The only constant in life is change. And change occurs whether you want it to or not. So when you have the opportunity to take matters into your own hands, it’s something like a blessing.
This January, after five-and-a-half-years an an exclusive consultant, I’ll be leaving Boxman Studios to pursue other endeavors.
Five-and-a-half-years is a long time. In fact, it’s the longest I’ve ever been at one company. And while I’ve enjoyed helping take Boxman Studios from a raw concept to the fastest-growing company in Charlotte and #120 on the Inc. 500 in under five years, it’s time to turn the page. I’ll remain on as a consultant, as I have a long-term interest in the success of the company, but for now it’s on to a new adventure.
So what happens next? Well, I’ve learned a lot about branding and storytelling in the digital realm here at Boxman, and so it’s my intention to use this experience as the foundation for building my own company.
Or rather, rebuilding it.
From 2001 until 2009, I ran my own “virtual” ad agency called smashcommunications. It was mostly a traditional shop, except that there wasn’t a brick-and-mortar office. The idea for smash was to take advantage of the rise in digital connectivity for collaboration and problem solving. Of course back then that mostly meant email and FTP, but still, I’d virtually collaborate with designers, writers, and production artists to help fulfill projects for clients from all over. It was a cool concept, and one that has since been adopted and perfected by agencies around the world. Considering the tools we use to connect and collaborate today, the idea of the “virtual” agency is rather commonplace.
Whether I reboot smash or go with a new name, I won’t be offering traditional advertising services this time around. Which is not to say that traditional advertising is dead, but rather that I’m betting businesses and organizations can benefit from the same concepts and strategies that I successfully employed at Boxman Studios. None of which included traditional advertising.
My new company will offer consulting services around brand building and inbound marketing – focusing on content marketing as the primary vehicle to drive awareness and generate revenue. And yes, while it’s true that content marketing is the business world’s latest obsession, unlike most of my (future) competition, I’ve actually created and executed content strategies that work.
Anyway, it’ll be fun to get out there and mix it up again. I look forward to it.
As always, thanks for reading.
***
Laurie Smithwick
Nov 19, 2014
Always excited to follow you on new adventures, Jim. Congratulations on a new chapter.
Eddie Valentine
Nov 19, 2014
GOOD LUCK Jim
Looking forward to what happens next…
Nichole
Nov 19, 2014
You’ll be a smashing success with this new endeavor, too. (i had to)
Ian
Nov 19, 2014
You’ll do great. I’m betting on an early client to be a startup focused on bringing reliable, wicked fast Wifi to remote island and coastal nations.
Katrishia Velez
Nov 19, 2014
Looking forward to learning more from you, Jim. Best of luck, and thank you for continuing to share your story.
Addie K Martin
Nov 20, 2014
Congrats on diving back into the deep end, Jim! I know your time at Boxman has been special. It’s been great to see that company grow in the last few years. Looking forward to seeing your next step in action! 🙂
Brandon Uttley
Nov 20, 2014
Jim, that’s great news! I look forward to hearing more about the launch/relaunch of your business soon.
Lance (@lltooljay)
Dec 16, 2014
Congratulations and best wishes for the next chapter! Speaking of chapters, same well-wishes for your book (don’t have yet, but on the list)!
Can’t say how many years it’s been since becoming a follower of yours on Twitter, but I’ve always enjoyed your tweets and all the writing and deeper content they lead to.
As a father also to a wonderful daughter, I’ve found your thoughts on family and fathering especially meaningful. Love the writing/journaling on Belize. Ah…someday!
Take care, and light it on fire!
Jim Mitchem
Dec 16, 2014
Thank you so much, Lance.
Scott E Lundgren
Dec 30, 2014
I hope this means the return of the orange
Roger Hjulstrom
Dec 30, 2014
Some people are just so constructed that they need the independence and adventure of taking control of their efforts. I totally understand. Security is nice, but……
My novel – Minor King
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