Today we’d like to introduce you to Shay Berman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my career in sales way back – literally as a grade-schooler selling mechanical pencils and gum to other students. That’s what sparked my entrepreneurial spirit.
And, 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 a 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. 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 resources. This looked like posting to social media, writing SEO blogs, and curating strategies with a 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 resources 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.
Between 2014 and 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 my 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.
I 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 business, 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, and 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 leading to Digital Resource being Great Place to Work certified for its second straight year. The company also celebrated its third year on Inc. 5000, coming in at #747, and the second year 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.
Now in 2022, we are full steam ahead. In April, I achieved my #1 goal for the year which was to acquire another digital marketing agency. We are in the midst of transitioning those team members over and into our culture while bringing on a bunch of new services that’ll help propel our clients. It’s also been exciting to get to know our new clients that came on with the team and its immense talent!
Additionally, we have more team members than ever and are working to keep them happy, starting with adopting a hybrid work model. This has opened up a lot of cool opportunities and new bonding experiences! But, that hasn’t stopped us from growing our physical space. We have taken over the second floor of our building and expect to have that build-out completed this summer.
I never get tired of seeing how our team and the DR culture continue to evolve. We’re nearly halfway through the year, and I am extremely proud of what we’ve already done and what we’re going to accomplish!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve been really fortunate with how things have gone over these first 8 years.
And, yes, I do include the pandemic in that Of course, that was the hardest time I’ve ever been through as a business owner. The degree of uncertainty, seeing clients leave, and having it all out of my control – was beyond stressful.
But, I try to look at every obstacle as an opportunity to learn, and our team definitely followed suit. We came out of 2020 stronger than ever, continued to adapt as 2021 progressed, and now we are an unmatched force come mid-2022.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My career in digital marketing really started with an SEO focus. Digital Resource was built on search engine optimization and has scaled from there.
We proudly offer full-service marketing. And, that includes everything from consulting and strategizing to executing ad campaigns, social media marketing, website design and development, photography and videography, copywriting, lead management, and so much more.
What really sets us apart are our custom strategies. We function a la carte, meaning we’re able to tailor each of our services to a business’s unique goals. I’d also say our level of collaboration. We have everyone in-house, making it easy to tap into talent company-wide with a single Slack message.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
That it’s okay to slow down and reflect on what we’ve built.
I say “we” because I have an entire team of talented marketers who have contributed so much of themselves to the company’s growth. But, it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the next best thing and what we can be doing better.
It’s important to level with yourself, define where you want to be, assess where you are, and appreciate what you’ve been able to accomplish.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yourdigitalresource.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalresource/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitlResource
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigitlResource
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCGF4BhZ9kXd8kGi-_p2UTA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/digital-resource-west-palm-beach
