By J. Michael Kemp, Sr., President and CEO of Kemp Management Solutions.
I’ve been in construction Project Management my whole adult life. I had always dreamed of owning my own company, and so in 2011, I stepped out on my own. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and I wanted to share a little bit about what Kemp Management Solutions is all about, and what I believe to be the primary keys to our success over the last eight years.
Finding your niche and applying focus there
In the beginning, being the sole employee of a new business was a somewhat daunting experience. However, my fears soon subsided when I ended up landing my first client contract within 30 days of starting my business! With my costs immediately covered, we quickly started winning multiple construction projects of various sizes. But as a small company, when large projects are finished, you are left with a gap in revenue until the next big project came along. That’s a precarious way to run a business in my opinion.
So, we soon realized that there was a real market for our services within smaller construction projects. Not only that, we had become highly effective at catering to the various needs of smaller projects and businesses because of our “hands on” approach and attention to detail. So, early on, we defined a new niche for ourselves: facilities-focused, high-volume of small projects.
Picking a niche and applying focus to it has definitely contributed to our success. We have an identifiable marketplace to market to, and we now have a track record of being experts in that niche.
Live in the present moment, but set goals for the future
I often remind my employees to live in the now, and focus on the things that matter now, instead of always worrying about what tasks tomorrow will bring. And I try to live that way as well; however, I believe part of our success was setting lofty goals from the beginning.
My goals going forward? Well, we are currently working toward our five-year plan of workforce and project expansion. In five years, we plan to be a 20-25 person firm.
Also during that time, we plan to ramp up domestic and international program management as well as focus on increasing innovation and use of technology to deliver our projects. Our team adds a level of sophistication and dedication to these small projects that doesn’t compromise our client’s vision and have propelled us towards success.
Another goal for the future is to diversify our client base so that we spread out our risk, and still stay competitive in the marketplace.
Make sure your company culture reflects your values
I definitely believe strongly in the concept of Servant Leadership, and I have applied those personal values to my company’s values as well.
I am a Christian and it’s important to me to have our employees model Christ-like characteristics with our client interactions. That means live up to your promises, treat clients and fellow employees with the highest levels of respect, and strive everyday to be the best person you can be.
We are also a very family-centered company as well. I learned early on in my career that work-life balance is the key to success, and when work hours becomes overwhelming, our families suffer for it. So I celebrate the comfort and support our employees’ families give to them.
Although the future is hard to predict, I’m staying optimistic. On our website, we list out our company values. At the end of the list is the word, “Tenacious.” That means we don’t ever give up; we exceed expectations. We get it done. We always succeed. In work, and in life.
And that’s a pretty great place to be!
Kemp Management Solutions is a program management and consulting firm dedicated to providing our clients innovative, personalized process solutions for large projects or programs — without ever compromising our client’s vision. We’re committed to delivering customized solutions for our partners through innovation, integrity and collaboration. Contact us to learn more about who we are and how we can be an asset to your next project.