Reflections on 2024 and Ready for an Amazing 2025

Reflections on 2024 and Ready for an Amazing 2025

By Chris Austin, President of Ardiah and Rock Coast Entrepreneurs

As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what has truly been our best year yet.

2024 was a year of transformation, innovation, and growth as we focused on delivering solutions tailored to the needs of today’s small businesses and nonprofits. We expanded our offerings to include affordable services for the smallest of small businesses while maintaining our legacy capabilities for larger organizations. This balance has allowed us to support a diverse range of clients, ensuring that every business has access to the tools and expertise they need to thrive.

One of the most significant changes this year was bidding farewell to one of our legacy platforms: Technology. For over 16 years, we proudly served the Midcoast community and beyond with IT solutions. While this chapter was a bittersweet one to close, it allowed our team to grow and focus on new areas such as tax services and flat-rate standalone offerings, including bookkeeping clean-up services and other innovative solutions. These changes reflect our commitment to staying relevant in today’s dynamic small business environment while remaining steadfast in our mission to provide sustainable and impactful services.

This success would not have been possible without the incredible dedication and creativity of our leadership team and staff. Their unwavering focus on delivering solutions, fostering partnerships, and building a sustainable model has set the stage for even greater success in the future. I am deeply grateful to each member of our team for their hard work and passion. Together, we welcomed new partners and strengthened existing relationships, all while keeping our clients’ needs at the heart of everything we do. Looking ahead, I am excited about the opportunities to build even more partnerships and relationships to continue this mission and to do amazing work in 2025 and beyond.

While we celebrate our accomplishments, we must also acknowledge a significant challenge our community faced this year: the recent closure of our local chamber. This heartbreaking loss is a reminder of the fragility of the institutions that support our businesses and organizations. However, as leaders in our community, we will rise through these challenges. We are committed to carrying forward the legacy programs of the chamber and hope to play an active role in rebuilding future organizations that will continue to support our businesses, organizations, and community. Together, we will create a stronger and more resilient foundation for the future.

Reflecting on the personal highlights of the year, I am proud of Ardiah’s sponsorship of a local radio station and the launch of my own project, Entrepreneur’s Hour. This show, which focuses on introducing and celebrating entrepreneurs, has become a staple for Tuesday mornings. Whether it’s tuning in live on WRFR 93.3 or streaming at www.WRFR.org, the show has been an incredible platform for sharing stories and expertise. We even created a YouTube channel to make the content more accessible to a broader audience. This journey has been as rewarding as it has been inspiring, and I look forward to growing this project even further.

Another highlight has been my return to leadership with Rock Coast Entrepreneurs. This year, we rebranded from Rock Coast Networkers to reflect a renewed focus on entrepreneurship and community. Together with a fantastic leadership team, we’ve created a more unified support model for today’s entrepreneurs. I’m thrilled about the future of this organization and its potential to continue helping our small business community thrive.

As we celebrate the holidays and prepare to welcome a new year, I find myself reflecting on the love and support of my family, friends, partners, and community. This time of year reminds us to cherish those closest to us and to extend our gratitude for all the blessings we’ve received. From the Ardiah family to yours, we wish you a joyful holiday season and an amazing 2025 filled with success, health, and happiness.

This is our final blog for 2024. We look forward to reconnecting with you all in the new year as we continue building on this year’s incredible momentum. Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to an even stronger and more successful year ahead for all of us!

Happy Holidays,

Chris Austin

President, Ardiah 

About the Author: Chris Austin is passionate about supporting small businesses and is the President of Ardiah, a trusted provider of accounting, payment solutions, POS systems, payroll, and tax services. Chris and his team are dedicated to helping small businesses thrive by delivering tailored solutions and personalized support. If you have a small business support or service need, they would love to help! 207-230-4576 or email: [email protected]