At the age of just 17, John was hired as the first employee of a new advertising agency in New York. In just one quarter, John helped the business grow from two people to twelve people, and the company was bringing in over 1 million dollars. As if that isn’t impressive enough, the young entrepreneur went on to opening his own business at the age of 19. By the age of just 22, John was on the cover of Long Island Business News, and making 1.2 million a year!
The success that John has acquired has been through much dedication and hard work. John looks for the same in his employees, as well as tenacity and follow-up. “ I want someone who’s not afraid to ask for the big numbers, but they also have to be organized enough to contact all sales leads and deliver them the proposals they request on time. As well as follow up with those leads regularly until the projects are sold,” John stated.
John’s day on a daily basis can also be quite hectic with the many different tasks he handles. John has to make sure that all tasks are completed and make sure that his staff is motivated, which is a sure sign of an excellent boss. He always makes sure there is enough money available to pay his loyal staff.
The many types of media John’s company uses, range from different things such as Search engine marketing, direct mail marketing, pay-per-click marketing, and networking. John also stressed the importance of relationships, stating that they were “key at all levels of business.”
John shared that the ability to read people, quantify results, build goals and monitor progress are an important part of the job as well. He also stressed the importance of selling yourself, and your business.
Something that John really is passionate about and values is his staff, “Without my staff my company would not have what it has today.”
However, when asked if John could do it all over again, he stated that he didn’t like the focus on the past because it couldn’t be changed. He did say that he should have acquired the use of contracts and lawyers for business relationships, because a lot of profit has been lost due to poor partnerships and such.
Aside from that, John loves growing in the business. He really loves to see figures and bottom lines grow. When asked what it meant to be successful, John replied, “When you realize that money isn’t everything and you begin to create business and personal goals around other things and other values.”
In conclusion, a lot can be learned from this interview. I learned that the value of a great team and staff could be absolutely vital to a thriving business. I also learned that it is not only good to have relationships in this business but it is imperative. A lot can be learned from seniors in this profession and I am glad I got to learn this extensive knowledge from a professional himself.
Learn more about John at johnsiebert.com
March 12, 2015
