Take on 2021 with Broadstreet
Reflecting on 2020, Looking Ahead to 2021
It is no secret that 2020 was a big year for the internet, but it was also a big year for Broadstreet. When the COIVD-19 pandemic stuck, people suddenly became much more dependent on the internet for every part of life. Before March, we would go to restaurants to sit down and eat, but now we call ahead to order, we place orders online, and we get take out. Online shopping increased, and more businesses realized that choosing to keep their products offline limited their adaptability to the increased demand for shopping online.
“Businesses that thought they didn't need a website all of a sudden realized ‘Oh my, we're really behind the curve!’ That change in mindset was the biggest thing in 2020.” Tom Sliker said. “We watched this slow and steady adoption to the internet and e-commerce over the years, and all of a sudden, it just got a big boost in the arm.”
Another noticeable change for Broadstreet was the significant adoption of Zoom calls. For years, just trying to get a client or potential client on a web conference could be challenging. Now, everybody uses Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, or another video conferencing platform to communicate with friends, family, church, and work. Today, people are much more comfortable with online meetings and working from home.
“All the things that Broadstreet's been working for years are coming to fruition,” Tom said. “We have been a remote organization with team members working independently from home for years, and it works great. Now the rest of the world sees the benefits of remote work.”
In 2020, Broadstreet took on quite a few new clients and projects while expanding our knowledge of different web technologies, including Big Commerce, Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly, and WordPress.
“We continue to promote open-source platforms, specifically Drupal, as we learn different platforms,” Tom said. “Big Commerce was a significant change for us. That's really quite an interesting and customizable platform; we’ve been able to do some pretty cool stuff with that as well.”
Looking around the virtual room during Broadstreet’s weekly team meetings in 2020, we saw a couple of changes in our team, and the most significant change was the loss of Marjorie Sliker Gates. Marjorie worked alongside Tom and the Broadstreet community for ten years, helping him build the company to what it is today. When she decided to apply her skills at another local company, the Broadstreet team cheered her on and celebrated her many accomplishments.
To fill the shoes left by Marjorie, the whole Broadstreet team stepped up to meet the needs of our growing client base. But the biggest challenge facing our group was a missing piece in project management. To round-out our staff, Tom added Danielle Bailey as a project manager. Her technical skills and organization tactics worked together to streamline our operations, turning over a new leaf in the Broadstreet history books.
As Broadstreet looks forward to 2021, we are excited to see a greater need for adaptable, diverse eCommerce solutions. We are ready to help bridge the digital gap between our clients and their customers. Our team is ready to build functional and lasting web solutions, curate winning social media and content strategies, dominate local and international paid advertising opportunities, and work for our clients’ success both in-store and online!