In January of 1995, I took my one credit card, purchased a Pentium 75 PC (running the latest version of Windows 3.0) and a business license, and launched The Written Word, Inc.
That company is now named Portent Interactive. The date on that first business license is January 7, 1995. So, as of tomorrow, we’ve been around for 15 years.
For perspective, when I started my company:

• There was no such thing as wifi;
• My 2800 baud modem was state of the art;
• Google and Yahoo! didn’t exist;
• Actually, neither did Firefox, Blackberry or cell phones that weighed less than 5 pounds;
• I was (choke) 26 years old;
• I lived in a house that required a sump pump in the basement so that, during rain (in Seattle, mind you) water didn’t well up, fill the basement and overflow into the house;
• DVD technology had just been announced;
• “Flat screen” meant a window that wasn’t bent;
• The #1 show on TV was Seinfeld;
• “Braveheart” won an Best Picture at the Academy Awards;
• The most popular movie of the year was “Batman Forever” (seriously?);
• Newt Gingrich was Time’s Man of the Year (cough);
• Car of the Year was the Chrysler Cirrus;
• Average cost of a new home was $115,000.

Thanks to everyone who has given me support, advice and their business for all these years!