It’s hard to believe TrailBlaze Creative is celebrating its five-year anniversary this month! Although, since the last five months have felt like five years, I really had to think about the math to come to realize this great milestone.
In celebrating this anniversary and our little company’s successes over the past half-decade, I keep asking “Why?” and “How?” This questioning isn’t out of disbelief, rather a self-examination as we continue to work with nonprofits and small businesses who are looking to build influence of their own. Here is what I attribute our success to this point:
Network of Support
Previously, I have severely undervalued the importance of a professional network. While always important, this is the lifeblood of TrailBlaze, affording us the opportunity to have most of our business come through referrals and word of mouth. This network has not only sustained our business but has also provided some wonderful professional relationships and friendships along the way.
True to Our Roots
TrailBlaze was actually conceptualized in Alaska, believe it or not, at the request of our longest-standing client, the University Economic Development Association. Our early clients requested to work with a firm that was honest, transparent, compassionate, and that embodied their brands. Keeping true to these early ideals has been invaluable to our own success.
Spirit of Innovation
We have accomplished so many projects that push the boundaries of what traditional marketing firms would tackle. We’ve started new organizations, built a learning management software system, developed marketing collaboratives, and much more. This is rooted in our internal culture to be problem-solvers for our clients, working as partners to solve organizational challenges…even if that means working outside of the realm of traditional marketing.
While all of these elements will continue to be valuable to TrailBlaze’s success, it is this last point, I believe, that will propel us into our future. I think of TrailBlaze as a creative lab, where the challenges we are solving afford us the opportunity to apply innovative, unique solutions for greater impact. As we work to solve more challenges, we’ll continue to rely on this ‘youthful curiosity’ and our collective skill set to ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of our partners.
Looking ahead to our next five years, we are excited about where our journey will take us. Here’s hoping we are able to celebrate together at that time. For now, stay safe and accept our thanks for your support. Because if you are reading this, chances are you’ve played a role in the TrailBlaze story.
