Internet Marketing Ninjas Reviews from the Employees

This month our company Internet Marketing Ninjas won the “Best Places to Work” Award by the Business Review. As part of the review process, Quantum Workplace did a survey seeking feedback from our employees. After we won this award I was able to see the comments, but not exactly who said what…so the below comments are not attributed to specific individuals, but this is what our employees had to say. Here are a few of my favorites:

Internet Marketing Ninjas is an amazing company to work for. Every day I get to do what I love, and I’m constantly surrounded by open-minded, positive individuals. We work hard, but we play hard, too – Internet Marketing Ninjas has   taken me to Jamaica, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. It seems too good to be true to work for such an innovative company, but it exists right here in Clifton Park!

I really love working here. It is the only job I can say that I look forward to going to in the morning. That is saying a lot since I am NOT a morning person by any means. I feel like a kid again when Sunday night comes around and I am excited to go to work the next day.

Internet Marketing Ninjas is simply the best place I have ever worked. What separates them from the pack is their commitment to their personnel. They know that happy employees are productive employees and treat us with dignity and respect, both of which seem to be lacking in so many other companies.

I love the working environment here. They work hard to make you feel comfortable so you don’t hate coming to work! In all honesty, work is what you do to make a living but working here is different. my coworkers are my favorite part of my day and management works hard to maintain a cohesive environment.

I have never worked for a company that offers such a flexible work schedule and relaxed environment. Our bosses expect a lot, but I never get the feeling that anyone is stressed out about, I am certainly not.

Internet Marketing Ninjas is one of the best SEO and full service Internet marketing companies in the world. We specialize in everything and our services include: increasing site PR, SEO, quality backlinks, web design, programming, content and widget creation, social media, Google Panda updates, and more.

I’ve had many jobs throughout my life and Internet Marketing Ninjas is by far the most amazing company that I’ve ever worked for. I love coming to work every day. I love working. I love the people I work with. My manager and owner of the company really, truly care about their employees. The company offers amazing benefits. I feel like this company is a family. I love telling people where I work and how much I love it. I know this all sounds very cheesy, but it’s all the truth! 🙂

I am really happy with working here. I really feel that we have the freedom to be creative and achieve our full potential here. I also feel like there is a great work environment where it is OK to ask questions.

Overall, this is an excellent company with a future that seems almost limitless. Our CEO is genius with his craft and seems to be way ahead of his time. The people who work here are friendly, unselfish, and what I believe to be the best quality, ambitious.

It is extremely rare, in my opinion, to find a business that feels more like family. To wake up knowing that, while yes I’d rather sleep in, I look forward to my job and the twists and turns I’ll be facing today. To feel recognized and rewarded for doing my job well. We have a saying at IMN, ‘You fire yourself.’ Feedback, assistance, and personal one-on-one training is available to any employee that needs it. So if you fail, you have no one but yourself to blame. And truly, this is an awesome thing; to know what is expected of me and if I am meeting those expectations instead of heading into my performance reviews with wobbly-knees and tear-streaked mascara.

Also amazing, is the environment at our workplace. Employees are friends. Granted, not always best friends, but you get the feeling people here know about you and care. Our extra table is always laden with donuts, cookies, and goodies while our office is always full of laughter. Know what I found incredible when I came to work here? Throughout the day, breaks and chitchat are encouraged to keep the day-to-day stress levels down. And because it’s okay to once in a while pass along a bit of laughter, our productivity is that much better.

I love this company and can easily see myself being here for years to come!

IMN is a terrific place to work. It is a pleasure to come to work every day. Our CEO is a Great boss. We have pizza parties, all the coffee you can drink, freezer filled with ice cream for afternoon pick mp ups, 401K, profit sharing, trips to Vegas, Florida, and Jamaica.

Wonderful place to work. Full of caring, compassionate, flexible people.

I’ve only been with WeBuildPages for a little over 3 months, but have already been promoted due to them recognizing my hard work, future potential, and ambition. I’ve never felt MORE appreciated in more than a decade of working for different corporations, including 2 different Fortune 500 companies. It truly is a pleasure to work there, and I practically leap out of bed to get to work every morning.

Another question they asked was:

“What two or three things does your employer currently do well that helps create a productive work place?” and we received the following answers:

1. Cash & trip based incentives
2. Team-based atmosphere, caring management always looking to help make everyone the best they can be, with plenty of opportunity for individual growth
3. Generous pay, holiday, 401k, profit sharing

Very generous performance based bonuses above our hourly rate.
Fantastic communication with all employees and ‘higher-ups’ in the company.
Great feedback and communication with immediate supervisors, always know how well you’re doing.
BEST PLACE EVER!

The team structure creates a familial atmosphere that is supportive and engaging. As employees we have the ability to, really, make as much as we see fit for ourselves, and the company and its employees have a reciprocal relationship. Also, ice cream never hurts productivity.

Casual yet professional work environment.
Continual improvement of tools and training.
Clearly defined goals and bonuses

Internet Marketing Ninjas is a great place to work, sure we have growing pains, but the bottom line is we are growing and will soon be the BEST place to work in the Capital Region!

