It was a scene reminiscent of the moment when they tally the pledges on telethons. Andy, my operations guy, and I hovered over a computer at the end of the year as I closed the books on the first quarter of our fiscal year.

The bottom line popped up, and we stood there, frozen. It was a record quarter. This came out of left field. We were profitable. Now, how did that happen? We had opened a New York City office, hired a new person, and spent all sorts of money on supplies, furniture, and advertising.

We were so busy, we didn't notice that we'd added and closed more job orders than ever. We really kicked butt. For a small staffing company based in the New York City suburbs in a specialized niche — editing and writing — word is getting around about us.

The fact is we're riding a tidal wave — the convergence of what used to be completely separate media. The mind-boggling growth of the high-tech sector is creating amazing demand for ink-stained wretches. When I left the news business to start my own company a few short years ago, journalists mainly went from one publication to another. When they were fed up with working hard for low pay, they went into PR.

Now, everybody wants journalists or people with like skills. Why? Because a company that launches a Web site suddenly needs content to publish — and who better to dash it off than someone who has been filling the pages of some publication? Corporations seem to have suddenly realized that there's this media-savvy group of people who can communicate, research, interview, and get the company point across in myriad ways. They're also susceptible to stock options.

HOW ABOUT $5 MILLION? By golly, it looks like we're in the right spot at the right time. Here's the unsettling part: Now that we've reached a record, we have to use that as a quarterly benchmark from here on in. Then when we hit another record, that becomes the benchmark. Gulp.

Late last year, two businessmen who have access to investors paid us a visit. We thought nothing of this until one asked for a second meeting. Last week, he asked us how much money we wanted. We told him, "About a million," thinking we were shooting high. "Will that be enough?" he asked. "Maybe you need five."

The idea that investors would give us that much may be fantasy. But the exchange was a valuable lesson. Think small, and you'll stay small. Andy and I did a little money dance around the office, all the while thinking we were in dangerous territory. If you grow too fast, you can lose everything. But holding back is even riskier.

I look back to when I started in a small office behind my garage. My dog and two cats watched me dance then when I landed a new client — once every six months. Life was simpler then.