How to make sure you’re getting the most from your employees.
At the risk of sounding like an advocate for burning through company time, I’ll go out on a limb and say it – relaxation is a good thing at work. Today is a miserable day outside here in NJ, and I came into the office this morning expecting the usual frenzy of activity. Instead, I found my desk, closed all of the doors, and quietly spent my morning reading updates on the latest SEO Blogs. Is that technically considered work? Not at this particular juncture, but instead of being frantic and miserable, I am now relaxed and ready to start my morning, perhaps I’ll grab some tea at some point. But the point remains, Relaxation is the best Motivation.
Before you sound the alarms, consider this: Google famously allows their employees 20% of their work week to be devoted to their own projects. Thats one full day a week where they can work on anything that they want to. That, among other many, many perks of working at Google, allows them to attract the top-level talent that they need to propel the search engine head and shoulders above the others.
But the idea that employees can devote a good portion of their work week to their own projects simply appeals to a broader idea – people will work better when given the opportunity to relax. Unlike jobs that are physically labor-intensive, people get rewarded with quality far overshadowing quantity. Take this blog for instance; would you rather me write 10 entries a day with 100 words, each pertaining to a barely coherent thought? Or would you rather me write one well thought out, interesting longer post to generate some material actually worth reading?
Allow me to tie this into Google. Google recently, and quietly, re-tooled everything under the hood of the engine in the way that they index the internet. They call this new enging “Caffeine”. The general principle behind Caffeine is that, in order for your web site to be ranked properly, there are still the same general guidelines to follow, but with one getting more emphasis: Strong, relevant content. Things like updating web pages, writing blogs, staying current in the field of a particular website, are all factors that weigh more heavily towards ranking than previously anticipated. And, as I’ve noted earlier, it is my theory that the best content doesn’t come from grinding out page after page of jargon, but more from people such as myself writing at their leisure, but with a sense of direction.
So here’s to the pioneers over at Google, understanding that allowing an individual to focus on themselves can prove to be a far greater asset than one who churns out 10x the work with 1/100th the quality.
Now that you’ve read the post, grab yourself something to eat, sit down, relax, and plan your day. You’re welcome 
– Chris
Studio Symposium is proud to announce the syndication of the blog for Utopia Communications on the official Studio Symposium blog!
Ann Subervi is the owner of our award winning partners over at Utopia Communications, and has agreed to allow her blog posts to be syndicated on our website. Ann has long been a celebrated voice in the industry, and has had a strong following for her blog – even having been invited to speak at several PR conventions. It is her drive that pushed Utopia Communications to the forefront of their field, and we are glad to have her on board. You can also find our blog on the Utopia Communications Blog website – a little exchange of business never hurt anyone! Glad to have you as a contributing editor, Ann!
– Chris
Starting a Software Company and Reinventing the Business
Over a year ago, when Studio Symposium was founded, we had a single objective: create iPhone applications that people would love, and try to generate revenue for ourselves outside of our normal day jobs. Like most ‘indie’ developers, we didn’t have much to invest from our personal funds to get the company started. Originally, our major investments were simply a 13″ macbook and company iPod Touch – just enough to get us started.
It was only a few months after we began experimenting with different ideas that we quickly realized that, as an indie developer, our chances for success were greatly overshadowed by our chances of having our hard-earned wares lost in the sea of others just like us. As a result, we had decided to take our talent and extend it to those who wanted applications produced for themselves; either individuals with an idea or companies with a need to expand their brand into the mobile space. It was out of this principle, and this want to fill a market demand, that we began to expand on our initial philosophy. Sooner than we had anticipated, the initial investment had been completely dwarfed by our profits. Any company would be thrilled with the return we had seen in the first 3 months.
Approximately eight months later, after strictly focusing on iPhone and iPod Touch development, we began to explore the idea of expanding the number of services we provide to perhaps increase our customer base. We were doing fine as a company, but we needed to reinvent ourselves to appeal to a broader audience (as a mentor once said “There are good problems, and there are bad problems. Expanding is a good problem). So, we decided to hit a few personal contacts, and began to plan our expansion.
The first to come naturally was to expand into different mobile platforms. Without a second thought, we were soon developing applications for the iPhone, Google’s Android, Blackberries, and eventually, the Apple iPad. This expansion came without batting an eyelash, and we were up and running within days on developer portals in all markets, and pulling in contracts from clients for multiple platforms.
The second expansion was a bit of an outreach. During my day job, I had experimented with simple Search Engine Optimization techniques, and decided that Studio Symposium was the perfect place to hone the craft. Within two months, we added SEO to our array of offerings for clients. Going hand-in-hand with Search Engine Optimization was Website Design. This, initially, we had to outsource, but through a deal with Grand Vision Design(whom were responsible for the beautiful website template you see today), we were able to bring the service in-house. Combining SEO and Website development meant we were now able to bring a powerful package offer that most companies can’t bring to the table. Often times you’ll find that SEO firms and Website Development firms are mutually exclusive, and we thought that offering the entire package would give us a leg-up on our competition (something that is proving to be more and more true as the days press on).
Deciding to offer our final service into the stable was a bit of a wild card. Though we typically deal with clients who either need Mobile Software or Website Design, offering professional, ethical Public Relations with Utopia Communications appealed to the broader idea of what we can offer clients. Soon, we realized that a complete package such as ours needed a new phrase to encapsulate everything we had on the table. After a brainstorming session, we had coined the term “Virtual Branding Optimization”, which takes everything into account and offers clients exactly what we needed a few months prior – that total “Reinvention” that so many clients, we feel, will take advantage of to come out with a bang into their market place.
And so now we have the company you see today: 5 employees strong, Studio Symposium offers Website Design, Mobile Application Development, Search Engine Optimization, and professional, award-winning Public Relations. We hope you enjoy the new Studio Symposium Website, and find that there are services we can offer you! Check back here frequently, I’m attempting to establish a consistent 3-4 posts per week on various industry topics. Hope you found this worth your reading! If managed properly, owning your own business can be incredibly rewarding. Cheers!
– Chris Culos
