Seven months ago, almost to the day, Dorset Biz News went live.

We started with zero name recognition and a zero audience.

And now?

Well, take a look at the picture, above, of AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium*.

Our audience would fill not just every seat in the 11,329 capacity stadium.

There would also be a queue of 1,101 people outside waiting to get in.

Amazing.

As of midnight on April 30, our vital statistics were:

• 12,430 unique users
• 673 business stories
• 721,346 views across all platforms
• 8,195 ‘likes’ for our LinkedIn/Twitter posts

Dorset Biz News is a very personal business.

It’s the story of one well-trodden hack who felt there were many business stories in Dorset that were going unreported.

Who yearned to return to his journalism roots of some 40+ years ago.

Above all, who felt there was a place for a different kind of journalism.

That hack was – and is – me.

I’m intensely proud of my site but, above, all I’m incredibly grateful.

Grateful for the fantastic support, and response, Dorset Biz News has received since emerging from nowhere.

So a huge, and heartfelt, thank you for looking our way.

And, please, keep it Dorset Biz News.

* With thanks to AFC Bournemouth for kind permission to use the above picture.