As we shared last year, more than 90% of U.S. businesses are small businesses. Despite the challenges, the entry rate of new businesses is growing steadily and, for the first time since 2007, exceeded the rate of company exits in 2015. And business is booming, with 77% of small business owners feeling their business’ operations are successful.
Which made us curious—what’s behind this big boost in confidence?
To answer this question, we turned to one of our long-time clients. PixelSpoke is a digital marketing company based in Portland, Oregon, specializing in complex website redesigns primarily for progressive organizations, cooperatives, and credit unions.
Before the recession, PixelSpoke’s services were across the board. As founder and CEO Cameron Madill explains, “We had no real vision or plan, so we’d do anything for anyone. We ended up doing software work, Excel/Macro consulting, and all kinds of web design.” As the company’s business model fragmented, quality diminished.
Though he understood the business model wasn’t working, it was the 2009 recession that was, as Cameron explains, “the big moment of truth.” Without solving a deeper problem, his company’s services became a discretionary expense that was easily cut as client budgets depleted. Instead of folding up shop, however, PixelSpoke saw this as an opportunity not only to focus their services, but also develop a set of values and a plan to serve their customers on a deeper level.
Fast forward seven years and the results are clear—focusing on solving a bigger problem for their customers, as well as doubling down on delightful service, has moved the needle for PixelSpoke. Not only do their unique customer touchpoints help create long-time, loyal clients, but their focus on service has assisted with employee recruitment and retention as well.
If you’re looking for ways to boost your business this National Small Business Week, check out the full interview with Cameron about his customer service strategies (4 minutes total)! You can also view their company values on their website.
