How The Valley List Is Revolutionizing the Website Design Space, A Founder’s Story with Josiah Partin

I’m Josiah Partin, the Founder, and Owner of The Valley List, a website design agency that is passionate about creating proper websites and making them something that will last. I was born in San Diego CA and then moved to Ohio with my family from the city to a 200-acre farm. Talk about culture shock.

What is your business and what are you doing? Tell us your story and how you’ve started, and what made you choose this path. 

My philosophy is one of Quality and Integrity; I’m tired of agencies and freelancers giving the web industry a bad name. I want you to continue using our services because we do the best work, not because we’ve made the website so difficult to navigate that you’re forced to use my agency or another developer in the future. The Valley List is Passionate about getting your website done and making it something that will last! The people I hire to work with me are the same, passionate, about what we do and what we stand for. This isn’t a game for us; it’s our livelihood and yours! Years down the road, I want each client to say, “Wow, these guys have my back.”

How did you make a name for yourself or your company in your industry, especially in the early days? 

I became a trusted partner to the businesses that I work with. When I said I would do something it gets done. Sometimes a little late but if I keep the clients updated on the status there’s little to no friction. Being someone to rely on has benefited me greatly and allowed me to grow from myself to several employees with clients all across the USA. I wasn’t and still don’t chase the money as most agencies do, I look for the right solution for each client even if it doesn’t make me a lot of profit because that’s the right thing to do.

What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career? 

What I have struggled the most with is the business knowledge and skills that you simply don’t learn unless you go to school for it. I have been in very technical-related skill positions my entire career so learning how to navigate all the business requirements and administration has been a big challenge. I think having a mentor or resources/education on how to run a business would have accelerated my growth early on and I would have started it at an earlier point in time. To get a small business started be prepared to work days, nights, and weekends! It’s no piece of cake, but it’s worth it.

Do you have any top tips you wish to share?

To get a small business started be prepared to work days, nights, and weekends! It’s no piece of cake, but it’s worth it. 

Take any chance that you can attend workshops, or education in your desired industry or related needs such as business administration! It will help your growth journey. 

Great customer service is the key to any successful business. You need to be friendly and available to your customers, and you need to make sure that they always feel like their needs are being met. This means that you need to be responsive to their inquiries and feedback, and you need to always be looking for ways to improve your products and services. Great customer service is the foundation of any successful business, so make sure that you focus on providing it from day one.

Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up?

I completed two grades a year until I graduated High School at the age of 13 at which point I started college classes. My classmates were 20’s and 30’s so they were always shocked when they found out how old I was. I completed a four-year degree there and graduated at 17 starting my first IT job in Marietta Ohio.

How did you get started in business?

I just decided to start an LLC and see if I could succeed. I was tired of my dead-end job and hoped there was something better, I started freelancing and in the first month doubled my previous salary and immediately knew it was possible! I kept freelancing for a while and grew my company brand, then started advertising and reaching out to businesses that I thought could benefit from my services.

I had to take low pay rates for projects to start with, but over time increased the rate, and when I do projects so I can make sure the cost is reasonable to the client and profitable for my company.

What is one business lesson you’d like to share with any new founders getting into their entrepreneurship journey?

Plan ahead. 

Plan out your business details, get your LLC filed, get your EIN (Tax ID Number), and open bank accounts. Be ready to start your business before you jump from your current job. Try to get everything going first as much as you can so that you aren’t starting from scratch. It can take 30-60 days to get all your paperwork filed and returned to you and you may be out of work for that time. Save money to operate your business for the first few months at least. A lot of people fail because they quit their job and then don’t know what to do, make sure you have a good plan that you can execute and find your own success!

Conclusion

Josiah Partin is your go-to person for any website design inquiries, if you’d like to learn more about him and The Valley List, visit his website here