Top web design and development firm, Objective is pleased to have been awarded ‘Best of State’ for the past eight years in a row. With top notch talent and experienced designers and developers, Objective specializes in app development, UX/Ui design, software development, AWS development and branding. They design and build systems for Fortune 500 companies and startups alike.
Meet, Brett, the founder and CEO of Objective. Brett has been published in several magazines, including Computer Arts, and has spoken at dozens of conferences around the nation. In 2008 Brett was named as one of Utah Business Magazine’s Forty Under 40.
What is Objective Inc. all about?
Objective was founded in 2003. Companies hire us to design and build great web and mobile apps. In addition to doing work-for-hire projects, we also design and build our own software products. The experience we gain working for so many different companies, while being a startup working on our own products, gives us incredibly valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t work.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I started working part time as a developer at a startup during my junior year of college. During my senior year I decided I was learning far more on the job than in school so I started working full time and just fit my classes into my schedule so that I could still graduate on time. When that startup failed, I spent a month or two looking for the next great job but couldn’t find something I was excited about. I was 26 at the time and decided I didn’t have much to lose by trying my hand at starting a company.
What are some of the projects you are working on right now?
We’re currently building an HR system, called Built for Teams, for small and mid sized companies. So much of the HR world is tedious, cumbersome, and inefficient. We’re getting a great response from companies who want a system that is well designed and easy to use.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- Persistence: Most things won’t work out as well or as soon as you think. It’s important to be persistent, relentless even, in working toward success. Very few entrepreneurs experience a quick, direct path to success so be prepared to patiently persist through difficult things.
- If/Then Vision: One of the most important things an entrepreneur does, and does on a daily basis, is make decisions. “If/Then Vision” is the ability to reasonably anticipate the resulting outcomes of those decisions. If you do X, then Y is probably going to happen. As simple as this sounds, it’s one of the main skills separating successful entrepreneurs from those who aren’t as successful.
- Delayed Gratification: Some entrepreneurs seem impatient to have the wealth and freedom they assume will come from starting their own company. Because the odds of success are so poor for startups, being able to patiently defer those desired rewards until a future date is one of the best ways to improve those odds. When a founder begins the business with an unhealthy focus on taking the benefits they feel they deserve, they choose their own short term rewards over the long term success of the business.
How are you funded? What is your best advice to entrepreneurs when it comes to raising funds?
We’re 100% bootstrapped. Although there are certainly business ventures that require funding, in some cases getting funding does as much or more harm than good. My advice is to take as little funding as possible and delay getting that funding as long as possible. The sooner your business is self sustaining, the better.
Say I was starting my own version of Objective Inc. what advice do you have for me?
I would encourage you to surround yourself with smart, loyal, trustworthy people. I would also encourage you to work as hard as you can, but not at the expense of your overall happiness. It’s important to still remember to maintain a work-life balance and to take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
I would be a little less hesitant to move forward in a new direction when a given situation is proving to have a negative influence on the workplace or the business in general. I’ve always tried to give situations and people the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes the best choice is to move forward without hesitation to do what is best for the company and for you.
What is your favorite entrepreneurship quote?
I have a couple favorite quotes:
“If nothing changes, nothing changes.” – Unknown
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield
How can our community get in touch with you?
We can be reached via our website, http://www.objectiveinc.com/hire-us/, or through social media on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
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