On Friday, May 15th, Embolden was honored with a visit by Ralph Mollis, Rhode Island’s Secretary of State, as the first stop on an all-day small business tour of Pawtucket meant to shed light on the state of small businesses in the current economic climate. Since Ann-Marie was on her way to DC to accept her SBA award, I played host to Mr. Mollis and his entourage for a half hour or so - a group composed of some of his staff, a contingent from the Johnson & Wales RI Small Business Development Center, and a representative from the RI Chapter of the SBA.
We had a pleasant conversation about Embolden, which as a company has been weathering the recession relatively well due to a number of factors in our favor. For one, we have positioned ourselves as a company dedicated to truly understanding the needs of community foundations and nonprofits. We have developed methodologies, tools and technologies that meet the specific needs of these organizations and provide a great basis upon which they can build web strategies for the short and long term. We have made ourselves web partners rather than just vendors, and the longevity and depth of our relationships to many of our clients validates our efforts and makes our work feel even more worthwhile.
As a result of our commitment, Embolden’s reputation has (not to get cocky!) preceded us, and in certain circles it is beginning to take hold. We now serve foundations and nonprofits not only in RI and New England, but across the entire country. We are really proud of that and narrowing our focus has certainly paid off.
Perhaps as much as our reputation, we can attribute our success to being in the right place at the right time. Even in these tough times, organizations are beginning to truly understand the value of investing time and resources in their web presence: the “bang for the buck” factor is unarguable. Take for instance the cost of creating and printing an annual report: a document that’s pretty much outdated the moment it goes to press. Many organizations are beginning to think about scrapping the traditional printed version and electing instead for a more interactive option – a living, breathing, updateable document, the template of which can be used over and over again. Not to mention that you don’t have to deal with $10,000 typos!
We touched upon other stuff, of course. Our amazing, dedicated staff who are committed to always upping the ante when it comes to giving our clients the best service and products possible, to whom we try to give back in benefits, workplace flexibility, and a work environment which is fun, open and always a learning experience. Other more pragmatic things mentioned were the importance of establishing a dependable line of credit (in our case, with the terrific BankRI) and having the foresight to sniff out market opportunities as they arise. This, I mentioned, is an extremely important factor in our business, as web technologies and consumer demand and access to these technologies are constantly evolving, and a web firm, if it is to thrive, must evolve with them.
Overall, we were very happy that the State House came and listened. As I write, Ann-Marie is off to DC to accept her SBA award and to spread the word about Embolden a little farther and wider!
Read a related article in The Pawtucket Times.