January marked the seven-year anniversary of Voom Creative. I officially set out on my own in 2014 being the only employee and now Voom employs seven. (I am just now realizing the coincidence of these numbers and hope the number seven is as lucky as they say!)
Starting a creative agency in Minneapolis, a market with a large amount of competition, certainly carried risk. But I felt that risk was worth it to create something I truly believed in. My main motivators in starting a business were creating a flexible, creative environment for myself and providing a great workplace where others could thrive and do their best work. But, there was a lot to do and discover along the way to get Voom to where it is today.
Here are a few things I learned while building Voom Creative over the past seven years:
There’s no
magic bullet.
In the early stages of Voom, I read a lot of articles, met with other agency and business owners and looked for answers that would help me as I was getting started. I thought, “If I just do x, y, z and follow these steps, then I can achieve success.” While learning as much as I could about how other agencies got their start, mistakes they made and how they grew was helpful, it still left me with a lot of unanswered questions pertinent to my business. It was then I had a huge “ah-ha” moment: There’s no magic bullet! Every company is different. They each have different clients, employees, needs and goals. When I came to that realization, it allowed me to make decisions best for my company and the brand I wanted to build rather than making decisions based on someone else’s step-by-step guide.
Tip: Business owners and managers often wear many hats and one of the first, and biggest, decisions they face is who to hire and for what position. This was true for me and one I struggled with until that “ah-ha” moment. My advice is to determine two things: First, identify the responsibilities taking up most of your time. Then, pinpoint the set of tasks that can be delegated. You could also consider bringing someone in on a contracting basis to gauge your comfort level and to ensure the right fit. Read more about who to hire in #3.
Ask dumb questions.
If there was an award for asking dumb questions, I’d win it hands down. There are so many intricacies involved in running a business, including selecting the right software, finding the right partners, and possibly even finding the right space or location. Navigating all of the complexities and local, state, and federal requirements can be overwhelming to say the least. I did research, utilized my network and asked a lot of dumb questions in order to find solutions that worked best for the business. The ability to ask those questions helped immensely when I needed to upgrade software solutions and find the right accountant, bookkeeper, financial planner and more. One of the best partners I’ve found since starting Voom has been my financial planner/advisor. Not only has he given great financial planning advice, he’s also a business owner who has provided unmatched business guidance.
As a creative person, I didn’t feel as comfortable with the numbers side of the business. The accounting category was definitely the most daunting, let alone all of the ever-changing tax rules! In addition, there were the insurance, HR/benefits and management sides of the business to keep up with on top of endless forms to fill out to remain compliant. I quickly realized how much I didn’t know and how much help I needed in order to run an efficient and effective business.
Tip: Accept that you aren’t an expert in key areas of your business and find partners you can trust and hire. Ask them as many questions as you can and learn from them so you are informed to make good decisions moving forward. If cost is a constraint, find solutions that work for the time being or consider trading services. You can always upgrade as your business grows.
Hire the right people.
Your team is by far your biggest asset. I’ve worked in corporate environments where a position would be posted with an internal timeline on when that position needed to be filled. I remember thinking, “how can you put a timestamp on finding the right fit?” I have taken that approach to hiring whenever possible and have made it my mantra to find only the best people to add to the team regardless of timing. One of the biggest investments a company makes is hiring and training new employees. Finding the right people will pay off more than committing those resources to someone who was merely available at the time. When you have the right person in place, you not only create a stronger team, you add a level of enthusiasm and rejuvenation to the entire group.
I also recall reading an article that talked about hiring people who are smarter than you. This piggybacks off of my earlier point about recognizing that you are not an expert in everything, including roles within your own company. It takes a humble manager to execute on this, but you probably won’t regret it. It also provides a great opportunity for you and your team to learn from them and grow.
Tip: If you don’t have an HR department, work with an expert to help write a job description so you are attracting the right talent. For the interviewing process, ask people whose intuition you trust to participate and involve people on your team who have similar skill sets to the role you are hiring for. It’s true what they say about knowing if someone is a good fit within the first couple of minutes of meeting them. The next 58 minutes is about evaluating their skills and how those skills will blend with your team and clients.
Focus on your team and your clients will prosper.
One of Voom’s differentiators is a focus on the success of all team members. We put this into practice daily and call it “working from the inside out.” I noted earlier in this article one reason for starting Voom was to create a great work culture. I can confidently say each team member is happy, engaged and feels appreciated. At Voom, employees receive flexibility in their work day, team outings and trips, performance-based bonuses, and surprise time off when they’ve been working extra hours to meet deadlines. I strongly believe when you have a healthy work culture and employees feel valued, they will have a deeper dedication to their work, which in turn drives more creative client work, and ultimately, client success!
Before I officially started Voom, I always put clients first. When your business is just one person, your clients know you and it is easier to communicate your company values because they are your own. As the business grew, I made sure to focus on company culture. Ensuring that my team feels fulfilled by their work and set up for success allows them to do their best work for clients. When we work with a client, we become an extension of their team to respond quickly to requests, treat each client like our only client, and above all, do what is best for them – always. Voom clients can attest to high satisfaction not only with our creative work, but our approach, transparency and integrity. Many clients have been with us since day one and they have also been a great source for referrals.
Tip: Keep in close contact with your team members by having monthly one-on-ones and learn about their goals, challenges and personal interests. The more you know them, the better you can effectively manage them and the team as a whole. As a result, you can also determine how to solve client challenges and navigate different scenarios more quickly. For your clients, maintain a close relationship and check in with them often. Schedule regular ongoing meetings and continuously offer up new ideas that can help them grow their business while keeping their customers top of mind.