Well, we are off to a good start for 2009. The budgets for our top tier clients are beginning to thaw. The conversations with a lot of our clients are positive and we should begin to see some movement on the project front by the middle of January. There has been enough early activity that I am more optimistic about Q1 than in years past. I tend to be more pessimistic early on because I am often told what I want to hear and rarely told the truth. How sad is that? Over the years I’ve learned to filter out the noise and look at what matters to the company. This year, more than others, the sales team has committed to some significant growth in both our project and staffing business. We closed the year just a scoosh off of 2007’s revenue number. And given our year, I am very satisfied with that. What’s more important is that our margins and net numbers have really improved. If the sales team performs to their potential this year, our firm will improve over the last two years quite nicely.
Perhaps 2009 is a year recommitment. I can only speak for myself, but I am recommitting my work and our firms’ work to providing the best in class project and staffing solutions in Seattle. On the surface this sounds trite and superficial. But it has a much deeper meaning for me. In each case of success for BWC over the 9 years we’ve been in business, it’s come down to one simple, undisputable fact; personal and meaningful relationships with our clients.
When involved and truly engaged, we do well with taking care of our clients and assisting with their ideas and their missions. We also do well when we understand that our purpose is to provide a temporary means of accomplishing a goal and we should never be disappointed with the idea of being temporary. After all, we are a necessary part of the Seattle economy. I love that, I really do.
