Scott Krady wasn’t sure if he could turn his side hustle into a full-time business when he took on some marketing projects to supplement his income from his marketing job.
But today, he contributes more than $1 million in annual revenue to what has become Magnitude, Inc., a full-service marketing communications and consulting firm in Irvington, New York.
Acting as an outsourced marketing director for early-stage, mid-market and growth companies, Magnitude has attracted clients in industries including cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and dispute consulting. Krady built the seven-figure revenue company as a solopreneur, relying on the help of a team of experienced contractors, and recently grew it to eight traditional employees.
Krady’s story provides a crash course in transitioning from corporate life to running a professional services business. Here’s how he pulled it off.
Scott Krady gradually moved on to run his full-service marketing agency, Magnitude, Inc. … [+]
Give yourself time to learn the ropes. Krady dove into the waters of running a business when she took on some freelance projects in 2018. At the time, she was working full-time at a corporate job where she created integrated marketing and communications campaigns.
When he left that position after eight years, he tried consulting for a year. Concluding that it would be easier to win B2B clients if he formally created a company, he formed an S Corp, but the time was not right to go all out. He worked for a partnership for a year before finally deciding to take on Magnitude full-time in January 2021.
Don’t do it all yourself. From the beginning, Krady lined up contractors to help him. “I wanted to offer everything I had offered as a marketer: content strategy, communications, advisory services,” says Krady. “To do this on a large scale, I knew I would have to get other help very soon. I couldn’t do it myself.”
Krady used his network to find contractors. Fortunately, like many seasoned corporate professionals, he had built strong relationships in his industry. In addition to his marketing work, he had once been a journalist at the fortune magazine As a result, he was able to quickly find the talent he needed. “It was a combination of people I’ve worked with and met along the way,” he says.
Krady has gravitated toward working with seasoned talent. Ensuring the agency can perform at a high level, whether a client is looking for media placements, strategic direction, branding or client engagement, makes a huge difference to attracting and retaining clients in a competitive industry . “You want to feel comfortable that you can achieve,” he says. “In the world we’re in, there’s a lot of pressure to do it and deliver it enough.”
Tap into your network to grow your business. Having strong relationships also paid off when it came to finding clients. When Krady mentioned his new business to contacts, he quickly received referrals. Many of his early clients were start-ups with tight budgets. Gradually he found bigger clients, too. Most of them have chosen to put their company in retention.
“I was always afraid of failure,” says Krady. “I was my own harshest critic. What I’ve learned is that a lot of being successful is being able to connect with people. We’re taking the time to listen and understand customer pain points, so we can serve as a true partner with their organizations to help them achieve their goals.”
By November 2021, Krady was on track to reach $1 million in annual revenue with a team of contractors serving clients in industries such as technology, healthcare energy and financial services. Now he’s getting over it, and with a steady cash flow, he’s moved to a model where he has five full-time employees in addition to a team of regular contractors. This has helped him achieve the balance he wants as a husband and father.
Although it took him a few years to leave the corporate world, he has no intention of returning to his old life. “If you’re in a company, you’re always afraid of making a mistake that will cost you your job,” he says. “You’re almost afraid to rock the boat and talk.” At Magnitude, Inc., you are free to experiment and be as creative as you want to be while serving your customers. “It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time,” he says.
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When starting a business, it can seem daunting to go from employee to 7-figure earner. Yet that’s exactly what one marketing guru, Marco Marzano, did when he launched Ikaroa, a full stack tech company.
Marco Marzano was a marketing pro, employed with a mid-sized company and pleasing his boss. However, he always wanted to be his own boss and capitalize on a deeper knowledge and understanding of his craft. So he decided to take a leap of faith and launch his own business.
With a team of like-minded individuals, Marco created Ikaroa, and started offering marketing services from website design, to social media management, to copywriting and research. He knew that if he managed the company properly, and served clients with integrity and passion, his business could thrive.
He did just that. His key to success was doing something that many new entrepreneurs struggle with: turning down the repeat business. In the early days of his business, Marco was eager for clients, and would take on any project, no matter how small.
And so he embraced failure, which taught him valuable lessons about what worked—and what didn’t. As his business grew, he focused on offering higher-value services, and adopted a streamlined communication process. Soon, he was able to build relationships with large corporations, and leverage a larger team to maximize his reach.
It was a savvy strategy that included an emphasis on customer service and consistent communication, two key components of any successful business. His coworkers enjoyed the challenge and recognized Marco’s dedication to their success.
As Ikaroa continued to grow, Marco was able to make the leap from employed marketer to 7-figure entrepreneur. His dedication, strategic planning and willingness to work hard paid off, and he was able to practice his craft on his own terms with the confidence of a well-respected leader in the industry.
For anyone starting their own venture, Marco Marzano’s journey as the founder of Ikaroa can serve as an example of how determination and hard work can lead to success.
