Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Safford.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brandon. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Small Business Analytics of Texas began a year ago, in June of 2016. I had a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, about 20 years of business in the IT industry, and 4 years in data science. When Computer Sciences Corporation merged with Hewlett Packard, my first thought was to find another job, working for another company. It was my family who encouraged—no, demanded—that it was time to take my skills and experience and start my own company. I admit, it was a very daunting prospect at first, but as time went on, and I learned more lessons about running a successful business, I realize that it’s just like any other skill: you aren’t born good at it, you practice it, for hours a day, day after day, and get better as time goes on. Now, one year later, SBATX has managed to help one client increase their sales by over ten times the previous number, another went from a very small side-business to a now international standard of excellence, and another well on their way toward making their first million in their first year. That’s a great feeling. Frankly, I love small businesses, because they are not only the majority employer in the US, they are the agile innovators and entrepreneurs who change the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
Small Business Analytics of Texas began as just a data analytics firm, with all the stumbling blocks and mistakes that go along with starting a new business. It took me a while to learn that, despite the incredible value of data science to all businesses, that what businesses really want is a solution to a problem—not another expense for the sake of potential benefit. I’ve since found that, for most of my clients, this is something they have not yet understood. If you are selling widgets, your customers don’t care about the benefits it could bring, they care about whether or not the widget can solve their problem. So I eventually stopped offering data analytics as a pure benefit, and instead picked a very specific problem (namely, increasing sales) to apply it to. Since then, I have further narrowed my niche to a customer base including startups and SMBs looking for digital marketing strategies and implementation for the purposes of increasing operating income through sales. This has proven to be far more successful. The other thing I had to learn about was how to sell. I’d always prided myself on not being a salesperson, as if that were some sort of unethical, amoral character trait. In reality, it doesn’t matter how ethical or moral you are, or how great your product or service is: if you cannot find a way to successfully convince others that it’s worth investing in, you don’t have a business, you have a hobby. That was a very startling lesson to learn. Now, one year later, we’re in a much better position, and have helped many clients achieve incredible levels of success.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Small Business Analytics of Texas – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
SBATX specializes in helping startups, small, and medium sized businesses increase sales via digital marketing, through a proven method that combines data science, web-design, and process improvement. What sets us apart from other digital marketing strategy firms is that we don’t just make a page, we don’t just get that page hits. Hits on a page get you nothing if there’s not a sale. Instead, we use a data-driven approach to find out the ideal customer for our client, we figure out what about our client that ideal customer likes, and then capitalize on that while working to improve it. We don’t just slap some Facebook ads up and call it a night. We are constantly tweaking the site, the ads, the strategy, the offerings of the client, and the way they are presented, in order to keep our client relevant and evolving. The enemy of business is stagnancy and complacency. When you stop adapting, when you stop evolving, your competition inevitably passes you by and puts you out of business. The thing about SBATX I am most proud of is that it lets people with great ideas make a successful business out of them. And when they have a successful business, they hire more people, putting food on the table and a roof over their family’s heads. That’s what keeps me going, every day. I love what I do, and I feel great about doing it.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The DFW Area has been very good to my family and I. My parents moved here from Houston when I was 11 years old, and before I arrived, I had in mind this image of Dallas being a one-street town with a dirt road and tumbleweeds. After I arrived, my impression was that it was just like any other place. In the 30 years since, my opinions on Dallas, Fort Worth, and the infinite city-sprawl between the two, grew and changed with my maturity and experiences. Nowadays, having lived in Austin, Seattle, and visited numerous other places, I think the DFW area is one of the best places on Earth in terms of food, friendliness, and business opportunity. It has grown and evolved and improved so much over the decades, and taught me the value of doing so. If it has a flaw, it would be the heat, but that’s always been a problem. One of my favorite quotes is from Yosemite Sam, when he dies and goes to Hell. He sees himself surrounded by rocks and fire. He wipes the sweat from his forehead, and says something like “Where am I? It sure is powerful warm here! Is this Dallas?” The Devil, from behind him says with a grin, “No, but you’re close.”
Pricing:
- $999 Retainer Fee
- $999 / Month, for the first 6 Months (trial period)
- $1,999 / Month, after 6 Months
Contact Info:
- Address: 3121 Phillip Dr.
- Website: https://www.sbatx.net
- Phone: 817-789-5391 | 888-MY-SBATX
- Email: brandon.safford@sbatx.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbatexas
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBATX_NET
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/small-business-analytics-of-texas-hurst
Image Credit:
Getty Images for models
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