When we started Prolific 15 years ago, we had little more than a pair of computers, a whiteboard, and some tables in a small office overlooking a graveyard. There was no portfolio or reputation to speak of; we survived by taking on odd-job design projects from Craigslist and creating websites for local businesses.

One stepping stone led to another. If we had to attribute how Prolific arrived at where it is today, it would be a continuous hunger for the next challenge, and the confidence to wade into mobile products in 2012, and eventually finding success  with that strategy, we began to think about the broader context. We proved we could take on the interesting product, design, and engineering challenges, but what were we ultimately doing with these capabilities?

While creating has always had an intrinsic joy to it, it became clear that fulfillment was about purpose and impact. In 2016, we formally set out to define that purpose and to orient our strategy towards it. One of the things we did was crystallize our values in a series of mantras, one of which certainly resonates right now: “Take the path of greatest impact.”