I quit my job…10 years ago…

So a company is celebrating 10 years in business. Is that a big deal? Well to me it is. And, I am proud to say that it is this collection agency celebrating it! About 11 years ago myself and my business partners starting talking about starting our own collection agency. A few of us thought we were nuts.

Leaving great jobs with a strong company in an industry that was growing?

Leaving behind thriving, award winning offices that we spent years building?

Taking no paycheck for who knew how long even though we all had growing families with small children?

Well, a bigger part of us was just crazy enough to believe that we could do this thing called “debt collections” better. Why couldn’t we add technology to an industry that was lagging behind in this area? Why couldn’t we add customer service “that you could notice” to an industry where it was all but non-existent? Why couldn’t we create a great place for employees to work where employees actually enjoyed their work and were proud to be a part of? And, why couldn’t we change the way people (business owners, regulators, legislators, media AND consumers) think about collection agencies?

I like to say you need to get uncomfortable to take the next step and grow. Well, we were certainly uncomfortable 10 years ago when we walked out the doors on our jobs that we had been so successful at.   There was no plan B, we “burnt the boats”, but we knew we would succeed!

I am proud of the company we have built. I am proud of changes we have made in our industry. I am proud of the thousands of clients that we have helped.   I’m very proud of the tens of thousands of dollars we have raised for various charities. And, I am proud of the environment we have built at our workplace to attract the top talent in any workforce.

So I ask you to raise your glass and help us salute to 10 more years of making a difference. For businesses, for consumers and for our industry.