; and developing educational toolkits for universities. This ultimately led us to do more mission-focused work.

Though we didn’t realize it at the time, that meeting – just weeks after Visceral became a real company – informed our company’s purpose and direction. Today, we work only with mission-driven businesses and organizations that want to make a positive global impact.

We’re proud, and a little amazed, to have had the opportunity to work with prominent institutions like Packard Foundation, Healthy Newborn Network, Wildlife Conservation Network, and Schmidt Ocean Institute, to name a few.

Looking Forward – The Next 10 Years

With all of the experience we’ve gained over the years, it’s humbling to realize that we’re still growing. The first 10 years were about figuring out who we are – the next 10 is about shaping who we are.

We’re constantly evolving and learning to be proactive to our clients’ needs. The digital landscape changes daily. It’s our job to make sure our clients’ missions and digital properties are keeping up.

For example, we’re currently focusing on integrating more data-driven research and analytics into our services; this allows our clients to make more informed decisions regarding critical organizational objectives like raising awareness or increasing donations. We also spend time building and leveraging tools that will continue to make our clients’ lives easier, allowing them to stay focused on the important work they’re doing.

The Internet is one of the greatest empowering communication tools ever created. It’s been amazing to see it grow and change over the past decade, and to find innovative ways to leverage it to tell our clients’ stories. While we can’t predict what the digital world will look like 10 years from now, one thing is certain: Technology shows no signs of slowing down and neither does Visceral.

Put simply, what we want out of our next ten years is to help. We want to help our clients tell their stories and be successful in their missions. We want to help our team members succeed in their careers and want them to enjoy doing so.

Most of all, we want to help the world at large. There are so many challenges facing humanity today. If we can make even a small impact by helping the organizations that are making a difference, we’ll consider ourselves lucky and grateful.

Lastly, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped get us here today. There are far too many people to list here, but you know who you are. To our clients, our team, our colleagues, our families and friends; to anyone who believed in us or offered us support or words of wisdom along the way; there are no words that can properly thank you.

We are, and will always be, grateful beyond measure.