I went back to see what was going on in 2014…sure, why not?
Ukraine and Russia were having a tiff.
Taylor Swift was taking the world by storm.
Inspired by social media, people everywhere were doing stupid things – then with ice buckets.
The World Cup went to South America.
Mid-term elections were annoying everyone.
A sports owner had to sell his team because he was – well, he was a bad human.
I sent you a blog post. The first one.
See? On all the big, really important matters nothing has changed much, has it?
But some things do change, eventually. And today it is time for one.
I am thrilled to share that last week we closed the deal to sell ALN to Health Prime International. After a long process and flirting with several suitors, we finally found the right home for this thing called ‘ALN’ that has meant so much to me for over two decades. I could not be happier.
Oh, I am not going anywhere.
Anyway, what would I do? My playing days are over (Ok, my coach said they never really started).
Along with the rest of my colleagues on the ALN leadership team, we’ll be getting new T-shirts and joining Health Prime. We’re excited about what more we can do for our clients (and future clients…my new role is as Chief Revenue Officer, which means if you are not yet a client, we should talk) as we put Health Prime and ALN together.
For the first time in over 30 years, I have to learn how to be an employee again. You might send my new boss a word of warning…or note of condolence.
Part of that, in all seriousness, starts with this thing – the blog.
The almost 900 posts and nearly 400,000 words (yep, equivalent of four novels, 500 words at a time) I have written since 2014 have been a blast for me. It forced me to process all my various inputs about our industry and try to find something insightful to share with you, and hopefully do so in a way that did not bore you to tears.
But it has been highly personal and without adult supervision – obviously. Owners have the freedom to blur the lines between themselves and their company. The blog was ALN and me all at the same time.
Who knows what might come in the future, but it is time for this iteration to come to an end.
The past few months have been grueling, but also emotional as I have reflected back on the countless number of wonderful people who have been part of the ALN story. And those of you willing to take a couple minutes from your week to read my ramblings are a very special part of that.
After 400,000 words, just two more…
THANK YOU