Ask a CEO: Advice for Running a Small Business

Journyx has been in business since 1996, and is now an established small company with 30 employees and thousands of clients worldwide. But reaching this level of stability wasn’t easy. CEO and founder Curt Finch started the company as a programmer with limited expertise in managing people and running a business. He had to learn these skills through trial and error, and learn them fast in order to keep the company going. Here are his biggest takeaways from his 18 years as Journyx’s CEO.

Focus on Customers

Don’t create technology just for the sake of creating it. Instead, you need to create market-driven products that your customers actually want (or even need).  Here at Journyx, we are passionate about keeping a pulse on the needs of our customers and prospects in order to deliver solutions that will solve their specific business problems in a cost-effective, efficient way.

And once a company has purchased your solution, continue to deliver fantastic customer service. Journyx customer support has received many accolades, including from our client CoWare: “The installation and usage of our existing database worked flawlessly! I wanted to take this opportunity to once again acknowledge your excellent commitment to customer service. The fact that you went beyond what most would do speaks volumes to your commitment to customer support.”

Innovate in Hard Times

When the economy took a turn for the worse in 2008, Journyx saw an opportunity to change and expand its business. We started looking for new markets for our products, and for ways to improve our existing products. In the end, we came out ahead and are still thriving today. On top of that, it’s of utmost importance that your company continues evolving your product with the dream that not only will you keep on top of the rapidly evolving market, but be the forefront software innovators and thought-leaders in the nation.

Hire the Right People

Human resources are a company’s most valuable asset, and so, as CEO, you have to understand which people are the right for which jobs. At Journyx, we use hiring assessment software Affintis to determine potential employees’ specific skill sets and weaknesses. And once you’ve hired employees, it is also important to manage them effectively. Be flexible with your employees and build them up so that they are as dedicated to your company and its mission as you are.

Admit When You Are Wrong

No one likes to be wrong, especially when they are the CEO of the company. But you will earn the respect of your employees and clients if you admit early and often that you were wrong about something, whether it was a project, a certain process, an idea, or even a person. It’s best to set expectation and understand that even when set, they might not always be right.