Meet Kevin Szypula: CEO, Partner, Basically Head of Everything

Remember when the internet wasn’t even really a thought in anyone’s mind? We can’t either, but there was a point when business owners weren’t using digital platforms to their fullest potential

in order to grow. In 2006 however, things started to change – that’s when Ferocious Media was founded to help local businesses succeed online.

Since the employees here at Ferocious Media have been a close knit group since we first started, and since we’re extremely passionate about what we do, we want you to get to know us just as well as we know each other and step in our shoes for a moment. To help you do so, we sat down with our CEO, Kevin Szypula, and asked him about everything from our business to digital marketing, business in general, and more – let’s take a look at what he had to say:

Q: How does a day in the life of Kevin Szypula look?

A: My day(s) are all mostly different. I keep pads and lists (my desk is a sea of pads). Some people use technology like Trello…I find writing things down and putting lists on pads works best for me. I am always prioritizing and trying to accomplish what is on my lists for the day.  

It has been very difficult for me, however over time I have learned to delegate. It’s an unusually hard thing to do. It is in my DNA to just try and do everything myself. When I try and just knock something out myself, other things fall apart, perhaps biting off more than I can chew. I’ve learned to completely trust the other Ferocious Media leaders, departments and employees to make wise decisions and do what is right for the company and our clients (that’s also why hiring good people is crucial to our success as a company). Trusting others took time, once I did…I am in awe every day with what our team accomplishes.  

Lastly, I make it my mission to find something that is going well, or went well that day. When possible recognize the person or people that helped along the way.

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

A: Relative to work, I am very proud of the team at Ferocious Media. Hopefully, many people feel they have found a home, and a place they enjoy coming to. Over time my job has morphed from keeping our clients happy to keeping our employees happy (and they will keep our clients happy, I am certain).

Q: What do you think makes a successful business – successful?

A: Perhaps cliche’, however it is definitely the people that make the business. I never understood how true that was until we slowly added more and more good people. As a company, we have some tricks up our sleeves to execute on some of the products we sell…however, it is ultimately the people our clients interact with that make them stick around. People do business with people they like.

Q: What is your number one tip for other business leaders looking to break through in their industry?

A: Love what you do. If you don’t you won’t succeed.

Q: What other business leaders do you look up to and why?

A: Richard Branson, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Marissa Mayer, Warren Buffet and Sheryl Sandberg to name a few. They are all at a level beyond imagination. All of them have incredible stories and are the pinnacle of entrepreneurship (mixed with some luck, of course).

Q: What character traits do you think all successful business leaders have in common?

A: 100% the ability to fail, and pick yourself up. Learning from the failure and moving on.

Q: If you could describe the digital marketing industry in one word, what would it be?

A: Changing.

Q: What do you think the future of digital marketing looks like?

A: Hyper targeted and accurate. Ads/Apps will be served to people before they know they need something.

Q: What was your “aha” moment? The moment you realized that the digital marketing industry was where you wanted to be.

A: When I saw the power of AdWords and Call Tracking. My mind was blown.

Q: What advice do you have for businesses looking to enhance their online presence?

A: Put yourself in the shoes of your target customer. What would they be looking for? Are you there? What is your message? Make sure it is easy for the prospective client to find what they need and contact you. Keep it simple.

Q: What challenges are there with digital marketing and how can business leaders overcome them?

A: So much choice and buzzwords. “Experts” everywhere. It’s hard for a business owner to make decisions. Many have been given bad advice in the past. In many cases, if it sounds too good to be true…it probably is.

Q: What goals do you have for yourself and Ferocious Media in the next 5 years?

A: Short term, to make our move as painless as possible. Spoiler alert: the Ferocious Media team will be moving our headquarters from Melville, NY to Islandia, NY in the very near future! Longer term, I would like to see all of our departments mature with the massive amounts of experience, and take on bigger and more complicated offerings and solutions to bring to SMBs.  

Q: How do you see Ferocious Media changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?

A: I see us offering a bigger mix of products to SMBs. AdWords used to be extremely dominant in the space (still is). Over time, other platforms and solutions have become incredibly useful for some businesses to find customers. Obviously Facebook is the prime example, however simple tools like our Central Command Toolbox or Display offerings are powerful tools, not available a short time ago.

Q: Do you have a favorite customer success story?

A: Absolutely. A Plumber from the Midwest. For a series of reasons, out of our control…they decided they wanted to switch SEM companies (and WPO). A competitor of ours promised the moon and the sun to them. Upon exiting, we treated them well, and helped with the transition to their new company. To make a long story short, they ended up paying triple with the other company for the same results. What used to cost them $30,000 a month was now costing $90,000!!! They signed back up with us and are SAVING about $600,000 a year. That’s a win/win.

Ferocious Media is an award-winning, full-service digital marketing agency that offers solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes. To begin growing your business with us, contact us today!