We couldn't have done it without you. [View this email in your browser]( This week marks five years of Paperform. I could ramble on about how weâve driven the company to success through processes and product development and hundreds of new features, but while technically true, itâs not whatâs really on my mind. Itâs not genuine, which is a trait that Dean and I have always prided ourselves on being. Over the last five years weâve grown Paperform into a multimillion dollar business, while welcoming fourâread it, fourâamazing kids into the world. Iâd hope we have something more helpful to share from the experience than a self-congratulatory post about our achievements. Itâs funny. Despite all thatâs happened, some things donât change. Iâm sitting down to write this from the same dining table we started Paperform from all those years ago. I like working from this table. Something about its steadfast solidity keeps me grounded; reminds me that the hype surrounding startups is utter rubbishârubbish that is actively harmful to the way we think about our work and our lives. The day we launched Paperform vs. last Monday morning. Some things never change. The term âwork-lifeâ balance has always bothered me. I think itâs because it conjures this mental image of weights suspended in perfect symmetry. As if, should you try hard enough, youâll crack the code and find this mythical balance between home and work. This is a fable. Reality is rarely (see: never) so neat. Dean and I have four boys under four, including newborn twins. On any given day our lives teeter somewhere between Malcolm in the Middle and Entrepreneur Magazine. Dirty nappies! Meetings! Cuddles! Interviews! Burping! Accounting! All these things coexist in a pot of brilliant chaos; work and home crashing together like one of the boys playing with two pieces of LEGO that donât quite match. Believe me, this isnât exactly what we envisioned when we started Paperform. It was supposed to be a lifestyle business. A way to help us start a family and get away from the rat race. But it quickly grew beyond our wildest expectations, and rather than abandon that challenge, over the last five years weâve worked hard to embrace our growth, while holding tight to the vision weâve always had for our life and family. Our very first logo. Now, I know thereâs nothing the tech industry loves more than a âself-madeâ story, but the truth is Dean and I havenât done it alone (âself-madeâ is yet another term that belongs in a bin next to âwork-life balanceâ). Weâve had help around the houseâthanks Jackieâalongside an incredible team that supports us, the business, and most importantly, each other. The team does a brilliant job at work, but their performance is just a fraction of what makes them so special. Theyâre the type of people that offer to help us move house, or babysit, or just check in at the end of a long week. When I think about what Iâm most proud of over the last five years, itâs not our MRR or expanded functionality or growing market share, or any other metric for that matter. Itâs our team. In a world, and industry, that increasingly values profit over people, weâve bucked the trend and built a company that values life and work; money and the happiness of our people. Donât get me wrong. We work hard, and are fortunate to have many talented individuals who are great in their respective roles. But, equally important, is knowing our employees feel comfortable when their kids wander into a video call, or when they need to delay a project because they just need some time away from the laptop. As a remote-first workplace, our team can't always meet in person, but we still make time for regular catchups for work and funâour monthly team games are always a highlight. This kind of mindset shouldnât be a privilege reserved for founders or CEOs. Work isnât life. Itâs a part of it, just like doctorâs appointments and coffee dates and the occasional siesta. Sure, there are times to knuckle down and focus on professional endeavors, but weâve found when you stop trying to pit work and life against each other, the positive effects speak for themselves. I know weâre lucky. Not every profession allows for the work-life integration Iâm describing. But with stats saying [67% of Australians]( and [42% of Americans]( have transitioned to remote work, Iâm sure many of you can relate. Even if youâve never worked from home, at some point weâve all grappled with trying to work while being a good friend, sibling, dog-mum or dungeon master. This is something weâve thought about a lot as weâve developed Paperform as a product. As we look toward the next five years and beyond, our âNorth Starâ will be continuing to build a tool that empowers you to work less and enjoy life in all its messy glory, just like we do. (Expect to learn more about what this looks like very soon.) Our not-so-little family. Thanks for supporting us over the last five years. We wouldnât be able to do this without you, our customers, who push us everyday and constantly inspire us to grow as a product, as a company and as people. Merry Christmas from me, Dean and the entire Paperform teamâwhether youâre building snowmen or sandcastles, wearing board shorts or wooly sweaters, may you enjoy the wonderful messiness of life and family over this festive season. â Diony [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Website]( Copyright © 2021 Paperform, All rights reserved.
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