The SuperGroup enjoyed a two page photo spread in Entrepreneur’s September 2008 issue of StartUps magazine. Check out numbers 26, 27, 36 and 50 for advice from the owners of the company:
26. Offer employee benefits. The SuperGroup, an Atlanta creative agency, covered health insurance premiums starting with its first employee. Now the $3 million company’s 12 employees receive paid health, vision and dental insurance, as well as an annual company retreat and an hour break each day (in addition to lunch) to do something creative outside of their jobs. “In our industry, we sell our talent,” says Chris Wallace, 28, who co-owns the company with Gabe Aldridge, 34, and Brad Lewis, 37. “We need to do everything we possibly can to attract and keep the right people.”
Since its founding in 2002, the company has only fired one person and no one has ever quit, says Wallace. Part of the benefits that TheSuperGroup offers is its office culture: Once the business started making money, the founders invested in a cool office, complete with a big-screen TV and classic games like Battlezone and Tron. Senior employees also enjoy profit-sharing perks, says Wallace.
27. Pay up. In the beginning, Wallace says that he, Aldridge and Lewis drew straws to see who would have to learn Quickbooks and manage payroll. Lewis lost and had been the keeper of paychecks until last year, when the trio decided that his time would be better spent on management issues instead of cutting paychecks. They recently hired a payroll firm, which decreases their liability. Most payroll firms ensure that taxes are paid in a timely manner, eliminating the possibility of liability due to missed tax payments. That wasn’t an issue for TheSuperGroup, but it’s one less thing the partners have to do themselves, says Wallace. “It gets to a point where you say, ‘I think we could make more money if you took the time you put toward payroll and put it to other things.’ That’s the time to let go of the reins.
36. Connect online. As the co-owner of an interactive marketing agency, Wallace knows the importance of a good website. He and his colleagues devote a great deal of time to building the site, keeping it updated and optimizing it for search engines. “We want to make sure that when someone types in ‘Atlanta’ and ‘digital agency,’ we come up,” he says. “That’s someone who’s already interested in what we do.”
50. Live your dream. Taking on the demands of a startup requires a mind-boggling mix of smarts, flexibility, stamina, endurance, tenacity and humor. But at the end of the day, experts and entrepreneurs all agree on one thing: It’s worth it. “We started so we could work at a place that was ideal,” says Wallace. “We try to extend that philosophy to all our employees. And we try not to make the office synonymous with pain and suffering. I genuinelyÂÂÂÂÂ feel like most people feel privileged to work here, and so do we.”
