At the beginning of 2008, Fastspot gathered together the entire company and declared 2008 to be the year of the “Little Things”. By little things, we meant things like time tracking, being extra mindful of budgets, triple checking our code, strictly following Website launch checklists, remembering to track and bill for hours devoted to smaller tasks. Little things also meant taking time out to have fun, not big crazy rent the zoo for a day fun, but bowling parties, ski trips, poker tournaments, happy hours with like minded companies - that kind of fun. Other little things meant tightening up our process, not straying too far from what we knew worked, and refusing to let clients force us off track.

Additionally, we put incentives in place to make the “little things” like time tracking more fun, or at least more competitive. For the first half of 08, the best time tracking Fastspotter was awarded $100 to spend on something for their work space. In August we had our mid-year meeting, and regrouped to discuss our goals for the second half of the year. Everyone was asked to write down their top 5 dream clients and top 5 dream projects. Then everyone shared what they wrote down. Amazingly enough, we landed one of our dream projects several months later, and are on track to make those lists a reality on a larger scale in 09. That little act of writing those things down, committing to them, and then verbalizing them made a huge difference. Thoughts are things, they have energy and impact, and they can be very powerful.

During the second half of the year we devoted some energy towards internal apps we wanted to see become a reality, and they will launch in early 09, for public consumption. We also continued to ensure we were doing those “little things” that matter to our clients, like providing prompt attention and assistance, participating in their businesses whenever possible, taking time out for weekly calls and on-site visits, and never compromising on quality. We also continued to streamline our process, evaluating each project as it would unfold, looking for areas for improvement.

As each new improvement or slight shift would occur, we were building upon the other little things. We didn’t try to build the mountain in one day or in one document, we slowly focused in on those little things, made changes, and tracked their progress. We also didn’t get overly focused inward, continuing to stay involved in community and industry events and remembering to give back when we could. The photo is from Ms. Smith’s first grade class at City Springs Public School here in Baltimore. We were happy to donate a library and reading area to her class, which is comprised of inner-city kids who face steep challenges and economic hardships.

I am happy to report that focusing on the little things helped Fastspot have our best year ever, in terms of revenue, quality of clients, and innovative projects and deliverables. So, what do we do for 09 you ask? Not much will change, but we suspect 09 will continue to have us keeping our eye out for more little things, while we move onto another doozy to tackle, communication. Success and happiness, especially in tough times, relies heavily on the communication skills of the entire team. We expect to devote lots of time and attention to ensuring our internal and client communications are the best they can be.

Happy New Year - and we hope you are able to make positive changes that help move you forward in 09!