Oh Sh!t – 20 years of factor1
By Matt Adams on August 14, 2024
It’s hard to believe that 20 years ago, factor1 was officially started. While we are at it, it’s hard to believe I’m that old to be honest. Somedays, I still feel like that dumb 20-something-year-old kid, thinking they have this all figured out—only to be still guessing.
Some history
About 25 years ago, I sat in a college portfolio class, thinking of what I wanted my future to be. I knew I wanted to be in the agency space and someday run my own. As part of this class, we had to have a brand and a name. I knew at the wise old age of 18 that it wasn’t about me. I loathed the idea of my name on the door of any building. This comes down to a core principle of who I am and always will be—I’m such a ‘we’ person to my core, and this is no different.
For non-math nerds, a mathematical factor is a number that can be divided into. A factor of 1 can’t be divided. So much like how I wanted a team to operate, the size of the team will never matter as we are one and won’t be divided. Cue cheesy music, I know. After a few years of freelance, factor1 needed to be real.
In August 2004, I quit stability for the unknown; safety was out the window, and the ships were burned. It was time to embrace the journey one step at a time, making up the route as we go.
The last 20 years have been the best roller coaster. We had some highs and plenty of lows; lessons learned the hard way is an understatement. Employees came and went, but never without leaving their fingerprints on who we are to this day. We had some amazing clients, too; many have been with us since day one. The economic collapse of 2009 was an adventure I wish no one ever has to experience again. A pandemic in 2020 was scary but less of a disaster; we came to that one more prepared. At the end of the day, our central motto of “give a shit” holds true and drives our work ethic. It’s the only way we survived some of the mistakes, pivots, and blunders.
Thank you to all the family, friends, employees, clients, and partners we had along the way. None of this works without you, and we’ll only carry on because of you.