The custom website, software, brand identity and marketing agency Mostly Serious celebrated its five-year anniversary this October. Co-founded in 2010 by Jarad Johnson and Joe Donohue, and soon joined in ownership by Clay McGee and Zack Bonebrake, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Mo., where it provides advanced interactive solutions for global, national and local clients. During its first five years, Mostly Serious has consistently driven sales leads for clients as well as fostered several community partnerships and achieved many milestones that point to continued success for the foreseeable future.
Today, Mostly Serious also has a satellite location in San Francisco and works with more than ten locally operated companies and organizations—both in Mo. and Ca.—in varying industries including manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, hotel and restaurant management, not-for-profit and technology.
Interactive Marketing and Custom Ecommerce
With a focus on interactive marketing solution, Mostly Serious develops websites and applications that have proven to increase revenue for its clients, which include internationally operating companies like HOLLOWAY AMERICA: “Back in 2010, we were searching for a local company to build us a great web presence and take our brand to the next level online,” said HOLLOWAY AMERICA Director of Marketing Randy Colwell. “Mostly Serious has far exceeded expectations, and much like HOLLOWAY products, the quality of our website is unsurpassed in the custom fabrication industry.”
Mostly Serious offers the latest in custom ecommerce development and works with leading companies such as Area Diesel Service and Stamina Products. The agency uses proven search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and implements breakthroughs in ecommerce design to impact sales, as Head of Writing & Content Marketing Joe Donohue addressed: “From the start, we’ve used SEO and thoughtful design to ensure ecommerce success. After our SEO pulls in traffic, our design, writing and development all work together to eliminate purchasing barriers and compel users to buy. Since every choice we make is backed by research and user data, I’m confident our clients will continue enjoying big results.”
Community Involvement and Continual Growth
Throughout its five years of operation, Mostly Serious has developed community partnerships with local nonprofits. From setting the brand tone through initial brand identity and website creation for Springfield Community Gardens to taking Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) to new heights for online fundraising, Mostly Serious thrives on helping nonprofits help the community. Most notably, the agency designed and developed the ecommerce website for CFO’s Give Ozarks Day 2015, which raised more than one million dollars for regional community organizations. Committed for the long-term, Mostly Serious also recently overhauled the website for Springfield Community Gardens, making it easier to join the organization in maintaining urban gardens that let Springfield families grow their own healthy food.
Outside of a diverse set of clients and successful partnerships with community organizations, Mostly Serious has reached milestones that put five years of business in perspective. The relatively young company has experienced nearly 100% revenue growth rate each year since 2010 and recently renovated a modern office space on the corner of Jefferson and Walnut Streets in downtown Springfield, Mo. “Renovating an office space that we would all be genuinely excited to spend each day in felt like a reward for the hard work it took to get to this point,” said President & Head of Design Jarad Johnson. “It’s certainly a big change from the rental house bedroom Mostly Serious started in five years ago.”
Mostly Serious has also found success in launching internally funded products—the first of which launched in 2014—and building a unique work culture that is more common on the East and West Coasts than it is in the Midwest. “We started Mostly Serious with a flat structure and eventually grew into an organic structure that doesn’t follow the traditional subordinate-supervisor role,” Johnson said. “Each member of our team has the talent and drive to expand on what Mostly Serious offers. That brings a unique and powerful passion to our workplace. More than anything, we’re excited to continue building such a strong culture during the next five years.”
For more information about Mostly Serious, visit mostlyserious.io or contact Jarad Johnson at jarad[at]mostlyserious.io or by phone at 417.501.6552.