by Jason Ogden | Apr 8, 2025
When I sat down to write a blog post to reflect on our 20th anniversary, my first thoughts were mostly nostalgic: Remember when we used to think this way? Or when we did things a certain way that was generously “sub-optimal”? Remember when we called our services something other than what they are now? All the things you do wrong at the beginning of a business and all of the great stories – painful or otherwise – that you laugh about now but weren’t very fun when you lived them. All sorts of great war stories. But as I sat with the task awhile, it became clear that the only thing that was really worth remembering was the people.
When we decided to put this business together and focus on small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), we knew there was a good market opportunity that would probably be there for a while. But there were other opportunities in other markets just as good in that regard, probably even better growth and profit stories. After the market hurdle was cleared, we chose this market because of the people – the clients that we get to affect with our work and influence with our conversations and relationships. Working with people in SMBs is a blessing and a curse because they are engaged and, frankly, care more. They are more willing to receive guidance to help them with the challenges they can’t fix alone and take calculated risks, but there is greater pressure to deliver when they say yes.
It’s not just the clients that we’ve been able to serve over 20 years, it’s the people who have worked at Syrup or been our strategic partners. So many of them have gone on to achieve great things after their Syrup time, such as starting their own businesses and non-profits. Some have achieved recognition and growth within their creative careers at bigger companies. I keep in touch with many of them years later, even though they’re not part of the Syrup team anymore. Some even come for business advice, which I happily share.
When it’s all said and done, for me, if you wanted to quantify the real value of 20 years in business, it all comes down to the people this business has been able to affect.
Internally, we keep track of when current Syrupeans (only I call our team that, give me a break, I’m a dad) achieve personal life goals while they work here. Things like marriages, houses purchased, children and a whole host of personal goals. That’s the essence of it all: having a business and doing it in a way that affects people’s lives in ways that matter to them. That’s my proudest achievement of 20 years in this business and is what I’m most looking forward to for the next 20.
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by Jason Ogden
