In 2008, we began a journey that changed many lives. Two college friends, well trained and evolved in professional services, took the leap of faith to change an industry. With the love and support of our spouses, Seth and I risked it all to prove to ourselves that we could provide professional services with the human at the center of the model. Anyone who has been exposed to professional services of any kind knows of the woes, the poor service, the overbilling, the undercutting, the corner cutting, the lack of accountability, and so on. We were determined to be the exact opposite of that.
Every entrepreneur has regrets, usually many more than victories, but to this day, my largest regret is that we did not take more pictures of the early days. Granted, these untaken pictures might not have been revered like Steve Jobs in his garage, but they would have told a similar story – idea meets passion. Our beginnings started in spare bedrooms complete with true land lines, a fax machine, and laptops that weighed about twenty pounds.
We labored and labored, we doubted, we believed, we doubted again, but through it all we never wavered on our mission to put the human in the center of the model. We always believed that success would come from trying to help as many people as possible and further build the company. We have touched thousands of lives in our journey, and those lives have touched us as well. Countless humans have taught us lessons about our business, and more so about ourselves. We learned that it is much easier to be accountable when your intent is pure and genuine.
Putting the human back in human capital has been one of our greatest joys, a joy that has become our LABUR of Love. Putting humans first, putting the interests of others in front of your own, comes with headwinds, sometimes like walking on a 45* angle into the gusty winds of Boston. Human first, above transaction or self-want is a slower success that can only be achieved through hard work and persistence but that’s what makes it great. Success is sweeter after it’s earned and after you have served others. It’s this human first approach that my wonderful team carries forward for our next fifteen years and beyond. They, too, are experiencing the joys that come with making what we do a LABUR of Love.