Growth, Digital Momentum, and Lessons from the Summer at PAVERART
- Mark Olivito
- Aug 19
- 2 min read
This summer has been unlike any other at PAVERART: our third expansion to power the next stage of growth, a viral whirlwind of videos, and a crash course in handling internet haters.
My 25+ year belief working in business continues to rule the day: If You Are Not Growing, You are Dying! But growth is not easy.
Growth takes more than space and machines- it takes talent that raises capabilities.
Enter Dominic: Establishing Digital Momentum
Dominic came on board full-time right after high school. While preparing to launch BeyondART Creations, he also took charge of our digital marketing this summer—starting with a series of short-form videos that sparked an unexpected whirlwind. Here’s a glimpse…
"Why Work vs. College?"
Our Goals With Short-Form Video
We set out to achieve some basic goals through short-form videos:
EDUCATE & ENGAGE: What do people need to know about the PAVERART product? Critical "FAQ's" about what we do, how we do it, what makes us unique? Provide another avenue for people to interact with a customer-centric small business.
MOTIVATE: We’ve always believed our perspective on sound business practices could motivate others. That’s what inspired our podcast, though it never reached the audience we hoped. Short-form video gave us another chance to share principles that might inspire fellow business owners.
ENTERTAIN: And of course—if you can’t hold people’s attention, your message will never see the light of day.
Results
The results stunned us: over 10 million views and thousands of comments. We’ve never seen this level of organic awareness—a fast, pleasant surprise.
CONFLICT: When Goals & Results Collide with One's Mental Health!
How can you be customer-centric and responsive to thousands of comments, especially when the internet is "infamous" for haters......keyboard warriors that look to tear you down? Should you "ignore the haters" or embrace them?
Truth be told, I was not prepared for this and I'd be lying to tell you it did NOT cause a degree of stress. So we confronted the hate.
Remember the line from the Godfather: It's not personal, it's business.
EVERYTHING involved with owning a business is PERSONAL.
The payroll does not represent $'s and cents. It is a reflection of mouths that are being fed, and not just the person whose name appears on the check.
When hate comes your way, it's not a video they are criticizing, it's the team associated with the business itself.
I understand this is my perception, and something I suspect many deal with. But I haven't met a business owner yet that does not view their business as a DEEPLY PERSONAL reflection of themselves.
Small businesses have some built-in advantages. We do not have layers of bureaucracy. IF there's an idea worth trying we act quickly as we only answer to ourselves.
Dom often points out that America can’t win the global AI race without advancing nuclear energy. He jokingly blames The Simpsons for holding back public perception—a bit crazy, but with a kernel of truth.
That led to yet another video—and a giveaway! Choosing a winner may be tough, but we can’t wait to see where Homer ends up.
SO.....would love feedback on a few things:
What's your approach to dealing with the internet keyboard warriors/haters?
What video content would you like to see us tackle?
