June 10th has always been a launch day for me. My favorite number is 10 but it’s never been about that number, it’s been a happy coincidence.
The first launch was a blog and newsletter called Made in DSM. Back in 2016, my best friend at the time and I felt Des Moines, Iowa was missing a community of makers. Not only to seek out new makers, but to support the existing ones. Turns out the demand was there and every month 100s of people would check out our blog and newsletter. It was the first time, I had launched a side project and witnessed an overflowing amount of support that was so unexpected. Due to differences and time commitments, the project ended in 2019. Still to this day, many local shops rep the “Made in DSM” sticker. What a wild 3 year ride that hade a positive impact on a small community within a small, but growing city.
The second launch was a big one. I left my full-time job at my former church as a designer to freelance full-time. The first 6 months was very rough. So rough that I decided to take an L by seeking employment with my now website design and dev skills. Oh and for time frame this was 2020. A couple months after COVID-19 hit the world and changed everything. I took a risk. Like many things during this time, it fast tracked a lot of the inevitables and desires. I desired to be less stressed, but do design work full-time. The good news is that to this day I’m still a full-time freelancer. It’s been 4 years.
The third launch, well it’s not today. But I’m reminded of these two crucial events happening on the same day of the year. June 10th. And maybe there will be a June 10th in the future that sees the launch of Harvous, the Bible study app I’ve been working on on the side.
We shall see. Until then, happy launch day!
