Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in advertising services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Justin Thomas, Founder of JourneyEngine Inc., located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
JourneyEngine is a content marketing, SEO, and analytics agency specializing in Education and Human Resources technology companies.
Tell us about yourself
After 10+ years of working for corporate marketing agencies, I started doing SEO consulting as a side hustle. I eventually grew a substantial book of clients, and when the time was right, I focused on building my own agency full-time. Over the years, my team and I have developed and refined a system to get consistent, unmatched returns for education and technology companies. My team and I are motivated by continually measuring, testing, and improving our processes to improve results. The work is fun and fulfilling for my team and me; we're highly motivated to keep getting excellent feedback from happy clients.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is developing a process that helps my team be the best they can be. We've managed to avoid common pitfalls that plague other agencies' internal politics and processes (or lack thereof) that burn employees out and get zero results for clients. My foremost goal is to avoid these practices, which cause employee turnover and client churn. I take great pride in building a workflow that's both joyful for our team and impactful for the clients.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
As an employee, the hardest thing to do is take control. As a business owner, it's the opposite. The hardest part is learning to give up control. It's actually mentally easier to micro-manage, but it's never in your best interest. In order to run a successful business, you need to find a competent team and then let them do their thing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Develop a highly trainable standard operating procedure for essential tasks.
- Hire a competent team and delegate the SOP to them.
- Automate repetitive tasks where possible and eliminate ALL unnecessary tasks from your process.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://journeyengine.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeyengine/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinthomasla
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinryanthomas/
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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