A few months ago, our CEO Peter Barth gave a “fireside chat” at a Southern Series Startup event, hosted by Launch TN, The Iron Yard and Converge SE. During the talk, Peter gave attendees a behind-the-scenes peek at his approach to successfully growing a business. Many of his insights are at the core of what we believe and how we work at The Iron Yard.

The success of our students is top-of-mind for us every day. For what else matters to our leaders and our entire Iron Yard team, read on.

Do something that matters

• Know why it matters to you
• Know your customer
• Know why it matters to others
• Know your competitors
• Know how you’re different/better

No one can succeed without a passion behind the drive for what they do. The value of knowing why what you are doing matters is important for explaining and showing others why it should matter to them. You have to have the ability to describe your vision, and the conviction that it is important.

Hire great people

• Define what’s important to you
• Find the best person for the job; don’t just wait for applications
• Don’t settle
• If it doesn’t work out, act quickly
• Be intentional about retention
• Align compensation with company plans and stages

Understand and outline your vision and your future, and understand the qualities necessary in your team to make that vision happen. You cannot expect the best and brightest to come to you, so you must actively seek out the next great member of your team. That being said, when you are hiring great talent, it is only natural that people are going to be interested in acquiring that talent. Therefore, take the steps to ensure that after securing the best in their field, these individuals feel valued, compensated and want to stay. Sometimes employees will not fit with your vision or your plans for them, and when that happens it is important to be respectful and take the necessary next steps.

(Psst: if this post has something inside you, perhaps you should consider joining our team. Click here for a list of open positions)

Get out of the office

• Seriously, get out of the office
• Meet your customers
• Meet your industry
• Meet potential staff

The technology industry is a small world and a small community. One key to success in any field is being a touch point between your community and another community. When you really go out into the field, you become more than an entity, but a person; a face to remember.

Be opportunistic

• Act when others just talk
• Deliver
• Repeat

Opportunity can easily come and go. When you deliver and continue to deliver, that is more valuable than a promise to deliver. For The Iron Yard, rather than be limited by opening only one campus at a time, we have a growth plan to open in multiple markets simultaneously.

Tell stories

• Tell customer success stories
• Get them to tell their stories about you
• Curate a group of stories, references, quotes for press
• Stories should include challenges/effort

Just as going out into your community and your industry makes you and your company approachable and identifiable, telling your story and the story of your customers makes what you do relatable and relevant. Again, it cultivates the image and spirit of success behind your company. When looking at The Iron Yard, students often tell the story of their feelings at different stages of the course they are taking. Their progression and move from uncertainty and difficulty to mastery and eventually employment at great companies is a testament to why we are doing this work.

Thanks to Carolina Money, which covered the event and put together a nice recap here.