Getting to know each other

Hello everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to the Squadhelp community. My name is Darpan Munjal, and I’m the founder of Squadhelp.com. Some of you probably know me as Dan (my nickname). We launched Squadhelp in 2011, and the last few years have been an absolutely fascinating journey and I’m very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

First, let me start by saying Thank You for your incredible engagement and support through out the years. I’ve gotten to know several of you through the discussion forums and it has been amazing to read your thoughts, suggestions and feedback everyday. Squadhelp wouldn’t be what it is without you and your active participation. It motivates me to see the winner board every day, and get inspired by AWESOME names (and logos) that all of you come up with.

Second, I wanted to share a bit about how the idea of Squadhelp was born…Back in 2010, I was trying to come up with a name for another startup I was thinking about launching (nothing to do with Squadhelp). After several days of research, the name choices that I came up with myself were either pretty horrible or were already taken. I didn’t have the budget to hire an expensive branding agency, and that’s when I thought it would be great to have a platform that would bring together creative people to help entrepreneurs come up with a great name for their business. So I launched Squadhelp purely as an experiment, and let it grow organically for first few years while I was focusing on other business opportunities in parallel. Few of you have been with us since the early days of our journey (@lightless, @moretal, @RockyOrpinada, @tkpro72, @jackieheraty, @miyvex58 to name a few!). Then there are many others who joined along the way and made tremendous contributions in improving our platform. I remember when we initially started, we used to have contests with $25 and $50 awards. Most of these contests were public (every one could see each other’s submissions). We have come a long way, and I am grateful to all of your contributions and support in helping improve this platform.

I jumped into this on a full time basis in late 2015, and while there have been several learnings over past few years, the purpose and core principles remain the same as when I started the company. Our purpose is to be world’s #1 naming & branding platform which combines the power of technology and creativity by connecting businesses with the most talented creatives across the globe. I will share a separate post that delves a bit deeper into the core values that we stand for.

Since many of you have shared about you as individuals in addition to your role as creatives on the platform, I thought I’d share a bit about me. I live in Northwest Chicago suburbs for the past 20 years (so if any of you happen to be my neighbor and want to grab a cup of coffee, let me know!). After getting my engineering degree in computer science, I went to Kellogg for Masters in Business Administration. Throughout my career, I loved the intersection of technology and business and continue to be fascinated with the opportunities to create disruptive innovation in industries that haven’t seen a lot of advances in technology yet. In my spare time, I like to read, travel, and bike. One of my favorite things to do is travel the world with my family. I’m a father to two amazing kids who are at the fun age of 11 and 14. A little over a year ago, we also added another member to our family, Cody, who is a Maltese (they are rightly known as “Spoiled” Maltese). Surprisingly, he does show a keen interest in computers (True Story: he almost brought down the Squadhelp website one day by strategically placing his paw on the Enter key at the wrong time). So if you see any glitches on the website, its probably his fault :smile:. On a serious note, we do have a very talented engineering team who is working on some really exciting stuff, and I will share more about that in my future posts.

Thanks again for your incredible support, I look forward to engaging on this platform and will share more in terms of where we are headed in my next post. I also look forward to hearing more about your own personal stories so we can all get to know even more about each other.

Here’s to more exciting times to come…

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Thank you for saying that, Darpan! :sunglasses:

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Thank you Dan–it is great to hear part of your story! This is a great team, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am a mother of 2 college kids. Our family lives in Portland Oregon and we love it here. And, my name is Melissa. Happy to get to know more of you. : )

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You’re DAN??? I was totally clueless!

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Wow! i’m so inspired on that story Sir. Thanks for mentioning me here. I hope i can have a cup of coffee with you someday.I’m from Philippines and i don’t know when i can go in your Country. Squadhelp is really life changing for me, I’m so proud to say this is my home.

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@Darpan aka @Dan:
Thank you so much for posting your personal story and how SH happened. What a great story. A little while ago when @Grant asked me to talk to the reporter about SH, I was thrilled to tell her that SH is the best platform of its kind and I truly meant it. It’s because you really do rely on the crowd and I just love that. (I know the story that was printed changed a lot but it was a great story in the Tribune).

I am a business owner (I work with nonprofits), a nonprofit founder, a wife and mother of two adult sons (one with a disability) and a step-mother to 3 adults, step-grandmother to six.

SH has done something more for me that you need to know. Because I do a lot of serious technical writing work, I really need another outlet for creativity. SH does that for me and I appreciate it.

I can’t wait to hear all your new news! Thank you, Darpan.

PS: I left out my two chihuahuas … LOL… they work with me, too

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Hi Dan
So glad to meet you and be a part of this great platform. You guys are fanTastic! Responsive, compassionate and timely. I’ve only been here a little more than a year. So glad I found this platform, it’s fun, challenging and rewarding. I am a mother of 2 boys 16 and 27. .Grandmother of one Amazing Smart Beautiful granddaughter.My name is Ginger(my avatar Marye =Marie) I am in North West Tennessee, born in Bufford Pulsar country (McNariry county) …We live on a farm, horeses, cows, chickens,rabbits, ducks, cats, :grinning:even a pair of Geckos to boot, complete with cricket farm. .lol. Anyway you guys keep up the GREAT work !!..!You guys are #1 in my book!!!..ps lots of dogs that are loving and protective and like your lil fur ball SPOILED :smile:

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Hello Dan!
Thank you for sharing your personal story. Can I give you a LOVE IT?!!!.

