Ryan Boylston, CEO and founder of 2TON, sat down with Invest: to discuss what doing business in Palm Beach County is like, the defining factor small-to-mid-sized businesses should be prioritizing, how marketing trends have evolved and what clients are looking for amidst a growth market.
What is 2TON’s impact on Palm Beach County?
It would be easy for me to point to our work and it’s impact on our clients’ success in the county – but our biggest impact comes via job creation. We create local, high-paying, full-benefit, salaried positions. It has been a pillar of 2TON since I founded the agency almost 12 years ago. 2TON does not outsource or use contractors, even in a world where we can hire anyone anywhere. We are fully committed to our clients and our community with 26 dedicated team members who aren’t splitting their time with other roles or gigs. We have expanded our office since the pandemic and therefore contribute even more taxes (Yay?) to Palm Beach County. In this changing world, we think it is important to keep it local. We do the same for vendors. I’m not jumping online for the cheapest materials/products for our clients; we are always utilizing local resources. 2TON is providing an essential service to the companies that have been in Palm Beach County for decades, as well as new companies who have chosen to join us in sunny South Florida. When we tell their stories, we are also telling Palm Beach County’s story. Whether to attract new residents, customers or team members, – several of our clients engage us to put a spotlight on both their organization and their location.
How do new-to-market clients’ needs differ from your established clients?
Any new business working to get regional traction is looking to embed themselves in our community. They know how we do business here. We work with those we know and trust. Building this aspect of a brand often includes “getting involved.” We offer recommendations on events, sponsorships, non-profit partnerships and even make one-to-one introductions.
In contrast, established organizations who may not have had much competition in the past – are suddenly in need of a marketing strategy to compete with new-to-market businesses. They don’t need our help creating the story – as much as they need our help telling the story. These are some of our favorite clients, because they usually have an authentic and powerful story to tell – but have yet to effectively tell it. We help them do just that.
What industry trends are you noticing as client needs evolve?
In marketing – it is no surprise that the need for content creation will continue. Recent industry studies have shown a huge move towards “authentic content.” The Millennial generation makes up a large portion of the workforce now with serious spending power – which makes them a big player. If they like authentic content, we like authentic content. I see this trend continuing to evolve even further as the next generation of consumers, GenZ, who care even more about the authenticity of a company, see their buying power grow. I believe this is great news for local businesses. Not only are you what the next generation of consumers are looking for – but they are also telling us that you don’t need to produce expensive commercials. The consumers want to see and hear from you, your company, and your people directly. That’s who they want to do business with.
Another trend I am watching closely is the workplace trend. This space has been on a rollercoaster the past few years. I have a talk I’ve given a few times recently called “A World Without Bosses” where we use this inflection point to take a step back and look at how we got to where we are when it comes to the American workplace. We start with dissecting words like “boss” and “employee” – then transition to titles, organizational structure, the modern office and, ultimately, culture. Culture is not a trendy office with a pool table and “doggy days” – and we dive into those misconceptions. A lot of companies are reaching out to me at 2TON asking for advice on remote working, office environment and recruitment. This is not an issue ChatGPT is going to solve for you. Every organization is unique and it’s not as easy as deciding between “all in” or “all remote.”
A trend I hope to see is one where small-to-medium-sized businesses start realizing that the one area the “big guys” can’t compete with us is in customer service. They might be able to beat you on price or time – but good luck getting them on the phone. Local businesses can compete and win – if they make customer service their secret weapon.
What is the benefit of doing business in Palm Beach County?
We are fortunate to be headquartered in West Palm Beach and to do business in Palm Beach County. This community is very proactive in business and economic development. There are several chambers of commerce throughout the county and we are proud to be members of several. Whenever I hear a small business say they don’t feel like they have the support they need – I recommend that they simply ask for it. Most of the time it’s just that easy in Palm Beach County – because there are so many organizations ready to lend a hand.
