Thinking back to 2003, a couple years after I started my company, I can distinctly remember reading Inc. magazine with a colleague of mine who had a subscription. This was the famous Inc. 500 issue where it showcased the 500 fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. Right then and there I made it a goal to be an Inc. 500 company.
I remember the energy and excitement of making up my mind and deciding on an ambitious goal. It’s amazing what the mind can do once you really focus. At the time, we were growing fast on a percentage basis but no where near the minimum requirement of $1 million in revenue to qualify. I had to make the hardest shift of my entrepreneurial career: go from being the technical product guy to the sales and marketing machine.
I’m pleased to say that in 2007 we were number 247 on the Inc. 500 with a three year growth rate of almost 1,000%. My goal was achieved.
What are your goals? What are you focused on?
David Cummings on Startups 
How did you make the shift from technical guy to sales and marketing machine? Why didn’t you hire this out rather than shift your attention?
Great questions David. Both questions have the same answer: we couldn’t afford anyone. I had significant credit card debt at the time and no way to pay for more people. In the end, it was one of the best things I ever did.