Why some companies experience exponential growth and other's don't
The buzz that surrounds the Atlanta Technology Village is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur, and visionary, David Cummings. He is a great guy with an even better philosophy. Due in part to the sale of Pardot and his big pay check that followed, he commands the respect of everyone, and rightfully so. He has a formula and if you spend enough time observing him, you will see it. Being a member at the Atlanta Technology Village, I have had the opportunity to see the fruits of his labour and I have to say, I am impressed. To me, he reminds me of Adrian Giles and Andrew Barlow who founded Hitwise and went on to build a tonne of other successful businesses in Melbourne and Australia.
Being inquisitive, I asked one of his employees recently about his employment policy; how does he get such great employees onboard? She said that he looks for positive self-starters - people who don't expect for someone to hold their hand every step of the way. They are all young, mostly millennials, so it's amazing that he has been able to find people and grow them like he has.
After talking to and interviewing him, I realized one thing; he is a sales guy albeit in a tech-geek (I say this affectionately) kind of way. He is completely organized, on message 100% of the time, and uses technology in every part of his life to make it more efficient, effective and productive.
He also seems to have an eye for who to invest in and who not to. Kudos to him.
But the main message I have from being in the Atlanta Technology Village is about the kinds of people who are able to take their business all the way, and the others that falter.
And they all have some things in common:
- They have a business plan and they take on investment to fast-track growth, rather than grow organically
- They know the market, and don't second guess it - or just go with a gut instinct
- They all have inside sales models - sophisticated marketing platforms that convert leads to sales
- Passion is key not just for themselves, but for everyone that works for them
- They employ their friends, or friends of friends
- They know how to sell the dream
- They believe in what they do and really believe in the messages that they communicate
- They all have the same interactive, responsive website designs
- They all sell their USP in a way that makes people respond - even if their product is the same as someone else's.
They employ people because they desperately need someone to fill that gap, instead of waiting and finding that right person who can take their vision all the way.
And mostly, they run their business in a disorganized fashion. Instead of having processes for every area of their businesses, they fly by the seat of their pants.
All entrepreneurs can learn from others that have done it before. There is no such thing as getting luck. You create your own luck! Buckle down, get organized (that doesn't mean a clean desk), and put your plan in motion. Check it every single week and make yourself accountable to others that work for you.
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comments ( 3 )
muscle building
04 Dec 2014Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after
ReplyI clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyways,
just wanted to say great blog!
Kylie Chan
11 Nov 2014Although I do believe that all the points listed may be a feature of successful start-ups – many of these things listed are just ideals to what may be a contributor to success. The longevity and viability of these types of models aren’t guaranteed – as some businesses might be more high-risk, and therefore it would be impractical to ‘hire friends’ or to just go with ‘gut instinct’. In saying that, I do believe that flexibility is one of the critical factors in stimulating creativity.
ReplyJessica
11 Nov 2014Fluency is key to make sure coherency exists in an organisation. This is awarded through like minded workers such a this case with friends and family or friends of friends which helps to gage a uniform outcome through the help of an inside model as stressed above.
ReplyIt is definitely interesting to see how David hires millenials to help them grow which I believe would strategically well in an organisation and is also great to see the dedication he puts in to ensure the right employee is hired.