We are fortunate in America to have a holiday that simply inspires “thanks.” Gifts are not expected, nor are there any ceremonies to which we feel obligated (unless of course you consider a trip to your in-laws a chore). It is one day out of our 365-day yearly cycle that we are fairly united in our desire to express appreciation for what we have, who we are, and with whom we share our time.
In that spirit, I want to express my thanks to our customers for their faith and support in Telligent. All of us at Telligent take great pride in contributing to our customer’s achievements. When our visionary founder, Rob Howard, set out on this journey seven years ago, even he didn’t imagine that social software would be the chosen platform to someday:
Of course, all CEOs express our thanks to our investors and board members. We may sound cliché to some, but we have been exceptionally fortunate to have a world-class set of investors, including Intel Capital and Investec (our newest shareholder), who have provided the resources and value added guidance to achieve our business goals. Our board members, including recent addition Rob Clyde, don’t just serve as governors, but as mentors as well. Even more than that, I appreciate their alignment to both our core values and our emphasis on a strong corporate culture. It is bold to choose culture and values over short-term gains; but it is pays off in creating the long-term value.
In addition to our board and investors, I can’t forget about our numerous partners, who are very special to us here at Telligent. What I am always so thrilled to share with others, is that through these formed partnerships we are able to provide even more solutions for our customers. We also get a chance to venture into new territory and work closely with so many innovative companies that we might not have had a chance to work with if not for that partnership.
Speaking of culture, thank you to the entire team at Telligent. As many of you know, we internally refer to the employees as Telligenti. Therefore, we find it very important to make sure that we have the right individuals in place to create this trusted family that backs up our business ventures. Because of the Telligenti’s strong commitment to our customers, dedicated alignment to our core values, and exceptional talent, we have created a work environment that is very desirable; which is how we can add such great talent as our new COO, Randy Skinner.
I am happy to share that this combination of constituents of customers, partners, and Telligenti has helped to deliver a string of very successful quarters. To be in a spot where our October quarter closed at 40% growth over the same quarter last year truly feels good; especially given the chaos in the world economy.
And not to end on a somber note, but in writing about how thankful I am – and how fortunate we all are at Telligent – we do recognize it is not a universal sentiment. I hope that if you are in the faction of the world that is fortunate and feeling overcome with thanks, that you will leverage your resources, your time, your intellect, or even your spirit to give someone else a reason to be thankful.
Here at Telligent and personally, we encourage and embrace contributing; we never lose sight of this. It is core to our culture.
I wish you a joyous Thanksgiving holiday, spent with those you are most thankful for and reflecting on the people and the fortune for which you are thankful.
Thankfully yours,
Patrick