Today is the official Fourth Birthday of RogueSheep, Incorporated.

Four years ago on February 17th, 2004 a group of restless engineers that had all left their cozy positions as engineers and engineering managers at Adobe Systems took the next step in making their little startup business a reality by filing the articles of incorporation that officially birthed RogueSheep.

Its been a fairly remarkable 5+ years years since the first gatherings that would lead to the formation of our beloved little business. From basement meetings and home offices, to the christening of our official headquarters in Seattle. From the launch of our first product, to the suspension of its further development. We’ve lived through the departure of old sheep and the arrival of new sheep. Product ideas have come and gone; projects have been canceled only to be revived and later suspended. We’ve done work for clients as small as a group publishing the writings of Tibetan monks, to as large as world-renowned software vendors and retail chains. Altogether we’ve seen and done quite a few remarkable feats and learned a phenomenal amount about running a business along the way. Throughout it all we have continued to use our experiences, the successes as well as the occasional missteps, to hone our business model and refocus our efforts.

Personally, I couldn’t be happier with how it has all turned out. The decision to leave the comfortable confines of the large corporation and to strike out as an independent developer ranks as one of the best decisions I have ever made. Sure there have been those scary moments; wondering if its really all going to work and can we really support our families doing this? Its definitely a ton of hard work. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that running your own business isn’t a 60+ hour a week job at the minimum. If all you have ever known is the sheltering womb of the mother corporation, it can be quite a shock to find out how many little details someone else has always taken care of for you.

Still, I can’t imagine anything more exciting or enticing than my current job. I learn something new every week and its certainly never boring around here. Much like the joy of producing a new piece of software from nothing but bits in the ether, growing a business from the embryonic, huddled meetings in a basement to a stable fixture with a solid reputation and excellent prospects for the future is nothing short of intoxicating.

As RogueSheep enters its fifth year, things are continuing to look great. We have plans for a notable expansion of staff this year and are on track to deliver some innovative new technology to the market. We continue to work with existing clients on exciting new projects while looking to navigate new partnerships and alliances while moving forward. I predict a thrilling and banner year as our toddler comes into its own.

Happy Birthday RogueSheep and thanks to my tireless partners and associates for making this such an excellent company to work with and for.

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