As a small business owner, managing growth can be the most challenging part of running a company. When do you add another person? Is one more client going to push us over the edge? How much more can my staff manage? Do we expand our service offerings?
It is important to recognize, you can't do it all and you certainly can't do it alone. 834 experienced 300 percent growth in the last year, to the point that I stopped sleeping—I mean, who needs rest, anyway?
Taking our growth to the next level meant expanding our reach and service offerings, and bringing in some heavy hitters that possess different skill sets than 834. Public affairs and investor relations have long been a goal of 834, and to continue our growth trajectory we needed to get creative—I couldn't justify adding another division and four to five additional staff. The most logical solution for us was to partner with a well-known and respected firm in the hub of government happenings: Lansing.
It was love at first sight when we met the partners at Vanguard Public Affairs. We knew they were "the one(s)." Like 834, they are innovative in their services approach and customer interaction.
They were exactly what we were looking for.
By working with Vanguard, we expanded our services to encompass premium public affairs while also giving 834 Design & Marketing a powerful presence in Lansing. The strength of this combined venture punctuates the idea that we are a one-stop shop for clients. Both firms have the expertise in-house to serve communication needs in a digital and global economy, so no more piecing together a strategy with multiple agencies—just meet with a couple of people at one meeting to get all of your needs met.
We're looking forward to better serving our customers with this brainchild as we bravely launch a new approach to communications into the universe. Check us out at www.vanguard834.com.
And now, for a nap.
Written by: Kim Bode is the principal of 834 Design, an award-winning Communication Strategy, Event Planning, Social Media, Media Relations and Design firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was borne from Kim's passion for communications and over a decade of experience in strategic planning, marketing communications, public relations, event planning and community outreach. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, she received her degree in communications. Kim currently resides in the Grand Rapids Community with her husband, Josh, and her four rescue dogs, Bentley, Murphy, Apollo and Jimmy.
