executive perspectives: Homeward Bound

As a young salesman peddling maintenance on IBM check-sorting equipment, Joseph G. Scott's travel schedule was demanding at best. Naturally, Scott didn't think anything of his frequent travel or red-eye flights back home. That all changed after one fateful trip when he returned to find his three-year-old son sitting on the step to greet him.

"He was upset and asked me why I was gone all of the time," Scott recalled. "I replied, 'I don't know.' I quit the next day."

After some time off, Scott returned to the workforce armed with a list of hefty requests that included no traveling, the ability to work from home, and a long-distance boss—preferably 1,000 miles away. A tip led him to a sales position at Balfour, a company that dealt with employee recognition programs.

Scott knew something was off when his new employer cautioned against selling promotional products. Approximately three years later, the company was up for sale. Scott took his cue, along with his accounts, and ran.

Things didn't exactly go as planned with Scott nearly "running things into the ground." He turned to his wife, Katie, for help. According to Scott, she "righted the ship, hired some people and Scott & Associates Inc. was born."

Today, Scott serves as vice president of Scott & Associates. The company offers a full array of marketing services ranging from multimedia production to promotional products. Read on as Scott talks business and opens up about himself.

Print+Promo (P+P): How do you set goals for yourself? For your business?
Joseph G. Scott (JGS): In business, my wife Katie and I determine how much margin we need to generate to give our employees and ourselves the kind of lifestyle we want. I've got a really good idea of how many sales calls, presentations and proposals I need to make in a given time period to make that happen. Katie runs the business, manages the employees and expenses, and collects the money, and I'm responsible for creative and new business development.