It never felt like a single moment, more like evolving.
From 2006-2012, our world was full of consulting projects (and full welcoming two kids). So many small retainers, hourly open ended gigs, so many clients.
Spread too thin.
We made enough to get by, had space to save a little, buy our first house, and make time to marvel at raising two little ones. But I’d be lying if I said every month wasn’t a scramble.
Then things began to shift. Similar projects with overlapping tech needs. We noticed the same problems kept coming up, so we started building things we could reuse. Some clients were rehomed, some we let go, and a few we loved so much we still hear from them now.
Launching a product didn’t feel like an event. No champagne cork pops or big announcement. Just a slow, deliberate reshaping of our work: less services, more product.
Why am I reflecting on this now? Well today, while setting up a new computer, I found old files from those early years. Spreadsheets of client rosters, scanned check images and invoices, old portfolio entries, resumes we had to write for a certain government contract that required them. I even found an adorable video of Jason with our 4 y/o (now just shy of 17), recording intros for demos of software that would eventually grow into something much bigger.
Looking back, I can see the shift clean and clear. At the time, it just felt like survival.
That’s the thing about transitions: you rarely realize you’re in one until years later.