I joined SH this past October and I am so happy to be a part of such an Awesome creative force. I left my FT job after many years to devote more quality time with my family - 1 daughter already in college and my baby getting ready to leave the nest. I love the flexibility of SH - work it when you want, from where you want, as much as you want. Of course it is always so exciting when you win. The first time I won I did a cartwheel! LOL. Who knows, perhaps I will never go back to my regular job and just keep doing this. It is so much fun and I truly feel like I am learning and expanding my horizons every day, My name is Cindy and I live in sunny Florida.

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I love seeing what people look like @Darpan aka @Dan lol. I also love when a business is formed to solve a problem.
I am a former international investment banker and became a “Domestic Engineer” after the birth of my special needs son son 21 years ago. I live in New York City. If I’m ever in Chicago we can compare pizza. But I’d trade a week with @Marye5 in a New York minute. The farm is calling my name!

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Awe that’s cool @LisaMac. .stop on in when ya head to shi town. .lol. We’d put ya up for a spell! J’s​:grinning:if you were to head that way :grinning:

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Real cool to know a bit about you and how Squadhelp was founded. Had absolutely no idea about Squadhelp’s origins or who founded it, even though I have been here a long time.

Thank you and your team for Squadhelp (it indeed has come a long way). Another thank you for your commitment in listening to, and working with creatives when making changes/improvements.

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Hello, Dan. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve enjoyed a great deal my year as one of your “creatives.” I appreciate that you have a transparent operation run by really terrific people. All the best to you, and TYTY for the opportunity to be a part of your great organization.

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Just toss me a saddle and point me to the stables!!! I miss riding. I used to spend my summers on a dairy farm when I was growing up and it was some of the best years of my life. I envy you @Marye5

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Hello @Darpan / @Dan & Everyone here! (I’ve always wondered about where my fellow creatives are from!)

I joined in October on a whim from a Facebook ad that I saw. I have always loved writing / graphic design and this became my next love very quickly! Thank you for sharing the background of SH. Though I am already completely endeared to this site, it only adds more to that!

I am a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children! (Ages 10, 3 and a pair of 1 year old twins:) I homeschool the two oldest. My husband and I own a horror collectibles store (Wicked big horror fans!!) We are from the South Shore of Boston and absolutely love anything and everything having to do with fall & Halloween (It’s our Anniversary!) Of course being a mother with young children, I have to add Paw Patrol, Thomas the Train and Batman (3 boys and 1 girl … so lots of boys stuff!) I love being able to own my own business and be at home with our children and SH has helped with that so much, so I am very thankful to have found it and all of the wonderful, inspiring creatives here!

Thank you again @Darpan / @Dan for creating such an amazing platform!!

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Where do I start?! I joined Squadhelp a little over a year ago and ever since, I’ve not looked back. Squadhelp has been more than a creative outlet to me, it has been more of a full-time “Creative Job”. It all started with a Google search on the 20th of March 2016, and $6025 and 39trophies later I’m hooked! It’s more of an addiction than a hobby. The truth is, I’ve been hooked from DAY 1! What sold me was the friendly interface, then the crazily responsive customer service… Whew! Fantastic!!. Naming has always been my thing and I’m proud to be a Squadhelp fanatic. I’m more of an introvert so freelancing gives me that “Avenue” to be a rockstar! My name is Progress btw but PROMANN is the way to go! :blush::grinning::grinning::joy::joy::joy:

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Well, I haven’t been on this forum in awhile. I’ve received a notification in the e-mail from Dan. Ive been on this site a long time as Dan had mentioned. Thank you for that. Squad Help is my sanctuary, I come one here, when I have time. I have 2 kids rhat keep me busy and on my feet. My son is 23. He’s special needs (Down Syndrome) and a beautiful 21 year daughter. I just want to say thanks to Squad Help support for everything and to all creatives, who’s giving me a run for the money, Good Luck to all and keep on winning. Have fun!

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@miyvex58 my son has extra chromosomes, too. Different chromosomes but extra X & Y

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@miyvex58 and @Commulinks…nice to meet other mothers of special needs kids :smiley:

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It’s nice to meet you, too! It’s my time now to relax with a good book. Have fun with contests!

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Hi Dan,
Thanks for telling us about your life and sharing the history of SquadHelp. My husband was asking about it last week and I had no idea where it all came from! I read about it in a magazine last year and decided to try it in October. I am hooked! Thank you for having the brilliant idea and creating the platform for those of us that love linguistic challenges ! I am a retired kindergarten teacher with 3 grown girls and a slightly crazed rescue Shepherd named Memphis. I live on a lake Northwest of Boston… Life is good and SH makes it even better!

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