Today we’d like to introduce you to Shay Berman.
Hi Shay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
To me, age is just a number. I started my career in sales way back – literally as a grade-schooler selling mini mechanical pencils and gum to other students. That’s what sparked my entrepreneurial spirit.
By the time I was in high school, I was running his own landscaping business. But this wasn’t your typical high school summer job mowing lawns around the neighborhood. Landscape Solutions specialized in an array of services, from flower planting and tree trimming to bricklaying and yard maintenance. From its inception in 2007, I developed the business from a startup into a profitable venture. That experience allowed me to hone my business mindset, ambition, and drive.
First, I had to be quick on my feet – and my phone. Landscape Solutions guaranteed leads a call back within 24 hours with same-day quotes. From there was immediate scheduling to get every job completed within seven days, competitive pricing, and balance between working fast and providing quality service.
Hiring locally and keeping costs down, by college, my small venture was turning into something bigger. I was able to learn lasting ownership skills, including how to communicate with clients, be a transparent salesperson, and manage a growing team and business.
Fast forward to college. During my time at Michigan State University, I continued to grow Landscape Solutions. But, it was there that I found my second passion. Digital marketing.
With Google executives from the Ann Arbor Google campus for professors, I worked toward my Bachelor of Arts in Advertising with a focus on digital marketing. All the while, I was taking what I learned and using it to promote Landscape Solutions and drive more leads.
Come 2013, I was preparing for graduation and generating upwards of $50 thousand in revenue for each operating month of Landscape Solutions. However, upon graduation, it was time for a change. I gave my business to my best friend, turned down low paying jobs at high-level marketing agencies, and made my biggest move yet – to West Palm Beach, Florida.
Sleeping on the floor of a friend’s apartment and working in a door-to-door marketing sales position physically knocking on 50-60 doors a day, my only goal was to be the best in the business and build a new life and network from nothing.
I knew this wouldn’t come from my current situation. I wanted to start a new venture, one that would assist other businesses in growth and provide opportunities for motivated young professionals like myself.
In the summer of 2014, I took what I learned while owning Landscape Solutions, $5 thousand in savings, and a quick pep talk from my dad over the phone and started Digital Resource at the age of 22.
For months, I was going to work, knocking on doors, and giving it my all. Then, I’d come home and work on Digital Resource. This looked like posting to social media, writing SEO blogs, and curating strategies with laptop on the table and phone in my hand, ready to close my next deal.
In a matter of sleepless months, I’d find myself earning a few clients, leveling up, quitting my day job, and taking on Digital Resource full-time.
Digital Resource is an a-la-carte style digital marketing powerhouse that develops custom digital marketing solutions for companies big and small, generating leads and online sales, elevating brand market share, and proving return on investment.
But I was determined to build a company built not just on numbers and money. From the beginning, I instilled strong cultural values, living and leading by the motto, “There’s always a way.”
Over the course of Digital Resource’s first year, I didn’t slow down, putting in 18-20 hour days seven days a week, a pace he would continue to keep for years to come. I put all of my energy into earning clients, executing strategies, and networking with local business owners.
Eventually, my inability to rest paid off. I hired my first part-time employee to assist with clients who would come on full-time within a month, allowing me to focus on sales. From there, the client growth was exponential and the Digital Resource team grew, adding a new team member about every other month.
Through 2014-2017 Digital Resource expanded its offices four times to obtain the space the team needed to grow. And as the team needed more resources, I handpicked every team member promising them a fast-growing future.
By 2018, we had scaled Digital Resource into its second office – a three thousand square foot space decked out with uplifting brand colors, whiteboard walls, and even a popcorn machine. With nearly 20 employees, I earned the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches’ Business Award and the Palm Beach Tech Association’s Golden Palm Award for Emerging Leadership.
Transparency, dedication, efficiency, and fun were at the core of the company. Beyond that, I accomplished one of my biggest dreams yet – to have an Inc. 5000-ranked company. Better yet, Digital Resource was part of the top 10% of the fastest-growing companies in America, coming in at #262 with an 1885% three-year growth rate.
This would also prove to be the year I faced one of his first hardships as a business owner. My first employee, who had become COO and helped grow the company for years, abruptly left for family reasons. I had to take over the operations side and get up close and personal with the day-to-day inner workings of the team. Though stressful at times, it gave me a fresh perspective and allowed me to work in the business so I could better work on the business.
He identified gaps in processes, the need for more team bonding, and opportunities to implement continuing education programs. I would go on to empower team managers to make more decisions and take control of their teams, implement a high-level accounting system to track departmental and individual performance across the board and create performance-based metrics with incentives to back them for everyone in the company.
