Vision Advertising COO Julia Becker Collins (right) sitting with Communications Manager Catrina Gardner (left).

In The News: 10 Things I Know About … Post-2020 employee recruitment & retention

This article originally appeared in the Worcester Business Journal on September 18, 2023. Competing for top talent in this post-2020 world with the Great Resignation and quiet quitting is challenging, especially for small businesses like mine. Yet, our 10-person agency had a 100% retention rate the first two COVID years, and we’ve hired two full-timers […]
Julia Becker Collins in her home office.

In The News: Why we switched to an unlimited vacation policy

This article originally appeared in the Worcester Business Journal on April 18th, 2022. At Vision Advertising, we’ve included unlimited vacation time in our staff perks for several years. Over that time, we’ve seen stronger team trust, decreased human resources paperwork, and faster recruitment. I’ve found when you treat your staff like the adults that they […]
A picture of Vision COO Julia Becker Collins presenting a Business Bootcamp webinar on the screen of alaptop on top of a desk, where someone is taking notes in a notebook

Binge-Worthy Marketing Webinars: Vision’s Business Bootcamps

Looking to build upon your marketing prowess but don’t have the budget to spend on consultations or classes? Then we hope you’ve been taking advantage of Vision Advertising’s free webinar series: Business Bootcamps! At Vision Advertising, we’re passionate about marketing education. Our professional marketers focus intently on getting entrepreneurs and small businesses over the initial […]
Person on computer speaking into a microphone. Online speaking, webinar, or podcast.

Public Speaking: Reinventing the Best Marketing for 2021

When it comes to marketing your business, one of your biggest tools will always be yourself. People buy from people, and the more you can get yourself out there being seen, heard, and engaging with potential customers, the more leads you will find. For many, including myself, this means workshops and speaking engagement. But with […]
Julia Becker Collins works with two Vision staffers on a laptop.

Why We’re Proud to Be a Women-Owned and -Run Business

Recently, I was networking with a colleague and was on an initial phone call with him. When I explained that we were women-owned and -run, he responded with, “Oh, you’re only trying to work with women.” To him, stating your business is women-owned, minority-run, etc., means that you are only selling to those groups. Calmly, […]
Julia Becker Collins in her home office.

In the News: How servant leadership keeps companies together

This article originally appeared in the Worcester Business Journal on February 22nd, 2021. Once you have employees, your business changes. Leadership isn’t defined by what you lead, but how you lead. Who do you put first at your business? Yourself? Your team? Your customers? There are no right or wrong answers, but they all form […]
Woman in face mask hangs closed sign on door of shuttered business.

In The News: Small business relief must focus on actual small businesses

This article originally appeared in the Worcester Business Journal on January 25th, 2021. When hearing the term “small business,” you probably envision a decades-old hardware store or that North End restaurant you order takeout from once a week. However, other small business owners and I are finding out the hard way there is an exploitive […]
Julia Becker Collins works with two Vision staffers on a laptop.

How Servant Leadership Keeps Companies Together

Once you have employees, your business changes. Leadership isn’t defined by that you lead, but how you lead. Who do you put first at your business? Yourself? Your team? Your customers? There are no right or wrong answers, but they all form different types of leaders with different strengths. When I joined the Vision team, […]
Back view of business woman talking to her coworkers and business partners during a video conference call.

In The News: Keeping the human connection during social distancing

This article originally appeared in the Worcester Business Journal on April 27th, 2020. When I started to write this at the beginning of March, this article was about the need for the genuine human connection that businesses need to maintain with those in their network, from partners to communities. Now, in a world of social […]