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Meet Donna Galassi of Blue Zenith Design + Strategy in Centennial and South Denver

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Galassi.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Donna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been interested in puzzles, you know solving problems, finding ways through a challenge. It started through my love of math class, physics, and earth sciences and ended up in technology – where I’ve been working since graduating my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science through the University of South Florida in Tampa. Through working in the engineering departments of the likes of Honeywell, through developing desktop applications for Thomson Financial, I have always applied science to the art of solving problems using technology as my toolset.

So, how did I go from working corporate to start my own business? Blue Zenith started when I lost my job in the great recession of 2008. I worked in the wrong industry at the wrong time – and the company I worked for went out of business. That left me at the worst time ever without a job in an industry that was oversaturated with others looking for a limited number of available jobs. I knew then that I wanted to work with small business, those that brought heart and purpose to what they do. Small businesses doing business with integrity, proud of their offerings, making a difference in the local communities they served.

In the corporate world, I yielded technology as a tool to creating desktop applications that solved company challenges, creating products that bridged the gap of what was needed in the marketplace, to presenting the true value behind the companies I worked for. When I found myself without a job, I knew that though my corporate experience had been developing applications, the website became the ultimate application, a marketing tool, a website tool to offer a small business way to engage and delight their online visitors.

Though I started Blue Zenith in 2009 as a web design company, I realized quickly that the art of creating a good website went so much deeper than that, especially so for the small business world that I wanted to work with. Though Blue Zenith offers websites and technology as our products, I know that the success of a small business lies in the people running the business. It’s those people, the culture of the company, the ways they do business, conduct business, that makes a difference. It comes down not to what you do… but how you do it that makes you distinct. Capturing that is capturing the true essence of the heart of a small business.

Today, ten years after starting the business I have learned to bring all that experience into my company, Blue Zenith Design + Strategy. I have created a family owned and run company. My son, Alex, has been my primary developer for the past five years. Together, we are building a different web design company, one that focuses on technology solutions, that incorporates all the parts of being successful online.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an entrepreneur is not always easy. It takes lots of hard work, a dedication to keeping the lights on, and a purpose bigger than yourself. Starting the business in the midst of the great recession was not an easy task. Learning the ropes of running a business, the art of networking, meeting with clients, developing the procedures and processes to expand and grow were some of the problems that I’ve had to push through, that I had to find solutions so my business wasn’t one of those failed statistics.

At the same time, it was by going through this that solidified my determination – there was no other option for me, but to succeed. I needed the business to grow. My children, two young adults, were graduating high school and entering college. It was during those beginning years in business that I learned this about myself – that my family, providing for them, being there for them, was the motivation behind the mantra: Failure was not an option.

So, with that perspective, I realized there was so much to learn. I joined the local chamber of commerce, the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, to get to know the business community and learn from them. I knew I couldn’t do this alone.

The one biggest piece of advice I have for new entrepreneurs is this: you need to be dedicated to being a success, which means you need to do things you are uncomfortable with, you need to admit when you need help or need to hire someone for their expertise. You need to be the one advocating for your business, almost like a parent does for their child, someone that can look into the business, see what you need, and make sure that happens. Businesses fail for so many reasons, but you are destined to fail if you don’t learn this lesson – that trying to do it alone, not asking for help, not seeking solutions when there are problems that you can’t solve is one quick way to go down that path. The question you need to ask yourself is: How committed are you?

It was through my commitment to my own success that I learned to trust my gut, to believe in my abilities, to trust my skills and value that I brought to my business. The same commitment to success built the confidence I needed to grow my business. Confidence is a skill that all entrepreneurs need to be successful. Confidence in yourself, in your skills and that you can always find solutions. Confidence in listening to your gut, to taking that step, to doing the seemingly impossible.

My journey taught me these three things:

1. To believe in myself, to trust in my abilities.
2. To value my talents, gifts, and knowledge. To know my limits, to know when I should seek help, to value my skills and what I’m good at – and know what I’m not good at.
3. To be willing to do the hard work to make it happen. I learned to be ready and willing to step outside what is comfortable and to always, always do the right thing.

Blue Zenith Design + Strategy – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are known for working with entrepreneurs and small businesses, usually less than 10 employees, that are service-based and dedicated to their craft. It is our dedication to our clients and our own processes that sets us apart. When clients come to us, they are struggling with not enough clients, expanding into new locations, or are growing or changing their business offerings.

For those businesses, we provide enterprise-level technology and design services, focused on crafting a brand message that stands out, integrating technology that works for their business model, and ensuring the security and protection of their digital assets. Whether ecommerce, marketing automation, client onboard processes, and other systems that can be automated to enhance business operations, we understand the challenges of being an entrepreneur, the importance of being streamlined and focused, and the value of ensuring your website is a sales tool and a resource to your potential clients and online visitors.

I am the author of Reimagine Your Brand: How to Create Impact for Your Business, and the founder to the online course: Reimagine Your Brand: IMPACT for the Entrepreneur. These both capture my unique perspective and philosophy of branding: blending concepts of personal branding with traditional branding that effectively tells the brand story, building “Know, Like & Trust” into your brand message. I also work with small business teams to capture the strengths, culture, mission and the true value of the business. We create websites that showcase your business expertise to your ideal clients and proves to them why your business is their best choice.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Last year, 2018, I published my book, Reimagine Your Brand: How to Create Impact for the Entrepreneur, and this year, 2019, I released the online course that brings to life the training and concepts captured in the book. Though that alone was a huge accomplishment that I am truly proud of, what I feel truly signals success to me, is that this year, 2019, I have been in business for ten years. I started this journey alone in 2009, and have built a business with employees and vendors that help me provide the best services to my own clients. I have built a family run business, employing my son, Alex, as a true partner to my own success. And the one thing that stands above all others, is that my business was stable enough so that I had the opportunity to focus on writing and publishing my book and creating my online course. Those two projects took up much of my own time, and my team worked harder so that I could accomplish both of those things. I could not have accomplished those tasks without a solid team behind me.

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Image Credit:
Tricia Turpenoff of Turpenoff Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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