Adglow at 10 - An Open Letter From The CEO

Dear friends, family, partners, clients and colleagues.

No one founds a company unless they are incorrigible optimists who think that nothing can go wrong and that they are going to conquer the world. But I have to confess that, as I signed Adglow's monthly payroll for the 120th consecutive time without one single day of delay, I am a little surprised.

Adglow is now ten years old. Jorge Rincón and I founded the business in the middle of the 2008/09 financial crisis, and we still don't know if that was good - for the lack of competition - or bad - for the market outlook. But the fact is that the gamble paid off and here we are celebrating a decade together!

Of course, internet years are like dog years, in that one is worth seven. We are almost 300 people across 17 countries, we have a lot of accumulated experience, and I realize that we have made countless mistakes along the way, but probably we got it right more often than not.

Thinking about what we did right, there are a few things that I'd like to share with you.

The first lesson we have learned is the importance of diversity. Much of the credit for our success comes from being able to adapt to clients' demands, to local realities, to using the specific talents of the people who work with us. In the end, that changeability has given us our reason to be.

The second lesson is the value of individuals. Even now when the company is relatively large in size, the results of individual actions are still extraordinary. One really good employee, or client, can produce outsize returns and change a department, or a company, or an industry.

The third lesson is perhaps the most vital one: there is no goal. You only have the journey, and the journey is the reward. If you don't enjoy it while you are doing it, then you will have nothing to enjoy.

The last thing I want to share is not a lesson but a certainty of a different matter: the more you give, the more you receive, and the thing we can give the most is gratitude.

We are forever grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey; not just the employees or the partners - we are hugely indebted to all of you, and can never thank you enough - but also the clients, and the competition, who have forced us to question everything, always learn more and dare to do new things.

All of you have kept us in that uncomfortable and exciting place where great things are created, and where nobody can tell you what to do next.

So, to all of you, thank you - and happy birthday Adglow!

Juan Dominguez, CEO | Adglow