It was last quarter of 2009, me and my business partner were on a vacation in Thailand, celebrating our success and quick growth, as our business had done over $160,000 in the first year of our business.
Vacationing is a great way to relax, have fun, and mastermind with your business partner. It has proved to be very, very profitable for me.
Soon, after our return to Karachi, I received an email from Google that our Ad Campaigns were disabled.
No Ads = No Leads = No Sales = No Profit = No Business = Dreams Shattered!
My partner panicked, now what will we do Fahad?
And I’m like, OK, this is Bad. And there’s no quick fix for this.
However, Is there any other way to drive traffic to our websites? I quickly Googled about it and found SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Next few days I Immersed myself in acquiring as much practical and actionable knowledge I could about this thing I had never heard of before.
I started reviewing competitors websites, who were ranking on Page 1 of Google, started comparing that knowledge with how they (competitors) had applied it.
There you go, I have a Strategy!
Started writing content for our own website, editing, tweaking meta tags, images, titles…started building external links pointing back to our website.
Within few days, our site started getting leads from Google’s Organic search results.
And I was like, Wow, this thing works. Lets Hire someone to do it for us 🙂
***So at this stage, we know what to do, but the questions is did it happen overnight?…***
***It’s tempting to do everything by yourself, however much better to delegate if you want to grow really fast***
It took us more than 15 months, approximately a dozen misfit employees, thousands of dollars burnt, to finally have an employee on board who helped us change the course of our business.
(misfit in a sense that they could not deliver the results I was looking for, they were doing ok at their capacity, but just not what I was looking for)
***Even if you know Exactly what you want, it takes time and consistent focused efforts to Reach that destination, nothing happens overnight***
This new employee was also a hidden gem, as he joined our company because we had hired his manager. And this Gem didn’t really started shining until his manager was fired by me, because later I found that this manager was good with “Words” and not “Results”.
***Firing an employee is the last thing on my list, I hate it, but when you have a business to run, targets to achieve, you have to make a decision. This manager thought me a good lesson.***
So what did I do when I found that this 1 employee is delivering exceptional results?
I made sure he is happy, keeps producing awesome results, improves, learns, grows intellectually and financially as well.
How did I do that?
Here are a few things:
- I made him the head of department
- gave him 1-on-1 time
- tried to understand his needs, goals, ambitions
- allowed him to work on projects he liked
- made him earn quarterly bonuses
- sent him to a week long paid vacation to Thailand
***Your job as Leader/Entrepreneur/Business owner is to Attract, Retain and Grow your Top Talent — You Succeed at Doing This, You Succeed at Growing Your Business***
And what do I mean by exceptional results?
2 Dozen of your sites ranked on Page 1 of Google for some Seriously competitive Keywords in some Really Seriously Competitive Niches like “Logo Design”, “Search Engine Optimization”, “Content Writing”, “Link Building Services”, etc. Page 1 ranks mean highest sales ever in the history of our business.
Meet Shumail Ur Rehman, he is an Expert when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. He single handedly crafted strategies for our sites, lead a team of 25 people including content writers, link builders, etc.
If you need any help related to SEO, he is your Secret Weapon. Highly Recommended!!!
You may contact him directly through LinkedIn.
He doesn’t even know that I’ve recommended him, please be nice to him when you talk for your projects 🙂
Why am I doing this?
It’s been years since he worked for my company, and there are only few people who stand out, because of the value they bring to your business/organization, it’s just impossible to forget them, as I learn, grow and move forward in my life, I believe everyone with greatness must be appreciated, recognized and recommended for their gifts.
Can you think of someone who has provided great value in your life or business?
I encourage you to share your experiences. Appreciate, recognize and recommend them expecting nothing in return. Just give and experience the magic 🙂
Your business coach,
Fahad