Above: Six of Blink UX’s nine partners celebrate being listed in Forbes Magazine February 2nd, 2016 issue. From left to right: Heidi Adkisson, Tom Satwicz, Randy Lieber, Karen Clark Cole, John Dirks, and Geoff Harrison.
Being named on Forbes Magazine’s Best Small Companies in America list is truly amazing. It’s a great honor for Blink UX to represent not only Seattle on the list but the entire West Coast! At Blink, we have always worked hard to create careful, deliberate growth, making sure we stay true to our values, core services, and our UX approach. Along with a commitment to delivering the highest value to our clients, Blink places a strong emphasis on culture, community, and relationships.
Reading Bo Burlingham’s criteria to be a Forbes Best Small Company makes me extremely proud to be associated with this list because it celebrates what we stand for at Blink – to be a values-driven organization. Bo writes:
“All of the companies on this list have had opportunities to get as big as possible, as fast as possible. Growth is good, but the leaders of these companies have had other, nonfinancial priorities as well, such as being great at what they do, creating great places to work, providing great service to customers, making great contributions to their communities and finding great ways to lead their lives. The wealth they create, though substantial, is a by-product of success in these other areas.”
Criteria to get on the Forbes list included the following:
- The company has been acknowledged as outstanding by those who know the industry best.
- It has had the opportunity to grow much faster, but its leaders decided to focus on being great rather than just big.
- It has been recognized for its contributions to its community and to society.
- It has maintained its financial health for at least 10 years by having a sound business model, a strong balance sheet, and steady profit margins.
- It is privately owned and closely held.
- It is human-scale, meaning frontline employees have real interaction with top leaders.
- There is one other factor. It’s what I refer to as mojo, the business equivalent of charisma. When a leader has charisma, you want to follow him or her. When a company has mojo, you want to be connected with it. You want to buy from it, sell to it, work for it.
Read the complete list of The Best Small Companies in America and Bo Burlingham’s full story.