While we are honoring our country during the 4th of July in the most epic republic in the world, I want to take time to acknowledge a different kind of independence – the independence of entrepreneurs and the moment their ideas turned to courage and they never looked back. This is my story.
This is my Independence Day.
I remember lying in bed in a deep depression. I was working for a local TV station at the time. My management told me I was unable to follow through on what the station had promised.
“But don’t tell the client,”my general manager said. “They will never know.”
I was feeling many emotions at the time but the one that was the strongest – was that it just didn’t feel right. It wasn’t right and I couldn’t get past it. It was my moment. I had outgrown the company that I had worked for during the past ten years. The only solution forward was to trust my gut and build a business on my own terms and that I could be proud of.
This is how Image Quest Multimedia, now known as Knoodle, was born.
I started Knoodle because I wanted to be in control of fulfilling my promises to clients. And to this day, I have kept my promises. It’s the greatest luxury of owning a business.
As every business owner knows, this independence comes with a hefty price tag. Since 1999, I have seen 911, the stock market crash of 2008, the ten-year housing bubble crash recession, the Pandemic, runaway inflation and soaring interest rates. Each of these events had consequences in the business world and marketing our clients’ products and services around them. Business shrank. Business grew. In the end, it makes us better leaders and businesspeople when we adapt and evolve our services to match what the new world demands. These events tend to replace pride with humility.
The other luxury of entrepreneurship is choosing your team. It took me more than a few years to understand that qualifications don’t necessarily make team members. The right team comes from sharing common values as well being curious, flexible, courteous and courageous. Our values are simple: transparency, harmony and joy.
That’s my Independence Day story. Please tell me yours.
About the author:
Rosaria Cain started Knoodle in 1999, is a top twenty woman owned advertising in Phoenix, with a team of ten. Clients include Fulton Homes, Wild Horse Pass Development Authority, National Association of Women Business Owners, Cal AM, JaniKing, and Rodeo Scottsdale.
She loves learning Italian, shopping and client strategy.