Today we’d like to introduce you to Branan Ward
Hi Branan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a lifelong resident of St. Augustine. I’ve only moved four times in my life and it has always been within 5 miles of our current home. My wife and I are approaching our 40th wedding anniversary within days from now. We’ve raised three incredible kids and we celebrate four grandchildren as well!
My family knows many people in the area which is a huge selling point when folks consider hiring my firm. Many web firms do not last, and unfortunately, some firms just are not focused on helping others. Their focus is often on the product they make, instead of the tangible help that the product should be giving to the business owner long term. We strive to focus on long-term relationships rather than just making a great site with lots of bells and whistles.
When I started my company fifteen years ago, I was doing several different types of services for folks, from designing a website to editing old home videos and digitizing old family video tapes. Through the years I have narrowed my focus to only include web design and managed web hosting.
However, I found that there was a need in my area to provide a bit more than just web design. When I meet with my clients and potential clients, I do my very best to help them, not only in marketing their website but also in guiding them with best practices for running a business, including introductions to great professionals in our area. I will typically make recommendations for business insurance, bookkeeping and accounting, IT support, and business coaching. I have solid relationships with great vendors in our area, and we all refer to one another, giving each client several layers of support and several angles of business perspective to consider.
I have always had the ethos to help others, that is my drive. At the end of each day, I can be grateful for the opportunities I have to help someone else. That itself helps me to sleep well at night.
When I first opened my business, I had five primary goals,
1. Earn enough money to supply my family’s needs.
2. Spend more time with my family.
3. Create jobs for people.
4. Be more available for my friends. I NEVER want to use the word BUSY again.
5. Give money away to less fortunate people. I have zero desire to amass tons of cash. I would rather give it away, gives me a huge satisfaction.
Over the past 15 years, I have been able to comfortably check all five of those boxes regularly. My team is currently made up of five other very hard-working creative individuals. We make a wonderful team. I’m very grateful to have such fine folks working with me.
Within the past four years, I have also built a hobby into a business, The Hippie’s Husband. I’ve invested in a very nice wood shop where I make cutting boards and charcuterie boards, and I turn wood to make bowls and vases along with other rounded items. I also weave my creative mind into these wooden pieces by digitally designing and then laser engraving to make the piece extra special for the recipient.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If anyone says “owning a business is fun”, they are telling the truth, but only partly. I can tell you that owning a business is also challenging and frightening. A business owner is rarely, if ever, truly off. It is a wonderful thing to add employees and develop a team, but when things get tight, you cannot just put your team on hold. A business owner must take care of his team.
One of my primary responsibilities is to know my staff and to know what they need. Some folks want more money. Others thrive on a great job title. Others want more time to be with their family. Once you know what everyone needs, it’s imperative to know when their needs and wants change. What one person needs at the age of 25 may be far different than what they need at the age of 35. It’s up to business owners to know their folks so they can take great care of them since their work is taking care of the business. It is a priority and I am always learning how to be a better leader who serves their staff instead of having the team serve me.
Over the years I’ve made mistakes hiring the wrong people. This is one of the worst feelings ever. Hiring well is a learned skill, I have learned to improve this skill after making a few poor personnel choices in the past.
Currently, my team’s tenure ranges from ten years to one year. At the moment, our team is functioning very well together! For this, I am very grateful. I have learned however to not take this for granted. It’s very important to reward the wins, coach the losses, and make steady forward progress daily.
When I first hired a business coach, my first lesson was to define “my core client”. I needed to define a demographic of the types of people we could help long term, that could afford our services. One big obstacle is veering away from that “core client”. I’ve made a few mistakes over the years in attempting to handle a project that is a bit outside of our main strength, chasing a shiny new account with lots of opportunities. It’s an easy mistake to make, but it can be extremely costly. Trust me, I can write a book on that.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ward Design Group?
At Ward Design Group, we build and maintain websites. Period. Anything that doesn’t fall into the stream we avoid to the best of our ability. Over the years, we have improved our processes and our products. We do other things that support this primary mission, like designing logos and providing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services. We also offer social media support.
When we answer the phone, yes, we actually do answer the phone, we ask, “How can we help?”. Every service we sell, every product we develop, and every conversation we have with our clients, is anchored back to that simple question. When our focus is set on helping others, the money and income follow in step. When my gaze is on income and money, we all lose focus. We are committed to helping others by building and maintaining websites.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I always enjoyed fishing and boating, mainly at our grandparents’ home. It’s funny, but as a kid, I thought that everyone had waterfront property, and everyone had fast boats and big yachts. Things that I learned over time were not available to everyone. I was fortunate to be exposed to life on the water via my grandparents.
One of my favorite childhood memories other than riding my bike through the mud, was reading and playing cards. I could read an adult Readers Digest in kindergarten. This sped my way through school, allowing me to skip a grade and graduate high school at 16.
Then the love of card playing got me to be good with numbers and strategy. To this day, not a day goes by without me reading something and spending time playing cards, even if it’s by myself. Counting and strategizing cards and numbers is very relaxing for me.
I should add that I excelled in music too. My musical proficiency gave me many wonderful opportunities. I majored in music in college and had a fun career playing music in many different venues. I even played music on the stage at the Florida Theatre many years ago, opening for a larger act. Although I don’t play out anymore, I still will tinker on the keys for and with our grandchildren from time-to-time. I also live vicariously through our son’s music, as he is a full-time professional traveling musician. I enjoy seeing him in the lights these days.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WardMediaGroup.com
- Instagram: @TheWardDesignGroup
- Facebook: @TheWardDesignGroup
- LinkedIn: https://Linkedin.com/in/branan-ward/
- Youtube: @Wardmediagroup
