How I Grew: Thomas Padula, President and CEO of Padula Media

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Growing a marketing agency is extremely tough.  Beyond finding (and retaining) a steady stream of clients, you also need to hire (and keep) experts, manage time spent on projects, and keep an eye out for profitability. Our guest for today's episode of Help! My Business Is Growing is Thomas Padula, President and CEO of Padula Media Digital Marketing Agency.Thomas has been recognized as one of Chester County's 40 Under 40 millennial superstars, and his agency, Padula Media, is one of the best advertising agencies in Pennsylvania.He's our featured founder for our mini-series "How I Grew", featuring CEOs, leaders, and founders who have successfully grown their businesses.  Padula Media's success comes from taking a client-first approach, acting as an internal CMO, and offering the best and highest ROI-driven services for each client.  The company has established a growth pattern through data-driven decisions, including hiring the right people and placing them in the right seats, which has been critical to its success. In 2018, Thomas began following the model of meeting transparent, determined, and selfless people, regardless of whether they could be a client. By expanding his network and building impactful relationships, Thomas has created networking groups, cultivated strong professional relationships, and driven his own personal network to be more successful.We'll talk to Thomas and hear his story and discuss tips, resources, and other valuable insights he can share on how you can grow your business.We discuss:02:07 How was it like when you started your business?04:02 What were some things you implemented in your business that were helpful when you decided you needed to hire more people to grow?05:40 What specific advice did the "money people" you hired provide?08:51 How is having a deeper understanding of your numbers and gaining financial control different from when you were smaller vs. today? How has it evolved?10:31 What do you mean by good revenue and bad revenue?13:10 What works best for you to track employee time spent on the project? 13:52 How has implementing ClickUp helped your business grow?  17:52 How did implementing systems and processes evolve for you?19:39 When did you realize that you needed a Director of Operations?21:26 How do you maintain a consistent culture even if the company and its team members have grown and evolved? 23:04 Who helps you with your corporate culture? Do you have a fractional HR person working with you?24:29 What has worked well for your organization(meetings or events) to bring that cohesiveness of the team together?25:56 Has the work-from-home phenomenon positively or negatively impacted your team and culture?28:19 What do you think has made the most significant impact on your business so far? 30:07  What tip would you give other business owners that would positively impact their business?31:50 Where did you find your mentors? Resources:Thomas Padula, President and CEO, Padula Media Digital Marketing:https://padulamedia.com/LinkedIn:https://www.linkediIs your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action planReady to level up? Visit newcastle.finance/blueprint