These changes would reinvigorate an already strong team with high morale that would propel them into 2019. At this point, my daily tasks included but were not limited to operations, sales, marketing, hiring, HR, community outreach, and business planning.
Through the successes of the 2018 year and the hiring that followed, I once again needed to find a new home that would fit his growing team. Added to my daily tasks were managing a self-funded $1 million new office build-out that would hold the then 40 team members and be able to withstand growth far into the future.
2018 came and went. And with a team of nearly 40 team members in an again brand new 9,000 square foot office, I was riding high on the constant upward trend of the company. In 2019, I won an onslaught of awards, including becoming South Florida Business Journal’s youngest “40 Under 40” entrepreneur and Power 250 Leader in the region, as well as earned an American Business Award as a leader in advertising, marketing, and public relations. In the office, I worked to increase my presence and positive energy.
Company outings, team feedback sessions, individual recognition, and volunteer opportunities became regular occurrences. The company would go on to become a certified Great Place to Work. From there, Digital Resource also ranked on Inc. 500 for the second year in a row, coming in at #334 with a 1400% three-year growth rate. Additionally, it was named an E360 Most Entrepreneurial Company by Entrepreneur Magazine and the number one fastest-growing private company in South Florida, as ranked by South Florida Business Journal’s “Fast 50” award program.
I always spoke publicly on the topics of marketing and business growth in front of live audiences. I would travel the country wherever I was invited, never passing up an opportunity to see new faces. However, with the new recognitions, the size of the groups I would speak in front of started to swell from 50 to rooms packed wall to wall with upwards of 750 people waiting to hear the next topic. Topics of the past were more generically focused on marketing and how one could grow their own businesses, but as those rooms grew the topics became more about how I accomplished such fast revenue growth and the secrets to managing a growing team.
Then came 2020. Digital Resource was on course to surpass every goal set. But, like many businesses, the pandemic had other plans. Changing course and treading water, the whole team was determined to stay afloat. In just a few painful months I learned more than I ever thought I would in such a short time and my leadership abilities were truly put to the test. While the Pandemic still reigns, Digital Resource was able to retain all of its staff, almost all our clients, and has even continued back on its fast-tracked growth above pre-pandemic levels.
We’ve also been able to create an environment that has encouraged comradery amongst employees that led to Digital Resource being Great Place to Work certified its second straight year. The company also celebrated its third year on Inc. 5000, coming in at #747 and second year as on the South Florida Business Journal’s “Fast 50” list at #9.
And, with an increasingly influential foothold in the marketing industry, I was honored to be named a “4 Under 40 Emerging Leader” by the American Marketing Association. With much more on the horizon and an inspiring finish to the year, both Digital Resource and I are in an excellent position to welcome what’s to come.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was pretty much smooth sailing up until this year with COVID-19. Of course, there were late hours, stressful days, and learning curves in terms of learning how to manage fast growth, but the trajectory was always positive.
COVID-19 really hit us – of course not as bad as others. We’re really fortunate to have stayed in business and kept our team, but mentally, emotionally, and so forth, it’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to handle as a business owner and that we as a company have worked through.
On a positive note though, we were able to adapt quickly, learn on our feet, test our internal communication, and really grow closer as a team. I firmly believe that this year will only make us stronger for the years to come.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Digital Resource started in 2014 as an SEO – search engine optimization – company. From there, I realized that businesses of all sizes were in major need of a partner in business growth, whether that be through building brand awareness via social media or increasing online sales with digital ads.
Over time, we evolved into a full-service internet marketing agency. We’re known for working with forward-thinking businesses to push the envelope with custom strategies with proven success. We strive to always be innovating, testing, and trying new things to better assist our clients.
And we do all of that with a young team of professionals. The average age in the company is 26, and we’re able to provide extraordinary opportunities for young people by throwing them into the mix, putting the pressure on them, and letting them shine.
I’m consistently blown away by the drive of our team. They bust the lazy, entitled millennial myth on a daily basis. And that’s what I’m most proud of – our team. We’ve been Great Place to Work-certified for two years in a row now, been on Inc. 5000 for three consecutive years, and earned so many other great national and local accolades. It all comes down to the hard work and passion our team puts into each and every client.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’m far from risk averse. You need to take the next step, push yourself a little further, and make the jump to stay relevant and do better business. Staying stagnant isn’t an option. A big risk I took almost two years ago now was moving our team into a new office. Our current office in Downtown West Palm Beach is three times the size of our previous space. It was a huge financial investment, but our team was and is growing. I know probably sooner than later; every desk is going to be filled.
Contact Info:
- Email: sales@yourdigitalresource.com
- Website: yourdigitalresource.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/digitalresource/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitlResource
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigitlResource
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCGF4BhZ9kXd8kGi-_p2UTA
Image Credits
Digital Resource
