The only Daisy that has ever lasted 20 years

Twenty years.

Twenty years ago today, Daisy Group opened for business.

I was nervous as Hell on that day, and on the days leading up to it, too. I had four little kids and one big mortgage, and I couldn’t afford to fail. I’d been a journalist at the Calgary Herald and the Ottawa Citizen, a partner at a Bay Street law firm, and Special Assistant to that Jean Chrétien guy – but there’d always been someone else responsible for the payroll. Not me.

So, on May 1, 2006, I became the one who would be held accountable. I signed for that loan, personally, and I was responsible for the half-dozen terrific people who had put their trust in me. You want anxiety? Try laying awake at night, worrying about payroll for your start-up small business. That’s anxiety.

We’re still here for two reasons, I think. One, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work with some simply extraordinary people over the past decade. They have been (almost without exception) truly exceptional.

There’s one who started as a Summer student, and became a senior lawyer at the biggest law firm in the country. There’s one who became the Chief of Staff in one of the country’s biggest municipalities. There’s a few who became parents, which is no small achievement, too. There’s several who became senior advisors to Prime Ministers and Premiers and cabinet ministers. There’s that one who took up a full scholarship at Oxford.

We’re also here because of our extraordinary clients. First Nations, animal welfare groups, municipalities, provinces, centrist political parties, associations, trade unions and more: we've been very lucky to work for and with some amazing people.

Apart from becoming a Dad, starting the Daisy Group was the best thing I ever did. It gave me the freedom to be myself, to write, and to say what I think. Hard to put a price on freedom like that.

Can’t believe two decades have gone by. And Daisy is still here.

Happy birthday to us.