Individual freedom, but plenty of area for questions and guidance if requested
Communication as to what is happening elsewhere in the company and how it can affect us later
Lots of free snacks to keep me sustained throughout the day

Team Building – Whereas most companies make team building feel forced and unwanted, Internet Marketing Ninjas is committed to team building to such a degree that it feels like simply having fun with friends. Softball, soccer, runs, game nights, movie nights, holiday parties, going to the theatre, sports events, company trips and more, and that’s just from June to December.

Challenges – Internet Marketing Ninjas is always reaching for the next thing, never content. Management is always pushing you to do more, but that push is positive, a result of knowing your are capable of greatness rather than a criticism of past performance. We are not simply told we can do better, but are given the resources (plans, support, etc.) to do so, keeping both drive and morale high.

The work load is split up evenly amongst teams, never making it feel like anyone has too much to handle. It’s a friendly environment which makes working easy. When you’re comfortable in your work environment you can get more done.

The CEO is always within reach of the employees. He shares his expertise and encourages everyone to learn new things. We also have a ‘Fun Committee’ that finds interesting things for us to do together outside of work.

Our employers are trusting, and flexible with what time people come in and breaks, which makes one feel less micromanaged and more responsible for arranging their week to make 40 hours. Management is also always giving away bonuses, and rewarding hard work, promoting team work and offering people continuous training and advancement opportunities.

Internet Marketing Ninjas creates a productive work place by

1. Allowing employees to grow professionally – Employees who demonstrate an interest in taking on more responsibility or branching out into other departments are not only instructed but encouraged to step up to the plate. Employee suggestions are welcomed, considered, and implemented often.
2. Fostering a family mentality amongst employees – When you walk into the office in the morning, everyone you see smiles at you and wishes you a ‘good morning’. IMN employees care about each other, and as corny as that sounds, it’s actually true. Most employees recognize one another and know about each other’s families, pets, hobbies, etc. In fact, there exists an internal wiki for company employees with their photo and biography so everyone can learn about each other.
3. Managers recognize and reward effort – Aside from the free ice cream (bonus!), hard work is recognized by managers. There is a statue awarded to employees in front of everyone to honor the effort put forth by gold-star employees. Monthly bonus systems and on-the-spot ninja stars are handed out to anyone who performs above and beyond. Managers, and even the owner himself, can often be heard praising the achievements of individuals.

Bonuses, free ice cream and ninja stars? Who wouldn’t want to work for IMN?

It’s just a great atmosphere; it’s clear that the company really cares about and values the employees. Strengths are always recognized. Plus it’s just a fun place!

The three things Internet Marketing Ninjas does well, maybe the best are:

1. Create and foster a team based environment in producing quality work
2. Commit to offering training and learning opportunities for team members to further develop their skill sets and grow as people and professionals
3. Support a fun, laid-back office environment that is full of unique, interesting people.

Back to Jim blogging here…

I probably don’t have to tell you this but after reading these I was blown away

I am a lucky man.
In fact these reminded me of one of my favorite quotes…
As Buddha once said:
Success is not the key to happiness
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing
You will be successful.

What I Would Have Said…

I didn’t fill out a survey myself, I wanted us to win of course, but I wanted it to be based on the feedback from my employees and…it seems to have worked out. But here’s what my entry would have looked like…

I can honestly say, I love my job, I love where I work, and I love the people I work with. Yes, I work long hours (when I’m not with my kids, I’m working…often until 2am at the office). But it’s a game to me….it’s not just my job, it’s my life….it’s 80-100 hours of my average week……it’s what I do…it’s what I know…it’s who I am. There’s ups and downs, good things and bad things about my position and my job….but I wouldn’t trade what I do (internet marketing), or my role as (CEO) of this company for the world.

I love what I’m doing.  I’m a success because I’m happy…and I’m lucky that the business is “successful” (we make a nice profit, and we don’t owe anyone any $). The fact that others here enjoy their jobs and we were named one of the best places to work, and after reading what the employees had to say…well… that makes me feel like the luckiest business owner in the world.

I’ve always dreamed of running a business that was different than the usual office (ie, not like Initech (from Office Space), and I’ve always striven to make this company a great place to work, and different than the “typical” company.

Now I have that and a dream team of employees. And it’s not just because they are talented… these are employees who really care…employees who will go that extra mile…who will stand behind the vision of the company. They will do what needs to be done to ensure we have a great service…and a great working environment…well….those are the people who make this a great place to work.

I think that’s it…I love what I do because of the people I work with….yes I love Internet Marketing….and I could have done that as a solo services….but I’m a people person. I’d rather be working on a team creating things bigger than what I could ever do alone…the people I work with are my friends…and most have been my friend for years. I’ve been lucky enough to assemble a group of wonderful people who I can call my team and my friends. It’s a great place to work because of all the kind, caring, hardworking…and bright people we have here. I’m lucky…have I said that yet?…I am lucky. Thank you to everyone at Ninjas for winning this award for the company. I am more grateful than you will ever know.

Jim’s gush/ramble complete.