Happy Holidays

For me, the holidays are a time for reflection and for expressing gratitude and wishing everyone a very happy holidays. We’ve already started doing that with our blog series for our partners, and it’s just as important to thank our clients and for me to thank my team.

3 years ago – at this time, Atilus was Harry, and I. Now we’re at 8 people and growing quickly. It’s been a crazy journey

We had an internal team meeting this week and went over some of our 2014 stats:

• 30 Projects (some having as many as 15 websites per project!)
• Spent 9400+ hours on client work
• Launched Board Management
• Were selected as Florida Companies to Watch Finalists
• Got the First Public University to Accept Bitcoin
• Had 10 Monthly Lunches (I nominate Survey Cafe as 2014’s Top Lunch Place)
• Over 700 shrimp in our bellies at our annual Shrimp Fest (my father’s most proud of this one)
• Launched the Community Web Award
• Over 40 5-star reviews online from clients
• 70 Blog Posts
• 1 Bowling Tournament

Thank You to Our Clients

Above all, I’m proud to say, we’re getting better for you, our clients. We’re spending more time guiding, coaching, and helping our clients through the confusing process of digital marketing. As you’ve probably seen, we’re tracking satisfaction numbers on every project – and currently have a 98.7% satisfaction rating, which is just unheard of in this industry. A big part of that improvement comes from our ongoing focus on long-term visibility through proven SEO services.

But, most importantly (for me personally), our clients are seeing better results from their online efforts. I think this is a result of a lot of changes in the market:

• Businesses are Getting More Savvy Online – It’s no longer okay to just have a website, and even startups understand this.
• The Internet is Everywhere – From phones, to tablets, and with 3g and 4g connections easily accessible – you can’t escape the Internet (and it’s SOOO easy to get sucked in 🙂
• Our Tool-set is Expanding – The tools we use to get in front of our clients’ audiences (at the exact moment they’re looking for our clients’ services) are getting better and better. Behind the scenes, reliable website hosting also plays a major role in delivering the performance and stability our clients expect.
• Our Team is Specializing – We have specialists on staff to write great content or manage PPC advertising, for example.

We’re committed to getting better at our craft and both specializing and cross-training the whole team so we can provide an amazing experience and results for our clients.

So thank you, to you, our clients. Every day I wake up knowing you’re trusting us with so much and I can’t rest unless I feel we’ve truly helped your business, built you an amazing-looking site through thoughtful web design, and provided you with traffic, business, and revenue that far outweighs anything you spent on online marketing with us. THANK YOU!!!!!

Thank You to All of Atilus

I was having a conversation the other day with my family on how interesting a feeling it is to have companies and people I’ve never met trust our company with their brand and budgets. In years past, I knew every tiny detail of every project (I sold it, I helped run it, I did the design, the content, writing, etc.), but that just isn’t the case anymore. It’s an uneasy feeling letting go, but at the end, it’s been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I think it’s a testament to our people – that Atilus is continuing and we’re growing. It would not be possible to do this were it not for the amazing people at Atilus.

Since I was little, I’ve always had trouble expressing myself. Words come easily, but often they’re not enough. I’m going to try to express, with words, how thankful I am for each of the people who make up our team and family:

Harry – you work tirelessly and ALWAYS keep going. If there’s an emergency or issue, you handle it and you don’t complain. You’re the most driven, strong, and amazing guy to work with. You’re one of the few people I’ve met who’s as crazy about technology and what’s next as me.

Phil – We think differently. But it’s been a joy learning from you, and I feel you’ve changed Atilus and me personally for the better. Your initial marketing process and your talent in sales and business development are so appreciated. However, the biggest thing you add to the team is a complete willingness to learn and grow, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you so much for being a part of our team.

Ashley – I’ve seen you grow in unbelievable ways. I remember when you were at FGCU and between cheerleading, school, beefs, and fossil you still tried to squeeze in an internship here at Atilus. It didn’t work out. But you persisted and have become a great front-end developer. You work hard, are down-to-earth (which is rare in this industry), and you do an amazing job. CrossRoads came out amazing! Thank you so much.

Ryan – 18+ months ago, you bombed the job interview. Harry corrected your inability to answer our final question on solving world hunger. It was awkward (and c’mon – what kind of a question is that?!). It didn’t matter; we were clearly a match. Almost immediately, you blew us away with your talent. Your designs are attractive, thoughtful, and work. Your code is clean. You are already an amazing designer/developer, and there’s so much more to grow into. More than that, though, I appreciate your sense-of-humor and the levity and creativity you bring to the office. Thank you so much for being a part of our team.

Bryan – No one gets things done faster or more creatively than you. Your only fault has always been underestimating how much time big problems will take to solve, but it’s only a testament to how much you like solving problems and making everything seem so easy to everyone else and to clients. I can’t believe we’ve worked together for so many years. I can see you rolling your eyes as you read this, but we appreciate your loyalty, sense of humor, and skill – thank you.

Kristen – You’re obsessed with Starbucks, and frankly, it’s getting on my nerves. 😉 There’s been nothing we’ve thrown at you that you haven’t taken on and nailed. I see you care for each of the other team members, this company, and our clients – as if it were your own. This is insanely rare, and we thank you.

Jen – Our newest team member, already a part of our family. You’ve learned fast and have done an amazing job on everything. I can’t wait to see how you grow into some new plans and role this next year. And I respect your ability to dip out of parties quickly and professionally 🙂

As the year comes to a close, we want to wish all of our clients happy holidays and sincere thanks for trusting us with your business.

Holiday Hours

(Okay, now that I’m covered in happy tears, time to switch to the normal minutiae of doing business…)

From all of us at Atilus, happy holidays, and we hope you enjoy a safe and relaxing end to the year. With the end of the year festivities about to happen over the coming weeks, here is Atilus’ holiday schedule. Of course, if you need anything at all, even during our off-hours, you can always email support@atilus.com – or call our main line and leave a message (which is forwarded to the entire team):

December 24 – Close Early @ 2pm

December 25 – Closed

December 26 – Closed

December 31st – Close Early @ 2pm

January 1st – Closed