Measure Twice, Cut Once: Two Years of CountertopResource.com and Counting...

This space is not reserved for bragging, and I'm sure you are not reading this to take in any self-serving braggadocio, but we are celebrating the two-year anniversary of our website CountertopResource.com and thought it could be beneficial to tell you a little about how we got here and what we have accomplished during those first two years.

As many of you know, starting a new business can be risky and frightening. However, many of these risks and fears can be mitigated through careful planning. An old carpenter's creedo says, "Measure twice, cut once," and that's the approach I took before launching CountertopResource.com.

I entered the countertop industry sideways as a freelance writer  specializing in business, law and finance, but over the years, I began accepting more and more assignments related to residential and commercial real estate, home building and general construction. Opportunities opened for me to act as a ghost writer for several industry publications, and I began to obsessively seek out as much information as I could about countertop manufacturing, fabrication and installation.

As my contacts, knowledge and assets grew, I discovered what I believed to be a gap in the informational and marketing resources available to manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers in the industry. However, I put off implementing my ideas until I was sure my research and calculations were accurate.

By the time CountertopResource.com was launched in July 2012, I had invested many years of my life learning about the resources the industry needed and what may help small business owners such as myself reach ever-greater stages of success.

When I finally 'made the cut' and officially launched the business, a lot of hard work was already behind me and a lot more lay ahead. That first year got off to a shaky start, but by years' end, we were in the black with several new prospects on the horizon. Not many businesses can boast such an achievement. In fact, according to Forbes, eight out of 10 start-ups fail within the first 18 months.

Our second year of business has shown a quick yet steady progression of viewers and clients, which has allowed us a little leeway to adjust our offerings, develop new features and bring you ever-better and increasingly relevant news. We even hired additional staff! Now, as our second year comes to a close, we are taking the advice of business experts and reflecting on our successes and shortcomings. The day-to-day activities are now under control as we have developed and implemented efficient practices and procedures.

We are now in that phase of operations where we can begin to work on the business instead of in the business, which means that we will have new and exciting features to help you make the most out of your business. It is not lost on any of us here at CountertopResource.com that we owe all of our success to you, our loyal readers and clients, and we hope we can help you make your businesses all they can be. Just remember, for every job and every project, measure twice before you make the cut.

Thanks for your support!