Forty is the only marketing agency focused exclusively on $1-10M/year companies

These companies account for only one-fifth of all U.S. employers, but they represent more than half of the fastest-growing companies in the country, making them one of the most powerful drivers of our economy.

It’s not easy to be one of these companies. They employ 21% of the nation’s workforce but only make 12% of the revenue. They’ve found traction for their product or service, but they have to work exceptionally hard to move forward. They often put in more relative effort than other companies, but unfortunately, they often don’t get the return they deserve because they don’t have the economies of scale enjoyed by larger companies.

Much of their growth is due to passionate, hard-working CEOs who are still actively involved in day-to-day operations, overcommitted, and overstressed because they don’t yet feel like they can delegate operational details.

Random acts of marketing

Companies in the $1-10 million range thrive when they understand how marketing drives their long-term revenue, but their daily struggles make it difficult to stay focused on the bigger picture. Too often, cash flow pressures lead them into a trap of sacrificing their long-term stability in favor of short-term savings, and marketing is usually one of the first budget items to get cut.

As a result, many of these companies are dealing with outdated (and sometimes embarrassingly bad) websites, advertising, and sales materials, as well as haphazard campaigns (“random acts of marketing”) that do little to really move the company forward.

• Some take a scattered marketing approach, dabbling in various things before declaring they don’t work.
• Others become overdependent on one particular marketing channel they found some success with in the past (e.g., PPC ads, social media, etc.).
• Many rely on standard cliches (“service,” “quality,” “trustworthiness,” etc.) instead of really defining their business.
• Most have no actual marketing budget and respond reactively instead of planning ahead.
• Their messaging and designs are often haphazard and inconsistent.

They always mean to fix them, but they never get around to it because of the perception that it “costs too much.” So, they keep moving forward with poor marketing materials and, ultimately, hinder their business performance.

Setting a real marketing budget

The universal, unavoidable rule of business is you have to spend money to make money. You can’t penny-pinch your way to a thriving, healthy company.

While marketing budgets vary depending on industry, size, goals, etc., a standard rule of thumb is a growing business in the $1-10 million range should be allocating 5-10% of revenue to marketing and advertising efforts.

If you’re not already in the habit of budgeting for marketing like this, it’s going to be tough. It’s a lot like exercise: the hardest part is getting off the couch in the first place. Once you’re doing it regularly, the benefits become obvious.

Why do we focus exclusively on $1-10 million per year companies?

There are four main reasons:

• They’re large enough for our work to make financial sense. We’ve developed specific tools, processes, and expertise that work exceptionally well for companies in this revenue range. Our work takes a fair amount of effort, and for smaller companies, the returns they see may not be worth the upfront investment. When you work the numbers for companies with revenues over $1 million per year, it’s a no-brainer.
• The project goes smoothest when the CEO/principal is involved. As busy as they already are, it’s essential for CEOs to be involved in the upfront work of a major marketing push because their understanding of the business, decisiveness, and long-term strategic vision provide the needed information to make our efforts work. Marketing Directors and assistants are immensely helpful in managing the day-to-day contact and collaboration, but the process is smoothest when it starts with frank conversations with the leaders.
• Businesses at this level get “lost in the middle.” There are plenty of amazing resources (books, conferences, websites, etc.) available for startups and microbusinesses. On the other side of the spectrum, large corporations also get plenty of attention and discussion. Few people talk about what it’s like for these companies stuck in the middle, so we want to shed some light on them.
• These businesses drive the economy. One of the most rewarding parts of our work is seeing good people succeed and then spread that success to others. An effective marketing agency like ours is in a powerful position to help the economy, and we take that position seriously. We can help the most people and create the most economic development by focusing on companies in this range.

We understand what you’re dealing with

Because we specialize primarily in businesses in the $1-10 million revenue range, we understand the everyday problems you’re facing. We know it’s difficult. We know the uncertainty drives you crazy. We know you’re tired of listening to mumbo-jumbo from marketing agencies.

Can we promise that it’ll all be easy, certain, and crystal clear? No, not all of it…but we’ll get as close as possible!

We’ll be open and honest, we’ll provide logical explanations for our recommendations, and we’ll make sure you always understand what we’re doing.

If this sounds like what you need in a marketing agency, get in touch. One short conversation with Forty can put you on the road to solving your frustrations and helping your bottom line.