And just like that, the holiday season is upon us. Are we the only ones who feel it snuck up on us quicker than ever this year? Surely it’s too early … we still have so much to do!
The good news about this time of year is that it encourages us to look back on what’s been achieved through the year, to appreciate all the fantastic support we’ve received, and to give thanks to everyone who helped us out along the way.
For Stitch, this exercise is especially meaningful, as 2014 was the year that Stitch was born. Six months ago Stitch didn’t even have a public website; now we have close to 6,000 members, a fantastic team spread across three locations, and a growing community of Stitch Ambassadors helping us create something that we all hope will eventually touch many people’s lives. We truly feel blessed and know we have a lot for which we should give thanks.
To all Stitchers everywhere
First and foremost, to all our members who have signed up for Stitch: Thank You. We wouldn’t be where we are today without your support, your feedback, and yes, even your complaints. We know Stitch is not perfect (not yet at least!), so your patience, enthusiasm, and willingness to contribute have been truly awe-inspiring. We learn from you every day, and we know that without you, we would be nowhere.
To our Investors
We have particular thanks to give to Stitch’s investors, for believing in the Stitch vision and supporting us (in some cases when Stitch really was nothing more than an idea) … the faith you have showed in us right from the beginning has been truly humbling. In many cases it hasn’t just been your investment that has helped us grow Stitch but also the introductions, assistance and guidance you’ve given us along the way: with particular thanks to Katy Fike from Generator Ventures, Namek Zu’bi from Silicon Badia, Jillian Manus from Structure VC and Sean Percival from 500 Startups.
To the truly special Stitch team
On a more personal level, the best thing about leading the Stitch team is the great group of people I get to work with every single day. Most startups know that the most important ingredient in their success is their teams, but very few get to work with a group of people who are as truly passionate about what they’re doing as the team at Stitch.
This year there was probably no better example of this than our very own Michael Dean deciding to pay out of his own pocket to go on our very first “Stitch Trip”, a 3-day cruise for Stitch members from LA to Mexico, just so he could meet everyone who took part and get to know them better. How’s that for dedication?
But it’s not just Michael: everyone on the team has done gone above and beyond in their own special ways this year to make Stitch into something we can be proud of.
And the best part? We love each other’s company. The fact we’re on two different continents doesn’t seem to get in the way of us building a great team culture … and I think a huge part of that has been the way Marcie, Phil and the rest of the team have taken extra care to develop strong relationships despite the distances involved.
And a final special thanks
To all the people who went out of their way to help us in special ways this year. We’re sure we’re going to forget someone important but we’re going to try anyway. A super-special thanks to:
- TrueLink Financial (we love you guys!)
- 500 Startups Staff and Partners
- Everyone at Aging 2.0
- Our Stitch Ambassadors and Champions
- Carol Tracy
- Patricia White
- Pamela and the P06 Crew
- Sandy Lipkowitz
- Ken Solin
- PopUpArchive for letting us share & access their recordings
- Helen Dennis from Project Renewment for her amazing posts
- Brittany and Sarah from the Facebook Marketing Team
- Robin for pretty much everything
- Washington Post
- Shari, John, and Debbi for modeling for our video
- Rachel and Shari for always letting Marcie Stay When in SF
- Lee for always letting Marcie stay when in Sydney
- Michael’s mom for always liking our Facebook posts
- And most of all Kirst for her infinite patience 🙂
We can’t wait to see what 2015 brings. See you in the new year!
Andrew Dowling
Co-Founder & CEO
Stitch
what is this-a dating site?
What a lovely thank you to everyone. T’is the season to remember all the good that has happened and look forward with gratitude and appreciation to what wondrous things can happen in 2015.
Here’s to continued growth and success to a company that truly has a heart. I’m honored to know you all. Happy Holidays!!
Hi Sue – Stitch is a service offering a safe way to meet companions over 50 – which includes both romance and friendship. It’s a new take on a “dating site” – we don’t focus on marriage as the only option, we make sure everyone has an ID check before he or she can communicate, and we only allow you to message when you have BOTH said you are “interested.” This cleans out all of the scammers, noise, and unsolicited messages that are all too common on classic dating sites. Please feel free to ask any other questions by contacting [email protected].
@Sandy thank you! We are so happy to have you in our lives!
Hope this is going to be a great group of friend’s on the west coast
I agree totally with Sandy…you took the words right out of my mouth. I am totally humbled to be in the thank you list for 2014, and I am looking forward to a new year filled with new Stitch friendships and more involvement in an organization that is such a breath of fresh air in today’s world, especially a senior’s world. I love you guys, and can’t wait to get the year started and help get some Floridians “stitched in”.