How We Expanded Our Team And Grew Revenue 75% [$3M/Year]
This is a follow up story for Flying V Group. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published about 3 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
My name is Robb Fahrion and I am the Co-Founder and Partner of Flying V Group.
Flying V Group is a digital marketing and advertising agency located in Southern California. Our goal is to provide clients with revenue-generating expertise and delivery of marketing strategy to help grow their business fast!
Our team is focused on SEO and paid media buying to attract buyers and leads to our client's businesses. Since the original story, our team has grown to 16 members and we have brought on a VP of Performance, a VP of Operations, and a VP of Sales to increase our lead flow and sales volume!
Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?
Over the past year or so, Flying V Group has experienced tons of growth, both to the bottom line and with our team. After two consecutive years of 100% YoY growth, we experienced another 75% YoY revenue growth. We have brought on four new employees to support continued lead sourcing and client deliverables.
As the team grows, so does our client satisfaction. We are happy to report that over 90% of clients retain FVG’s services for over 12 months. This is a huge accomplishment for our group and one that we are extremely proud of.
To increase traffic and sales volume, we did two things:
- We hired a Director of Sales and VP of Sales. These individuals work tirelessly to bring new deals into the fold and ensure that the Flying V Group machine is fed.
We also reorganized our content development and deployment team to strengthen our content development and traffic production. This has been key to driving new, inbound leads regularly.
Our content team has developed in many ways, but most importantly, we have added specialists in the following areas: link building, guest blogging, internal linking, and overall content strategy.
Traffic has increased over 35% YoY even with many Google Algorithm Core Updates in 2022.
Going back to our existing customers, we also completely revamped our reporting dashboards and reporting systems. We implemented a tech stack that includes Google Data Studio, Supermetrics, and Whatagraph. Creating these reports has hugely benefited our employees with new data insights to drive better performance. We also purchased Spyfu to provide better competitor intelligence and data.
Here is an example of our newly created reporting dashboard:
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
The biggest challenges for us this year have been the ebb and flow of the economy. We find that a lot of our clients are in a “wait and see” mode before making a final decision. While this can be frustrating, it does not affect our process. We continue to maintain the same touchpoints and ensure our clients that we are here for them every step of the way.
The other challenge is finding where the perfect fit is for myself and our co-founders as we bring in new talent. We are constantly evaluating our roles and where we fit best and where we can be most effective. Sometimes letting go is hard, but it is necessary to propel your business forward.
Stop wasting time trying to do everything and leverage different tools and/or people to help expand your bandwidth.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
The biggest lesson I have learned this year is that you cannot take your existing situation for granted. An old ball coach of mine used to say that things are never as good as they seem and they are also never as bad. The point here is that things can rapidly change for the good and the bad, so you must always stay on top of what you are doing and ensure that you are making improvements every day.
From a personal standpoint, I got engaged! This has been an awesome experience, but it has also created challenges in terms of juggling personal and professional life, especially while planning a wedding. My fiance Alexandra has been a rock and a huge support system for me this year while going through all of this.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
In the upcoming year, FVG is looking to push the pedal on new business growth through our outbound sales channel. This is the first time in our business life cycle in which we have invested heavily in the acquisition of new business other than organic and referral opportunities. I am extremely excited about this effort because we have some of the best in the business helping us to grow this business and move it forward.
I am excited because we have spent so much time over the past 2-3 years building processes and systems and now we are finally going to realize their full potential. We are ready to feed the beast and continue to provide incredible service to our clients and propel their business forward as well!
Short term, we want to acquire as much business as possible. I believe this will set us up for long-term success, which probably includes potential investment opportunities and/or the ability to sell the company.
What’s the best thing you read in the last year?
The best book I read this year was “Exactly What to Say” by Phil Jones. It is a very simple and straightforward book, but it helps you to be clear with your language and get people to take action on a proposal or when you are selling them something. He does an incredible job and I recommend everyone read this book.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
You must invest in the business via technology and processes. Stop wasting time trying to do everything and leverage different tools and/or people to help expand your bandwidth. As my tweet above mentioned, “Don’t spend time to make more money. Spend money to make more time.”
Finally, believe in yourself, otherwise, no one else will. You have to have mental fortitude. Even if you feel like you are lying to yourself in the beginning, eventually you will start to believe that you can and will do something, and the tide will start to turn. I guarantee it!
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
Yes, we are always looking to hire. We are looking to hire for the following positions:
- Account Manager and Strategist
- PPC Specialist
- Social Media Advertising Specialist
- SEO Specialist
- Entry-Level Sales
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.