I just sent my oldest off to her first day of high school. Everyone keeps saying, “Don’t blink – these years will pass by so quickly.” That’s advice I don’t really have to hear, because I already know.
My “other baby” turned 15 this year and it really seems like yesterday that I signed the Articles of Incorporation which brought MarketLauncher, Inc. into the world. When I reflect back on what we have accomplished so far, the stories that jump out are the times we’ve helped clients achieve their ultimate success. And it is within those stories that I see our own achievements as an organization.
We recently created a timeline which highlights many of these milestone success stories. They cover a broad range: from a 12-year ongoing history of helping one civil engineering firm explore new markets, to helping one of our first software clients successfully navigate the rush to market during the enactment of Sarbanes Oxley.
There were unexpected detours, like in 2010 when we discovered some of our clients were frustrated at having to find a different provider to support their overseas sales efforts. We quickly learned that our process and talent acquisition methods translated quite well to international markets.
There were some exciting revelations that propelled our own growth, like discovering that our services fulfill an unmet need in the investment community. Firms funded by private equity have critical need for two things: an accelerated pace into the market and data to help make strategic growth decisions. Enter ML and our obsession with metrics. Today at least 15% of ML clients are funded by private equity or venture capital.
In 2015 we discovered that 50% of the new clients we onboarded the previous year were former client contacts who had moved on to new companies and brought ML in to provide services. Realizing that there is an art and science to creating that kind of fan base, we’ve begun helping our own clients develop strategies for nurturing their “alumni”.
We recently reported to our clients evidence of a dramatic shift in prospecting metrics and what it now takes to get in front of strategic buyers. These shifts are changing how our clients go to market and how we approach the execution of our prospecting campaigns. Our ability to evolve and adapt has always been one of our greatest strengths as an organization. As times change, ML will continue to evolve. After all, growth isn’t just about the numbers.