We just turned 2!

As we turned 2, we took some time out to look back and reflect on our accomplishments, roadblocks, the path we took to reach where we are today and the direction we want to go. We started off in 2012 with a very broad vision and then now we're at a point where we know our strengths, we know what sets us apart from others, we have unique skill sets as a company, we have a team that understands our direction and we've clearly identified the one area that we want to expand and grow in...

Generally when we look back a year it is usually accompanied by laments on 'how quickly did that year flew by!' or 'that was the fastest year ever!' (And of course, the occasional 'what the hell just happened?' :P). In addition to the exclamations, we have to deal with the eternal anxiety of 'whether we utilized our time well'.

Start-ups have all the odds heaped against them - little capital, lack of creative and responsible staff, minimum reflectivity, and no track record. But one benefit start-ups have that many of their much-established competitors don't have is flexibility. Start-ups and small groundbreaking companies often boast about their flexibility and deviation from the ‘perceived norm’, but rarely explain why flexibility is such an important asset. 

The chaos diagram for startups :)

The world of startups is so volatile that you need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing business environment, consumer choices and also prepare for giant obstacles and harsh failures. This is where flexibility is so crucial. Flexibility allows you, the tool master, to come up with minor tweaks and repairs to strategy and operations instead of overhauling the Death Star! :P At Last Bench, we’ve managed to constantly monitor our short term goals and progress while keeping a constant eye on the long term vision. Through our infancy we have continuously observed, ideated, debated, learned, adapted and sometimes even drastically changed our strategy, process and conclusions. Risk, quite like the cliché, is the name of the game :)

In order to deliver the best version of the initial idea we have put together a solid crew (over a period of time) and they work hand in hand along all verticals. Collective Passion + Commitment = Collective Strength this is what we believe in and because of this there is an instant cause and effect. There is an understood belief that everyone contributes ideas and has the ability to follow-through on those ideas. What is unique about this is the originality that is required to bring ideas to life. 

In large organizations, you have an extensive network of experts you can call on to help you understand things quickly. But in a startup, one pretty much learns how to fish each day. This means driven mentality and constant state of learning, which is satisfactory on a personal level (For the employee) and in turn reflects on a whole.

During this journey, we've deviated a lot, sometimes due to situation and sometimes due to lack of thought but at the end the checks and balances that we go through helps us come back to our path. Along the way, we've worked with some great clienteles even fortune 500 companies and stakeholders. But all this is not enough for us, we're still miles away from our goal to be the best in what we do and work with a lot more clients.

As we move into our third year, you're going to see a lot more action from our end with products and continued action on the services side too. So having said this, its time for us to get back to work!

Keep giving us your LOVE! :-)