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In Emerson & Company’s 18 years of experience, they’ve been known to roll up their sleeves, get to work and solve problems for their clients.
CEO and Founder Tim Emerson takes us on a tour from back office and payroll to insurance and bookkeeping, and throws out some advice about being patient. In our marketing tip we ask a really nuanced question: do you own your own website?
Transcript:
Jeff Randolph:
Welcome to the Small Business Miracles Podcast. I’m Jeff Randolph. This small business podcast is brought to you by EAG Advertising & Marketing. We’re going to talk about marketing. We’re also here to celebrate entrepreneurs. We have marketing news and advice that business owners can use to keep moving forward.
This week, we sit down with Tim Emerson. He’s the president and owner of Emerson & Co. But first, we’ve got another small business marketing tip to talk about.
Jeff Randolph:
Do you own your own website? Now that’s kind of weird question, isn’t it? Because of course you do, you bought that domain name and you built a site, and now you own it. Now, wait, where am I going with this?
Well, let’s start out by asking why do I want to own my own website? Well, you know when your parents would say, “While you live under my roof, you’ll live by my rules?” That wasn’t just my parents, was it? Yeah. If you are on a hosted web content management platform, and here I’m talking about sites like Wix, or GoDaddy, Squarespace, Shopify. If you built your site using one of those platforms, your website lives on those platforms. You can just pick up that code and move it somewhere else. You live on their platform, and that means you have to follow their rules because you’re living under their roof.
There are reasons to choose a platform like that. Absolutely there are reasons. They make it really easy to set up a site and sell products. Really turnkey convenience there, and very easy to manage. It’s a nuance, and you don’t always see the conflict. But we’ve seen clients outgrow some of those platforms and need a more robust search engine optimization infrastructure, as an example. We’ve also seen shopping sites where the company isn’t allowed to sell a particular category of product on the website because it violates one of their rules.
Now too often, the way they police that kind of behavior is by threatening to take down your entire website. That’s a problem, because all you really own is your domain name. You are at their mercy when that happens, even if that rule is not right at all, or it’s misjudged, or misapplied, or whatever. You just don’t own it.
Now there are plenty of other website systems out there, where you could be on WordPress. Something like half of the world’s websites are built using that WordPress framework. But those sites are hosted wherever you’d like to host them. Then you own your own website. It’s always a risk-reward equation. Hosted site platforms have a time and a place, and they may be great for your business. They’re easy to manage. They are easy to set up. Just know, there may be a time where you should plan to go a different direction. And that’s our tip for today.
Music:
Get into your business. Get into your business.
Get into your business.
Jeff Randolph:
All right, welcome back to the podcast. I’m here with Tim Emerson. He is president and owner of Emerson & Co.
Tim, welcome to the show.
Tim Emerson:
Thank you, Jeff. Appreciate it.
Jeff Randolph:
Happy to have you here. You have been doing this for 18 years now, so congratulations on that longevity. But tell us, what does Emerson & Co. do? What is it you’d say you do here?
Tim Emerson:
We help businesses hit their mission statements. We’re doing their back office payroll, accounting, bookkeeping. We help them search for insurance resources, things like that. And also, provide some HR support. Small and medium businesses, we’re their go-to problem solver.
Jeff Randolph:
For everything. You rattled off a lot of different services there. I’m curious about the origin story, because did you plan to offer all of those services at the beginning? Because you’ve got bookkeeping, and merchant services, payroll, insurance. Did that evolve over time?
Tim Emerson:
It did, yeah. That’s a great question. Started out with merchant services. Then we were approached by ADP, which is a payroll provider out there. They said, “Hey, these clients that you’re selling merchant services to, you could monetize that relationship by adding payroll.” We did that and we had a great, great success with it. Then we added other vendors as well.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, man. You cobbled together all of the pieces that a business needs in that back office environment and everything.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah, it worked out great. Really, it all boils down to service. A lot of our success is we have a great team. You mentioned Tricia earlier.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah.
Tim Emerson:
We’re just very fortunate to have a lot of like-minded people that are ready and willing to help.
Jeff Randolph:
To help do everything. I think we may be aligned on that, because we feel the same way. That if you do the things that people need you to do for them, and you are responsibility and trustworthy, and they can depend on you like that, that’s all the benefit.
Tell me about your ideal customer. You mentioned small and medium-sized business. When are you the hero for a client?
Tim Emerson:
That’s a tough question. Our ideal customer is somebody that’s coachable.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, yeah.
Tim Emerson:
And humble enough to know, “Hey, maybe there’s another way to look at it.” We typically are being referred. We don’t have a sales team. Most of our business comes from referral partners, like CPA firms. We work with benefit brokers.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, sure.
Tim Emerson:
They’re introducing us, helping with a payroll solution. That customer, when they’re introduced in that fashion, we don’t have to do a lot of selling. We’re basically coaching, showing the pros and cons of different solutions, and then help them implement that. Then of course, we maintain the service for it.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah. That’s just it. There’s not a one size fits all approach out there. You are putting together all of their right solutions for people, instead of just saying, “Here it is. Sign up. Be on this platform.”
