Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Laurier Mandin, President and CEO of Graphos Product, located in St. Albert, AB, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We're a product launch agency. Although we're based in Canada, 80 percent of our clients are located in the US, and the rest are all over the world. We help entrepreneurs and CMOs de-risk taking new products to market. Our signature offering is the Innovative Product Go-to-Market Roadmap™ in which we flush out product positioning (the tricky art of simply stating what a product does and the unique value it delivers), storytelling, ideal buyer profiles, and a step-by-step action plan. No agency offers anything like it.
Tell us about yourself
I come from a journalism background but got interested in product marketing halfway through college. My first practicum was in the newsroom of a large daily newspaper, and the second was in the art department. I started a magazine with a few former classmates, and the next year opened Graphos. That was in 1993. I still love my work every single day. I haven't been bored in 30 years because getting to know clients and their products is the most exciting thing I've ever done.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Staff retention is something I've always been really proud of. We've been bigger and smaller than we are now, but Graphos Product has always been a company people love to work for. Our average tenure over time is over a decade. My creative director and senior developer have been here for almost 15 years and our amazing director of strategy for almost ten. There is a lot of connective tissue between us, and we obviously work very well together. So if I have one skill I'm most proud of, it is finding and keeping the best people. When you really love them, and everyone is delighting clients, it's a special thing.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things for me is saying no. I've learned to turn away prospects who aren't the right fit, and that is more than 90% of people who reach out to us. But because we do that hard thing, we are able to forge really strong relationships with the few who are just right. I have clients we've worked with for over 20 years and some that are new, and they all make me smile. When they thrive, we are at our happiest.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Always focus. Become the best in the world at something you really love, and don't try to be all things to all people.
- Work very hard, but schedule time to refresh and rejuvenate. It took me about ten years to get good at that, and I haven't got it mastered yet. But the breaks, the nature walks, and the travel to other cities always make me do better work.
- Work with people you love. Don't bring in employees or partners unless they make you happy (and they enjoy your company.) My wife and I have been together for over 30 years because we love being in each other's presence. Work with clients who want what you do best, and avoid the trap of trying to be all things to all people.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://graphosproduct.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graphosproduct/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graphoscanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/graphosproduct
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphos/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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