Still Fierce – Reflections on Two

Posted August 17, 2015 By Anne Dougherty

August 16, 2015 represented the two year anniversary of the day Anne and I quit our jobs and officially became ILLUME. As we reflect back we find, like is often the case, that it feels like both a lifetime ago and just yesterday. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished. When we initially envisioned what two years out would look like in those early days, we did not imagine we would be a team of 10 with offices in three cities and growing at this time. But each day since we launched we have believed in ourselves, we have worked hard, we have hired amazing people. Most importantly, we have never stopped being fierce.

Truth be told it took more than our own tenacity to get here, we had support and help along the way. We had colleagues, friends, family and our amazing staff all of whom were unrelenting in their support and their fierce belief in us. The last two years have been more than just about building a company for me and Anne. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that while building ILLUME both of us did so while facing significant personal change – moves, growing kids, loss of loved ones, heart break. At our core, Anne and I always believed that a company can be more than just a company, more than just a job, more than just a place to work. A company can be an integral part of a healthy and successful life and a family. ILLUME grew, ILLUME thrived, and ILLUME lifted us up.

As we celebrate year two, we are taking time to not only look back and appreciate how far we have come, but to also look forward and plan for the next year, the next two, the next five…

We remain bold, we remain fierce, and we remain committed to being a disruptive force for good in this industry. As we celebrate ILLUME turning two, we are grateful for all the lessons, changes, challenges and successes of the last years and we excitedly recommend that you look out for what we have planned next. Fierce is just the beginning.

Ink