Unleashing the Power of Fandom: A Short Guide to Fan Business
Starting & Growing a Drupal Based Business
1. Starting & Growing a Drupal-based
Business
6 Valuable Lessons Learned
By: Dave Terry
Oct 4th, 2014
#DcATL
2. Dave Terry
Partner
Mediacurrent
Background
● Partner/Owner at Mediacurrent for
7+ years (45+ person distributed
team)
● Hired & interviewed hundreds of
people at various skill and
experience levels
● Lover of all things related to sales,
marketing, and culture
● A primary organizer of DcATL, ADUG,
and Drupal Business Summit
● Drupal/OSS evangelist
@Mediacurrent
10. Job security/
peace of mind
Communication/feedback
is desirable
Iron sharpens Iron
open
strategy/vision
Challenge/variety
is welcomed
Is innovation
fostered?
Is my voice
being heard?
What have
we heard?
Is Innovation fostered?
Can I work on things I like
doing?
11. ● Polled a cross-section of 12 customers (2013)
● Independent feedback is key (unfiltered)
● Perception is reality
● Become more strategic, consultative, and pro-active
● Do not take me for granted - show appreciation
● We value people more than the technology
(Drupal)
18. Drupal Experts
● 300+ Blog Posts
● 60+ Industry Presentations
● 4 Whitepapers, 8 eBooks, and weekly
webinars
● Case studies w/global brands
● 45 Drupal Events Organized
● Maintain hundreds of modules
● Drupalcon Platinum Sponsor
● Average Drupal Experience:
6+ years
19. Drupal Experts
● Primary organizer of the Atlanta
Drupal Business Summit & past
organizer and current supporter
Drupalcamp Atlanta
● Over 600 Drupal enthusiasts from
across the Nation
● Largest Drupal event on East coast
20. ● Serves every kind of destination
● Serves every kind of traveler
● Offers every class of service
● Operates every kind of aircraft
Unprofitable for most of the past decade
and recently emerged from bankruptcy.
● Serves only well-traveled destinations
● Serves one kind of traveler (leisure)
● Offers only one class of service
● Operates only one kind of aircraft
Profitable every year since they started in
business 20 years ago.
21. ● Serves organizations that need Drupal
● Singular focus on one CMS
● Offer world-class customer service
● Operates to constantly improve
processes & contribute back to the open-source
community
Profitable every year since we started
in business 7+ years ago.
● Serves only well-traveled destinations
● Serves one kind of traveler (leisure)
● Offers only one class of service
● Operates only one kind of aircraft
Profitable every year since they started in
business 20 years ago.
24. Understanding the Value of Inbound Marketing
Outbound
● Cold calling
● Trade-shows
● Traditional advertising (ads, radio, tv,
etc.)
● Direct mail
● Billboards
● Phone book (Yellow Pages)
Inbound
● Blogging
● Organic page ranking (SEO)
● White papers/ebooks
● Video (interview customers, training
tutorials)
● Case Studies
● E-newsletter/marketing campaigns
● Webinars
● Speak or organize industry events
● Referrals
VS
29. How Do You Define
Your Culture?
1. Who We Hire
2. Accountability & Trust
3. Professional Growth and Career
Development
30. Examples of Supporting Professional
Development and Personal Growth...
● Industry Conferences
(Dreamforce, SHRM,
Connections,
ConvergeSE, etc)
● Certifications (Acquia,
Agile PM, AWS, etc.)
● Leadership Committees
(AiMA, TAG)
● Development Contrib
Time
● Responsive web design
time / research
● Time for Personal Brand
● Code Sprints
● Sandler Sales Training
● Drupalcon Attendance
● Android App
Development
● Research Time
● Presentations/blogging
● Drupalcamps/Summits
● Weekly knowledge
shares (webinars)
● Company Retreat
(Callaway Gardens)