4 things you need to build a successful startup in today’s economy.
Being your own boss and starting your own business is something that many people aspire to do.
In 2019, Jonathan Shroyer worked to develop Officium Labs. The Labs were acquired by Arise Virtual Solutions in 2021.
Jonathan Shroyer is now the Chief CX Innovation Officer at Arise Virtual Solutions. He leads the gaming and consulting verticals and runs the CX Lab in San Francisco.
“We started Officium Labs with a $150,000 loan, and in two years, we made over $10M in revenue. From my experience, here are 4 things you need to build a successful startup:
1 – A need or problem that you’re trying to solve.
2 – A unique approach to address the problem.
3 – A well-defined plan to monetize it.
4 – And most importantly, a strong passion and team to go after it.
Shroyer has two decades of experience building companies and leaders up. CIO Journal, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, named Shroyer among its “Top CX Professionals of 2022.”
It is no secret that big tech companies have massive amounts of digital power. Five tech giants alone are projected to account for a fifth of all earnings accrued by the S&P 500 by 2023 .
Tech companies having this amount of influence and power can make it easy for the public to be or feel isolated and uninformed about various developments. A recent Zelros study also found that 96% of people value ethical, responsible, and secure technology use from companies.
How can tech experts and executives reach out to the public and resolve the disconnect people are feeling towards tech companies?
Jonathan Shroyer, Chief CX Innovation Officer at Arise Virtual Solutions, offers a few ways tech companies can bridge the gap between them and the general public.
Be transparent. There is a lack of complete trust that the public has towards tech companies. One way to address public concerns is to be as transparent as possible regarding technological developments. Be as transparent as possible.
Hold your company and brand accountable. Maintaining and following a business code of ethics can be a great way to hold your company accountable. Publicizing that code and making it clear and accessible to the public is a great way to improve relations with the general public.
Don’t be afraid to admit mistakes. Mistakes are a part of life. Being able to admit your mistakes will gain you and the company great respect from people by showing you are actively working to improve.
Accept and listen to public feedback. There will always be ways to improve professionally and personally. Tech companies and tech company leaders need to do a better job of listening to what the public has to say and take their feedback into consideration when it comes to improving certain aspects of products and services. When people feel heard, they feel like their voice matters. This should not be underestimated by tech companies.
Jonathan Shroyer worked to develop Officium Labs back in 2019, which was acquired by Arise Virtual Solutions in 2021. Jonathan Shroyer is now the Chief CX Innovation Officer at Arise Virtual Solutions. He leads the gaming and consulting verticals and runs the CX Lab in San Francisco. Shroyer has two decades of experience building companies and leaders up. CIO Journal, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, named Shroyer among its “Top CX Professionals of 2022.”
Have you ever considered starting your own business, but didn’t know where to start? Business Executive and founder of Officium Labs Jonathan Shroyer suggests the following steps for potential business owners to consider when starting your own company.
1. Pick a co-founder that speaks truth to you and that you trust.
Who you work with makes a big difference in your day-to-day life. This is especially true when starting your own business. Choosing the right co-founder to work alongside and grow a business will ultimately drive the company’s success. It is important to have someone helping you that will keep you accountable and help you succeed.
2. Find a need in the market that does not exist and provide a seamless solution to answer the need.
There are thousands of companies out there, so choosing your business can be daunting. The success of your company will depend on the solution it provides to people. Make sure your business plan addresses a problem and offers a solution unique to your business. Whether it’s revolutionizing some component of technology, developing a new service or creating a product, make sure you find a solution that is unique and fills a need that does not exist in the market.
3. Develop and stick to strong company values that include a strong company purpose
Consumers want to buy products and services from companies that have purpose and values. Job seekers also want to work for companies that have purpose and strong company values. This means that it is imperative that your business develops and follows strong company values, and your business has a strong purpose.
CIO Journal, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, named Shroyer among its “Top CX Professionals of 2022.
Businesses have employees from all over the world and social media allows people to connect with one another on a global scale.This means that we are regularly coming into contact with each other and forming relationships with individuals from various backgrounds, nationalities, religions and countries. In a business setting, cultural barriers, language barriers and other social differences can impact companies and their employees.
So, how can business leaders break down those barriers and improve employee relations for the better? What do you need to know if you want to run a global business effectively?
“Overall, business leaders need to take the initiative to accommodate different cultures, time zones and other differences that international businesses will have to face. Businesses can do several things to improve the internal environment of an organization. Biases need to be addressed head-on and not tolerated. Also, business leaders should take the initiative to address cultural or language barriers as well as be accommodating to employee schedules. The key to making an international company successful is to make an effort, keep communication open, and utilize technology to make the company as inclusive as possible,” explains Jonathan Shroyer.
Here are Shroyer’s top tips to help create a stable company culture and a successful global company.
1 – Make a concerted effort to respect cultural differences or any potential religious differences. If you lead a team that is based in different countries, it would be wise to familiarize yourself with any major holidays, religious observances and other major cultural norms that your team and their respective countries follow. Informing your team members of these events and allowing them to switch their holidays or have floating holidays can reduce feelings of separation from the team. Additionally, it is important to know social protocol that may differ from yours in order to not offend any of your team members. Once you set the tone as a business leader, your team will follow suit.
