As Andrew mentioned in his overly-complimentary post from yesterday, today is my last day at ADwërks after more than a year of fun, learning, and getting to contribute to some killer work. Calling it a good year would be an egregious understatement.

However, since it is my last day, I thought it would only be fair to share some of the lessons I’ve learned since I began my tenure here at ADwërks. So for those of you interested in the inside scoop, here you go.

• Jim knows more about making food than most people know about eatingfood.
• Jim also knows more about making advertising than most people know about seeing advertising.
• If you bring a lunch, don’t eat it until after 1:00; you never know when Jim will randomly take the entire team to Taste of the Big Apple or Jacky’s.
• If you hate laughter, odds are you won’t fit in at ADwërks.
• If you hate working hard, odds are you won’t fit in at ADwërks.
• Some days, a clown named Ronald might just wander into the office, sing “Tomorrow” from Annie at the top of his lungs, then leave. These are the perks of having McDonald’s as a client.
• It’s ok if you’re not good at golf. In most cases it’s expected.
• ALWAYS support your clients outside of the office. Because if you aren’t willing to use their service, buy their product or eat at their restaurant, why are you doing work for them?
• People are fascinated by our historic building. At least one person a week stops in “just to take a look at it.” (And another two ask if this the cupcake place.)
• It’s ok if you make mistakes. Just make sure you’re willing to fix them once they’re made.
• Awards are nice. But a loyal, more-than-satisfied client who has been with you longer than your business has even had a name trumps awards 10 times out of 10.
• ADwërks started with a single employee in a spare bedroom and lots of hard work. The office may be bigger, but the work effort is as relentless as when things started. And everyone seems to like it that way.
• With only 8 or 9 people in the office at any given time, almost everyone does a variety of work for just about every client. I like to call it “diversifying your skill set.”
• Did I mention that if you don’t like laughter, you probably won’t fit in at ADwërks?
• If you want to learn, grow as a marketer, and put that newfound knowledge to good fantastic use, ADwërks is the place to be.

This list could’ve been another 30 bullet points longer, but one other thing I’ve learned in my time here is the importance of brevity. (Clearly, I’m still working on it.)

All in all, I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with this ADwërks crew. Every person working here has a wealth of knowledge and a passion for sharing that knowledge, and it has truly been inspiring to come in every day and work with people who love doing what they do. I’ve never worked in an environment quite like ADwërks and I doubt I ever will again.

Thanks to everyone here at ADwërks for the past year. Each of you has helped me get better at what I do and it’s been an experience I’ll remember forever. Or at least 30-40 years. But probably forever.

-Mike

Photo by woodleywonderworks.