In 2007, when we setup our business in Missouri, we began as a photographer & videographer. We aspired to do the high dollar sports photography, but the universe had other plans for us. We did photos for seniors, small businesses, weddings and some small organizations like churches, events and such.
We learned how to build our own website, taking classes and doing way to many tutorials. Got certifications in this skill and that software, all to help grow our business. Our website was really eye catching, since we had taken our years off photoshop and design skills from doing wedding books and stylized photography, and directed all that creativity into making our custom website.
This got us more attention, and our small business and professional clients grew with it. We also started getting requests to create online content, landing pages and websites using the photos and videos we were already making for them. It wasn’t long before we made the transition official and became a web development company. This expanded our offering, and we had more services to sell, and kept us busy.
But over time, the number of web project referrals we got dwindled, so we went back to learning, taking classes, etc… so we could properly market our new business direction. We grew through the struggles, learned a whole bunch of new things, even worked with a few marketing agencies along the way, and got our selves to a comfortable place. Regular new clients & lots of repeat business.
But eventually, the feedback came in. You see, most of our clients were close to us. We would become friends, and talk often. A few began telling us how they feel like they wasted money on a new website. After really discussing it with them, it amounted to a simple problem. We made them this amazing billboard, and they only put it in their back yard.
So we talked to them about how were were marketing our website and business. What we had learned, what we were actually doing and paying for, and how much we were spending. We had spent the last 5 years getting a degree in internet marketing from the school of hard knocks lol. So, it didn’t take many of them asking us to help them do the same, before the team decided to make another switch and do marketing full time. It was just the next change to our plan, and the next phase of our journey.
