In October, I started the Faces of Roundpeg as a regular feature on our blog. My intention was to write a series of  blog posts leading up to our 10 year anniversary. The posts have been funny, sentimental and serious. They have allowed me to reconnect and say some long overdue thank yous.

The response has been great, as I have shared the contributions big and small from the many people who have  who have played a role in helping us become who we are today. So this week, here is one last list of people who are part of the fabric of Roundpeg.

Nick Carter  who stood me up the first time we were supposed to have lunch. Despite the awkward start, Nick has become an important part of my business. He is part of a small group of business owners with whom I share the ups and downs of life at Roundpeg. I rely on him to hold me accountable and he challenge me to do more.

You will find us at LePeep the first Monday of every month, along with Lee Wenninger talking about business.  Lee, the other part of my breakfast trio has been a sounding board for years. Through various mastermind groups, as the others fell away, Lee was always there. I value his perspective and wisdom.

I can always count on Robby Slaughter  to keep me on my toes. He challenges me to think about things in new ways, defend my positions, and watch my spelling.  (If there is a misplaced comma in this post, Robby will find it.)

Michael Reynolds taught me to be an email ninja and use GoogleDocs.  While I am not sure he will ever succeed in getting me to embrace ROWE, I always enjoy the conversations.  He and the team at Spinweb have been great referral partners for Roundpeg, They send us  simple projects which don’t fit their profile and we return the favor when we run into designs that are outside our comfort zone.

And finally there is Ellen Dunnigan who  developed a day long conference on creativity with me. Don’t remember it? That’s because it wasn’t very well attended. But the frequent planning sessions forged a friendship which carried on long past the event. I am a better speaker because Ellen is the one person I can count on to give me critical feedback for every presentation.

Every business owner needs a strong network of peers who they can rely on to talk to about things they can’t say to others.  I am lucky to have these smart, interesting people in my life, because they understand what life is like in the owners’ seat., challenge me to step up my game, and celebrate the wins when I do.