2 – Work to reduce language barriers While it may not be practical for your team to take up other languages, there is software that allows automatic captions on programs like Google Meet or Skype. Additionally, Microsoft Translator allows parents and teachers to communicate in their preferred languages. Tools like this can be used to a company’s advantage and increase productivity and inclusivity of your workforce.
If it would be practical for your team members to learn another language, then offer financial compensation for your employee’s time and energy into doing that. Additionally, if you ask certain employees to translate, they should be financially compensated for that skill.
3 – Respect time differences and accommodate schedules International companies will have to consider time differences. This means your approach to meetings will have to be a little different. Find what works best for your employees and be willing to accommodate them. Ideally, try to find a time that is still in the daytime hours for everyone. If not, it may be beneficial to switch meeting times so everyone takes a turn having the “off-hours” meeting. This prevents resentment and keeps the annoyance to a minimum.
Shroyer is Chief CX Innovation Officer at Arise Virtual Solutions. There, he leads the gaming and consulting verticals and runs the CX Lab in San Francisco. Shroyer has two decades of experience building companies and leaders up. CIO Journal, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, named Shroyer among its “Top CX Professionals of 2022.
Founder and business executive in the service industry for over 20 years, Jonathan Shroyer has learned how to cultivate and retain the right workers for companies. Anyone in management should learn how to build good teams.
Here are some of Shroyers tips on how bosses can become great leaders to their teams and people:
Work alongside your team members. Leaders who see themselves as team players and work with their teams create an environment that is effective and efficient. Team members feel like they are supported and have a boss they can depend on and look to as a leader, not just a boss.
Acknowledge efforts. When you accomplish something, you want people to acknowledge it, right? Having a boss that recognizes their team members’ efforts and accomplishments can go a long way to improving the company culture. When success is acknowledged, it is more likely to become a common pattern over time, which will help leaders, employees and the business in the long-run.
Operate and conduct business with compassion and directness. Life and mistakes happen. It is important for leaders to conduct themselves with empathy when things happen. A lack of compassion will lead to high turnover, negative company culture and will decrease productivity, with people spending more time concerned about being the boss’ next target than their actual job tasks. When a team member makes a mistake, a great leader will be direct, but kind and work to resolve the situation immediately. If a team member needs to take an unexpected sick day, a great leader will be understanding and compassionate.
Create an environment where professional relationships can flourish. We spend what equates to years of our lives working alongside our coworkers and our bosses. Professional relationships are essential for many people and can go a long way to creating a successful business environment. Great leaders will understand the value in professional relationships and will work to build those relationships for their teams.
Be supportive and listen. Someone who actively listens to you is a great person to have in your corner. You feel supported, heard and safe with people who listen and care about you defend you no matter who is in the room. A great boss understands and listens to their team members.
Jonathan Shroyer founded Officium Labs back in 2019. He is now the Chief CX Innovation Officer at Arise Virtual Solutions. There, he leads the gaming and consulting verticals and runs the CX Lab in San Francisco. Shroyer has over two decades of experience building companies and leaders up. CIO Journal, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, named Shroyer among its “Top CX Professionals of 2022.
What makes a good boss a great boss? Jonathan Shroyer , founder and business executive in the service industry for over 20 years, has learned what makes a great boss, great.
People want great bosses, and this is becoming even more important in cultivating and retaining the right workers for a company, and is something everyone in management should consider.
Here are some of Shroyers tips on how bosses can become great leaders to their teams and people:
Work alongside your team members
Leaders who see themselves as team players and work with their teams create an environment that is effective and efficient. Team members feel like they are supported and have a boss they can depend on and look to as a leader, not just a boss.
Acknowledge efforts
Having a boss that recognizes the team’s efforts and accomplishments can go a long way to improving the company culture. Additionally, when success is acknowledged, it is more likely to become a common pattern over time, which will help leaders, employees and the business in the long-run.
Operate and conduct business with compassion and directness
Employees will be out sick. People will make mistakes and deserve compassion. It is important for leaders to conduct themselves with empathy when things happen.
A lack of compassion leads to high turnover, negative company culture and a productivity decrease, with people spending more time concerned about being the boss’ next target than their job. When a team member makes a mistake, a great leader will be direct, but kind and work to resolve the situation immediately. If a team member needs to take an unexpected sick day, a great leader will be understanding and compassionate.
Create an environment where professional relationships can flourish
We spend years of our lives working alongside our coworkers and bosses. Professional relationships are essential for many people and can go a long way to creating a successful business environment. Great leaders will understand the value in professional relationships and will work to build those relationships for their teams.
Actively listen
When Someone actively listens, employees and bosses alike feel supported, heard, safe, and cared for. A great boss understands and listens to the team members.
Jonathan Shroyer founded Officium Labs back in 2019. He is now the Chief CX Innovation Officer at Arise Virtual Solutions. There, he leads the gaming and consulting verticals and runs the CX Lab in San Francisco. Shroyer has over two decades of experience building companies and leaders up. CIO Journal, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, named Shroyer among its “Top CX Professionals of 2022.
