A look back at 5 years of Noobie

Yesterday was Noobie's 5th Anniversary. When I woke up I had to pinch myself that I've really made it 5 years. Well, actually I had to help my kids find their Easter baskets first as Noobie's 5th Anniversary coincided with Easter Sunday this year. Guess me and the Easter Bunny have more in common than I thought.

I debated what to write on my blog for this big occasion. Sure, I could write about what the next 5 years is going to look like but if there's one thing I've learned from the 1st five years is that where I think my business is headed isn't always where it ends up. But it's the journey that matters and that keeps me coming back.

So instead of looking forward, I decided to look back today and reflect on the first 5 years of Noobie's existence. And I decided to do this in a fun way. Instead of long drawn-out paragraphs, I decided to dump any thought that comes to my head and list it as a bullet point below. Anyone who knows me personally will know that these thoughts will come fast and furious and will be in completely random order. I hope my fingers can keep up. Here we go...

A look back at 5 years of Noobie:

• Did you know I initially incorporated Noobie to launch a monthly consumer magazine called "Noobie Magazine"? Most people don't know this.
  
  
• Noobie.com used to be NoobieInc.com. I never liked the "Inc" in the domain name but "Noobie.com" was taken. It took nearly two years for me to find the right guy (a domain broker) who could finally negotiate a deal for me to obtain "Noobie.com". I grossly overpaid for the domain and still think it was one of the best business decisions I've ever made.
  
  
• I don't own a single Apple computer. Yet in the last 5 years I've purchased 2 iPods, 4 iPod Shuffles, 1 iPod Touch, 3 iPhones and an iPad 2.
  
  
• I think the Noobie web site is horribly out of date and no longer reflects what Noobie actually does. Yet at least 1-2 times per month someone will complement me on how fantastic the web site looks.
  
  
• I've gone through 3 generations of business cards. My first business card listed my title as "President". My current one lists my title as "Techie".
  
  
• I've given presentations at senior centers, libraries, blogging conferences and private corporate events. Some of these presentations lasted 60-90 minutes. Am I really the same guy who in high school thought a 7-minute speech was cruel and unusual punishment from the teacher?
  
  
• I've had my own radio show and appeared on the FOX 59 Morning News show 4 times (or was it 5?).
  
  
• I've started and stopped podcasting. Same with video blogging. I wish I could do more of both but the time constraints are a killer. Some day I'll get back to video blogging.
  
  
• Adding decals to my minivan and thus creating the "Noobie van" was one of my best marketing moves. I still get a kick out of people who pass me on the street and then call me asking "what's a noobie?"
  
  
• It's taken me 5 years to realize businesses need my help more than consumers do. But consumers are my passion so I'll always be there to help you on a 1-on-1 basis.
  
  
• Early on, I joined dozens of networking group and associations, often serving on the board for them. I've spent the rest of my time trying to get off many of them, realizing how much of my precious time they consume.
  
  
• 5 years ago I didn't know what WordPress was. Now, I have built over 30 web sites for clients on the WordPress platform.
  
  
• I've watched my two sons grow into serious techies. I'm not joking. I can no longer beat them in any video game and they routinely show me shortcuts on the computer, the DIRECTV DVR and every other gadget I own. Some of the new ideas they come up with for web sites actually sound plausible to me. I'm pretty sure they will hit it big with something in high school and be making gobs more money than I made in high school with my $3.35/hr grocery store job.
  
  
• I've made mistakes. Lots of them. Some that cost me thousands of dollars. But no one will stop me from failing forward.
  
  
• I've had people say the nastiest things you can imagine to me. I've been called a spammer, been told to f*ck off and had people tell me that God will deal with me when I die. It takes thick skin to run your own business.
  
  
• I've never stopped educating myself. I read 2-3 business books per month and buy countless online programs to make sure I am the expert everyone expects me to be.
  
  
• I didn't invent the name Mr. Noobie™. You did. But I liked it so much I trademarked it!
  
  
• I currently own a Kindle, an iPhone and an iPad 2. None of these existed when I started the company.
  
  
• My email response time 5 years ago was a few minutes. Today it is a few days.
  
  
• Social media was virtually unknown when I started Noobie. Now I have an account on just about every existing social media platform. Not necessarily because I want to but because I have to.
  
  
• And finally, a shout-out to my family, friends, clients and business associates. Without your support Noobie could have easily been just another statistic on the "businesses that fail within the first 5 years" chart. Instead, Noobie is poised to make the "business that experienced significant growth in years 5-10" chart. Thank you!