Name of business: KoMarketing Associates, LLC

Mission: Generate profitable website traffic for B2B companies via search engine marketing and social media marketing.

Began:  January 2004

Where:  Waltham, MA

Founder:  Andy Komack, M ‘98
KoMarketing Associates, LLC
www.komarketingassociates.com
 e-mail: andy@komarketingassociates.com
Business:  (781) 209-1989
Mobile:   (508) 904-8735  
Fax: (781)209-1996
Twitter: http://twitter.com/akomack
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andykomack
Blog: http://www.komarketingassociates.com/blog/

Founder’s Past Life/Business: Been an online marketing junkie for 10 years now.

How The Idea Began: I was laid off from my job as the head of online marketing strategy consulting at an interactive agency, and my employer asked if I would be willing to continue to serve my primary clients.  I knew that was my opportunity to create the kind of online marketing agency that I had been envisioning for the past few years.

Initial Preparation to Germinate Idea: If I hadn’t gone to Babson, I wouldn’t have been ready.  If I hadn’t been working in the interactive marketing industry for five years I wouldn’t have been ready.  So, it was a classic case of Education + Experience meets Opportunity + Drive to create a new company.

Favorite Thing about the Business: I enjoy the daily creativity that is required to be competitive in the areas of search engine and social media marketing.  It is like taking the purest form of marketing and putting in a blender each day.

Worst Thing About the Business: The administrative details that come with having employees.

Biggest Challenge: Selling services on the basis of value created, not time and materials.

Lesson Learned: I am learning lessons constantly.  Some of the biggest so far are about how critical it is to surround yourself with the right people, ask for help when needed, and to avoid putting energy into projects that are not directly aligned with the development of the core business.