Darryl Parker named Power Player in the Mecklenburg Times

GIVE US A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF YOUR BUSINESS.
We build, market, maintain and host small business websites. Our slogan is “We Put Web Sites to Work

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY?
Do all things with the highest integrity.

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?
Success is being able to give.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?
My biggest accomplishment has been in balancing my work and my life by working to live and not living to work. Tough to do when you are the work. My family today is able to do so much more than I experienced as a child. This particular accomplishment took a number of years to impress its importance and then a number of additional years to become reality, but it has yielded great satisfaction.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
Still being a business owner after 10 years. There were definitely periods in the last decade where I thought the dream might end.

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB/COMPANY?
The people are the best thing about my job including my employees, my clients and my community.

WHAT IS THE TOUGHEST DECISION YOU'VE HAD TO MAKE?
To cut staffing is the hardest thing I ever have to do. It’s a decision that’s been made several times as a business owner and it never gets any easier.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS MOST IMPORTANT IN PREPARING TO RUN A BUSINESS?
The most important thing in preparing to run a business is to make sure what you are offering provides value to your buyer at a profit to you. It sounds simple, right? Wrong. I’ve worked with hundreds of start-up businesses over the last 10 years and it is amazing how often this basic premise is overlooked in the enthusiasm to do something of which the person is capable versus asking first if the person should do it. In a small business start-up, your time is your most valuable asset. Don’t waste it chasing non-existent demand.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU WERE GETTING STARTED IN BUSINESS THAT YOU KNOW NOW?
It is vitally important for you to get over yourself. Your ego will cost you a fortune if you aren’t careful. Recognize its role and do not let it dominate your decisions. Set non-delusional goals – you don’t have to be Bill Gates to be happy as a business owner.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS OWNERS?
Paralysis by analysis can occur in many parts of your business. Settle in, do your job, and dedicate 20% of your time to planning – not 100%.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
I read on such a diversity of topics and read several books a month, so my favorite is usually the most recent book I’ve read that I liked the most. This month my favorite is cyberpunk author Rudy Rucker’s “Postsingular” which describes a world birthing self-reliant artificial intelligence. It’s the first fiction book I’ve read in over a year.

IF YOU WEREN'T DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU WANT TO DO?
Again, this is another moving target for me. Of late my muse alternate to my current employment is writing and photography. Last year it was farming.

WHAT DO YOU WANT OTHERS TO KNOW ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS?
That it is not all peaches and cream. I’m always amazed when people think I’m independently wealthy or something because I own my company. NOT TRUE! It’s a struggle – a worthy struggle – but a struggle nonetheless.

Name: Darryl Parker
Title: Owner, President
Business Name: Parker Media, Inc. DBA Parker Web
Established: 1999
Location: Matthews, NC
Phone: 704.321.2251
Web Site: www.parkerweb.com