Cheers to Five Years! Comma Birthday Party Recap (VIDEO)
That’s right—2021 marks FIVE years of Comma. We’re five years old! It’s been a wild ride, and we couldn’t let such a milestone year pass without a proper celebration. After all, according to Forbes, about half of all new businesses fail within the first five years. But with a lot of hard work and vision, we’re still here and just getting started!
Earlier this summer (when COVID counts were much lower), clients and team members met in person for a Comma birthday bash to remember. The event—fondly dubbed Cupcakes and Content Chats—was a huge success, and we’re so glad we were able to meet face-to-face after a long year of restrictions. To encourage safety, arm bands indicating social distancing preference were provided, and masks were encouraged for non-vaccinated guests.
We met up at Kiln—a vibrant and modern co-working office space in Salt Lake City—and the vibes fit perfectly with our celebration.
For the first 30 minutes or so after arriving, guests ate lunch (catered from Mountain Meals), and mixed and mingled with Utah marketers and copywriters. Then Comma founder, Crystalee Beck, kicked things off with her story of the company’s origins.
Five years ago, Crystalee founded Comma to have the time she wanted with her small babies (two under two!) after being let go from her full-time job.
Crystalee Beck, founder of Comma Copywriters, with her two-year-old son on stage
“My kids are such a huge part of my story, and I wouldn’t be here without them,” she said, as she invited her three adorable kiddos on stage to say hello. The two-year-old refused to leave mom and stayed next to her for several minutes.
“I was laid off the corporate ladder, so I decided to create my own ladder.”
Comma actually began as Professional Communication Consulting (PCC) in 2016, and Crystalee quickly learned she would need more people on her team as business boomed. By 2017 the company had passed $100,000 in revenue, by 2018 we were working with big names like the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and by 2019 PCC officially rebranded to Comma.
Since its humble beginnings, this one-woman company has grown into a 35+ member team of writers, editors, and business developers, serving dozens of clients all over the country—and the sky’s the limit!
After Crystalee spoke, two of Comma’s all-star copywriters said a few words about their experience with the company.
“I just have nothing but good things to say about Comma,” said Paige Smith. “They genuinely value not only my professional goals, but my personal goals as well.”
Paige Smith, Team Support Manager at Comma Copywriters
Logan Jones also spoke about how fundamental the company has been to furthering his career:
“Comma is the coolest place I’ve ever worked,” he said. “My career has gone places in the past two years I always hoped it would, and that’s because of Comma.”
Logan Jones, Lead Writer at Comma Copywriters
Next, we heard from five top Utah marketers about how content marketing has shaped their businesses. We’ve had the honor of working with all of these companies, and love being able to provide content for them.
Comma Copywriters celebrates five years in business
Lisa Devashrayee-Oaks: Product Marketing Manager for Domo
Up first to speak was Lisa Devashrayee-Oaks from Domo. Her number one motto? Be brilliant at the basics. By honing basic marketing skills like email campaigns, website copy, and blogging, Domo’s marketing team has been able to improve the bigger picture.
Crystalee Beck (left) with Lisa Devashrayee-Oaks from Domo
“That’s what really drives overall excellence,” she said. “It all comes down to great content.”
Adam Gunn: VP of Brand for Pluralsight
Next up was Adam Gunn from Pluralsight. As a brand expert, Gunn is definitely familiar with the importance of good content marketing.
Adam Gunn, VP of Brand at Pluralsight, speaks at Comma’s 5th birthday
“When I think of content, I don’t think of the words, I think of the story,” he said. “If you’re going to make content, make it emotive.”
By telling a story, brands are better able to connect with their audience, leading to higher ROI’s, and lifetime customer loyalty.
Liz Findlay: Owner of Albion Fit
Liz Findlay from Albion Fit spoke third about how content marketing all hinges on the ability to keep moving forward.
Liz Findlay, co-founder of Albion Fit, speaks at Comma’s 5th birthday
“To create content that will keep people engaged, you have to be innovative. You have to keep working on your craft. Never be satisfied.”
She shared behind-the-scenes stories about starting a brand with her husband. By staying consistent with content marketing, Albion Fit has grown immensely since its founding almost ten years ago.
Juliette Willard: Sales and Marketing Specialist of Verisys
Juliette Willard from Verisys stressed how grateful she has been for all the help her company has received from Comma over the last year—especially during COVID. Thanks to Comma’s consistent output, Verisys was able to earn 55 SERPs in a year, and over 6,500 keywords in the top 100 search results.
Juliette Willard of Verisys speaks at Comma’s 5th birthday
“I have seen such incredible growth by focusing on quality content,” she said.
Verisys has also seen a significant increase in web traffic and conversion rates—all thanks to quality blog writing. (See Juliette’s interview about Comma here!)
Jed Morley: Founder of Backstory Branding
Last but not least was Jed Morley from Backstory Branding. As a former track and field athlete, he related content marketing to a relay race. While marketers begin the race with initial branding and messaging, writers are able to grab the baton and “continue the momentum with content,” Morley said.
Without a successful baton pass between business developers and writers, the race for better branding can never cross the finish line.
After our five Utah marketers presented, guests mingled some more, and enjoyed the main event—birthday cupcakes from So Cupcake!
Each guest also left with a goodie bag filled with gifts from our sponsor friends including:
As Crystalee said, Comma wouldn’t be here without the people who attended this event. We’re so grateful to work with so many amazing companies, and can’t wait to see who we get to serve in the coming year.
A few goals on the Comma Bucket List: Landing a spot on the Inc. 5000 list, working with clients from every letter of the alphabet (we’re word nerds!), sending 100 girls to school through our partners at Kurandza, and delivering 1,000 pieces of content worth reading per month.
The Utah locals on Team Comma - we’re a remote team, spread throughout the USA!
Here’s to another five years of Comma, and beyond!
Looking for content marketing help? Let’s chat and see if Comma is a good fit to help. You can schedule a 20-minute Discovery Call here.