Six months ago I walked into the Jefferson County Courthouse with my very talented and creative friend, Sydney. We stood in a [surprisingly brief] line, paid a few fees, signed a few papers and — with success-laden stars in our eyes — walked back out into the brisk January sunshine newly married business partners.

I still can’t say for certain whether or not we were qualified to start a business that day, but we did.

And now here we are, basking in the heat of an Alabama July…busting at the seams in our basement office…making out with madly clever inspiration boards…giggling as we skip off to client meetings with some of our favorite Birmingham-based brands…[here, here and here]…not quite remembering how this all came to be…still a little skeptical of our good fortune in getting along together thus far…

Y’all, we are #openforbusiness.

Oh, ____.* Where’s the paper bag?!

Starting a business is a big leap. Going into business with someone — a good friend, no less — feels like like the leap is moving at light speed.

I’m finding that there is a bit of forced discovery involved with this process. Much like a marriage, there is a transparency required in a business partnership, a bit of ego-shattering humility and fierce trust. Relationships are hard, regardless. Throw in contracts and cash flow and payroll and things get complex…fast.

We’ve been growing. Our company, that is. Our network of professional colleagues has shown up in a big way. We feel supported, inspired. As one recent collaboration with incredible minds led us to discover, we are “charming, vibrant and ready”. {Well, the subject of that conversation was actually Birmingham, but since we liken ourselves to the incredibly resilient Magic City we feel genuinely comfortable saying we, too, are charming, vibrant and ready.}

We are well aware that — just like marriage —the odds are stacked in favor of failure.

The ensuing months that have passed since our January 10th visit to the county courthouse have subjected our husbands to intermittent manic episodes…

“Will this work?!”

“Will we get paid this month?!”

“Will this client trust us?!”

“Do we trust each other?!”

“Will our families be proud?!”

“Do we have what it takes?!”

“Can you just please put the kids to bed tonight so I can keep working?!”

… #adnaseum

Daily we proceed with eager trepidation, bravely aware that our efforts could very well be futile and a waste of precious time. We are young mothers, trying to balance the pure and the permanent, always struggling to be the most for everyone, all the time.

I have questioned my ability — our ability — to pull this whole thing off. There are things I have no capacity to execute without completely starting from scratch and learning from the ground up. Bookkeeping, forecasting, hiring [and inspiring] staff — a lot of this is new to me. I’m up against a magnificent learning curve. Heck, the amount of time Sydney and I have collectively wasted on various software trials quickly exhausted me from the new business honeymoon. {FYI: We tried Mavenlink, Wave, Xero, among others. We settled on Basecamp, Harvest and Quickbooks.}

I have no idea what I’m doing.

I am terrified.

And I am so _______ in.*

I can’t not do this.

At this point in life — who was it that said, “if not now, when?!” — I’m feeling rather passionate about creating my own path in this city. And I have my trule love graphic designer at my side to provide the wayfinding signage along the way. Come January 2015, you’ll be able to get your own piece of our little big company. #ots #tightlikevulcan

I suppose what has bonded me and Sydney is our immovable appetite for trying something different. We take pride in our collective efforts to define spaces and messages and brands. Our company, Dogtrot Studio, is an homage to its namesake’s architectural application — we are equally parts creative and strategic, and we create momentum at that magical intersection.

I think we are going to be wildly successful. I really do. We have a few dream clients. And just last week, I converted. #macvirgin

Dogtrot and its discoveries are revealing so many amazing opportunities.

This is my first post on Medium. It is not my first rambling, though. I’ve done this digital thought-sharing rodeo before. But it’s been a while. Life is busy when you’re starting a company {and wrangling two little boys and their ferocious kitten}.

I’ve missed writing. And now seems like a good time to get back in the saddle.

All that awaits starts…

now.

*Expletives removed for my mother’s sake.