Starting & Growing a Drupal Based Business

Starting & Growing a Drupal-based Business6 Valuable Lessons Learned

By: Dave TerryOct 4th, 2014#DcATL

Dave TerryPartnerMediacurrent

● Partner/Owner at Mediacurrent for 7+ years (45+ person distributed team)

● Hired & interviewed hundreds of people at various skill and experience levels

● Lover of all things related to sales, marketing, and culture

● A primary organizer of DcATL, ADUG, and Drupal Business Summit

● Drupal/OSS evangelist

Background

@Mediacurrent

#6

The More You Give

The More You Will Get Back

Do You Know This Person?

Complimentary Service Providers

Wedding List

hostingcompanies

The Drupal community

Drupal Give

#5

Listen to Your Employees &

Customers

Communication/feedback is desirable

Job security/peace of mind

open strategy/vision

Challenge/variety is welcomed

Is innovation fostered?

Is my voice being heard?

What havewe heard?

Is Innovation fostered? Can I work on things I like doing?

Iron sharpens Iron

● Polled a cross-section of 12 customers (2013)● Independent feedback is key (unfiltered)● Perception is reality

● Become more strategic, consultative, and pro-active

● Do not take me for granted - show appreciation● We value people more than the technology

(Drupal)

#4

Create Scalable Processes

Employee Handbook

#3

Positioning and a Singular Focus are Critical

● 300+ Blog Posts● 60+ Industry Presentations● 4 Whitepapers, 8 eBooks, and weekly

webinars● Case studies w/global brands● 45 Drupal Events Organized ● Maintain hundreds of modules● Drupalcon Platinum Sponsor● Average Drupal Experience:

6+ years

Drupal Experts

● Primary organizer of the AtlantaDrupal Business Summit & past organizer and current supporter Drupalcamp Atlanta

● Over 600 Drupal enthusiasts from across the Nation

● Largest Drupal event on East coast

Drupal Experts

● Serves every kind of destination● Serves every kind of traveler● Offers every class of service● Operates every kind of aircraft

Unprofitable for most of the past decade and recently emerged from bankruptcy.

● Serves only well-traveled destinations● Serves one kind of traveler (leisure)● Offers only one class of service● Operates only one kind of aircraft

Profitable every year since they started in business 20 years ago.

● Serves organizations that need Drupal● Singular focus on one CMS● Offer world-class customer service● Operates to constantly improve

processes & contribute back to the open-source community

Profitable every year since we started in business 7+ years ago.

● Serves only well-traveled destinations● Serves one kind of traveler (leisure)● Offers only one class of service● Operates only one kind of aircraft

Profitable every year since they started in business 20 years ago.

#2

Keep Sales Ahead

of Delivery

● Cold calling● Trade-shows● Traditional advertising (ads, radio, tv,

etc.)● Direct mail● Billboards● Phone book (Yellow Pages)

Outbound

● Blogging● Organic page ranking (SEO)● White papers/ebooks● Video (interview customers, training

tutorials)● Case Studies● E-newsletter/marketing campaigns● Webinars● Speak or organize industry events● Referrals

Inbound

Understanding the Value of Inbound Marketing

VS

Inbound

Understanding the Value of Inbound Marketing

VS Outbound

CMO Sales

Accountability

#1

Culture should always be #1

How Do You Define Your Culture?

1. Who We Hire

2. Accountability & Trust

3. Professional Growth and Career Development

Examples of Supporting Professional Development and Personal Growth...

● Industry Conferences (Dreamforce, SHRM, Connections, ConvergeSE, etc)

● Certifications (Acquia, Agile PM, AWS, etc.)

● Leadership Committees (AiMA, TAG)

● Development Contrib Time

● Responsive web design time / research

● Time for Personal Brand

● Code Sprints

● Sandler Sales Training

● Drupalcon Attendance

● Android App Development

● Research Time

● Presentations/blogging

● Drupalcamps/Summits

● Weekly knowledge shares (webinars)

● Company Retreat (Callaway Gardens)

Hiring: Capability Should Trump

Proximity

#1

The 4 C's

Thank You!

Questions?

@Mediacurrent Mediacurrent.com

Dave.Terry@mediacurrent.com

slideshare.net/mediacurrent