Shawn Byrne
Owner and CEO at My Biz Niche LLC with a focus on creating jobs and happier employees
Have you always been an entrepreneur and business-minded? In sixth grade, I earned my first $200 buying hacky sacks for $1 to $2 and selling them at school for $5 to $10. Then at 13, I built my first computer, and it would break so often that I had to teach myself how to fix it. By high school, folks in the neighborhood were paying me to fix their computers, and that eventually led to me developing Web sites and launching my career.
What is the most rewarding part of your career? The most rewarding part of my career has been the chance to work with talented individuals and giving them opportunities to grow and succeed. I enjoy motivating and supporting my team both at work and in their personal lives to achieve their goals. At the end of the day, the client is trusting us with the livelihood of their business. Our clients receive the benefits of our team's tenacious attitude to win and see the results of our efforts in their ROI. It fills me with pride to see my team just as passionate about our client's success as their own.
Why do you think you have been so successful in your career? Definitely my perfectionist personality. I don’t like screwing up, so I will do as much research on a topic or industry as it takes to fully understand it and be confident discussing it. I’m extremely competitive and quietly laser-focused, and these qualities have always given me the edge and motivation to be the best in this industry. A big key to my success is that work is truly my favorite hobby. I don’t watch movies, TV or sports. I also am genuinely curious about people, so I prefer to talk about meaningful things when I have the opportunity to meet and interact with others—values, goals, strengths and opportunities. I’m not much for small talk, like where people went to school or what they shot on the golf course last week. Sometimes that makes me the weird one at the dinner party, but it’s just who I am.
What has been most noteworthy about the evolvement of the digital/marketing field since you started in the industry? Automation and AI Bots. Most business owners and consumers have no idea the amount of data that is out there to target audiences, capture them and nurture those audiences with tailored customer experiences to each individual. It is impressive the amount of money being spent on advertising without these businesses taking advantage of this opportunity. Another thing I see is how people focus on the channels more so than their marketing messages. Business owners just think, ‘I should be on Facebook,’ ‘I should be on YouTube,’ ‘I need to be on Google,’ ‘I need a Web site.” But, they all forgot the No. 1 marketing principal: the message.
What influence do you hope to have on the Valley? Create jobs. Help feed hungry kids and make our education system better. I believe for this state to have a better future we have to focus on our youth and create a successful environment around them.
