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Yep, it's that time of the year again. New resolutions to be made, goals to be set. I don't know about you, but I'm very excited about 2014. We got a lot planned and lots of work to do; which is great. It should be a very promising year.

Looking back though, I ask myself where did the year go?! But, yea.. we can answer that.

At Create the Bridge, we've made it a habit to take some time and reflect on our accomplishments for the past year and set the tone for the next. Be advised: this has been our longest year yet, so sit back and let us take you through 2013.

1. Graduation: Scared as Hell

I remember entering the year scared as hell. I had just graduated and even though I knew I wanted to continue expanding Bridge, I had no idea how nor what I was doing.

After a week of being completely lost and miserable, Joacim and I decided the best way to move Bridge forward was to seat down with similar business owner and ask them directly for advice. Yes, they were the “competition”, but we didn't care and they didn't either. We had some great talks with a few key players in the industry and their insight was invaluable.

A huge shout out to the cool dudes at Barrel Roll Creative, Abel Riojas Photography, Tequila Group, & RGVision Magazine. From there on, with a little bit of persistence and determination, Bridge gradually moved along.

Key Take-Away:

Don't be afraid to make life happen for yourself. Have the determination to move forward with your goals, never letting fear or anything else detain you.

2. Lunch with McAllen Mayor Cortez: The Pub

During some time in February we had the opportunity to invite McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez out for lunch. We were building the site for The Pub Steakhouse and the marketing approach we were taking needed his testimonial. We called his office and to our surprise, he agreed to meet us. It was that easy. Definitely had a great talk and a great meal at the steakhouse.

And as far as The Pub Steakhouse, they loved the site, and we got it launched.

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Key Take-Away:

Everyone is accessible.

3. Bridge Re-brand & Website

After much planning and thought, we decided we needed a new image that would better represent who we were as a company. Something modern, simple, & innovative. From there came the Bridge icon and our Create the Bridge website.

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Key Take-Away:

Fear is a good compass, use it to guide you in life.

4. Valley Family Dentistry

One of our best clients, by far; John and Brenda from Valley Family Dentistry. John and Brenda were looking to relocate to a newly renovated state-of-the-art office and they needed the brand image to go with it.

After a few meetings over wine, we got it down and launched.

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Key Take-Away:

Become friends with your clients.

5. Ben's New Look

We were glad to do the work for a good friend of mine; Ben Briones. If it's one thing Ben does well - besides photography, is he never fails to leave an impression, the guy's got personality. This was exactly what we did with this re-brand. After much research, we felt we got it down.

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Key Take-Away:

I didn't learn anything from Ben. Sorry bro!

6. RGVision: Starting the Conversion

Had the pleasure of working with a well known magazine in the valley; RGVision Magazine. Can't say enough about these guys. The valley needs a magazine like RGVision, and we were glad to be a part of it.

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Key Take-Away:

Networking is everything. Learn from your mistakes. Build & rebuild bridges.

7. El Pollo Norteno

It's not everyday we get to do work with a celebrity. I mean, even though he is my cousin, I hardly ever see him. So imagine my utter shock when Ivan Trevino from Duelo decides to call me up and asks us to create the brand for his new venture: El Pollo Norteno Mexican Restaurant. We were pretty busy, but since he was family, we decided to help him out. lol

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Key Take-Away:

Take opportunities when presented.

8. 100 Days of Sushi: Kumori Sushi & Tempanyki

I'm in Los Angeles on vacation and Joacim decides to call to let me know Kumori had gotten on board with us. When Kumori becomes a client, you know you're doing something right. We were just happy he choose us.

There were some sleepless nights on this one, but the hard work payed off.

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Key Take-Away:

Creating great work is better than meeting deadlines. Be open and honest with your clients.

9. The Merger

I've known these dudes for about 4 years now and I can't say I've ever met anyone as intelligent as these gentlemen. Merging with them was a no-brainer, as friends and business partners they've brought so much value into Bridge, I can't thank them enough.

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Key Take-Away:

Never let pride get in the way of business.

10. Bits & Bolts

It had long been discussed building an online space where we'd share our thoughts, ideas, and views. I can't tell you where the name bits and bolts came from. I only know it was between “whiskey & pixels” and “bits and bolts”.. at the end of the day, bitsandbolts.io won the draft and soon came to join the world wide web.

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Of course, had to celebrate with donuts at 4AM.

Key Take-Away:

Love what you do.

11. Reaching the Unreachable: Rioplex Wireless

We love working with clients who have great products, it makes marketing so much easier. After 60 days of launching the Rioplex site, we had 1200 visitors, 600 unique, and 150 conversions. That's a 25% conversion rate!

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Key Take-Away:

"If it works, it's beautiful." Function comes before beauty.

12. UTPA Arts' Department Design Week

So glad to have been invited to be part of this. Shout out to Sara Gonzalez who's making it all happen.

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Key Take-Away:

Never forget where you came from.

13. The Great Idea Showdown

If it's one thing we truly believe in, it's entrepreneurship. This is why we decided to sponsor The Great Idea Showdown at UTPA. Students had the opportunity to present innovative ideas to a panel of judges. We sponsored with $1,500 of services to the winner. Really great experience.

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Key Take-Away:

Give back.

That's A Wrap. Stay tuned for 2014.