I’ve heard it said a number of times that growing a business is like raising a child. There’s lots of excitement at “birth” or launch. Then, there’s some growth that’s natural and great to experience, but the realization of the dangers of the real world slowly set in. As the “child” develops further and moves beyond the initial stages of life towards adolescence, new and complex challenges arise. Some of the changes encountered are good…even great, while others are not so welcome. For both kids and businesses, this process is often referred to as growing pains.

We have experienced some good growth at OTAir in the past few months, in business, messaging traffic, campaign complexity and staff. The growth is welcome, but has also forced some changes. We realized just how much our almost two year old web site revision was no longer an accurate reflection of our services, solutions, technologies and differentiators.  We needed to devote time to finding a new home with our lease expiring on the offices in which we brought OTAir to life and the challenges of not having sufficient conference areas for meetings and webinars. We also realized that we needed to add to our ranks with more great people. Finally, we knew we had to expand our product lines with utilization of the mobile web finally growing, the opportunities made available by the iPhone and similar devices, and our confident prediction that 2009 will be an incredibly rapid year of growth for mobile marketing.

Within the past few weeks, OTAir has welcomed our first outside investors, moved to new offices that are three times the size of our previous location and better position the company for client access and recognition, launched development on new products in the mobile web and applications space, and restructured a bit our roles and processes to prepare the way for a handful of new hires in the next few months.

These changes bring considerable challenges in many ways, primarily as a strain on existing time, system and financial resources.  But, these changes also serve to further strengthen the foundation of our great company. The OTAir team is even more passionate, determined and better equipped than ever before to offer the best, comprehensive mobile marketing solutions available considering price, service, value, capabilities and support.

Soon, probably sooner than we would all like, the calendar will advance yet another year, and even in the uncertainties that exist with today’s global economy, new presidential leadership, and continued foreign threats, society marches forward with ever increasing demands for greater quantities and improved quality of communications, commerce, productivity and efficiencies. Mobile devices are without a doubt the most advanced, capable and prolific means with which to meet those needs, whether between individuals, among groups, or in exchange between businesses, organizations and governments and the varied audiences with which they interact.

At OTAir, we mean business, in more ways than one. Our existing clients and partners can attest to our strengths. With great anticipation, we look forward to experiencing OTAir’s adolescence and the excitement that will come with the company’s maturity in the next year or two to a purposeful position of strength, innovation, and leadership within our industry as we creatively and steadfastly serve our clients and partners beyond their expectations.

With a new home, a new web site, new products and new team members, we welcome a new stage and soon a new, and very important year for mobile and OTAir.

With this in mind, whether you, the reader, represent a brand, a marketing agency, a potential reseller of mobile marketing services, an organization, or might be looking for a career in a company like OTAir, I strongly encourage you to give us a call, send us an email or fill out our online contact form.  I have no hesitation in predicting that you will be glad you did.

Thank you for your attention to this lengthy post,

Jim Washok
Co-founder & CEO