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. We’re truly acting as a consultant. We don’t care what platform it goes to. We show them the pros and cons of the opportunities out there, and advocate for them by helping them negotiate best pricing. Then of course, we’re the ones servicing it. We have that experience of knowing what that experience is going to look like.
Jeff Randolph:
Just guiding them through.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
That’s the best thing. See, that’s a hero moment. That’s a hero moment.
Tim Emerson:
I like the water, so we tell them we like to help them navigate through the process.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of the company descriptors that you have out there, a lot of the about us kind of content, you mentioned that Emerson & Co. has a problem-solving attitude. That starts to tell us something about your company culture. Talk to me about the importance of that problem-solving culture that you’ve got.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. An example of that would be when we went through the pandemic. It was very challenging times for a lot of our businesses. Some were forced to close. Others were applying for things like the COVID loans, PPP1 and PPP2.
Jeff Randolph:
Right.
Tim Emerson:
And the EIDL loans, and all that. A lot of business owners didn’t know where to turn. The information was changing, Congress was still ironing out how that would all look. We were fortunate to have somebody that really dug their teeth into that, and we did a lot of Zoom calls, and educated people. That’s an example of problem-solving where we were the go-to source for that.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah. Small businesses, entrepreneurs have to have that attitude because no one had pandemic on their strategic plan for that year.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
That was something that was new for everybody. But I feel like, when you’re talking about supporting a small business, you have to be just that much more nimble, and just that much more adaptable to solving a problem. That’s baked into your DNA and all of the people that you hire.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. Business owners are a little bit out on an island. They’re in their office every day, working very hard. We’re hearing a lot of problems and seeing how those get resolved. The best thing a client can do is be candid with us. And say, “Hey, I’m running into this. Have you seen this before? What would you suggest doing?”
Being in the business a long time, 17 years, you hear a lot of problems, and you see how those get worked out and resolved. It’s great being able to help people.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah. Are your clients in one particular industry, or are they all over the board?
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. They’re all over the board. For the first 15 years or so, or really right up until COVID, it accelerated that trend of people jumping off Microsoft Teams meetings, Zoom calls, things like that. We’re really promoting flyover country.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, yeah.
Tim Emerson:
I love the fact that the cost of goods here, your office space, our office space is a fraction of what it would be in a larger market.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, yeah.
Tim Emerson:
A lot of our accounting firms that refer to us are playing off of that. Our referral partners, business development people are playing off that Midwest. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we have strong work ethics.
Jeff Randolph:
Yes, 100%.
Tim Emerson:
I’m a farm kid, as we talked about earlier. It’s just a great place to do business.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah. Not having your clients in all one industry, I think that gives you the kind of vision to say, “Hey, this worked over here for this company that we helped, and they’re in a different industry, but the principles are the same. We can recommend this kind of thing.” Or, “We’ve seen 12 other ways in three other industries that you can do this.” Similar to us, it’s very much we don’t have to have that, “We’re an expert in this industry.”
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
“We focus solely here.” We’re getting all of the best ideas from everywhere.
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
And saying, “Hey, this works over here. Let’s apply it.”
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
I love that approach. Tim, are you ready to go into the lightning round?
Tim Emerson:
Sure.
Jeff Randolph:
We’ve know before this point we’re going to talk about the company, we’re going to know what you do. But now, you have no way to know what I’m going to ask. If you’re ready, we’re going to do this. Are you-
Tim Emerson:
I’m ready.
Jeff Randolph:
Okay.
Tim Emerson:
I’m excited.
Jeff Randolph:
A lot of this is just getting us some advice. Looking back at the early days of your entrepreneurial journey, look back 17, 18 years ago, if you could go back in time and tell first year in business you some kind of advice, if you could give yourself advice at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial journey, what would that advice be?
Tim Emerson:
Be patient. Be patient. I think that’s probably the biggest thing. It’s easy to get frustrated early on in the business. I had a good friend that told me, “Suit up and show up, and good things will happen.” I think patience, there’s a lot of words, but for me patience has been tough. But it’s also, I think, important to stay on your course.
Jeff Randolph:
I hope you would believe you. If you were standing there talking to yourself, it’s like, “Be patient.”
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
I think for me it would be, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, patience. How long will that take?”
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
I wouldn’t listen to myself.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
Great advice. What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur, somebody whose deciding, “Do I want to do this? Do I want to go into business?”
Tim Emerson:
I would say be disciplined. One of the big things is living within your means. I think a lot of business owners are pressing, they want everything now. Then all of sudden, the company just folds on itself because they’ve got too many expenses. That would work with literally almost any business that I can think of.
Jeff Randolph:
Sure, sure. Yeah. That, also good advice. Don’t try to do everything once. In fact, a lot of the advice that we’ve heard so far from entrepreneurs in that same kind of question, “Get used to saying not yet.”
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
That’s a great idea, we need to do that, but not yet.
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
Let’s focus, let’s be disciplined.
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
And then, we can move forward.
