Geoff Strawbridge, Founder and CEO of BootstrapVT
Who?
Geoff Strawbridge Founder & CEO of BootstrapVT
What is bootstrapVT?
“BootstrapVT is a digital marketing agency, we help grow companies Period. We are digital first, we work with social, ecommerce, webdev, and all types of paid search and paid social – all of the important marketing. We want to help young startups, medium sized companies, and large, companies grow their revenue.”
How should companies address the BLM movement without contributing to performative activism?
Geoff recommends keeping content on this topic “authentic and real.” “Diversity actually makes you stronger. Diversity in a company, and diversity in an economy. In the world of marketing I think I could be smarter about ways to reach audiences and make sure that not only do black lives matter in person, they also matter online,” he said. Geoff also recommends that companies who want to make a real difference vote with their wallets and their media budgets.
How has COVID-19 impacted your business?
“We have been very lucky. Our business has grown, and our clients’ businesses have grown on the order of 20-40%” Since BootstrapVT focuses on digital marketing, many of their clients focus on revenue streams that happen on the web. “Those ecommerce businesses that were already established and had all of the requisite platforms just meant more traffic and more qualified customers were coming to their various ecommerce platforms,” said Geoff.
What was your biggest win in the past year?
Geoff’s biggest win in the past year has been building a collective of marketing freelancers/business owners that work together on shared projects and shared accounts. The collective includes Riley Farabaugh of Monte Verde Media, Bernice Walenty, and Hamza Halilovic.
What’s next for BootstrapVT?
“This pandemic is a time to hit the reset button. The next phase of BootstrapVT will be probably doubling or even tripling our business, starting to do some interesting relationships where I start to present myself as a CMO for hire, for companies that need not only the tactical work but also the strategic support of marketing. The other thing is starting to look at interesting flexible arrangements where maybe BootstrapVT starts to take some ‘sweat equity’ instead of cash for startups.”
Are there any other questions we should be asking? What do you want to talk about?
“The community of VCET is a very powerful network and it’s beyond a tiny little office on Main St. The network of VCET is now statewide and growing and I’m proud to be part of it, proud that I somehow stumbled into the top floor of 266 Main St.”
