Hey there! Welcome to our new website. We hope it gives you a sense of who we are, what we value, and what types of problems we help our clients solve.
Business ownership is, I think, an ongoing experiment in reinvention. This redesign has been several months in the making, and it represents the culmination of two and half years' worth of discovery. We hope our new website delights you.
How we began
We launched Ascendant Design and Training in August 2020. At the time, I was a freelance instructional designer, and Daniel was an independent software developer focused on manufacturing automation.
In those early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we both sensed that the status quo was fundamentally shifting. We had a sense that transformational change was coming up just over the horizon, and we wanted to help people develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet it. We decided to combine our skills in instructional design and software development to create a boutique firm focused on helping people learn more effectively in the workplace.
We chose our company namesake intentionally. The word ascendant suggests a slow, steady rise to new heights, and it reflects a guiding philosophy in how we do business. We're not here to scale fast, grow big, and break things in the process. Instead, we're committed to building sustainable processes that yield long-term results.
The namesake is also inspired by images that captured my general mood during that time. Even in the darkest night, there are stars that help us align to the destinations we want to reach. The image of a single bright star ascending in the night sky was a powerful visual metaphor for what we wanted to achieve together.
Where we are now
Since we launched, we've partnered with clients across the U.S. to add value to new or existing training programs. Here's the shortlist of what we've accomplished:
Designed and developed a bespoke Microsoft Teams training curriculum for a startup company with a distributed workforce spanning multiple states.
Developed self-paced leadership training for a multi-national sports brand company.
Created seven custom software utilities to a streamline internal project management and eLearning development.
Created learning materials to support the implementation of a new hospital management strategy for a hospital system with 14,000 employees.
Presented small business development webinars that have reached more than 300 people through the Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network.
More than two years after we started, we still love the work we do together. To be honest, I still wake up some days and wonder how I got so lucky to do such fun work with amazing people. We're grateful to all the clients who have supported us on our professional journey. You have helped us transform our vision of a vibrant, values-based business into a reality.
What's next
Good things are the horizon. We're working on some exciting new products that will take workplace training to a new level, so stay tuned for updates. We're also building new partnerships with folks from a range of industries to develop training that solves unique challenges. Personally, I'm striving to become a more informed and reflective learning designer. As I learn, I'll be sharing my insights here on this blog.
We're excited about what the next chapter of our story has in store. As always, thanks for reading, and be excellent.
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