Dan & Nicole: Entrepreneurs of the Year
Written by Dan
As some of you may know, last night Nicole and I were named Entrepreneurs of the Year by the Springfield Business Journal. It's a huge honor, and something we've yet to come to grips with. What does this mean for us, our future, and, most importantly, The Moxie? Only time will tell, I suppose, but in the meantime, winning this award has lit a fire under our collective butts, and we're ready to get things rolling again.
We're half way through our lease (yes, we rent our building), which means it's high time to start negotiating and firming up where The Moxie is going to be in the next two and a half years. Will we still be in our current location in 2010? I hope so, but you never know. There's a lot going on right now that will have direct consequences for the future of The Moxie. Nothing drastic, of course, but stuff that will determine the shape, size, and location of our business in the years to come.
And, as I've always done, I'll gladly share it with you when the time comes.
But, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to talk about last night's awards ceremony. It was held in the White River Room at Bass Pro (near the pontoon boats), and despite what you might assume from the surroundings, it was a very swank ordeal. Over 300 people showed up, which was much more than I had anticipated. Nicole's dad bought an entire table for The Moxie, which sat Nicole and I, my parents, Nicole's dad and his friend, and Justin and Kelley (our two original employees).
I was expecting more award categories, but there were only six: Lifetime Achievement, Excellence in Banking, Excellence in Architecture, Best Charitable Organization, Innovator of the Year, and, the final category, Entrepreneur of the Year. It was crazy hearing our name mentioned along with all the other winners. When you're working seven days a week, and barely making the salary of a first-year high school teacher, it seems a little odd to have your name associated with banks and architecture firms that are grossing millions and millions of dollars.
The biggest surprise, however, was that everyone in the categories before us were giving speeches. I had no idea we'd be doing that, or else I would've prepared something... actually, no I wouldn't, because I hear that's bad luck. When we were called up front to await the name of the winning business, the only thing I was thinking was, "ok, what kind of face should I make when they call one of these people beside me? I'll smile and nod, give them a congratulatory handshake, and then make a beeline back to our table. That seems like the appropri-- did they just say our name? Uh oh. Think fast! Think fast!" I really don't remember what I said once I made my way to the podium. I've become accustomed to addressing crowds (I do it two or three times a day, after all), but I was having such a difficult time connecting my thoughts, and not saying "uh" or "um."
If you're morbidly curious, I've included the audio from my acceptance speech. My dad used his digital camera to video it, but the visuals didn't turn out at all, so this is just the audio. Also, some parts of it are a bit muddled, so I took the liberty of transcribing every single utterance. And if that still doesn't sate your appetite for awards ceremony goodness, I've added a few photos (and captions) after the video.
Thanks again to all of our loyal supporters out there (you know who you are). If we didn't have such great customers, we wouldn't have a business, and if we didn't have a business, we wouldn't have won the award, so in a round-about way, all of you are the root of our success, and for that, I sincerely thank you. All of you. *gets choked up* I'm sorry... it must be the salmon again.
Thanks a million, guys.
Don't we look thrilled? This picture was taken just a few minutes after we won the award. I'm still a bit confused, as you can see.
Here I am sending out a mass text message, letting everyone know we won. Nicole is showing off her cleavage, Justin is being prodded in the butt, and Kelley is just happy to be there.
And here's everyone at our table! Nicole is holding our cool glass trophy, which has a couple envelopes stuffed inside. At first glance, it sort of looks like a part of her dress... no, not really.
I'm not sure what's going on in this picture, but I certainly don't look too happy about it. Nicole is though, so that's all that really matters.
And here's some initial coverage from the SBJ: here and here.
