Here it is. The illustrious first blog entry for blacktonic.com. You've probably come here to see when the project launched. Or to get some sense of 'how things have changed'. ("Are these guys legit?") Only this time Entry 1 isn't going to be for you, Mr. Site Visitor, it's for the Team at Black Tonic.
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I'm imagining a few years from now when you'll stumble back to this post. Yes, the memories are likely rushing in now. Things are probably a whole lot clearer from your perspective, but I want to remind you now of a few things that ought be remembered. And for those of you new to the team, it bears knowing how things began - Black Tonic was not always as it is now:
- This project was hard won. Not just on the development side, but this was an evolution of the company. And a dream three years in the making. There was no business, no structure for a product, no historical experience. This was a project created from nothing.
- Remember that in the beginning no one was talking about real-time web technology. You had to invent something new. And remember that the technology was born of a process and a philosophy, which is the way we always believed it should be.
- No one told you from the start this was a viable idea and product. You had to prove it. Step by step. Prototype by prototype. At first we faced a mountain of obstacles and lack of definition. But we started swinging the chisel, one blow at a time. No one knew who we were. We weren't a sexy, smart, or respected company.
- Remember there were no guarantees or safety valves when we decided to "go all in". We had limited time and capital. We had to reduce our staff, pause on client work income, and take on roles we'd never had before. Remember what the risk felt like from this point of view. Out of all our options, we had to make one choice. And after all our testing, prototyping, and measuring, this was the choice we made.
- Remember the cost. Remember the late nights and early mornings. Remember the let down when we were unable to hit our target launch date. Remember what it felt like to have to push through.
- And remember what it felt like to launch. No bang. No overnight success. This was simply milestone 1.
Thank you. For your effort, for your friendship, for your belief and perseverance on this project. Thank you for stepping up to the plate and taking a swing. I'm looking forward to hearing just how well we hit the ball.
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David Price
October 12, 2009
