7 of 25 top Startups/Sm Co’s 2019 & their 5 Successful Lessons

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as you can dream. What you Believe, you can Achieve.” –Mary Kay Ash, Cosmetics Founder

Successful Startups/Small Co’s Topics: Content, CXO’s, RE Development, IT & Data Consultants, Healthy Pet Food, IT Services, How-to Website.

Part 2: Lessons Topics: Communicate, Feedback, Creativity, Open, Role-Model, Relationships, Winning Team

When is Bigger not Better? When you value Greatness over Growth. These top 7 of 25 top FORBES Startups/Small Companies are all privately owned & closely held, + they share a commitment to being the best at what they do. Read and be inspired. Work hard at your Startup & perspire. Maybe you’ll get an Idea for a new Product, Service or Business !!! [Includes 2018 Revenue & # of Employees [E]

ARKADIUM – Interactive Content for digital Publishers -New York City

Founders: Jessica Rovello (CEO) & Kenny Rosenblatt [H&W] $15 Million, 89E

In 2001, this husband-&-wife team founded Arkadium, a creator of Interactive Content for Digital Publishers. They acquired a Gaming company in Crimea, Russia, then moved there because costs were low. When Russia invaded in 2014, it relocated to NYC. “It’s not often that companies have to move their entire staff from one country to another,” Rovello says, “but most of our employees moved with us.”

CHIEF OUTSIDERS = CMO’s – Houston

Founder: Art Saxby, $13.1 M 70E

Chief Outsiders’ network of 65 Chief Marketing Officers, CMOs-for-Hire, take on as many projects as they want and keep 50% to 85% of what their Clients pay – by guaranteeing them flexibility & control over their jobs. They also get a long-term Incentive plan that can earn them equity. The company could grow further by offering CFO, CIO or CTO services, but CEO Art Saxby has refused: “We have decided to stay focused on what we know best and where we think we can offer the highest value.”

EVERGREEN – RE Developer – Phoenix

Founders: Bruce Pomeroy & Andrew Skipper (CEO) $100 Million, 54E

Whenever Real Estate developer Evergreen invests in a new project, every employee can invest, too. Some staffers may retire as $Millionaires thanks to that policy. It’s no surprise, then, that almost 1/3 of the workforce has been there for over a decade. They also enjoy profit sharing & annual trips abroad – to support struggling communities. “We want to reap the benefits of being in business long-term, and not take short-term profit,” The Skipper says.

INTERWORKS – IT & Data Consultants, Oklahoma

Founder: Behfar Jahanshahi (CEO) $57 Million, 171E

Last year this IT & Data consultancy’s revenue jumped 39%, but Behfar keeps a close grip on growth. He gave up a large Social Media account that was too hard on his people and has let go of Clients who were too tuff to deal with. He also has turned away many would-be investors since launching in 1996. “I want to be surrounded by people I can think of as friends,” he says.

LIFE’S ABUNDANCE – Healthy Pet Food, Florida

FOUNDERS: Dennis & Carol Berardi $38 Million, 51E

Life’s Abundance has been making & selling healthy Pet Food since 1999, and it’s never had a product recalled. This is a record that makes the CEO (a native Trinidad) is proud of. It relies on customers to market its products, as in multi-level marketing, but with a crucial difference: There are no quotas, and no one is required to buy or sell anything. That not only means a lot of repeat customers, but also lets the company keep its goods out of big-box stores and Amazon, which is a matter of principle, the CEO says, enabling Life’s Abundance to manufacture in small batches – to guarantee freshness & quality.

WEBIT [IT] SERVICES – Illinois

FOUNDER: Eric Rieger (CEO) $2.65 Million, 17E

Eric says he gets 5-6 approaches a week from would-be acquirers of or investors in his IT Services provider, but the company isn’t for sale and is already growing as fast as he wants. He does have a future Buyer in mind, tho’ [ his employees ], provided the company reaches certain targets by 2021. In 2016 he opened the books to them. “It has changed the culture & produced a much more engaged & motivated Team,”

WIKIHOW = How-to Website, Palo Alto, CA

FOUNDER: Jack Herrick, $5 Million, 25E

Men may dominate the upper echelons at most companies in Silicon Valley, but wikiHow’s CEO is an engineer named Elizabeth Douglas, and 55% of the staff is female. The shared goal of building the world’s best and largest how-to website—it now has 180,000 articles—has guided every major decision at the company, from turning down venture capital investments to walking away from tempting acquisition offers from larger businesses.

Lessons from top 25 FORBES Small Business

We asked several of these successful Small Business owners for their best leadership advice. Some fundamental concepts were cited over & over again.

#1. Communicate your Vision & Goals

It’s not enough for successful leaders to simply have a Vision. A true leader must communicate them to employees, investors & customers. Without a clear sense of goals, it is easy for everyone involved to lose sight of the larger picture and get lost in the details.

#2. Listen to Feed-back,

then act on the best. It is understanding what is being said, assessing the value of it, then acting accordingly.

#3. Encourage Creativity

A good leader allows both employee responsibility and creativity to encourage growth & new ideas. Successful leaders understand the value of employee, customer and community input. Soliciting & listening to wants & needs can lead to a better understanding of what needs to be done + generates company loyalty & brand following.

#4. Be Open & Honest +

considerate, transparent, consistent, fair, constructive, realistic & decisive. It is not only important that your workers trust & respect each other. it is vital that they trust you as their leader.”

#5. Be a good Role-Model.

If you’re motivated & happy as Owner/CEO, then others will follow your lead. And if you’re burned out & tired, that mood will permeate everything. Owners need to make sure they shape their role, & their company, to make employees feel fulfilled & excited.

#6. Set the Mood to set the Motivation

Company culture, good relations and attitude come from the top down. A passionate/ compassionate leader can energize the entire company. Set an example of cooperation, trust and openness. Focus on solutions & positivity instead of blame & other negative actions.

$7. Build Relationships

People are your greatest resource: Clients & Customers as well as Eployees. Find ways to strengthen the level of trust you have with everyone involved in your enterprise.

#8. Be a Winning Team – Share Ownership

In a tough economic climate, it is more important than ever to be open-minded and employ a community-style approach to leadership. It’s a “many heads are better than one” approach. Share responsibility of the company with profit-sharing or even ownership.

Comment: Do you have Startups/ Small Biz that you’ve been impressed with? How do you think they became successful?

from Forbes Zine & AmerXpress 5/19 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz

For more Info, click on Successful.