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Guest Speaker: Brian Forth


Brian Forth is the CEO and Co-Founder of SiteCrafting, a web-based application development company that started right here in Tacoma. Brian talked about how the idea of his startup started around the time when business websites were booming and the fact that he was one of the very few locals that were able to provide web development services, gave him the opportunity to start his company. The most surprising fact about Brian’s company throughout its 20 years so far in business is that he never had a marketing team—besides himself. This goes to prove that business can succeed through ear-to-ear networking based off the quality of the delivered products. As impressive as it is, we were also advised to not take the idea of not having a marketing team as part of our Business Plan. Additionally, one thing that impressed me the most was Brian’s genuine passion to help people through his company and what they do by providing high quality services and supporting local and small businesses with their best effort as much as larger business clients. Another emphasis that Brian brought up was the importance of workplace values and cultures. These do not only come on paper, but also in practice for Brian’s company. For example: his company’s office does not divide people based on their titles or positions, but rather having everyone in the same big room to encourage teamwork, collaborations, and sharing of ideas.  I think for the size of his company (~36 people if I recall correctly), the culture is very creative and makes the workplace more interactive and exciting. There were two things that I mainly took from Brian’s visit: business besides from bringing in profits, is also about putting your best effort and delivering the best possible products that you can make; workplace culture is also important in bringing people that you want to work with and creating an environment in which everyone can contribute, feel being part of the team, and shape the company’s dynamics.

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