In this question, I’m taking more of a desert island approach. I’m taking away every movie that has ever been made, except one movie of your choice. What movie is that that you are going to watch forever, that you can always watch every time it’s on?
Tim Emerson:
Oh, I’d say A River Runs Through It.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, really?
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
Fly-fishing action kind of movie?
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. I like it.
Jeff Randolph:
For the drama or for the fly-fishing?
Tim Emerson:
I think just for the outdoors. It’s relaxing, it’s a great movie.
Jeff Randolph:
It is. Hey, totally agree. I actually watched that not long ago again. Yeah, it’s a good choice. Good choice.
Our crack team of researchers suggests that you are a pheasant hunter. There’s several things that make a hunting trip successful besides bagging your limit on ring necks. What makes a hunting trip a success?
Tim Emerson:
The people that are with you.
Jeff Randolph:
All about the people.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
What are you looking for in those people?
Tim Emerson:
Oh, people that are doers, that’ll roll up their sleeves. The people that are flexible. That’s the kind of people I like to work, it’s the people I like to have fun with, and that can adapt to whatever the situation is. Go with the flow.
Jeff Randolph:
That’s an excellent answer.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
Excellent answer. We’ve also looked at some of the other things you’ve involved in. After you’ve already put in a full day of running the business, you give back to the industry by serving on the board for the Kansas City chapter of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals. And you’re on the board for Waldo Brookside Rotary Club. What does giving back and serving the community mean to you?
Tim Emerson:
It’s a legacy that my parents have left me. My mom was the first female Chamber of Commerce president, back in 1991, in my hometown, Fort Scott.
Jeff Randolph:
Okay.
Tim Emerson:
Where I grew up. It’s a great way to meet people, and it’s a great way to balance your life and give back. It’s very rewarding. I highly recommend people get out there, and look for something that they have an interest in, and get involved.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah. Because I look at the NAABIP, and one of the organization’s primary goals is to promote access to affordable health insurance coverage. Now these are not social clubs, where you’re just hanging out and talking to people, and hanging out. These are active clubs. You are doing things for these clubs.
Tim Emerson:
Right.
Jeff Randolph:
That’s a lot of work to do on top of your day.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. Well, it’s a lot of fun. A lot of these business owners are struggling, trying to look for solutions. That same group goes back to the Capital Conference in Washington, DC once a year. Again, they’re advocating for small and medium businesses, trying to help put together insurance solutions and different packages. It’s a great cause. I was asked to become involved, and I’ve been doing it for about four years now.
Jeff Randolph:
Man. It’s got to be worthwhile, because you’re spending time doing it.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
That’s great stuff. If I give you the power to change the world in some way, to make it a better place, I don’t know what that means to you, but what would you do the make the world a better place? I’m going to give you some power here.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
We could take away some kind of stigma, you could change absolutely anything. What would you do to make the world a better place?
Tim Emerson:
Oh, I think if I could do anything to make the world a better place, I’d like to have people not be as polarized.
Jeff Randolph:
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Tim Emerson:
I don’t know how I would do that.
Jeff Randolph:
Well-
Tim Emerson:
If you’re saying I had magic powers.
Jeff Randolph:
You have magic powers.
Tim Emerson:
I hate that people are so strongly opinionated one way or another. At the end of the day, these groups, like Rotary for instance is apolitical.
Jeff Randolph:
Right.
Tim Emerson:
We don’t talk about church, and things like that. There’s really a lot of commonality that people have, I guess, if you will. I have friends on both sides of the aisle politically. I think it’s important to talk about those types of things.
Jeff Randolph:
Yeah. You’re connecting on a human level.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
Instead of on the things that we may disagree on, to try to push each other’s buttons and stuff. Hey, if you can do that, I think it would take some magic to make that happen because we seem to be going a very different direction as a society.
Tim Emerson:
I know, I know. It’s tough.
Jeff Randolph:
That is a noble thing to do. I do think that, through the other work that you’re doing, you’re helping make that through Rotary Club and others.
The lightning round is just that easy. There’s nothing to it.
Tim Emerson:
Yeah.
Jeff Randolph:
I’ll take you out of the lightning round. We’ll come back out of that.
Tim Emerson:
All right.
Jeff Randolph:
Where can people find you? Where can they get more information about Emerson & Co., if they should decide that they are a small or medium size business and want to have some help with all of those areas?
Tim Emerson:
Yeah. Well, they can go to Tim Emerson on LinkedIn. They can go to our website, which is emerson-co.com. We also have a LinkedIn page. Easy to find us. We’re right here, centrally located in the Westport area, and would love an opportunity to help.
Jeff Randolph:
Outstanding. Tim Emerson, president and owner of the Emerson Co. Thanks for being with us today.
Tim Emerson:
Thank you, Jeff. Enjoyed it.
Jeff Randolph:
That is our show. Thanks again to our guest, Tim Emerson. And thank you for listening to the Small Business Miracles Podcast. Remember to subscribe, leave us a five-star rating and review. Drop us a line on the website at eagadv.com if you have any thoughts. Until then, we’ll be out here helping entrepreneurs with another small business miracle.