We make a big deal out of celebrating birthdays at our house.  In our family, we celebrate not just the day but the whole month.  During your birthday month you get a lot of very special privileges: sitting in the favorite seat at the dinner table, first to get dessert, random singing of happy birthday… We make an extra effort to make the birthday boy or girl feel loved and appreciated as we reflect on the very special role they play in our family.  Birthdays always lead me to reflect on just how quickly times passes and that I am thankful for each and every day with my family.

As we come to the end of Forge’s birthday month, I have gone through a lot of the same reflections and thankfulness of this journey that we are on together. I underestimated both the difficulty of opening a business and growing it to a thriving community, as well as the joy it brings.  I love seeing Forge filled with people who have a place that they are proud to work as they are drawn out of isolation at home and now have thriving businesses because they are surrounded by people who push themselves to grow.  It is truly a privilege to serve so many amazing companies every day.  I am humbled and thankful for the members of Forge who choose us as their place to work.

Over the past two years (and really the two years before that as I was building Forge) I have seen tremendous support from the Birmingham community.  One of the magical things happening now in our Magic City is the championing of new businesses.  At Forge, we love being a part of helping businesses start and grow. As a business owner I have also experienced the same support and encouragement from both our members and other business owners and leaders in Birmingham. We are part of an amazing business-building ecosystem that I do not take for granted!

I am also extremely grateful for the team at Forge who make the vision a reality. Over the past two years we have had one full time staff person (we all love Kelsey!), several part-time staff members, and four interns.  Each and every team member tirelessly serves the members of Forge. Because I underestimated how much I needed to grow as leader before I opened Forge I am that much more thankful for the team that has walked this journey with me, patiently helped me become a better leader and ultimately made Forge a special place for our members.

Birthdays are special and they are worth celebrating.  We are thankful to be celebrating with you!