This has been an interesting year, one in which I had some successes and some failures. It's the first year I really worked "for myself". In the past I've had some periods between jobs where I've done some contracting, but in November 2009 I struck out on my own (with a great business partner in Shawn Upchurch). This first full calendar year in this role had its ups and downs, but overall it's been a success and I'm grateful to Shawn, my clients, and especially to my wife of 30 years, Cindi.
The new year coming will be interesting, as we move to new clients while keeping the current ones happy. That process can be a real challenge and I hope to get through it with grace. As a business we need to grow, and sometimes growing pains occur, but hopefully we'll minimize those.
I hope everyone in the SQL Server community has a great new year, and a prosperous one. Let's all remember how precious this gift of friendship is that we all share.
Allen