We have won the second-best Information Technology company within Northwest Alabama multiple times. One might think being second place isn't something to talk about but for us it's a very unique item. Yes, we didn't win and we are thankful for it. It's not our core business. In fact, it's not our business at all. That's right we do not do Information Technology at all. It isn't because we aren't capable of doing it and our owner has over fifteen years of being an Information Technology administrator. So, we are extremely thankful that we have been voted second best as that shows we are truly rocking our client's websites, security, and infrastructure for them. Beyond our web servers, database servers, and mail servers we don't do Information Technology.
We have talked about doing Information Technology (one-month total) and knew it wasn't our core business. Our core business is writing web and mobile software, marketing clients online through the search engines, writing quality content (e.g. stories), video, and definitely through social media. We chose to focus on what matters to us; small business growth. This focus has allowed us to grow each of our clients on our plans by twenty percent increase year-over-year. We do this by listening to our clients, adjusting monthly (being agile), and not doing long-term marketing plans as we feel they truly need to be handled in short sprints and adjusted to quickly meet a changing market. This has allowed us to adjust to a Facebook, Instagram, or a Google change in a few short days and routinely within hours of being announced.
If we focused on being a "Jack of All Trades" and a "Master of None" our business would fail. We have chosen at our core foundational level to only do what is needed to achieve success for our small business clients that want to grow. As social media and the search engines have evolved we have evolved with it. When we needed to add certain capabilities that were not at our core (e.g. Information Technology) we aligned ourselves with local Information Technology companies. With that we learned what their specialties were, what their ideal customers are, and where they want to focus as their core. We, of course, partnered with those that didn't do web design or marketing so that it was a symbiotic relationship.
By focusing on your strengths and not spreading yourself thin you can also keep your costs down, focus on what you love, and make a difference that affects your clients positively. Every week we look back at the past week, what's coming in the coming weeks, and make certain we are staying focused on where are strengths are and what the core business is. We have always seen that we falter when we move outside of where our core is.
This doesn't mean we don't push ourselves out of our comfort zones and are resting on our laurels. By sticking to your core, you produce a higher quality product, your clients will grow more, and everyone on the team is able to know what is expected. This makes for a successful growth environment where success is in the air.
Part of focusing on your core is that you are able to "be yourself" rather than trying to be something you truly are not. Your core is what defines you as a company. It is your foundation that others learn. It is what makes you go from good to great and make a true difference in the world.