Ten years ago, we changed our company name to our first names.
We were also just two guys in 2012, working out of a friend’s attic. Our new name was an acknowledgment of a more authentic sense of who we were; an honest take on who we are; and a rebuke of our industry peers and their tendency to use the agency founder’s last names. To put it more bluntly, we’ve always liked the idea of being on a first-name basis with our clients.
As we’ve grown as an agency, we’ve also discovered that that last idea – about the first-name basis – to be precious. To the many people we are fortunate enough to call our clients and friends, we aren’t referred to as James & Matthew. We’re just Jim and Matt; a higher level of familiarity.
It’s an honor we hope never goes away.
Things have changed immensely since we were two guys in that attic. We’ve brought on incredible talent. People who work their asses off; faithful team members on whom we can rely; and new partners. Force multipliers. Some have stayed, some moved on to bigger things, and either way, we’re grateful for every one of them.
Five years ago, Matt wrote a piece about the ampersand in our company name that stuck with us. In what was originally a meditation on gratitude, he said this:
“I chose an ampersand because we are a team. The placement is 100% deliberate. Everything in between Jim and I is what truly matters. That in-between is where the work gets done. It’s where the smiles, the belly laughs, and the absurdity happens. It’s where the inspiration is found, captured, bottled, and presented. It’s what makes people feel things. It’s what elevates our work and drives our curiosity. It’s our awesome and supportive family of clients. It’s our ever-forming extended family of freelancers. As we continue to grow our in-between, we continue to grow our agency.”
In that same spirit, it’s time for us to make a new acknowledgment. It’s time to elevate what and who makes us strongest. Our partner and financial director, John; our managing partner, Laurie; everyone who works alongside them, and everyone in-between.
That’s what the ampersand has represented all this time, and that’s what the X now represents in JXM.
As co-founders, we are NOT taking a step back from the day-to-day agency life. We’re taking a big step forward and leaning into our future. If we’re just Jim and Matt to you, we will continue to be just that. Only now, we’re Jim and Matt, co-founders of JXM.
Collectively, we are stronger than any founder’s name, letter, or symbol will ever be.
