State of the Empire, 2018
Oh hello there, friends. It’s been a while. January 2018 marked the 11th anniversary of the Offbeat Empire, and — first, ok let’s just acknowledge that that’s a long-ass time for a digital media company to be around! Big snaps to everyone who’s been a part of this company and its growth for the last 11 years. In the interest of transparency, I figured I’d share a bit about where the business is at… and some thoughts about what might be on the horizon for both the Empire and its founder. Let’s see if I can wrap my head (or at least my mouth) around everything we’ve got on the table right now…
Dick jokes & hard work: On tough years, great contractors, and corporate culture
Because of my contractors, the toughest two years of the Offbeat Empire’s decade of existence (and honestly, the toughest two years of my fucking life) have actually been totally ok. Bootstrapping a business is terrifying, since the only money to spend is the money that’s coming in. In a decade of being in business, I’ve never taken out a loan or accepted venture capital. My investments have been my own time, and the willingness of my crew to stretch themselves… and the corporate culture we’ve built together.
RIP Offbeat Bride Tribe: 2007 – 2015 (+ bonus musings on running leaner)
Fall of 2007, after dozens of requests from blog readers, I decided to set up an Offbeat Bride community on Ning.com.
“It’s an experiment!” I said.
“We’ll see how it goes!” I said.
“If it doesn’t feel like a good fit, I’ll shut it down!” I said.
That was eight years, two platforms, two community managers, dozens of volunteer moderators, and over 45,000 members ago. November 2015, the Offbeat Bride Tribe quietly shut down.
On getting hit by a bus, and wincing sausage factories
Last week after I returned home from the first leg of my Lovesick Expo travel, I was rushed to the ER and ended up having emergency abdominal surgery. I was in the hospital for a week, and am looking at another four weeks of recovery. This is seriously fucked up… but you know what’s amazing? The fact that the team of people who I work with at the Offbeat Empire is so amazing that even when I get hit by a metaphorical bus, the sausage factory barely even winced.